The 12th Commandment

August 1, 2022

Situated in rural Ohio, a community whose members belong to the D�nme sect--descendants of Ottoman Empire Jews who converted to Islam--is upended when the son of their self-proclaimed prophet is murdered. Journalist Zeke Leger, whose college girlfriend prosecuted the murder case, is intrigued enough to take another look. In light of conflict within the community and suspicion from without, he decides the murder has not yet been solved. From two-time National Jewish Book Award winner Torday.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 12, 2022
The provocative if undercooked latest from National Jewish Book Award winner Torday (The Last Flight of Poxl West) concerns a small enclave of Islamic Jews in Ohio. Zeke Leger works as a magazine editor in New York, but returns to his college town of Mt. Izmir for the funeral of his friend Gram Silver, who died by suicide. There, Leger reunites with lost love Johanna Franklin, who successfully prosecuted Nathan Fritzman, the leader of the Dönme sect, for the murder of his son, Osman. According to Johanna’s case, Osman had violated the 12th commandment of the sect’s religion by sharing its secrets with outsiders, thus providing motive to Fritzman. Dönme members, however, insist that Osman was killed by someone else. Leger smells a story and lingers to work on it, and is granted access to the Dönme, a group of rifle-toting Hasids who freely indulge in cannabis and view Fritzman as a messianic figure. Leger’s less-than-captivating search for his own life’s purpose and meaning overwhelms the question of who really killed Osman, and the author never gets back to Gram, which makes the funeral and Johanna’s connection to the case feel like narrative contrivances. Still, the premise allows for some engaging insights on the potential and perils of faith. The author has a bold vision, but this doesn’t quite hang together.

October 15, 2022
Heavily armed Jewish mystical cult meets weed-legalization conspiracy meets renewed college love affair meets ecstatic highs of various persuasions. "Zeke turned onto Shabbetai Road, where he encountered all at once: an RV with an immense airbrushed painting of the face of Nathan Fritzman, Natan of Flatbush, Hebrew lettering atop the image; two trailer homes in the near distance; a single two-story colonial set back from the road; and in front of each of these buildings, men in traditional Hasidic garb carrying automatic rifles." Following his exploration of a splinter social movement in Boomer1 (2018), Torday dives deep into the beliefs, text, practices, and marijuana operation of an imaginary Jewish cult with ties to both the Satmar of New York and the D�nme, Turkish Jews who feigned conversion to Islam. His protagonist, Ezekiel "Zeke" Leger, is a New York-based journalist and magazine editor who travels back to Central Ohio for the funeral of a college friend. Shortly after he arrives, an Uber driver suggests he investigate the story of Nathan Fritzman, a Jewish cult leader currently jailed for the murder of his 16-year-old son. Turns out Zeke's college girlfriend, Johanna Franklin, was the lead prosecutor for the state. Those who are interested in the revival of the love affair between Zeke and Johanna, who met as undergrads at William James College, an Oberlin look-alike, may be less interested in the mystical and unconventionally punctuated writings of Natan of Flatbush concerning the tenets of Ein Sofism, which are included here at some length. Those who are following the investigation of the murder of Fritzman's son and its connection to the various groups fighting tooth and nail for control of legalized weed in Ohio may find themselves floundering during extended descriptions of drug-induced experiences. But through it all, Torday's redoubtable novelistic chops produce a steady stream of strong dialogue and sharply drawn scenes. The disparate elements of this ambitious mashup may make it difficult for it to find its ideal readers.

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January 1, 2023

When magazine writer Ezekiel "Zeke" Leger arrives at his alma mater in central Ohio to attend the funeral of a college friend, he reunites with a former girlfriend who is now a DA in the area. She suggests that while he is in Ohio he should look into a local murder. Natan, father of the murder victim and leader of a Jewish/Islamic cult known as the D�nme, has been convicted of the killing. Zeke's investigation leads him into a quagmire of conflicting information and opposing forces. The D�nme's use of drugs in their religious life, their secret grow-facility, and their plans to supply drugs to the people of Ohio (once marijuana is legalized) create a power struggle the police won't address. Zeke finally unravels the mystery, with life-threatening consequences. VERDICT Two-time National Jewish Book Award winner Torday (The Last Flight of Poxl West) creates a fascinating if sometimes challenging story that highlights the plight of Jewish people in Turkey and the United States, both past and present. It incorporates Hebrew terms and Jewish history and teachings that are not always fully explained for uninitiated audiences, but fiction readers with some background in Jewish history and messianic teachings will enjoy.--Joanna M. Burkhardt

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.