By Rabbi Rachel Essernan

Deciding whether a novel qualifies as a thriller or a mystery isn’t always easy. A novel that features police officers or private detectives usually falls into the mystery, who-dun-it category. Other popular mysteries feature amateur detectives who manage to cleverly determine who committed the crime. (The overwhelming majority of mysteries include a death, but not all.) However, the best of them also contain a certain amount of suspense, or readers would lose interest. Thrillers, on the other hand, place their characters in danger, leaving them struggling to survive. The cause of that danger is often only discovered toward the end of the novel, which does give readers a mystery to solve. Two recent works show how these categories can overlap: “The Safari” by Jaclyn Goldis (Emily Bestler Books) is definitely a thriller, but also offers a who-dun-it aspect, while “The Gonif: An Amos Parisman Mystery” by Andy Weinberger (Prospect Park Book) features a private eye, but also offers some of the same suspense as a thriller. 
Goldis’ first two novels – “The Chateau” and “The Main Character” – were thrilling, exciting works filled with devious plot twists and turns. (The Reporter reviews of them can be found at Celebrating Jewish Literature: Two mysteries and a thriller and Off the Shelf: An almost PI, a manipulative mystery writer & cynical lawyer.) I’m happy to say that “The Safari” lives up to its promise: it’s filled with exciting action and devious characters. Readers may also find themselves rooting for particular characters, as in, “Don’t make them the bad person! I like them!” (I deliberately used a plural pronoun because I am not going to give that part of the plot away.)
As in her other novels, Goldis presents several different characters’ points of view, which offer subtle clues to the action, even when the characters are unaware they are doing so. The plot is set in motion when Odelia Babel, who runs a company that makes sustainable clothing, decides to marry a man 25 years her junior. Odelia, Asher Bach (her fiancé) and her three children have traveled to the family compound in Africa for the wedding. The area brings back memories of their father, someone about whom the children have mixed feelings, much like they have about the idea of their mother’s marriage. Joshua, who is married and has a young child, and his sister, Bailey, work for their mother, although they both recognize problems with the company. Sam, Bailey’s twin, is the one most vocally against the match; he is also mad that his mother refuses to give him the funds he needs to start a photography business. The viewpoints of several staff from the camp complete the voices offered.
Of course, someone dies. The question is not only the identity of the murderer, though, but the secrets held by different characters, all of which are slowly revealed. Just when I thought that Goldis had revealed all her surprises, another twist came along that took my breath away. I’m sure some readers will guess parts of the plot, but I doubt anyone will figure out all of them correctly. This book was so much fun I’ve already promised to lend it to a friend who loves thrillers. She’s in for a real treat.
While “The Safari” offers narration from a wide variety of characters, “The Goniff” is solely narrated by Amos Parisman, an elderly Jewish PI, who still takes cases when they are offered. Although I haven’t read the previous works in the series, Weinberger makes it clear from the start that Amos is a good person: that includes the care he gives his wife, Loretta, who suffers from dementia, and the ways he tries to help Carman, who takes care of Loretta during the day. 
After someone unsuccessfully attempts to steal a 200-year-old Torah from a small Sephardic synagogue, Amos is recruited to prevent future robberies. However, before all his security suggestions can be put into place, another robbery attempt leaves a security guard dead. Amos is forced to use all his resources to discover who wants the Torah scroll and track down those hired to steal it before they can harm anyone else.
Although I did guess parts of the plot, the story still included some surprises. Amos is an appealing character – a hard-boiled detective with a Yiddish slant that makes him fun to read about. Although the resolution of the plot was satisfying, my favorite part of the story occurred early in the novel when Amos meets the rabbi of the congregation that owns the Torah. I laughed when Amos thinks, “I can’t read [the rabbi’s] mind, but I’ve spent more time than I can remember in the company of rabbis. The truth is, they are given to arguing. They’ll argue with you just to make sure you’ve got all your marbles – and if you are not up to the task, they’ll argue with themselves. It may not be genetic, but it comes with the job description.” Weinberger knows his rabbis; he also knows how to write a good detective novel.