By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
“Cinnamon Girl"
There is a great deal to dislike about Adam Zantz, the hero of Daniel Weizmann’s “Cinnamon Girl” (Melville House). He refuses to take responsibility for his actions and often spins a lie, rather than tell the complete truth. Yet, readers will once again become so absorbed in his story that they’ll forgive him all of his sins. “Cinnamon Girl” is the second book in the Pacific Coast Highway Mystery series, and it offers just as much fun and suspense – with a side of music – as the first book, “The Last Songbird.” (To read The Reporter’s review of that work, click here.)
A former would-be songwriter and singer, Adam still drives for Lyft in order to make ends meet, although he is now studying for his private investigator’s license. While he technically is not allowed to investigate cases until he receives that license, he is unable to say no to a request from his former piano teacher, Charles Elkaim, who now lives in a nursing home and only has a short time to live. Decades before, Elkaim’s son, Emil, was arrested for murder and then killed while in prison awaiting trial. A former friend of Emil’s visited Elkaim claiming that he now has evidence that Emil was innocent. Unfortunately, he never paid the promised return visit. Elkaim wants Adam to find this friend and exonerate Emil, so he can die in peace.
Adam is reluctant to take the case, although he knew and admired Emil, who seemed a shining hero when Adam was young. But he worries investigating without a license could get him into trouble. Yet, he finds it impossible to say no to a man who was his late uncle’s friend. While, at first, the evidence seems to suggest the murder was related to drugs, it soon becomes clear that there is far more to the story. Things become complicated when Adam finds a recording made by Emil and a band, a recording someone is willing to kill for. This is only the start of a complex and interesting plot that will keep readers quickly turning pages.
“Cinnamon Girl” is perfect for those who like gritty mysteries with flawed heroes. Weismann managed to surprise me more than once; just when I thought I knew why something had happened, the plot would take a different direction. That continued until the novel’s dramatic and exciting ending. If most readers are like me, the identity of the murderer will blow them away. My only question at the novel’s conclusion was, “When will the next book in the series come out?”
“The Main Character”
Authors manipulate their characters to create interesting and suspenseful plots. What would happen if an author decided to do the same with real-life people? That’s the premise behind “The Main Character” by Jaclyn Goldis (Emily Bestler Books/Atria). Ginevra Ex is an extremely successful mystery author. Instead of inventing her characters, she hires a real person, with whom she holds extensive interviews before writing a fictionalized version of their lives. This is how she came to meet Rory, the main character of her latest work. As a present to celebrate the successful conclusion of those interviews, Ginevra gives Rory a present: a trip through Italy on the luxurious Orient Express. Rory is thrilled until she learns who else is on the train: her brother, her best friend and her former fiancé. Since this is a mystery (the novel opens with a death), readers are left not only to ponder the identity of the deceased and the killer, but the real reason behind the trip.
As in Goldis’ previous novel “The Chateau,” each chapter offers the thoughts of a different character. This creates confusion since their thoughts and actions can be interpreted in many different ways. Each chapter conceals as much as it reveals until readers learn the real story at the novel’s end. (To read The Reporter’s review of “The Chateau,” click here.)
If readers are questioning why I am reviewing this book, rest assured it does have Jewish content. In addition to all the characters being Jewish, there is a Jewish aspect to the plot itself, although to say more would spoil the fun. Goldis does an excellent job with misdirection and, even if readers guess parts correctly, there are always more surprises to be revealed. In fact, it took me several tries before I correctly identified the deceased.
While “The Main Character” is an excellent mystery/thriller, I didn’t become emotionally attached to the characters. That is not a complaint: after having been put through the emotional wringer reading “Cinnamon Girl,” it was a relief to stand back a bit. That may not be the reaction of all readers, and there are many parts of the plot that may move and/or distress them. What does stand out is how Gordis manages to juggle her different characters and plot elements without dropping the ball or losing her readers’ interest.
“Seraphim”
Ben Alder, the main character of Joshua Perry’s “Seraphim” (Melville House), qualifies as one of the most depressed and depressing characters I’ve ever read about. But that makes sense in the context: The 2008 post-Katrina world of New Orleans in which the novel takes place is portrayed as a racist, violent and chaotic place. Ben, a former rabbinical seminary student and now lawyer, moved to New Orleans to work as a public defender. As a northerner with little experience in the South, he and his partner, Boris, struggle with a New Orleans justice system that treats Black children as if they were animals. They have chosen to help these children – mostly young Black tweens and teens – in almost any way possible. Unfortunately, the justice system wants to handle these cases quickly and efficiently, which mostly means putting people behind bars.
The case that grabs Ben’s attention is that of Robert, a former client, who is now accused of shooting a New Orleans celebrity. The events of that night don’t make sense to Ben and the closer he looks, the more he realizes something is off. But the system wants a speedy answer, preferably a plea bargain. That’s often done even when a defendant isn’t guilty because too many convictions occur due to lies being told on the stand, possibilities of innocence are never explored and judges just want to clear their dockets. However, not all these children are innocent: as Ben learns, some of them are already killers, or circumstances may make them killers in the future. Ben knows he can’t cure society’s problems, though, something that creates an existential crisis that leaves him floundering.
Ben does a great deal of philosophical pondering about the nature of his job. As he sees it, the purpose of defense lawyers is to tell the jury a story, one that will lead them to find their client innocent. If that doesn’t work, he then seeks to explain the circumstances surrounding the crime so that the jury will feel sorry for the defendant and recommend a more lenient sentence. However, Ben knows that it’s not his job to care too deeply about his client or to judge him. His sole purpose is to manipulate the system to help his client.
“Seraphim” is told in the third person, which distances readers from Ben’s feelings and the action. That works, because otherwise it would be extremely difficult to read about the situations that the author describes. The novel serves as an indictment of that city’s criminal justice system. Unfortunately, it doesn’t leave readers with the hope that the situation might improve.