The Literary Murder: A Critical Case

By Batya Gour and Batya Gur

Book Overview

From award-winning and internationally acclaimed author,
Batya Gur, comes this riveting mystery in which a shocking double murder at
Israel's top academic institution brings Superintendent Michael Ohayon to the
scene to probe the nature of creativity and unravel the mystery.

In investigating the deaths of a professor of
literature and his junior colleague, Superintendent
Michael Ohayon raises profound ethical questions about the
relationship between the artist and his creation, and between the artist and a
moral code. It brings him into contact with the academic elite and reveals the
social problems and differing perspectives of Israel's various classes.

Known as "the Israeli Agatha Christie, Batya
Gur's The Literary Murder is a
clever, compelling, and suspenseful mystery that will leave readers entertained
up until the final, harrowing conclusion.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060925485
• ISBN13: 9780060925482
• Release Date: July 2020
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Academic Lectures Meet Crime

Batya Gur's entrancing novel captivates readers with its rich plot and well-developed cast of lively characters. Gur masterfully intertwines the murder mystery genre with an academic genre of literary interpretation, allowing readers to understand her book on different levels. The murder plot itself is gripping from the beginning of the novel when two Hebrew University literature colleagues are found dead. Readers follow chief police inspector Michael Ohayon's painstaking procedure of discovering whom he can and cannot trust. The process of fathoming the mystery shows that everyone has secrets and lies, whether they are directly related to the murder or not. Emphasizing the constant tension of discerning truth from lies, Michael and his staff constantly rely on and refer to the polygraph machine, which indicates that nearly all witness testimonies are "inconclusive." The solution of the novel in fact reveals that false identities in fact lie at the center the mystery. The motivation behind the murders is perhaps more fascinating to the reader than the basic "whodunit" question; revealed at the book's conclusion, the reasoning and background behind the crimes shock readers more than the actual killers. In order to fully enjoy and appreciate the novel, readers must pay close attention to Gur's literary allusions and analogies throughout the plot. Gur interweaves academic lectures on the nature of poems and interpreting lectures within her murder mystery. Although readers may be tempted to skip over the academic speeches as seemingly unrelated to the mystery at hand, the lectures actually parallel, hint at, and comment on the mystery's solution. Connecting the literature professors' lectures on poetry with the reasoning behind the crimes allow readers to perceive a larger implication about the nature of art and its relative importance in the world.

Literally a Literary Murder

I discovered this novel quite by accident, and I found a real treasure! "Literary Murder" is by far the best written and most intellectual example of the mystery genre I've seen in quite some time. It's set in academia, at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with some action taking place in the United States. The characters have depth and dimension, and are profoundly interesting. The plot is integrated well into the setting and the characterization. And the prose and poetry are superb. I can't recommend this novel highly enough!

Definitely literary

Read this even if you don't like murder mysteries. The description of the final seminar class reading a poem and discussing Hebrew scripture allusions to Samson and Absolam is wonderful. A later conversation of poetic elements is equally as good. I learned a lot as I was entertained.

Excellent fiction and cultural study

As always, Batya Gur has crafted an excellent story, and an ambiance which makes us feel we are in Israel. Detective Michael Ohayon is, as usual, brilliant. Gur writes well above the usual "mystery" genre, and her books are worth reading for their literary merit by anyone who enjoys good fiction.