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Murder Duet

by Batya Gur

Murder Duet has been translated from the original Hebrew in which it was written by Dalya Bilu. Perhaps the translation is what makes Murder Duet so wordy – or perhaps that's simply the Hebraic way of expressing yourself. At any rate, as detective fiction I found the Batya Gur's work way too lengthy with an overabundance of unnecessary detail. As a book for and about musicians, however, it's priceless. The Jewish people are known for their gifts with music, and I shouldn't have to mention names like Bernstein, Mintz , Perlman, Mendelssohn and God knows how many others – conductors, performers and composers – whose very names make anyone familiar with classical music sit up and take notice.

Murder Duet is about the murders of two people in such a musical family, except of course in this case they're fictional. Felix van Gelden is the father, and inordinately proud of his two sons, Theo van Gelden the conductor, and Gabriel van Gelden the violinist. He's also justly proud of his gifted daughter, but his favorite is obviously 'Gabi.'

At the start of Murder Duet, Michael Ochajon finds he's been left with a girl baby in a cardboard box. He goes to the neighbor above him because he knows she also has a baby, Ido. Her name is Nita van Gelden. She plays the cello, and is Gabriel's sister.
Michael is drawn to the baby, naming her Noa, and hopes to keep the child, avoiding discovery and her eventual removal from his care. He lies at first to Nita, finally taking her into his confidence, and she loans him all the necessary equipment needed to supply the child's requirements from her own supply.

Then Nita's father, Felix van Gelden, is found murdered; robbed of a very valuable painting. It's disclosed after a concert – the first time in many months that both Nita and Gabriel would play with an orchestra where Theo was conducting. Michael was present, eager to hear Nita perform the cello solo in The William Tell Overture. Their proud father was also eager to attend the concert, but his seat remained empty, and only after the performance did they discover why. What isn't clear is why he had to be murdered because of the robbery. The three children are in a state over the situation, and Nita, who was less than stable to begin with, is once again near the edge of hysteria.

Felix van Gelden had emphysema, and it's assumed at first that he died because he was bound and then gagged – with cloth stuffed in his mouth and taped over. Danny Balilty is appointed to take over the case, since Michael is now closely associated with the family. There are a number of suspects, but chief among them is the son, Gabriel.
Then he too, is murdered – with gruesome particulars. Michael, trying to help Nita, essays to help Balilty find the murderer, and he feels that both murders are definitely connected.

Ochajon interviews Herzl, now in a psychiatric hospital, who once ran a music store with Felix. Another interview is with Gabriel's first violin teacher, with Michael trying to learn more about the man, other than the fact he loved Baroque music. Still another interview is with Izzy Masiah, who lived with Gabriel and was his homosexual lover. Gradually, the idea of a lost score by a famous Baroque composer comes to light – along with the clue that Gabriel may have discovered it.

Michael loses his baby to a foster family, and also loses Nita, who has avoided him because he belongs to the police – and is thus a threat to her family. What follows is the discovery of both the motive and the murderer, with jealousy being the predominant factor. Murder Duet doesn't resolve everything at the end, however. Some threads are left hanging – perhaps to be resolved in the next novel. Noa's fate is undetermined, and Nita is no longer a part of Michael's daily life.

Batya Gur writes knowledgeably about music – to anyone not particularly interested in the classical genre, this knowledge
may easily become tedious. The lengthy comments on the Classical period, which the author notes are taken directly from an actual lecture given in Jerusalem, would be boring indeed to anyone reading this book primarily for the mystery of the murders themselves. However, no one can fault Ms. Gur for her writing, unless the translator has performed miracles. Batya Gur writes well. For the American detective story reader, perhaps she only needs learning to condense and refine.

Alan Paul Curtis

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