The Last Dark Place: An Abe Lieberman Mystery

I've been a Porfiry Rostnikov fan forever. But since Kaminsky hasn't written a Porfiry mystery in well over three years I decided to try one of his other series. The Abe Liebermann series has quite a bit in common with the Rostnikov mysteries. Both protagonists are over sixty and both are dedicated family men. But perhaps the major similarity is the Ed McBain influence. Rostnikov has a couple of underlings who are usually involved in their own cases. Liebermann has a partner named Bill Hanrahan, who calls Abe "The Rabbi." Abe calls Hanrahan "Father Murphy." These are working cops and they have more cases than a Budweiser brewery. The book starts with Abe escorting a Mafia hitman back to Chicago from Yuma, Arizona. An elderly janitor shoots the hitman before Abe can get him on the plane. The janitor is an elderly man who claims he agreed to the contract to pay for his grandchildren's college. Back in Chicago, Hanrahan and his temp partner, O'Neil are investigating a series of muggings and rapes. Hanrahan must also deal with O'Neil's racist and sexist remarks as well as the crime spree. This wouldn't be a Kaminsky mysteries if the detectives didn't have personal problems to match their professional concerns. Liebermann's grandson, who lives with Liebermann and his wife, is having his bar mitzvah and Liebermann is trying to scrape together the money to pay for it. His daughter, with whom he doesn't get along, is also arriving for her son's big day. Meanwhile, someone has been calling Hanrahan's pregnant Chinese wife, warning her not to have the child. Throw in the case of a sign painter, who is stalking a country western singer, whom he wants to kill, and you have quite a few story lines to keep track of. Probably the most impressive aspect of the book for me was the theme of "respect for family and the elderly" that runs throughout the book. For instance, when Abe's grandson tells Abe he doesn't think he should go through with his bar mitzvah because he doesn't believe in God, Abe convinces him to do it for his grandmother, his other relatives, and all of the people who were looking forward to the event. Mr. Woo, an elderly Chinese crime lord, negotiates a truce between the Puerto Rican and Chinese gangs. Kaminsky puts a capper on this theme when the most deplorable human being in the book takes the fall for his grandmother when she's implicated in a shooting.

I am a great fan of Kaminsky's Abe Lieberman mysteries. This one, though, was a bit of a disappointment. Kaminsky is a prolific, accomplished writer but the story line in this book is not up to his usual standard. There are just too many coincidences in the book; a villain who tried to rob Abe's synagogue over thirty years before, is murdered when Abe is bringing him back from Arizona to face charges in Chicago. The plotting strains one's credibility. Hanrahan, his partner, is teamed up with a racist, sexist temporary partner, who just happens to have been married to a black woman. Who has since died. Huh? The incident that ends the book also leaves one somewhat dazed. The charm of this book as in all Lieberman books is the humanity of Abe and the realistic and sympathetic portrayal of his family and friends. If you are new to Kaminsky, I would strongly suggest reading all of his earlier Lieberman mysteries. They are great! All in all, this one is not up to his usual standard but even with that caveat, Kaminsky keeps you intrigued and once you suspend your logical brain, this is a good read.

I was very impressed with parts of this novel, but found other parts to be unbelievable or even disconcerting. The end of the novel troubled me the most. There was an unevenness to much of this book, both in writing style and plot. I've read many other books by Kaminsky, and have always been more satisfied, even if less impressed. I think he tried to go beyond himself in this novel, sometimes successfully and sometimes not.

I've only recently discovered police procedurals. Or should I say compelling, interesting police procedurals? I've read others along the way, but until I discovered John Sandford's "Prey" series, I found them trite and boring for the most part. Now with my discovery of Stuart M. Kaminsky and his Abe Lieberman character, I admit to becoming a fan. Abe Lieberman is a 60-ish Chicago detective. I should note that this is Kaminsky's eigth Lieberman book, so presumably he started the series with a younger man. Lieberman is no superman. He has ordinary problems like high cholesterol, insomnia and an adult daughter who can't find happiness, so blames her father for her unhappiness. The story begins with Lieberman in Yuma, Arizona, about to escourt a prisoner back to Chicago. An elderly black airport janitor kills Lieberman's prisoner at the boarding gate - and we're off to a cop's life. Hannrahan, Abe's partner, is an Irish Catholic, a reformed alcoholic, with a second wife. In Lieberman's absence, Hannrahan is teamed with O'Neill, who appears to be extreme racist. Life's misfortunes provide the cloud through which these men. Elderly Jews gathering at Leiberman's brother's delicatessen; a bunch of kids who get their kicks beating and finally murdering and raping women on the street; a demented young man who happily sets out to kill a rising celebrity. It's all part of day's work for Lieberman and his colleagues. Several stories at once flow in the narrative and Kaminsky keeps them all straight, never missing a beat, never forcing the reader to suspend credulity. Kaminsky and Lieberman have a new fan. Jerry

Part of the appeal of mystery novels comes from the multiple vehicles that authors use as Connelly's Harry Bosch and Ed McBain's Steve Carella. Recently, however, a new cop on the block has appeared on my book table, Detective Abe Lieberman of the Chicago Police Department. THE LAST DARK PLACE by Stuart M. Kaminsky is the eighth novel featuring the sixty-year old Chicago detective confronting the crimes of a big city along with the difficulties of life. Lieberman is a Job-like figure, a small, cynical and fatalistic man looking ten years older than his actual age, battling crime and his cholesterol count at the same time. He resides on the North Side of Chicago and does the majority of his crime fighting in the Rogers Park area of the city, a modern ethnic melting pot for Jews, Hispanics, Asians and even Caucasian criminals. The trademark of a Lieberman escapade is a juggling act of multiple crimes, committed by several criminals investigated by Lieberman and his Irish Catholic partner Bill Hanrahan, "the Rabbi and the Priest," as they are known on the streets of Chicago. Compounding his crime solving battles are the personal predicaments in Lieberman's life --- from his children, grandchildren, synagogue and community. The opening scenes of THE LAST DARK PLACE find Lieberman in an Arizona airport handcuffed to Connie Glover, a fugitive from justice that the detective is returning to Chicago. Before they can board the plane, Glover is gunned down, and finding out why the killer was killed becomes Lieberman's next assignment. Abe Lieberman is more than a police detective. He is a mixture of philosopher, psychologist, rabbi and diplomat. In the melting pot neighborhoods of Chicago, the turf wars between rival ethnic gangs are of prime concern to law enforcement. Lieberman has the respect of the community and he wields his respect as a neighborhood Henry Kissinger, using his skills to mediate and avoid disputes while always being prepared for the use of force if required. Kaminsky, a former resident of the North Shore area, has a remarkable insight into the various communities and nationalities that populate the Chicago area. Through the vehicle of Abe Lieberman he creates characters who are real, and plots that are both simple and complex while always enjoyable and expertly crafted. Celebrated fictional detectives are engaging because they do more than solve mysteries. Along the way they often face personal dilemmas easily identified by most readers. Abe Lieberman is not only a detective; he is a father and grandfather. Life's personal difficulties take as much of his time as the misdeeds of the criminals he tackles on his job. In THE LAST DARK PLACE, his grandson's bar mitzvah requires Lieberman's attention. That event demands that he cope with major financial and philosophical issues while continuing his criminal investigation. This is the balancing act that is Lieberman's life. He can successfully face those problems because, above all, Abe