The Day the Rabbi Resigned (1992)

by Harry Kemelman

Series: Rabbi Small (10)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
423	7	59,720	(3.73)	6
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Best-selling author Harry Kemelman's mysteries involving Rabbi David Small have enthralled readers for decades. Full of quirky characters and carefully drawn settings, the books are beloved for their dry wit and authentic detail. For nearly 25 years, Rabbi Small has maintained an uneasy relationship with his congregation. He sees his role as that of a teacher, while they often look to him as more of a spiritual leader. Now, just as his congregation is set to reward him for his long service, the rabbi has decided to explore new options with his life. To make things more complicated, the recent murder of a college professor has the Barnard's Crossing police baffled. Can the rabbi's quiet introspection offer insights the police may have overlooked? Personally approved by the author's estate, narrator George Guidall voices the delightful characters and situations in this final book of an always-intriguing series.… (more)

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Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)

drunk driving becomes murder

ritaer | Aug 26, 2020 |

A man marries for money and dies wrapped around a tree from drunk driving. Rabbi Small decides to become a teacher. (

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LindaLeeJacobs | Mar 12, 2020 |

I read all the Rabbi Small mysteries as they were printed and enjoyed them. When I came across this one again, I was delighted to have a chance to renew my acquaintance with the Rabbi.

I didn't realize how didactic these books are. There's lots of fascinating information about Jewish customs included, but it's often presented in almost lecture form. That said, there's still an enjoyable mystery to solve told in a "fair" fashion (that is, all the clues are available to the reader), the setting is true to life--I grew up in a neighboring town--the characters are believable. Worth a read. (

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Matke | Apr 20, 2016 |

Another of the delightful Rabbi Small mysteries. Years ago I read the mysteries with titles including names of the seven days of the week, such as Friday the rabbi slept late and the six others. Now I'm finishing up the others in the series. As in the aforementioned, the rabbi works together with Hugh Lanigan, Bernard's Crossing police chief and the force. They do the legwork but the rabbi uses his deductive reasoning to pull things together and to arrive at the solution. In this mystery, a man crashes his car into a tree on a dark road at night. Was he merely a drunk driver who lost control, or was he murdered?

A very easy read, consisting mostly of dialogue. I liked so much the explanations of different facets of Judaism. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others, but I read them years ago. Half the book was taken up with introduction of characters before the accident even happened. (

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janerawoof | Jul 7, 2015 |

In Rabbi Small mysteries the murders tend to happen quite late in the book, sometimes not till the second half. I particularly enjoyed this one because I managed to avoid reading any blurbs, introductions etc. and was able to try guessing both killer and victim. The characters were interesting if not that likable. I liked the college politics. (

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BonnieJune54 | Nov 25, 2013 |

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Rabbi Small (10)

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Scherz-classic-Krimi (775)

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Canonical title

The Day the Rabbi Resigned

Original title

The Day the Rabbi Resigned

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1992

People/Characters

Rabbi David Small

Victor Joyce

Hugh Lanigan (Police Chief)

Margaret Merton Joyce

Cyrus Merton

Important places

Barnard's Crossing, Massachusetts, USA

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

To Stephen R. Volk, Welcome to the Family!

First words

Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Der Abend bei den Bergsons war durchaus angenehm, zeitweise sogar heiter verlaufen.

Quotations

Last words

Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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Original language

Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

Amerikanisch

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Canonical LCC

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▾Book descriptions

Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Best-selling author Harry Kemelman's mysteries involving Rabbi David Small have enthralled readers for decades. Full of quirky characters and carefully drawn settings, the books are beloved for their dry wit and authentic detail. For nearly 25 years, Rabbi Small has maintained an uneasy relationship with his congregation. He sees his role as that of a teacher, while they often look to him as more of a spiritual leader. Now, just as his congregation is set to reward him for his long service, the rabbi has decided to explore new options with his life. To make things more complicated, the recent murder of a college professor has the Barnard's Crossing police baffled. Can the rabbi's quiet introspection offer insights the police may have overlooked? Personally approved by the author's estate, narrator George Guidall voices the delightful characters and situations in this final book of an always-intriguing series.

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