The Yiddish Gangster's Daughter: 1 (Becks Ruchinsky Mystery)

Finalist for the Claymore and Amazon Breakthrough Novel AwardsSince separating from her philandering husband Boca Raton writer Becks Ruchinsky has struggled to build a closer relationship with her quirky and contentious father Tootsie who lives in a retirement home. One evening as she and her father are relaxing on the homes front porch an elderly woman accuses Tootsie of having murdered her husband fifty years earlier. Tootsie admits to ratting on the man whod cheated their Jewish syndicate boss out of thousands of dollars but denies killing the widows husband. He also admits to having friends in the Jewish mafia and shares stories about his experiences. But the more time she spends with her father the more convinced Becks becomes that Tootsie is lying about his involvement. Determined to discover the truth about her dads past she sets out on a journey to undercover his darkest secrets. She learns he worked for the Jewish mafia -running numbers for the Cuban lottery beating up Nazi sympathizers and smuggling arms to Israeli independence fighters. When she learns that he murdered his best friend and possibly his own brother she must decide if she can accept his criminal past - or cut him out of her life. The Yiddish Gangsters Daughter also explores the impact our parents relationships have on our own. Throughout the book Becks challenges her father on his infidelity toward her mother and becomes frustrated by his refusal to acknowledge that what he did was hurtful to his entire family. Shes upset when Tootsie minimizes her husbands affair and encourages her to take him back. Ultimately Becks realizes that she cannot forgive her husband for cheating until she comes to terms with her fathers infidelities...and her mothers willingness to put up with them. A gripping and thought-provoking murder mystery this award-winning novel explores the colorful and precarious world of the 1940s and 1950s Jewish mafia . . . and the limits of familial love.Praise for The Yiddish Gangsters Daughter . . . an engaging multi-layered family saga cum mystery where a fifty-something woman and mother of two grown sons suddenly discovers that the comfortable predictable life she has been living is nothing but a sham. Her attempts to make sense of her impossible new reality are both touching and gripping making for a truly unique literary experience. Les Standiford The Last Train to Paradise