When a rabbi needs help tracking down a thief, it's time to call on " one of the most enjoyable private eyes in crime fiction" ( The Toronto Star). Saul Tepperman of Ontario's B'nai Shalom synagogue has known Benny Cooperman since his bar mitzvah. Now that Benny's grown into a crack private detective, he's called to investigate by Tepperman and the rabbi—after a once-trusted lawyer runs off with the savings of more than fifty clients, totaling around two million dollars . . . Filled with "wit and sardonic humor," this lively novel is part of the acclaimed long-running series by the Arthur Ellis Award–winning author ( The Toronto Star). "A puzzling case . . . A City Called July is a nice piece of detective work and a well-written book." — The New York Times "Mr. Engel is a born writer, a natural stylist. This is a writer who can bring a character to life in a few lines." —Ruth Rendell "Benny Cooperman is . . . a lot of fun to hang out with." —Donald E. Westlake A City Called July is the fifth book in the Benny Cooperman Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

ベニー・クーパーマンという探偵の魅力は、ハードボイルドの定石を鮮やかに裏切る「持たざる者」の人間味にあります。ハワード・エンゲルが描くのは、銃よりもユーモアと洞察を武器にする知的な観察者の姿です。カナダの地方都市という舞台が、単なる事件解決を超えて、信頼に根ざした共同体の光と影、そこに生きる人々の息遣いを鮮明に描き出しています。 名手ルース・レンデルが絶賛した通り、数行で登場人物に命を吹き込むエンゲルの文体は、ミステリの枠を越えた純文学的な輝きを放っています。裏切りによって揺らぐ正義の在り方を鋭く問う本作は、読者の知的好奇心を刺激し、一度足を踏み入れればクーパーマンの独特な語り口の虜になるに違いありません。