Murder on a Kibbutz: A Communal Case [Hardcover]

Batya Gur (Author), Dalya Bilu (Author, Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1994

Michael Ohayon, a detective last seen in the Saturday Morning Murder and Literary Murder, investigates a delicate murder case--the secretary of the kibbutz has been poisoned, and Ohayon must expose the deepest secrets of an egalitarian society.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gur's third Israeli mystery thriller involving detective Michael Ohayon of the Serious Crimes Unit (following Literary Murder) is at least as much about the world of the kibbutz as it is about the murder of beautiful, headstrong kibbutz secretary Osnat Harel. Much of the narrative is rather slow by American mystery standards, although it yields a fascinating account of the ways in which this quintessential Israeli institution has changed, and in some ways failed to change, with the years. There are telling portraits of older kibbutzniks and of the stresses they face-including those that led to Harel's death by poisoning and to a riot of suspicion and recrimination within this insular society. The many subplots-including Harel's affair with an outsider, now a member of the Knesset, the conflicts among Ohayon's police force and even the detective's developing romantic interest in a young colleague-are only intermittently interesting. Toward the end, the pace picks up nicely, and the resolution has a powerful inevitability. But not all mystery buffs will likely persist that long.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Hebrew

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st edition (November 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060190264
• ISBN-13: 978-0060190262
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,398,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing and educational mystery. . ., October 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Murder on a Kibbutz: Communal Case, A (Paperback)

Subtitled "A Communal Case," this novel invites to reader into the idealized world of an Israeli kibbutz, where a policeman who is an outsider must try to solve the mystery of who could have possibly killed a member of the kibbutz family. Gur interweaves lessons in social history and a social critique of the effect of bourgeois ideas on socialist ideals. I find the novel an intriguing yet relatively traditional murder mystery. Some people might get tired of the social commentary, but people who like to learn as they are entertained will like following the mystery and find the social ingredients essential to the resolution of the mystery. The book is quite suspenseful and thrilling. If you like this one, Batya Gur has others, as this one is the third in her mystery series based on the sleuth Michael Ohayon.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Real Kibbutz, December 20, 1999

By 

Kenneth P. Marion (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder on a Kibbutz: Communal Case, A (Paperback)

Ms. Gur does an outstanding job of describing and playing out life on a Kibbutz. This is the first of its kind that I have read. The place comes alive and the crime is certainly realistic.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Kibbutz life or a good mystery.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly good depiction of a kibbutz, September 17, 2004

By 

Judith K. Warner (Rohrersville, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder on a Kibbutz: Communal Case, A (Paperback)

I like mysteries, but this book far transcends that category. It is really a study of the ideology of the kibbutz -- the communal, socialist philosophy that the founders of this movement held. They were highly idealistic and sacrificed a lot to make it work. But the idea has proven faulty all over the world, including on the kibbutzim. Nowadays, the kibbutzim rely on a variety of capitalist businesses to stay alive. In this book, the founders can't let go of the idea even though most people there, especially younger people, don't want it. The brutality hidden behind their attachment to the ideal reminds me -- in microcosm, on a far lower level here -- of the brutality that has appeared in all socialist countries as the ideals have failed in practice.

In addition to all this, it is a very good read.