Literary Murder
by Batya Gur
"The tension in the hall had slackened, as if the lights had gone out." - Batya Gur, a "Literary Murder"
Batya Gur's "Literary Murder: A Critical Case" is a cerebral, intensely atmospheric police procedural that strikes a balance between a sharp sociological critique of Israeli academia and a conventional whodunit framework. The story centers on Chief Superintendent Michael Ohayon of the Jerusalem Serious Crimes Unit, a moody and intelligent man. He is asked to look into a startling double murder that takes place at Hebrew University Secondary School over the course of a single weekend. During a scuba diving excursion in Eilat, Iddo Dudai, a bright young lecturer, is subtly poisoned. In his campus office, Shaul Tirosh, the head of the Hebrew Literature Department and a highly regarded poet and cultural icon, is brutally bludgeoned to death. As Ohayon delves deeper, he must negotiate a closed-off, fiercely protective ecosystem where intellectual hierarchy, tenure, and artistic jealousy foster a murderous environment.
Readers who anticipate a thriller with lots of action and adrenaline may be disappointed. In order to allow the psychological tension to develop gradually through dialogue and character analysis, Gur purposefully takes a slow, methodical pace. Gur has a master's degree in Hebrew literature, so her portrayals of university life are very real. The book includes in-depth discussions and lengthy lectures on literary hermeneutics. These scenes are a great way to ground the world, but some mystery fans might find them a little boring. Ohayon is a particularly interesting, complex protagonist. He reads suspects like texts using his knowledge of literature and history, revealing their closely guarded secrets and hidden weaknesses. Readers who are patient will find this murder mystery to be a very intricate, slow-burning procedural. Anyone who enjoys a cerebral, atmospheric mystery in which the psychological terrain is as perilous as the crime should definitely pick it.
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