Books with author Harry Kemelman

An interfaith wedding, local politics, and a lethal hit-and-run case keep Rabbi Small busy in this mystery in the New York Times–bestselling series. Since becoming the rabbi at the synagogue in Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts, David Small has seen his congregation through a fair share of unholy bickering and corruption. So when millionaire Howard Magnuson is elected president of the synagogue, the rabbi isn’t surprised that Magnuson wants to bring corporate efficiency to the temple—at the expense of religious tradition. Conflict flares when Rabbi Small refuses, on the basis of temple rules, to officiate the interfaith wedding of Magnuson’s daughter to a non-Jewish Boston politician, and the new president calls for the rabbi’s dismissal. When another player in Boston politics is killed in a hit-and-run accident and the police suspect a Jewish college student, Rabbi Small fears the undergrad might have been set up—and that Magnuson is involved. The young man’s innocence and the future of the temple depend on Rabbi Small solving the case with his signature wit and Judaic wisdom.

“The Jewish Sherlock Holmes” investigates a deadly disruption on a college campus in this New York Times bestseller (The Detroit News). Once again, Rabbi Small finds himself looking for solace outside the confines of the contentious world of his synagogue in Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts. When a member of his congregation expresses that she does not want him to officiate her wedding, Rabbi Small has had enough. He seeks escape by dabbling in academia with a part-time teaching gig at a local college. But his fantasy of a tranquil life in an ivory tower is about to come tumbling down. A bombing at the school kills one of the rabbi’s coworkers, and Small finds himself caught between adversarial students and feuding faculty members. As he investigates possible suspects with the same logic and measured caution that make him a brilliant religious leader, Rabbi Small finds that everyone has a motive—and an alibi—and it’s up to him to uncover the truth.

As Passover approaches, Rabbi Small contends with infighting, backstabbing, and an actual murder in this New York Times bestseller As Rabbi David Small’s 5-year contract winds down at the synagogue in Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts, some members of the congregation are plotting to remove him; others are whispering about starting a new temple of their own across the street. When the rabbi gets an invitation to perform Passover services at a local university, he’s eager to get away from the bickering and spend a few days on campus. But instead of peace and enlightenment, he finds a murder wrapped up in drug deals and racial tensions. From tuned-out hippies to political zealots, the college is full of potential suspects. Once again it’s up to the rabbi to draw on his deductive skills to solve the case—and avoid getting sucked into the bitter culture war—before the killer strikes again.

New York Times Bestseller: An anti-Semitic millionaire is murdered, and Rabbi Small must defend his congregants from false accusations . . . Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts, is thriving. Every year, more young couples move to this cozy New England village to raise their families, and many of them join Rabbi David Small’s synagogue. But the town is jolted out of domestic tranquility when Ellsworth Jordon, the town selectman, is murdered. An outspoken anti-Semite, and one of the town’s richest and most powerful men, it seems like everyone had a reason to dislike Jordan. When he’s murdered, not even the rabbi is surprised. Police suspicion falls on several upstanding members of the synagogue, so Rabbi Small endeavors to clear them the way only he can—with God at his back and the Talmud in hand. Surprises lurk at every turn as the rabbi narrows down the long list of suspects to find the killer.

On Sunday, Rabbi David Small uncovers a Passover plot than undeniably raises more than Four Questions -- threatening to ruin not only his holiday seder but his role as leader of Bernard's Crossing's Jewish community. But there's no time to appeal to a Higher Source when one of his temple board members, a businessman, is rumored to be pushing drugs and all the facts point to a group of teenagers as accessories -- to murder.

David Small, America's favorite rabbi - and most unorthodox sleuth - is back again in his best mystery yet. Somewhere between Passover service and a plot to unseat part of his congregation, Rabbi David Small finds himself caught up with some very nonkosher characters in a baffling case of murder, marijuana, and militants. A superb blend of hair-splitting logic and hair-raising suspense, the rabbi's adventure is indisputable entertainment.

Rabbi David Small takes a break from the Barnard's Crossing's pulpit to teach a course on Jewish thought at a small community college. But he soon discovers all is not idyllic behind the ivy-colored walls. When a bomb goes off in the dean's office, the peaceful campus mood is shattered and everyone -- from professors and students to the indefatigable rabbi himself -- is suspected . . . of murder.