Angel of Death - Softcover

Krich, Rochelle Majer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0446403113 ISBN 13: 9780446403115

Publisher: Mysterious Press, 1996

Synopsis

When a top-notch criminal lawyer whose fame is based on his representation of unpopular causes takes the case of a group of Nazis who want to parade through Jewish neighborhoods on Hitler's birthday, he becomes the target of death threats

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

This year, April 20 is not only Hitler's birthday but Holocaust Remembrance Day--and what better way for neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers to celebrate than to parade through the Jewish suburbs of L.A.? Not everybody agrees, however: Barry Lewis, the lawyer who's defending the White Alliance's right to march, has been getting vituperative phone calls and hate mail from the Jewish community (his own father denounces him), and somebody's painted a Star of David on his front door. Matters only go from bad to worse after the parade, when a Holocaust survivor has a fatal stroke after being shoved by White Alliance organizer Roy Benning, and Lewis is pressured to defend Benning against criminal charges. With so many factions (Lewis's family, the deniers and supremacists, and organizations ranging from the ACLU to the Shield of Jewish Protectors) tensely watching each other, the scene is set for some tough debate--until Lewis is blown up by a car bomb. Other principals in the case are threatened with similar treatment (``Prepare for the Angel of Death'') and meet fates neatly foretold by a well-known Jewish prayer. Eventually, the furious energy Krich has poured into her explosive conflict abates, leaving only Detective Jessica Drake's emotional reaction to the news of her own Jewish roots and a routine pattern-murder story surprisingly reminiscent of Fair Game (1993). Though the contenders never miss a chance for partisan posturing, Krich keeps her debate at the boiling point for 200 pages until the inevitable violence simplifies the issues and the story settles into a heartfelt lecture about anti-Semitism. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly:

Anti-Semitism on the streets of L.A. draws homicide detective Jessica Drake, seen last in Fair Game, into disturbing investigations of both hate crimes and her own history. Attorney Barry Lewis, the son of Holocaust survivors, is fighting for White Alliance's right to march on Hitler's birthday, and he is paying the price-he and his wife are ostracized, he receives hate mail and calls and finds a blood-red Star of David and a death threat on his front door. Jessica grumbles about this corpseless case but, having Jewish relatives she has never met, becomes intrigued by what she learns about the Jewish community as she probes its members, including gentle Ezra Nathanson, his radical brother Joel Ben-Natan, and Barry's wife and parents-all of whom seem to have something to hide. After the parade, Barry tackles an even more controversial assignment and Jessica's work intensifies: the case finally gets its corpse. By subordinating mystery to message, Krich sacrifices the suspense that drove her earlier works, including Where's Mommy Now, but she offers her message in a creative way, and Jessica, other than taking a brainless risk to set up the finale, makes an engaging companion. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Mysterious Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0446403113
• ISBN 13: 9780446403115
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 352