cover image DON'T CRY FOR ME, HOT PASTRAMI: A Ruby, the Rabbi's Wife Mystery

DON'T CRY FOR ME, HOT PASTRAMI: A Ruby, the Rabbi's Wife Mystery

Sharon Kahn, . . Scribner, $24 (304pp) ISBN 978-0-684-87155-4

Widow Ruby Rothman and the gang from Temple Rita in Eternal, Tex., return for a third riotous tale of murder and mayhem from Agatha Award–nominee Kahn (Fax Me a Bagel and Never Nosh a Matzo Ball). The irksome temple yenta Essie Sue Margolis, fund-raising chairperson and resident busybody, plans a Caribbean cruise with a Jewish sea captain and Prof. Willie Bob Gonzales, who will lecture on Jews of the Caribbean. Ruby knows from a survey she conducted that their rabbi, Kevin Kapstein, is losing ground with his congregation. She's certain that the cruise will boost his waning popularity. However, the survey is anything but kosher, the sea captain is actually Essie Sue's cousin Horatio (né Harry) Goldberg, and Willie Bob dies mysteriously at Ruby's feet while waiting to board the ship. And as if that weren't enough, the boat runs into a severe storm, the opening gala dinner features plastic tablecloths and frozen chicken and it looks like the cruise to die for will be the cruise to die from. Even a possible shipboard romance, the first romantic interest Ruby has felt since her husband's death, is fraught with suspicion and doubts as she uses her high-tech computer skills and the aid of her mysterious e-mail friend, Nan, to discover what really happened to Willie Bob. A fast-paced mystery, a cast of quirky characters, humor and wit that will make readers giggle if not laugh out loud, as well as an enchanting sleuth, make this a delightful addition to the series. (Sept. 17)