Sharon Kahn (1) (1934–)

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Choir, is the last of the Ruby, the Rabbi's Wife [Widow] mysteries. The mystery itself is fine, I didn't guess the killer. I enjoyed the usual temple politics. The trip to Canada by train was entertaining. The real problem I had with the book was Ruby herself. OK, she got out of a bad relationship that lasted half the series. She was getting into a good thing with a former interest. So why potentially throw that away with a cute guy she meets during the trip? show more I didn't like that at all. If the author hadn't given Ruby the relationship she had, even if the current guy was a bit jealous about the last one, I would have had no problem with the train flirtation.

Kevin the rabbi is still a tedious twit who keeps expecting Ruby to deal with his problems, including how he feels about a cute lady who is interested in him. Essie Sue, not even close to being daunted by her many fundraising failures, ramps up her annoyance factor for Ruby during this trip. Why hasn't her husband, Hal, dumped her? show less

This little mystery is set in the fictitious town of Eternal, TX where we find the main character Ruby Rothman, a Rabbi's widow, trying to buy some bagels and instead finds herself a witness to murder. The victim was in line at the Hot Bagel and pushed ahead and she ended up dead. Since the owner is blamed and he was also the last person that her husband was with before he was killed in a hit and run accident, Ruby begins to wonder if the two deaths could be related.

It was entertaining to show more watch how the main character interacted with other members of the congregation now that they were replacing her husband. Her contacts with her husband family is also a main point and lead to interesting insights.

All in all a pleasant little cozy. show less

Ruby the Rabbi's Wife mysteries tend to be the screwball comedy type and this one is no exception. Ruby is a widow with a grown son, Joshie, no longer at home, and a loving dog. She makes a living, more or less, as a computer consultant and being a partner at the local Hot Bagel Bakery.

The sour milk in her coffee, the salt in her sugar bowl, and the ineradicable stain on her best blouse is Essie Sue Margolis. Essie Sue is bossy, tactless, and has delusions of superiority. Temple Rita's show more current rabbi, Rabbi Kevin, is unmarried. To say that he's a more naive version of Maggody's Brother Verber should explain why Essie Sue's plan for Ruby to marry Kevin failed. That doesn't stop Essie Sue from trying to make use of Ruby.

This time Essie Sue's third cousins, Lester and Larry Levee, will be spending weekends in town so Rabbi Kevin can train them for their Bar Mitzvah some months hence. Essie Sue thinks that Ruby's guest room would be just perfect for the twins to spend their study nights. (They can't sleep at Essie Sue's oversized house -- her poor husband's heart, you know.)

Once we meet Lester and Larry, it becomes obvious that the 'Lovable Levees' need a drill sergeant to keep them in line. As if those boys' antics and Ruby's difficulties with a long-distance courtship with an attractive reporter aren't enough, there's a murder in town. Guess who gets to be the lucky companion when Essie Sue finds the body...

The police find a carbon copy of a letter the victim had typed which might be a clue to his murder. Ruby's talks with the victim's daughter and granddaughter lead to other clues. Those clues lead Ruby to an adventure in Alaska and one in New Jersey -- both of them providing chances for her to fear she might not survive. Yes, there was an excellent reason that the victim didn't want his photograph to appear in any publication.

There are three recipes at the end of the book: Ruby's lox and scrambled eggs, Milt's scooped lox and bagel, and Essie Sue's low-fat lox treat.

I've gotten pretty sick of skulls being used on murder mystery covers, but Robert Goldstrom's cover is an amusing version. show less

Ruby Rothman is the Rabbi’s widow. I wish she were a real live person and lived in my neighborhood! She is 46, a red-head with green eyes, wears a size 14 and describes herself as having a “bizarre sense of humor”. This is the first book in the series. Ruby is part owner of the Hot Bagel deli, in Eternal, Texas, where a customer drops dead after eating a cyanide laced bagel. I love Ruby.