In investigating the deaths of a professor of literature and his junior colleague, Superintendent Michael Ohayon raises profound ethical questions about the relationship between the artist and his creation, and between the artist and a moral code. It brings him into contact with the academic elite and reveals the social problems and differing perspectives of Israel's various classes.
Batya Gur's The Literary Murder is a clever, compelling, and suspenseful mystery that will leave readers entertained up until the final, harrowing conclusion.
"A complex mystery set in an unusual, well-developed milieu with a full cast of characters. The Literary Murder is literary multidimensional pleasure." — Publishers Weekly
"This is a marvelous book, seductively engaging from beginning to end . . . intellectual pursuit is portrayed with vigor and grace." — Newsday
"Gur, a professor of literature in Jerusalem, knows academia well, and she uses it as a foil to illustrate the social and cultural tensions that permeate Israeli life. At the same time, she tells a fine detective yarn, keeping her cards well hidden until the end, deftly setting up the reader for twists, turns, and surprises." — Booklist
Michael Ohayon Mystery series Saturday Morning Murder (#1) The Literary Murder (#2) Murder on the Kibbutz (#3) Murder Duet (#4) Bethlehem Road Murder (#5) Murder in Jerusalem (#6)
Batya Gur (1947-2005) lived in Jerusalem, where she was a literary critic for Haaretz, Israel's most prestigious paper. She earned her master's in Hebrew literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and she also taught literature for nearly twenty years.