Judy R. Gruen

Orthodox Mystery Writer Clues Readers in to Traditional Jewish Thought

http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- JESSIE DRAKE has even more on her hands than murder and mayhem. Drake, the starring detective in award-winning mystery writer Rochelle Krich's mystery series, has her own complicated life as a backdrop.

In "Angle of Death," Drake's investigation into anti-Semitic crimes committed by Holocaust revisionists dovetailed with her own discovery that she was Jewish by birth. Till that point, Drake had lived her life the way she was raised --- as an Episcopalian.

The evolution of Jessie Drake, Los Angeles Police Department detective and neophyte Jew, is one way that author Krich infuses her tautly written mysteries with Jewish content. Now, in "Dead Air," just published by Avon Books, Drake investigates the terrifying kidnapping of a little girl, the daughter of a popular radio shrink. Though the story line is not Jewish, Drake's personal life provides colorful "back story" and adds texture to the plot. In "Dead Air," Drake continues her tentative study of a heritage that had been denied to her while growing up. She ponders buying kosher meat, lights Shabbat candles and enjoys the odd sensation of not answering the phone one Friday night. Drake's slow yet steady growth in Jewish identity also complicates her on-and-off again love interest with her own ex-husband, a non-Jewish crime reporter, as well as her relationship with her own intolerant, WASP-y family.

Krich, who is Orthodox, treads carefully on Jewish themes, keeping in mind that she has multiple audiences. "I have to be very careful with Orthodox readers, since they look carefully at how I portray Orthodox Judaism, and I understand that very well. But I also don't want to appear exclusionary about my Judaism when writing for the non-Orthodox or for non-Jews. I want to present the beauty of Judaism which is inherent in my life."

Once, at a mystery writers' conference, a colleague came over to Krich and confessed that she had hesitated to read her books because of the Jewish content, but was very glad she did. One bookstore owner who stocks the Drake series jokingly calls Krich "her rabbi."

Krich always wanted to be a writer, and, growing up, was enthralled by the Jewish-themed mysteries written by Harry Kemelman. "It was wonderfully exciting to me to have my people out in public like that," she notes. In 1990, Krich published her first mystery, "Where's Mommy Now?," which won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original and was filmed as "Perfect Alibi," starring Terri Garr, Hector Elizondo and Kathleen Quinlan.

Los Angeles Times reviewer Charles Champlin has called Krich's work "superior crime fiction," an opinion echoed by dozens of other reviewers. "Dead Air" is Krich's ninth novel, and so far is enjoying the same kind of enthusiastic reception as her previous works. Two of the Jessie Drake mysteries were also nominated for the Agatha Award.

Krich has also tackled Jewish issues that were both timely and controversial. In "Till Death Do Us Part," she focused the story on the murder of a Jewish man who refused to give his wife a get, or Jewish divorce. The issue of the agunah, a Jewish woman chained to a marriage through a recalcitrant husband, is both painful and relevant. Ironically, three of Krich's own acquaintances became agunot during the writing of that book.

"Angel of Death" focused the story on Holocaust revisionists and their violent anti-Semitic crimes. "Here I did want to reach an audience that might not pick up a nonfiction work about Holocaust revisionism and deniers--and make it clear that the Holocaust is very much fact," Krich explains. "One of the most moving and gratifying fan letters I received was from a reader who, in telling me how much she enjoyed my books, wrote that 'Angel of Death'...really made me take a good look at myself and see the hate that was building up in me. I got rid of it and am a decent person again."

Most recently, "Blood Money" focused on the apparent murder of an elderly Holocaust survivor who had hoped to reclaim assets taken from his family during the war. (Krich's parents were both Holocaust survivors.)

So what's in store for Jessie Drake, aside from continuing to fight the forces of evil? Will this L.A.P.D. detective find herself begging off from work on Saturdays? Forego the station house donuts unless she's checked the kashruth?

"Jessie is really a spontaneous exploration," her creator explains.

"It's more interesting for me not to know where she's headed. But as Jessie progresses with her Jewish education, what she's learning will affect how she views the cases she's investigating and how she sees her personal and professional worlds. Spirituality doesn't exist in a vacuum."

JWR contributor Judy R. Gruen’s articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, the Jewish Journal and many other publications. Contact the author by clicking here.

© 2000, Judy R. Gruen