The Bar Mitzvah Murder: A Christine Bennett Mystery [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Lee Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2004

For suburban sleuth Christine Bennett, the chance to visit the Holy Land is a dream come true. Her best friend Melanie Gross will be in Jerusalem at the same time for the bar mitzvah of her very wealthy cousin. Not accustomed to traveling, Christine is thrilled to have Melanie along to share the experience. The beauty and mystery of the golden city is overwhelming, and Christine is excited about exploring every part of it - until Gabe disappears without a trace . . .

Available only in Mystery 4.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An excellent series."
-- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (UNKNOWN )

From the Inside Flap

TODAY, I AM A DEAD MANFor suburban sleuth Christine Bennett, the chance to visit the Holy Land is a dream come true. Her best friend Melanie Gross will be in Jerusalem at the same time for the Bar Mitzvah of her very wealthy cousin. Although he?s long past the customary age of thirteen, Gabe is planning a lavish party and is flying family and friends over from the States to celebrate. Not accustomed to traveling, Christine is thrilled to have Melanie along to share the experience.The beauty and mystery of the golden city is overwhelming, and Christine is excited about exploring every part of it?until Gabe disappears without a trace, turning her vacation tour into a trail of clues that leads to a cold and cunning killer. . . . --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 332 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (June 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786264365
• ISBN-13: 978-0786264360
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,691,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the weakest of the series, March 5, 2004

By 

Barbara Stites "eclectic reader" (Van Nuys, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bar Mitzvah Murder: A Christine Bennett Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

I've read all of the Lee Harris "holiday themed" mysteries, and this one is the weakest of the lot! While an interesting vacation tale (Christine as tourist), her constant self-denial begins to wear thin. Must it be mentioned in nearly every chapter? And as a "guide" to the Holy Land, stick to travel writers who will do a better job of the historic/political aspects of this part of the world.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars exciting amateur sleuth, February 21, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bar Mitzvah Murder: A Christine Bennett Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

Suburbanite Christine Bennett is delighted that her closest friends Hal and Mel Gross are going to visit Israel and their cousin is paying for it. Gabe is a wealthy fifty something year old businessman who wants to have his bar mitzvah in Jerusalem and is wealthy enough to fly his friends and family out there for the event.

Chris, a former nun, is even more excited when her husband NYPD lieutenant Jack informs her they are going to Israel too. He will work with the Jerusalem police on a database. When they arrive at their destination, Mel informs Chris that Gabe was injured and was taken away in an ambulance but they can't find him. The next day his body is found in the Arab sector of Jerusalem and since the police are not making any progress on the case, Mel asks Chris to do some detecting. She discovers that the crime was carefully planned in one country and executed in another but whom and why eludes her.

Not only has Lee Harris written another exciting amateur sleuth tale, she also has given her audience a fascinating travelogue of interesting sites and areas in Israel. In spite of the troubles in the area, readers will want to tour the Holy Land. THE BAR MITZVAH MURDER is so complex that nobody reading this book will be able to identify the person who set up the murder scenario until the author chooses to reveal it.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Stay in the U.S!, February 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bar Mitzvah Murder: A Christine Bennett Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

I've read every one of the excellent books in this series and always look forward to the next...this one, however, was disappointing. Starting with a far-fetched reason for Jack to be in Israel, and building on that shaky foundation, this was not up to the author's usual standards. Next time, let's stay home!