Life in Eternal is never dull for forty-six-year-old Ruby, recently widowed from Rabbi Stu. As the part owner of The Hot Bagel bakery and the proprietor of a computer consulting business, Ruby has plenty to keep her busy. There's also her nemesis, Essie Sue Margolis, who won't leave her alone. As new owner of the Center for Bodily Movement, formerly known as Sam's Gym, Essie Sue has enlisted all her friends and adversaries for exercise classes with her new trainer, the mysterious Bogie. Who is Bogie and where did he come from? Nobody knows much about him, except that where Bogie is concerned, Essie Sue's checkbook ink seems to flow.
Speaking of cash, Essie Sue is also leading Temple Rita's fund-raising drive for a large Queen Esther statue to be erected in memory of Essie Sue's late, lamented sister Marla. And what better way to raise money than the First Annual Temple Matzo Ball Sale featuring Essie Sue's personal recipe for fat-free, salt-free matzo balls? Of course they are taste free, too. At least they aren't lethal -- or are they?
Ruby soon has lots to ponder besides matzo balls, including a dead body, Rabbi Kevin's matrimonial intentions, and what's going on at the Fit and Rural Reducing Ranch, where rich California people come to experience Eternal's healthy lifestyle. Just keep them away from the Interfaith Passover Seders and the matzoballs.
"Never Nosh a Matzo Ball" delivers the perfect recipe for mystery lovers -- suspense and savvy subplots, comic relief and eccentric characters, and, of course, more Ruby, a character who could only have been created by an author who was herself for many years a rabbi's wife.
