This is a book that I have been wanting to read for some time, but I've been putting it off for various reasons. I finally sat down and read the book, and I was pleasantly surprised. David Small is the rabbi of a Conservative Jewish congregation in Barnard's Crossing, a fictional town in Massachusetts. He is young - just in his late 20s - and has only been the rabbi for a year. Small is a bookworm with a deep love of and appreciation for the Talmud. However, he is not so good at dealing with the members of his congregation, at least at first. During the course of the book, he learns and grows into his role. He befriends the police chief, Hugh Lanigan, who's Catholic. Some of my favorite scenes are when they are discussing both the murder and their religious beliefs. The give and take between them is great fun, and I like the respect they have for each other's beliefs.

The murder is of a young girl, Elspeth Bleech, who works as a maid/babysitter for an Italian family. Rabbi Small is a suspect in her death because her purse is found in his car. He finds he has to both clear himself and deal with members of his congregation who want him to leave at the end of his first year on the job.

Very recommended.