From Sun to Sun

In this overambitious saga, Edgar winner Wishnia (The Glass Factory) intertwines a retelling of the biblical book of Ruth with a hardboiled contemporary P.I. story. The scriptural sections find the recently widowed Ruth—the first recorded convert to Judaism—returning from exile in Moab with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, in the 21st century, New York City detective Felicity Ortega Pérez is hired by military contractor Cadmium Solutions to find their employee Kristel Santos, who disappeared after a bloody incident in Iraq and may be in possession of stolen artifacts. Wishnia starts strong, drawing shrewd links between the sexism Ruth and Felicity face in their respective eras, but his plotting grows unwieldy by the novel’s second half. As Ruth and her fellow exiles face challenges, the action grinds to a halt and Wishnia’s dull religious theorizing takes over; as Felicity uncovers clues that Kristel may be more hero than villain, detours into familial and romantic troubles detract from her investigation. By the time both heroines arrive at their final acts, a series of heavy-handed plot twists have extinguished the good will Wishnia began with. The author’s reach exceeds his grasp. (June)