The Eighth Veil

January 1, 2012

Late one night in the year 28 C.E., a young servant woman is murdered in the baths at Herod Antipas's palace. The killer escapes in a hurry, forced to leave precious items behind, including a necklace. Irritated by yet another Jerusalem incident, the ranking Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate, brings in the chief rabbi, Rabbin Gamaliel, to solve the case. Scholar Gamaliel methodically sets up his investigation, enlisting the help of the coroner, the jeweler, and the servants. He must peel away layers of deceit if he is to discover the identity of the killer. VERDICT In turns didactic and suspenseful, Ramsay's investigative historical successfully evokes the highly charged atmosphere of the times. However, it is long on depth, complete with maps and family trees, but short on pacing and mystery, unlike Ramsay's contemporary series--one set in Virginia (Ike Schwartz mysteries) and the other in Botswana (Choker; Reapers). Consider partnering with Michelle Moran's richly detailed historical titles, or, for a nonfiction complement, check out Simon Sebag Montefiore's Jerusalem: The Biography.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2011
The chief rabbi of Jerusalem is forced to use his scholarly skills to solve a murder. 28 CE. Herod Antipas is king of Israel, but the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate wields a great deal of power. When a servant girl is found dead in a palace pool, Pilate forces Rabban Gamaliel to investigate. Deaths and scandal are nothing new to the royal family, who are wholly divorced from the lives of common people, many of whom turn to itinerant preachers like Jesus of Nazareth. Gamaliel finds the girl, raped and with her throat cut, in a bloody pool which, when drained, contains a few possible clues: a pendant, several coins, some pieces of clothing and a distinctive knife. Both the physician Loukas and the goldsmith Agon are a big help in uncovering some of the mysteries the clues present. Under the crude pendant is a second, golden one with writing on it. Gamaliel soon realizes that the girl is far more than a mere servant. She arrived at court with the Queen and her daughter Salome, and it's clear that political intrigue swirls around her death. The knife, too dull to kill, belongs to the king's old friend Menahem, whom the queen would be happy to blame for the murder. But the rabbi is far more scrupulous even though he has only a short time to solve the murder before returning to his job of teacher of The Law. The intriguing mystery, packed with historical detail, is quite a departure from the Ike Schwartz series (Rogue, 2011, etc.). Ramsay, a retired Episcopal priest who's spent a good deal of time in Jerusalem, provides insight into what it must have been like in the time of Jesus.

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November 28, 2011
A first-century rabbinic leader, Rabban Gamaliel, serves as sleuth, perhaps a first for a historical, in Ramsey’s superior second Jerusalem mystery (after 2007’s Judas). When a woman is knifed to death in Herod Antipas’s palace, Pontius Pilate taps Gamaliel, “a neutral, objective, third party,” to investigate the crime. The rabbi, who believes himself completely unqualified to carry out Pilate’s mandate, proves surprisingly adept as a detective, relying on a forensic examination of the corpse to provide clues to the killer’s identity. Gamaliel is also a skilled interrogator, unwilling to settle for the obvious culprit, Menahem, the king’s companion, whose knife was found at the crime scene. Ramsay, who wisely relegates the young, controversial Galilean preacher, Yeshua ben Yosef, to the background, convincingly portrays the religious and political schisms of the time. Whether Gamaliel can sustain a series remains to be seen, but for this book at least the author successfully suspends disbelief.

February 1, 2012
Ramsey, a retired Episcopal priest, takes readers back to Jerusalem in 28 CE. The Romans rule the city, and Jesus is an itinerant preacher. When a guard discovers the body of a servant girl in the baths of King Herod's palace after a wild party, the prefect, Pilate, wants no trouble. The brutal death of John, known as the Baptizer, has the city talking, so Pilate insists on an independent investigation and summons Rabban Gamaliel, chief rabbi of the Sanhedrin, to carry it out. Gamaliel is a Talmudic scholar, not a detective, but he has keen powers of observation and a logical mind. Calling upon the expertise of Loukas, the physician, and Agon, the jeweler, Gamaliel embarks on an investigation that requires him to untangle the complex family tree of Rome's emperors. He must solve the case in the eight days that Pilate has allowed, while fending off the complaints of the high priest about an upstart preacher from Nazareth. Ramsay captures the atmosphere of ancient Jerusalem and provides readers with an entertaining case that will broaden their knowledge of history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)