The Butcher's Theater by Jonathan Kellerman

I have read several books by Jonathan Kellerman but this is the first that provided such a detailed, intricate mystery that differs from the Alex Delaware mysteries I so like.  While it is a murder mystery it does not ta place in California.  I enjoyed the Israeli setting and the insight it gave the reader into the social and political issues that continue to plague the country today. 

The interaction between the members of the police department plays up the conflicts between the ethnic groups as well as the cooperation.  It is an interesting to see how the weaknesses of one person become a strength for another.  History was woven into the personalities of the characters. Religion and social mores cause conflict and resolution at the same time!  It is as if the entire book is two sides of the same coin.  For every up there is a down and every turn leads into a more complicated twist.

Without giving away too much of the book, I will say that I was captivated by the way Kellerman used social situations to add to the suspense.  Fatima was kicked out of her family because she had a boyfriend.  Other victims had similar pitfalls—prostitution, drug addiction, the inability to conceive children.  They appear separate but in the final analysis they related very well to the killer and his desire to purify the world.

Dani is the ultimate detective—determined to get to the bottom despite what it might cost him.  A devout Jew, he missed the Sabbath most of the book. His family is extremely important to him but he all but abandons it to solve this case.  In the end he realizes how those sacrifices could impact his life and family and lays it all on the line to protect those he loves.

In order to catch a murderer as devious as the one here an international army was needed.  The cooperation of law enforcement personnel in the US, the Netherlands, Interpol and the FBI, exposes the criminal mind and lead the reader on a chase to the end that has many false turns.  I found this one of the most endearing things about the book.  I turned many others into the Butcher prior to realizing who it actually was!  I did feel vindicated to learn that one of my “choices” turned out to be a bad guy in a very different way.  Each of my suspects had their own secrets and I am left wondering how some will deal with those.

Without giving it away to those who are still reading the book, I would like to pose some questions.  Was the psychological damage done to the killer by his parents?  Did they create him or was he the way he was by his own nature?  Were the women he killed a substitute for his mother? Were the women killed more than just victims of the Butcher or were they also victims of the society in which they lived?

I look forward to discussing the book with you and hearing your opinions!