Poisoned Passover

An amateur sleuth teams up with her rabbi to figure out who has poisoned members of a Jewish community during the Passover Seder in this cozy mystery.
Someone poisoned Passover guests in Crestfall, Illinois. Is it a coincidence that the victims all had chopped liver from Sophie's Kosher Deli? And was it an accident, or worse-an anti-Semitic hate crime? As the mayor's wife, Julia Donnelly feels personally responsible, and not just because it was she who bought the deadly dish to the Seder. Rabbi Fine, leader of Julia's Torah Study Group, insists he can't solve this heinous crime without her, and Julia certainly can't say no to the rabbi. Besides, she has a number of suspects already whirling through her sharp mind, from Sophie's scheming son to a developer keen on buying Sophie's deli. Leaning into the logic of Jewish traditions, Julia and Rabbi Fine are close to figuring out the killer. That is, if the killer doesn't find out what they are up to first!

Susan Van Dusen has been a teacher in Chicago and Jerusalem, an editorial director of WBBM Radio, and a writer for magazines and newspapers. She is the author of four children's books, three on the history of Skokie, and a founder of "Coming Together in Skokie," a project to unite diverse cultures. She has lived in the village of Skokie for thirty-five years with her husband George, sons Danny and David, daughter-in-law Diana, and two perfect grandchildren, Anthony and Zoe. Van Dusen's hobbies are playing the dulcimer and ukulele, reading, and performing onstage. The Missing Hand is the first in her series of Jewish holiday cozies.