Escape by Robert Tanenbaum

In the latest of this wonderfully eclectic series the underlying moral question is, “Are we responsible for acts we commit if we believe it is God’s will?” Three very different situations are woven together—a woman in post partum depression hears God tell her to bring her children to him, several Jihadists plan terrorist acts and an old man tells of his experience in a German
death camp to the students and parents of a Bat Mitzvah class that Karp is teaching.

Butch Karp, New York City District Attorney, his associates, family and an incredible group of New Yorker’s from a news seller with Tourette’s syndrome to a small army of “moles” who live in New York’s underground tunnels. Oh and I forgot the Vietnamese and Russian mob members. These people appear in all of Tanenbaum”s tales and I would hate to take away your pleasure from meeting them.

There are many books in this series and if you have not discovered them, you might want to start at the beginning to see the development of Butch Karp and his wife, Marlene Ciampi starting in 1987 with No Lesser Plea. Like all series, some are better than others, Escape was one of the best.

Reviewed by Eliza Wingate

Ukiah Library