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Don't Cry For Me, Hot Pastrami
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Plot Summary of Don't Cry For Me, Hot Pastrami
"

Scribner, Sep 2001, 24.00, 298 pp.
ISBN: 0684871556

    Since the death of Rabbi Stu Rothman, Essie Sue Margolis runs the Temple Rita synagogue in Eternal, Texas. Using a statistically invalid and unreliable sampling of the congregation members, Essie Sue informs the board that the new Rabbi Kevin Kerstein has a very low approval rating. To avoid the selection process of a new rabbi, the board including Ruby, the wife of the deceased previous Rabbi, agree to a Caribbean Sea cruise.

    Ruby wins the raffle for a free trip, but wonders if she will be sailing with endless tsuris from the aggravation she expects from her companions. The Bargain Tours cruise is filled with cut-rate reductions that makes this a trip worth forgetting though coincidentally the Captain happens to be Essie Sue's cousin. University Professor Gonzales was to provide insight into the historical Jewish population in the area, but he dies while boarding the ship. Ruby finds herself embroiled in a mystery based on the professor's notes while two suitors, the captain and a passenger she likes (who might just be a killer) pursue her.

    The third Rabbi's wife mystery, DON'T CRY FOR ME, HOT PASTRAMI, is an amusing who-done-it due to the internal sufferings and asides of Ruby. The story line is fun though a reader might wonder why Ruby puts up with Essie Sue, a professional nudnick. Essie Sue is as aggressive a character one will find in a cozy while the Rabbi needs to borrow some of her chutzpah so he will not continue to look like a putz. Fans of an ethnic who-done-it will enjoy this tale that requires noshing a bagel while reading it.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Don't Cry For Me, Hot Pastrami
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story: - 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 40%
Kind of investigator - amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - homemaker
Age: - 60's-90's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount
Motive of antagonist - money/treasure
The antagonists are: - big business leader(s)
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
The Americas (not US): Yes
The Americas: - The Caribbean

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 1
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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