Holy Smoke; A Jerusalem Mystery

Holy Smoke (#277) by Frederick Ramsay is the second book in his Jerusalem Mystery trilogy.  As you might guess from the title, it is a murder mystery set in the Temple in Jerusalem at a period of time familiar to many readers from the Bible's New Testament books.  But that pesky country rabbi, Yeshua bar Josef, is only a peripheral character in this tale. 

Gamaliel, the rabban, or rabbi of rabbis, in the Sanhedrin is caught up in the excitement and confusion when a cord leading under the veil which conceals the Holy of Holies is discovered by the youngest priest on duty. How did it come to be there?  Caiaphas, the High Priest, is sure that some unknown person has dared to enter the Sanctuary where he has been struck down for his blasphemy.  But the problem remains: how to extract the body without anyone else entering and defiling the sacred space.  Gamaliel sends for his friend Loukas, the physician, who has offered him helpful and practical advice in the past to lend a hand.  What they discover is that it was not the Hand of the Lord who struck down the victim, but an unknown assailant. When Gamaliel tries to investigate, he is warned off by the High Priest and Palace officials.  If he and Loukas are not careful, they could become the next victims...

I really wanted to like this book.  I found the cover blurb appealing, and the author, Frederick Ramsay, an Episcopal priest, certainly knows the time period.  However, I found Gamaliel a little hard to take with his lectures to everyone he meets.  (It is his job, after all, but still!).  Loukas, the physician (yes, of course, that Luke!) comes off alternately as a competent medical man and a simpleton who is there simply as Gamaliel's foil.  I might have been okay with either or both of these quibbles if it hadn't been for the miserable job done of editing this book.  Didn't anyone at Poison Press proof this book before it went into publication?  I found that the numerous typos, wrong and incorrect words and lack of punctuation slowed me down so much that it took as long to read this book (Actually, I stand corrected, it took me longer!) at 247 pages than it took me to read The Solitary House at 340 pages.  There was certainly no surprise or neat twist to end this mystery.  It just kind of petered out after Gamaliel repeats everything once more at the end with nothing new to add.  My reaction to this book was a whole series of "Wait; what??!!!"   Great idea for a plot; wish someone else had written it, and that someone with a lot more discernment had edited and published this.  Well, I can consider Holy Smoke my Lenten penance.