Blues in the Night [Audiobook] [Unabridged] (Audio Cassette)

Sunday, July 13. 1:46 A.M. Near Lookout Mountain and Laurel Canyon. An unidentified woman in her twenties, wearing a nightgown, was the victim of a hit-and-run accident that left her unconscious and seriously injured. There were no witnesses."

So begins Blues in the Night, Agatha Award winner Rochelle Krich's first novel starring Molly Blume (shades of James Joyce's Ulysses), a 29-year-old, five-feet-four blonde divorcee who is a freelance reporter for Crime Sheet, a weekly Los Angeles tabloid.

A lovable character who is Modern Orthodox Jewish (an oxymoron?) by religion, Molly is not only a true-crime writer but also an amateur sleuth who wears short skirts, loves to play mah jongg, and, although not having a well-stocked frige, hordes a serious stash of junk food.

Intrigued by the newspaper snippet of the hit-and-run accident off Mulholland Drive, Molly visits the hospital and talks with 26-year-old Lenore Saunders, who is recovering from the trauma, but who remembers nothing of the accident. She does, however, whisper three names to Molly: Robbie, Max, and Nina.

The plot thickens when a nightshift nurse discovers Lenore's dead body, her wrists slit open. Was it suicide or murder?

Was Lenore an angel, a tragic figure who killed her infant son while suffering from a postpartum psychosis? Or was she a devil, a manipulative schemer who planned the murder even before Max was born.

Suspicious that something is rotten in the state of Denmark, Molly digs into the case and finds stubborn resistance from Lenore's mother, Betty Rowan; Lenore's ex-husband, Robbie Saunders; Lenore's best friend, Nina Weldon; and Lenore's shrink, the brilliant and ambitious Dr. Lawrence Korwin.

Even Molly's L.A.P.D. buddy, Detective Andy Connors, is skeptical that murder is involved--until Molly begins to dig into the past and fit the pieces of the puzzle together. And, of course, by asking too many questions of too many people, Molly puts her own life in jeopardy.

The solution of the mystery, and the pulse-pounding climax of the tale, occurs when Molly discovers Lenore's secret diary and the identity of the killer is revealed--at peril to Molly's life.

A tangential romantic theme involves Zack Abrams, a high-school Romeo who, years ago, jilted Molly and left her heartbroken but who now reappears in her life as the rabbi of a nearby schul.

Molly is a spunky character; she has chutzpah. And Rochelle Krich's novel, like her heroine, is zesty, with engaging humor, wit, and wisdom, and numerous Yiddish proverbs, parables, and bon mots thrown in. One is particularly arresting: "The truth does not always set you free."

One fondly hopes that the adventures of Molly Blume will continue.

In this story, Molly is intrigued by a report of a young woman who is the victim of a hit and run accident in the middle of the night that has left her unconscious and seriously injured.Most intriguing was the fact that she had been wearing a nightgown.

Molly is soon involved in Lenore Saunders story, even managing to get in to see her in the hospital, which results in her receiving a phone call from her later. But when Molly tries to see Lenore again, she is greeted with the news that the young woman is dead, an apparent suicide.

Investigating Lenore's life in order to determine if Lenore really did commit suicide, and if so, why, Molly interviews friends and relatives including Lenore's ex-husband Robbie. It's not long before she becomes fairly certain that Lenore was murdered and determines to find out by whom. I'm not going to say anything more about the plot for fear of committing a spoiler, but I'll add that there are plenty of twists and surprises in the intricate puzzle at the heart of this well-written, perfectly plotted mystery.

Ms Krich is a wonderful writer. A great deal of likeable warmth comes through the character of Molly Blume and in her feelings about her grandmother Bubbie G, and also in the new feelings she's experiencing for attractive Zack Abrams, whom she'd loved and lost years ago, but who has just come back into her life, now a rabbi.

(note: This Zack is far removed from the Zack in my Charlie Plato series, but has a similar effect on Molly, that my Zack has always had on Charlie. Yes, I know it's bad form to do BSP in the middle of a review of someone else's book, but there it is! <g>)

It looks as if Zack is here to stay and it will be interesting to see how the romance between him and Molly develops. As it surely will develop. Molly's not only warm and compassionate, she's tough too, and fortunately there are men who love strong women. I'm already looking forward to the next Molly Blume story.