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Rating: Summary: Good Idea For A Book Series, But Not Well Done Review: I really wanted to like this, but Ruby is getting less likeable with each book in this series. This is a problem since she is the narrator and main character. The story is improbable and the characters are silly. A fast, light read that will not stay with you as long as a hot pastrami sandwich, or even a bagel. Too bad. Maybe the next one (if there is one) will be better.
Rating: Summary: Hilarious regional mystery Review: Since the death of Rabbi Stu Rothman, Essie Sue Margolis runs the Temple Rita synagogue in Eternal, Texas. Using a statistically invalid and unreliable sampling of the congregation members, Essie Sue informs the board that the new Rabbi Kevin Kerstein has a very low approval rating. To avoid the selection process of a new rabbi, the board including Ruby, the wife of the deceased previous Rabbi, agree to a Caribbean Sea cruise. Ruby wins the raffle for a free trip, but wonders if she will be sailing with endless tsuris from the aggravation she expects from her companions. The Bargain Tours cruise is filled with cut-rate reductions that makes this a trip worth forgetting though coincidentally the Captain happens to be Essie Sue�s cousin. University Professor Gonzales was to provide insight into the historical Jewish population in the area, but he dies while boarding the ship. Ruby finds herself embroiled in a mystery based on the professor�s notes while two suitors, the captain and a passenger she likes (who might just be a killer) pursue her. The third Rabbi's wife mystery, DON�T CRY FOR ME, HOT PASTRAMI, is an amusing who-done-it due to the internal sufferings and asides of Ruby. The story line is fun though a reader might wonder why Ruby puts up with Essie Sue, a professional nudnick. Essie Sue is as aggressive a character one will find in a cozy while the Rabbi needs to borrow some of her chutzpah so he will not continue to look like a putz. Fans of an ethnic who-done-it will enjoy this tale that requires noshing a bagel while reading it. Harriet Klausner
Rating: Summary: Don't buy for me, hot pastrami Review: The bibliophile's eternal question -- to buy or not to buy (or borrow from the library), I would say the answer here is: borrow. Worth reading. A fun read. But that's it. Ruby, the former rabbi's wife, embarks on a cruise with the congregants from hell and their current rabbi who has the leadership ability of Jello. The entire cruise quickly turns hellish when Ruby stumbles onto some nefarious goings-on. The book's downside: The congregants are unbelievable to the point of being insulting caricatures. The plot has a tendency to stray and meander. But, it's worth sticking with because it does leave you (and Ruby literally) dying to know the truth. Plus, Ruby has a delightfully quick, sarcastic wit and manages to deliver some wicked observations and comments which made me "kvell" (because if I'd been in her place, I wouldn't have thought of that perfect line until 16 hours later ... of course she does have the luxury of being a character in a book, but nonetheless it's always refreshing to spend time with someone who won't suffer fools gladly and that's Ruby.) So, definitely a fun read, you'll be treated to some delicious and hilarious lines and a plot that does turn interesting around p. 100. A more worthwhile "borrow" than "buy." This likely isn't a book you'll need or want to read again. But, I don't think you'll regret the time you spent reading it.
Rating: Summary: Don't buy for me, hot pastrami Review: The bibliophile's eternal question -- to buy or not to buy (or borrow from the library), I would say the answer here is: borrow. Worth reading. A fun read. But that's it. Ruby, the former rabbi's wife, embarks on a cruise with the congregants from hell and their current rabbi who has the leadership ability of Jello. The entire cruise quickly turns hellish when Ruby stumbles onto some nefarious goings-on. The book's downside: The congregants are unbelievable to the point of being insulting caricatures. The plot has a tendency to stray and meander. But, it's worth sticking with because it does leave you (and Ruby literally) dying to know the truth. Plus, Ruby has a delightfully quick, sarcastic wit and manages to deliver some wicked observations and comments which made me "kvell" (because if I'd been in her place, I wouldn't have thought of that perfect line until 16 hours later ... of course she does have the luxury of being a character in a book, but nonetheless it's always refreshing to spend time with someone who won't suffer fools gladly and that's Ruby.) So, definitely a fun read, you'll be treated to some delicious and hilarious lines and a plot that does turn interesting around p. 100. A more worthwhile "borrow" than "buy." This likely isn't a book you'll need or want to read again. But, I don't think you'll regret the time you spent reading it.
Rating: Summary: Good Idea For A Book Series, But Not Well Done Review: Unless you are looking for a lame mystery which insults anyone even loosely related to the Jewish faith or the cruise industry, forget about this offering from Sharon Kahn. I do, however, give her an extra star for handling Ruby's emotional dilemma about trust and dating after widowhood in a sensitive and believable manner.
Rating: Summary: Plot Overboard! Review: Unless you are looking for a lame mystery which insults anyone even loosely related to the Jewish faith or the cruise industry, forget about this offering from Sharon Kahn. I do, however, give her an extra star for handling Ruby's emotional dilemma about trust and dating after widowhood in a sensitive and believable manner.
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