The Jerusalem Assassin

I was happy to find that Mr. Azrieli continued strands of the plot from “The Jerusalem Inception” and even happier that he continued the same level of excitement. He's fast forwarded over two decades from the original book, and still has a good eye and ear for Israel as it continues to mature. I was delighted to catch up with the characters from the first book, and surprised to find that my thoughts about them were proven faulty.

The focus has shifted to a character that I didn't like so well in the first book, but now that he has been fleshed out so that some of his inner thoughts, his inner workings are clearer to me, I can appreciate why he is doing what he is doing. In fact, as I read the book, I reevaluated my first impression of Elie in the “Inception” novel.

And, if you'll pardon the expression, a “caper novel” involving an assassination gone wrong was a great centerpiece to the book.

I would suggest, though, that anyone who is interested in this book read Mr. Azrieli's “Jersulem Inception” novel before reading this one, since (a) it gives you background on characters and motivations and (b) it will double the pleasure of this saga about Israel as it grows from infancy to the near-present.