Zaddik

Dov Taylor is an ex-everything - an ex-husband, an ex-cop, an ex-drinker, an ex-observant Jew. The way he sees it, he doesn’t have much to offer, so he’s a tad surprised when he gets a summons from a local rabbi: There’s been a hideous murder in the Hassidic community, and Dov, says the rabbi, is the man to solve the crime. Why Dov? Some hundred-odd years ago, his ancestor was a famous Polish mystic, revered for his ability to discern the truth. The rabbi agrees that Dov is not what might be called an impressive candidate. But perhaps some shred of the mystic’s wisdom can be persuaded to whisper down the decades, help Dov see what others cannot. Channel a long-dead Polish wackjob? That’s not really in Dov’s line of work. On the other hand, he doesn’t have a lot of better offers. This extraordinary, deeply unusual mystery was shortlisted for the Edgar in 1994.