“The Latke in the Library & Other Mystery Stories for Chanukah” by Libi Astaire

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“Thanks to a handful of nasty falls, mystery writer Agatha Krinsky is moved into an assisted living facility with the help of her nephew Sheldon. On her first day she gets lost and finds herself inside the library with a dead body. To her dismay, no one believes her story or offers to call the police. She is taken to the dining room where she meets Ukrainian PI Herschel Perlow, knitting enthusiast Miss Eppel, and husband and wife team Ronny and Rubles Bernfeld. As they take turns reminiscing a la “The Tuesday Night Club,” Agatha impatiently waits for another opportunity to bring up the body in hopes that someone will do something. Will her new friends help, or are they too distracted by their mystery-solving memories?”

In my search for Hanukkah books, this short story collection caught my eye because Agatha Christie is my favorite author. I was excited to start reading but also nervous because those are big shoes to fill. I couldn’t help but smile at all the details added to make her characters and stories Jewish. The names and Yiddish vocabulary and mentions of Hanukkah were great, but the transition was not flawless. The mystery-aspect got lost in the shuffle, leaving behind more novelty than quality. I know this is a short read for the holiday season, but don’t promise me Agatha and not deliver on the intrigue.

It’s hard to rate something that tugs on my Jewish heartstrings, but I have to be honest. 3 stars for novelty and 2 stars for quality which averages out to 2.5 Stars. If you’re a Jewish Agatha Christie fan, this book is good for a one-sitting read and some fun. Don’t expect too much from the mysteries and enjoy it for what it is.

If you’re not knowledgeable about the works of Agatha Christie, here’s a cheat sheet:

Characters

Agatha Krinsky – Agatha Christie

Agatha’s nephew Sheldon – Miss Marple’s nephew Raymond West

Ukrainian PI Herschel Perlow – Belgian PI Hercule Poirot

Miss Eppel – Miss Marple

Ronny & Rubles Bernfeld – Tommy & Tuppence Beresford

Inspector Haddock & his grandfather Sir Harold Withering – Sir Henry Clithering & his godson Detective Inspector Dermot Eric Craddock

Stories

“The Latke in the Library” – “The Body in the Library”

“Evil Under the Wick” – “Evil Under the Sun”

“And Then There Were Gornisht” – “And Then There Were None”