Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home

Harry Kemelman

Aug 2015 · The Rabbi Small Mysteries Book 3 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

As Passover approaches, Rabbi Small contends with infighting, backstabbing, and an actual murder in this New York Times bestseller

As Rabbi David Small’s 5-year contract winds down at the synagogue in Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts, some members of the congregation are plotting to remove him; others are whispering about starting a new temple of their own across the street. When the rabbi gets an invitation to perform Passover services at a local university, he’s eager to get away from the bickering and spend a few days on campus. But instead of peace and enlightenment, he finds a murder wrapped up in drug deals and racial tensions.
 
From tuned-out hippies to political zealots, the college is full of potential suspects. Once again it’s up to the rabbi to draw on his deductive skills to solve the case—and avoid getting sucked into the bitter culture war—before the killer strikes again.

Ratings and reviews

amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, small-town, Jewish, Jewish-law, murder, murder-investigation, suspicion***** I think that the publisher's blurb should be rewritten after all these years. Originally published June 1, 1969, this story is timely for 2021 just as it was then. The attitude of the Jewish and non-Jewish people of Barnard's Crossing, Massachusetts might just surprise some of the current protesters. The story begins with synagogue politics near Passover and moves into murder and marijuana sales with local college students in the middle. The local police tend toward a nonresident, but Rabbi Small has no such agenda. Good story and particularly apt. George Guidall is well suited as narrator.

About the author

Harry Kemelman (1908–1996) was best known for his popular rabbinical mystery series featuring the amateur sleuth Rabbi David Small. Kemelman wrote twelve novels in the series, the first of which, Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. This book was also adapted as an NBC made-for-TV movie, and the Rabbi Small Mysteries were the inspiration for the NBC television show Lanigan’s Rabbi. Kemelman’s novels garnered praise for their unique combination of mystery and Judaism, and with Rabbi Small, the author created a protagonist who played a part-time detective with wit and charm. Kemelman also wrote a series of short stories about Nicky Welt, a college professor who used logic to solve crimes, which were published in a collection entitled The Nine Mile Walk. 
Aside from being an award-winning novelist, Kemelman, originally from Boston, was also an English professor.