Terror Town: An Abe Lieberman Mystery

Kaminsky is one of my favorite mystery writers, and the Abe Lieberman series has a lead dectective who is older, knows the ropes and seems like a Jewish Colombo. The plot of this story does not seem to hold together quite as well as some other Abe Lieberman mysteries. Since the plot revolves around Lieberman's partner, it is beneficial to have read previous Lieberman mysteries so you know the characters. There is nothing fast paced about this book, just good writing and a good story.

Very good ME book.

Multiple story lines, tightly and sometimes unexpectedly interwoven. Cream of the Kaminsky crop. This is one of the later books in the Lieberman series. It's quite possible to read it out of sequence without missing much.

The policeman, Abe Lieberman, is the best kind of crime solver, successful, compassionate, intelligent and admirable. I will plug on until I've read them all.

This was a very enjoyable read. I am Jewish and really enjoyed the cultural memories the character interactions elicited.

Kaminsky is one of my favorite mystery writers. He was also one of the most prolific of American mystery writers. He kept four ongoing series alive, as well as wrote non-series novels, short-story collections & non-fiction titles. My two favorite Kaminsky series are the ones featuring Abe Lieberman & Bill Hanrahan; & Lew Fonesca. My favorite of the two series, by an inch, is the one featuring the Jewish & Irish cop partners. Happily, for me, "Terror Town" is the 9th novel in the Lieberman/Hanrahan series.Nicknamed the Rabbi & the Priest, Lieberman & Hanrahan have been Chicago cops & partners for eons. They're like brothers. They can finish each other's sentences. They have their own table at Abe's brother's deli. Always reserved for them. Seemingly living in the deli are the alter kochers, a group of retired not just Jewish men, who apparently sit all day long in the deli arguing & kibitzing over everything in a combo of Yiddish & English (even the non-Jewish ones). I love the characters in this series.While both cops are old enough to be grandfathers, they are both raising, or starting to raise, second families. Abe's daughter got divorced & left her two young children with her parents. Abe's wife is President of the Sisterhood of their synagogue. Bill's second wife is a Chinese-American. Iris was the intended of a Chinese mob boss. Having contended with that & settled it, in this novel, Iris is stalked by a crazed psychopath, while she is pregnant. One thinks the stalker & murderer of others in the book is a psychopath; but, there is a surprise twist at the end.While Bill is attempting to protect his wife, Abe has enlisted the help of a Latin street gang, whose leader holds him in high esteem. When one of the gang is killed by the psychopath, it is Abe who is chosen to give his eulogy in Church. I love the way Kaminsky thinks!Abe also has to solve the case of a religious fruitcake, who thinks he's the Second Coming of Christ. He's even gathered a flock of followers, who don't know that his father is an Orthodox Rabbi & he was raised as a Yeshiva student. Then there are other crimes in the part of Chicago called Terror Town, a totally Black populated area where Abe is matched up with a black detective & they end up having to go toe-to-toe against one of the most powerful & most beloved black business leaders in Chicago . . . for murder. As always, everything gets solved, amidst all the twists & turns & dead-ends.Abe even has a tete-a-tete with his estranged daughter, Lisa; who finally calls him "Dad" for the first time in so many books, I can't remember when she did it last. It's heartwarming & brings tears to the regular reader's eyes.Kaminsky had the wonderful knack of writing strong indelible characters combined with strong believable plots. His lead characters are always flawed; but, very likable.This was another wonderful addition to my favorite Kaminsky mystery series.

With 65+ books (both mysteries and scholarly books) as his legacy, the late Stuart Kaminsky was also one of the country's premier film professors. An MWA grand master, he shows his chops in Terror Town, an Abe Lieberman mystery.Abe is a Chicago (Stuart's home for many years) policeman, whose partner is an Irishman married to a Chinese woman. Their personal stories (both are still raising children; Abe is estranged from his daughter; his brother has just suffered a heart attack) constitute at least half of Terror Town. In other words, this is a bona fide novel as well as a mystery story. As a novel, it is heavily textured, with bittersweet humor and loving characterization. The Chicago setting is evoked nicely.Terror Town is a section of the south side. It is ruled by gangs and a very, very dangerous place to be. In other words it is the Chicago that the current mayor is desperately attempting to conjure with.A young woman is murdered and robbed after withdrawing a large amount of money from a local bank. How did the killers know that she planned to do that? Were they acting on their own or on the orders of another?A former Chicago Cub is attacked on the street by an apparent lunatic. Why?A religious zealot is prowling the streets, bringing both prayers and mayhem. Who is he and why is he doing that?The stories become interlaced as Abe's partner's family is threatened. If there is a soft point in the novel it is the double-surprise ending. This is not a carefully executed Jeffery Deaver double reverse, but more of an unexpected set of revelations. It hardly matters, however, since the thrust of the story is based on the personal lives of the police partners. That is executed superbly.