House of Guilt (Missing Mysteries) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The title of this Jerusalem-set mystery, the third in the series featuring police detective Avram Cohen, could refer to the Israeli state itself. One does not normally turn to crime novels to find political insights on the Mideast crisis, but Robert Rosenberg is an unusually erudite and reflective mystery novelist. In this installment, Cohen sets off through the demimonde of Tel Aviv in search of a tycoon's wayward grandson. Eventually the search leads to the West Bank and to the rage of religious zealots, Jewish and Muslim alike. Rosenberg knows his territory, and seething Israel comes marvelously to life through his sleuth's eyes. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Setting his tale after Baruch Goldstein's massacre of praying Muslims in Hebron in 1994 but before the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin the following year, Rosenberg puts Avram Cohen (The Cutting Room), reluctantly retired from the Jerusalem Police, in the middle of Israel's tumultuous politics. Disputes between Palestinians and Israelis and between secular and religious Jews color a murder case. Raphael Levi-Tsur, a London-based banker whose assets and influence are international, hires Cohen to find his missing grandson, Simon, who is about to reach his majority. With digging, Cohen learns that a religious man was looking for the unreligious Simon at his apartment, and he even finds the woman Simon was with the night he vanished near the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem. But he learns all this too late to save Simon, whose body is found in the West Bank wilderness, not far from Hebron. Both the police brass and the boy's family believe?or say they believe?that Simon was killed by Hamas, or some enraged Palestinian extremist. Cohen isn't so sure. He suspects that a rich, undisciplined and possibly unbalanced young man like Simon could have been an object of interest to some of Israel's Jewish extremists. Nor can he overlook the fact that Simon was interested in some priceless museum pieces stolen long ago?embarrassingly, on Cohen's beat when he was a young policeman in Tel Aviv. Rosenberg's mystery derives its considerable appeal less from its puzzle?which is adequate?than from simply putting an intelligent, observant man in the middle of a complex, volatile society and giving him something to be curious about.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 277 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (September 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890208418
• ISBN-13: 978-1890208417
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,135,111 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incisive, timely and smart, May 19, 2001

By A Customer

Well written, hugely timely, and a real page turner, House of Guilt is about Israel between the Hebron Massacre and Rabin's assassination. A story that takes the reader from the seediest sides of Tel Aviv night life to the strange minds of the fanatic settler movement, and all through the journey, Avram Cohen, the author's detective over four books, gives the reader an insider's view of what makes Israel tick. This book is a must read not only for mystery lovers -- and there's a geat mystery in it -- but for anyone who wants to understand what's going on in Israel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Avram Cohen story, November 8, 2001

By A Customer

I have to admit I'm an Avram Cohen fan. And House of Guilt is great because while it's fictionm it's really about what's relly going on in Israel. Highly recommended!