ANGEL OF DEATH

by Rochelle Majer Krich ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1994

This year, April 20 is not only Hitler's birthday but Holocaust Remembrance Day -- and what better way for neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers to celebrate than to parade through the Jewish suburbs of L.A.? Not everybody agrees, however: Barry Lewis, the lawyer who's defending the White Alliance's right to march, has been getting vituperative phone calls and hate mail from the Jewish community (his own father denounces him), and somebody's painted a Star of David on his front door. Matters only go from bad to worse after the parade, when a Holocaust survivor has a fatal stroke after being shoved by White Alliance organizer Roy Benning, and Lewis is pressured to defend Benning against criminal charges. With so many factions (Lewis's family, the deniers and supremacists, and organizations ranging from the ACLU to the Shield of Jewish Protectors) tensely watching each other, the scene is set for some tough debate -- until Lewis is blown up by a car bomb. Other principals in the case are threatened with similar treatment (""Prepare for the Angel of Death"") and meet fates neatly foretold by a well-known Jewish prayer. Eventually, the furious energy Krich has poured into her explosive conflict abates, leaving only Detective Jessica Drake's emotional reaction to the news of her own Jewish roots and a routine pattern-murder story surprisingly reminiscent of Fair Game (1993). Though the contenders never miss a chance for partisan posturing, Krich keeps her debate at the boiling point for 200 pages until the inevitable violence simplifies the issues and the story settles into a heartfelt lecture about anti-Semitism.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1994

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Mysterious

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1994

Categories: FICTION