Customer Reviews

Don't Cry for Me, Hot Pastrami

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The bibliophile's eternal question -- to buy or not to buy (or borrow from the library), I would say the answer here is: borrow. Worth reading. A fun read. But that's it.

Ruby, the former rabbi's wife, embarks on a cruise with the congregants from hell and their current rabbi who has the leadership ability of Jello. The entire cruise quickly turns hellish when Ruby stumbles onto some nefarious goings-on. The book's downside: The congregants are unbelievable to the point of being insulting caricatures. The plot has a tendency to stray and meander. But, it's worth sticking with because it does leave you (and Ruby literally) dying to know the truth. Plus, Ruby has a delightfully quick, sarcastic wit and manages to deliver some wicked observations and comments which made me "kvell" (because if I'd been in her place, I wouldn't have thought of that perfect line until 16 hours later ... of course she does have the luxury of being a character in a book, but nonetheless it's always refreshing to spend time with someone who won't suffer fools gladly and that's Ruby.) So, definitely a fun read, you'll be treated to some delicious and hilarious lines and a plot that does turn interesting around p. 100. A more worthwhile "borrow" than "buy." This likely isn't a book you'll need or want to read again. But, I don't think you'll regret the time you spent reading it.

Unless you are looking for a lame mystery which insults anyone even loosely related to the Jewish faith or the cruise industry, forget about this offering from Sharon Kahn. I do, however, give her an extra star for handling Ruby's emotional dilemma about trust and dating after widowhood in a sensitive and believable manner.

I really wanted to like this, but Ruby is getting less likeable with each book in this series. This is a problem since she is the narrator and main character. The story is improbable and the characters are silly. A fast, light read that will not stay with you as long as a hot pastrami sandwich, or even a bagel. Too bad. Maybe the next one (if there is one) will be better.

Since the death of Rabbi Stu Rothman, Essie Sue Margolis runs the Temple Rita synagogue in Eternal, Texas. Using a statistically invalid and unreliable sampling of the congregation members, Essie Sue informs the board that the new Rabbi Kevin Kerstein has a very low approval rating. To avoid the selection process of a new rabbi, the board including Ruby, the wife of the deceased previous Rabbi, agree to a Caribbean Sea cruise.

Ruby wins the raffle for a free trip, but wonders if she will be sailing with endless tsuris from the aggravation she expects from her companions. The Bargain Tours cruise is filled with cut-rate reductions that makes this a trip worth forgetting though coincidentally the Captain happens to be Essie Sues cousin. University Professor Gonzales was to provide insight into the historical Jewish population in the area, but he dies while boarding the ship. Ruby finds herself embroiled in a mystery based on the professors notes while two suitors, the captain and a passenger she likes (who might just be a killer) pursue her.

The third Rabbi's wife mystery, DONT CRY FOR ME, HOT PASTRAMI, is an amusing who-done-it due to the internal sufferings and asides of Ruby. The story line is fun though a reader might wonder why Ruby puts up with Essie Sue, a professional nudnick. Essie Sue is as aggressive a character one will find in a cozy while the Rabbi needs to borrow some of her chutzpah so he will not continue to look like a putz. Fans of an ethnic who-done-it will enjoy this tale that requires noshing a bagel while reading it.

Harriet Klausner

Sharon Kahn's books are quite delightful. For a New York Jew, reading about Jews in Texas was enlightening. Of course they're not so different, just a different accent. I enjoyed all of her books

I found most of the characters in "Don't Cry For Me Hot Pastrami" to be one-dimensional (or worse, no dimensional, just a flat out stereotype) but maybe if I'd read the previous books in the series I'd know better who was who and what made them tick. Maybe. Ruby's narration style is abrupt and leaves a lot of what motivates her to the imagination, and the other characters are even less clear. The description of the cruise the Temple Rita group is on is unbelievable to the point that it's not really funny, people on a cruise with the food described would be performing a mutiny of epic proportions! This is all too bad, because the mystery plot is pretty good. Fortunately, the writing itself is decent, no dumb grammar or usage mistakes, just too much improbability in the setting and rather weak support on the characterization front.