The Rabbi Small Mystery series by Harry Kemelman
4.2 out of 5 stars average across all 12 books (They ranged from 3 to 5 stars, with #8 being the only 3.)
I found out about these books from audio drama colleague and friend, Darby Kern, who also graciously gifted several of them to me. The premise of a clergyman who investigates crimes is a trope in fiction that is tried and true, from Chesterton's Father Brown to McCusker's Father Gilbert, and is one that I've always enjoyed.
When I began the first book, Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, I was immediately pulled into the setting of the fictional small town of Barnard's Crossing, Massachusetts which is not far from Boston. Rabbi David Small is a principled, honest man whom I found fairly likable straightaway. His unflappable, even-keeled demeanor is a character trait that often triggers polar opposite reactions in the various folks he encounters throughout the series; irritating some and reassuring others. His sweet, supportive wife, Miriam, is also a great character.
In addition to intriguing mysteries, Kemelman incorporated lots of examples of Jewish teaching from the Talmud, and most times I found it interesting, but there were moments where it felt tedious and intruded upon the story a bit more than I'd have preferred. One of the characters that often triggers these passages of Talmudic doctrine is Hugh Lanigan, the chief of police of the town, with whom the Smalls become friends over the course of the series and often reaches out to the rabbi for assistance with a case.
Published across a span of over 30 years, the series begins with a young, 25-year-old Rabbi Small and chronicles his entire career progressing in pretty much real-time. The final book, That Day the Rabbi Left Town, concludes with Rabbi Small at the age of 53. Along the way, you feel like you really get to know these people as you follow the rabbi's entire career, observe his marriage through tough times, and watch his kids grow up.
Here is the full list of titles, the publication year, and my rating:
Friday the Rabbi Slept Late (1964) - 4 stars
Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry (1966) - 4 stars
Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home (1969) - 3.5 stars
Monday the Rabbi Took Off (1972) - 5 stars
Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red (1973) - 4.5 stars
Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet (1976) - 4 stars
Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out (1978) - 4 stars
Conversations with Rabbi Small (1981) - 3 stars
Someday the Rabbi Will Leave (1985) - 3.5 stars
One Fine Day the Rabbi Bought a Cross (1987) - 4.5 stars
The Day the Rabbi Resigned (1992) - 5 stars
That Day the Rabbi Left Town (1996) - 5 stars
A few thoughts on some of the books that I had immediately after I finished them:
Monday the Rabbi Took Off - 5.0 - Best one of the series thus far. Great mystery and the character development was interesting.
Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red - 4.5 - Really enjoyed the mystery in this one, even though I had figured out who the culprit was for the first time in this series. Quite an enjoyable read!
Wednesday the Rabbi Got Wet - 4.0 - Another solid mystery and I figured out who the culprit was in this one too. It felt like it moved a little bit slower than some of the others and there were several sections that went pretty far into tenets of the Jewish religion which I didn't mind too much, but some might find them annoying.
Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out - 4.0 - The whodunit is pretty solid and kept me guessing all along. But I do have to say that the theme of the rabbi's continual fight with the temple's board of directors is starting to get a little old. Every book there is a contingent of the board, or the congregation as whole, that is pushing for the rabbi's firing, or forcing him to resign, or threatening to not renew his contract. I'd just like to see some variety in the rabbi/congregation relationship front. Aside from that, I really liked this one.
Conversations with Rabbi Small - 3.0 - This one is essentially straight doctrine in a conversational format. There's no plot to speak of.
One Fine Day the Rabbi Bought a Cross - 4.5 - Really liked this one!
The Day the Rabbi Resigned - 5.0 - One of my favorites of the series.
That Day the Rabbi Left Town - 5.0 - Really enjoyed this one! Always a bit sad to come to the end of a series when you feel like you have really gotten to know the main characters. David Small is definitely an intriguing character who I liked quite a bit and on some occasions annoyed me because of his stubbornness but he was certainly consistent. In this book, the mystery is a pretty good one with plenty of potential suspects to muddy the waters. Even so, I had a fairly good idea who the culprit was though I hadn't figured out how and all the reasons why. Kemelman does a great job of providing all the pieces so that it all makes sense when all is revealed. Overall, this is a fitting conclusion to the series that is done quite well.
A final note is that there is a continual thread and theme of the temple's board of directors seemingly always being at odds with David. It was as if he was always crossways with them on some major issue and on the verge of losing his position. While it certainly adds tension and conflict, I did feel after a while that it would be nice to have a little change of pace and some other thing to bring the conflict rather than the same thing repeatedly. But overall I still really enjoyed this series.
Content Note: Some minor language and violence as well as the occasional crass or crude innuendo.
