Murder on a Kibbutz

This book is as much about the insular society of an Israeli kibbutz as it is about Inspector Michael Ohayon solving a murder. While I didn't find the murder mystery terribly absorbing, I was fascinated by the details of kibbutz society. At its best, Gur's prose is a lucid description of the "egalitarian elitism" that prevails in such enclosed communities, where the details of everyday life are given immense, overt ideological weight. The ending was a rather disappointing anticlimax—there's too much of the deus ex machina to it—but I found Ohayon to be a much more fully realised character than I did in the previous book I read in the series, Saturday Morning Murder, and I would recommend the book as a diverting and informative read.

Una novela policíaca en donde la trama policial es lo menos relevante. La autora es incapaz de provocar en el lector incertidumbres y suposiciones respecto a quién puede ser el asesino. Ni siquiera parece destacable la resolución del caso, tan sólo como cierre de la obra.
Parece que toda la novela y el aparente argumento es una excusa para hablar del movimiento kibbutz, convirtiéndose en el auténtico tema argumental. Aquí la autora, sin explayarse en demasía en explicaciones farragosas, es una novela y no un ensayo, describe bastante bien lo que es un kibbutz, su desarrollo, sus virtudes y carencias, sus contradicciones y tensiones internas, la posibilidad o dificultad de cambios estructurales profundos en el movimiento dentro show more del seno de la actual sociedad israelí,…
En suma, una mediocre novela policíaca pero una excelente introducción para quién esté interesado en esa mezcla de socialismo y sionismo que dio origen y sustentó el desarrollo durante décadas del movimiento kibbutz y en alguna medida del estado de Israel. show less

This time Michael Ohayon must solve a mysterious death on the kibbutz. The secretary for the commune was poisoned. Before Michael comes on the scene you learn that the 50 year old kibbutz has been going through some controversial changes. Meetings are now televised so that members can "attend" in their rooms. There is a new open-air theater. Outsiders are being hired to help in the infirmary & fields. What used to be plum fields are now for cacti grown for the cosmetic factory where many kibbutz members work. But, probably the biggest change is the one yet to come. There is talk of creating a separate house for the elderly members of the kibbutz. For years there has always been a sleeping house for children and a house for adults. The show more elderly have never been separated before. Osnat, the murder victim, was spearheading this change. Michael Ohayon is still the coffee addicted lonely investigator. show less

Ein Kibbuz als friedliches Modell einer besseren Welt entpuppt sich als wahrhaft mörderisches Pflaster. Inspektor Ochajon soll den Tod der schönen Kibbuz-Sekretärin untersuchen, die an einer Überdosis Pflanzenschutzmittel starb. Schritt für Schritt tastet er sich in den abgeschotteten Kosmos des Kibbuz vor und stellt fest, daß hinter der Fassade von Harmonie und Solidarität tödliche Konflikte lauern...

This is mainly a view into kibbutz life with lots of commentary on the various directions that the kibbutz-movement is taking. The community and its characters are well described and the story gives you a good feel of the land and the people. Mystery-wise, it’s a little “iffy,” though. I for one figured out who the killer was almost immediately, but that may be because I’ve read Gur before and her set-up is similar from book to book. Also, the end is a bit deus ex machina where Ohayon somehow finds out a lot of information, but there is no explanation of how he finds out. Still an enjoyable read since I like Ohayon and the place and character descriptions are well written.

The 3rd in the Michael Ohayon series, set in Israel.

About the only good thing I can find to say about this book is that there is some interesting information about the challenges and changes going on in the kibbutz movement in Israel today. Beyond that, the writing is uninspired, and the characters are one-dimensional, as in her first book--you really don't care what happens to anyone you meet.

To make matters even worse, after slogging through the book at least interested in how the murder is resolved, the reader is suddenly slapped in the face, in the last two pages, with an utterly unsatisfactory denoument that comes out of left field.

Extremely disappointing.

Batya Gur vuelve a presentarnos al comisario israelí Michael Ohayon, ahora decidido a resolver un crimen que ha tenido lugar en una sociedad compleja y cerrada: el kibbutz. Informado repetidamente de que «quien no haya vivido en un kibbutz no puede comprender cómo es la vida allí», Ohayon penetra con mayor determinación el espíritu del mundo que debe investigar. De forma gradual, revelando poco a poco los secretos del kibbutz, desenmascarando todas las contradicciones de este estilo de vida tan idealizado, Batya Gur logra crear una ingeniosa y original novela policiaca que examina la crisis de fe política e ideológica de la sociedad israelí a través del fascinante mundo del kibbutz.