The Case of the Starved Semite

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of meeting Rabbi David Small in Friday the Rabbi Slept Late. I found it a delight, with plenty of colourful characters, a pleasing detective figure, a fascinating Jewish backdrop, and an excellent mystery. And so, you had to figure that it was only a matter of time before I got around to the sequel: Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry.

After the events of the previous book, Rabbi David Small’s contract has been renewed and he is working in the community of Barnard’s Crossing. A major Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) falls on a Saturday this year, and so Rabbi Small prepares for the day-long religious service, which requires him to fast (hence the title). The entire Jewish community, it seems, is at the temple for most of the day.

The Case of the Tardy Talmudist

Friday the Rabbi Slept Late introduces us to Rabbi David Small, the series detective of Harry Kemelman. Back when this book was published, Rabbi Small was an instant hit—Friday the Rabbi Slept Late was a bestseller and even won an Edgar Award for Best First Novel. But like the Oscars (Billy Crystal was great in his return, by the way), when you look back at the results of the Edgars, sometimes the results make you wonder just how something could have won. Did Friday the Rabbi Slept Late deserve the success?

The story begins with Rabbi Small still adjusting to his relatively-new environment as rabbi in the fictional town of Barnard’s Crossing. It’s been a year and his contract is up for renewal. Some of the community’s members are vehemently opposed to rehiring the rabbi, insisting that he might be a good rabbi but not the right one for Barnard’s Crossing. And as if that wasn’t already enough to threaten his job, Rabbi Small gets himself involved in a murder investigation.