FICTION

The 12th Commandment

by Daniel Torday
St. Martin’s. Jan. 2023. 304p. ISBN 9781250191816. $27.99. F
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When magazine writer Ezekiel “Zeke” Leger arrives at his alma mater in central Ohio to attend the funeral of a college friend, he reunites with a former girlfriend who is now a DA in the area. She suggests that while he is in Ohio he should look into a local murder. Natan, father of the murder victim and leader of a Jewish/Islamic cult known as the Dönme, has been convicted of the killing. Zeke’s investigation leads him into a quagmire of conflicting information and opposing forces. The Dönme’s use of drugs in their religious life, their secret grow-facility, and their plans to supply drugs to the people of Ohio (once marijuana is legalized) create a power struggle the police won’t address. Zeke finally unravels the mystery, with life-threatening consequences.
VERDICT Two-time National Jewish Book Award winner Torday (The Last Flight of Poxl West) creates a fascinating if sometimes challenging story that highlights the plight of Jewish people in Turkey and the United States, both past and present. It incorporates Hebrew terms and Jewish history and teachings that are not always fully explained for uninitiated audiences, but fiction readers with some background in Jewish history and messianic teachings will enjoy.
Reviewed by Joanna M. Burkhardt , Jan 01, 2023
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