Hill of Secrets (Detective Levinger. Female protagonist mysteries)
Hill of Secrets (Detective Levinger. Female protagonist mysteries) book cover

Hill of Secrets (Detective Levinger. Female protagonist mysteries)

Paperback – July 20, 2014

Price
$14.66
Format
Paperback
Pages
287
Publisher
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1500577889
Dimensions
6 x 0.65 x 9 inches
Weight
13.6 ounces

Description

"This is an intelligent, witty page-turner interwoven with hints of humor. The kind you can't put down, yet is made u200bu200bof different materials than your everyday mystery novel." -xa0Nurita book reviews (Hebrew)"The plot begins in a calm and not surprising way, ostensibly another terrible act of suicide by a family, but as Hadas continues to explore vigorously, another story emerges, no less shocking that begins to shed light on things...This is the second book by the author Michal Hartstein, I loved the book very much". - Hagit Ben Hur , Manager of The book Parliament club (Hebrew) Dear Reader, Hill of Secrets is the first book in the Hadas Levinger series .The second book in the series, The Hit was published in 2018. Currentlytwo more books are planned for the series.Pleasant reading,Michal Michal Hartsteinwas born in 1974 in Israel into a religious family, studied economics andaccounting at the University of Tel Aviv and started a career in finance. In 2006, afterbecoming a mother, she decided to change direction and began to write. Forseveral years, she has written a popular personal blog, and in 2011 publishedher first book, Confession of an Abandoned Wife . After two years she published her second book, Hill ofSecrets . In 2014 she participated inthe Israeli Nanowrimo contest and wrote Déjà Vu . The book was one of the winners and was published inIsrael in 2015. Her fourth book, The Hit , (the second book in the HadasLevinger series) was published in 2018.Ms. Hartstein'sbooks vividly describe the life of the Israeli middle class, focusing on middleclass women. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • On a blooming May morning, the five bodies of a religious family are found in their apartment in the quiet suburb of Samuel's Hill (Giv'at Shmuel).
  • Detective Hadas Levinger, the renegade atheist daughter of a religious family, is put in charge of the police investigation. Slowly and skillfullym she peels away the shell protecting this unique community, and reveals hard and painful secrets.
  • Can she survive them?

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(350)
★★★★
25%
(292)
★★★
15%
(175)
★★
7%
(82)
23%
(268)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad

I know what the author is trying to do, but this is just bad. Bad editing (misspelled words, punctuation, spacing, tense agreement), bad writing (repetitive words, inconsistent details including using wrong names and wrong ages), bad storytelling (there is no mystery here and the big reveal is unnecessary), and bad characters (not likable).

The first half of the book is a quasi who did it - except we are told it's obvious vs the main character having to defend her decision to not have children to every person she encounters. I just couldn't care about either of these storylines. Especially in the end when the main character says "if she decides to not have children." WHAT? You spent half the book being solid in your choice, and now you are not? This is just bad.

This is just a bad book.
24 people found this helpful
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Loved it

I Have had this on my tbr mountain for 6 months. This was recommended to me by a Jewish friend. Its an incredible but very disturbing tale.
The characters Were well drawn and I felt as if I Knew them as friends by the end of the book.
I Will certainly be reading more by Michal Hartstein.
1 people found this helpful
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It is highly recommended!!

An exciting story, reliable, the ability of the reader to feel in reality.

I read the book in Hebrew.

It is highly recommended !!!
1 people found this helpful
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A glimpse into Israeli society

This book centered on a murder/suicide that was cleared up by forensics almost immediately, and a deeper look into the "why" of it all, leading to an entirely different but related case.

The glimpse into Israeli society is what makes the book special. Most Americans, even American Jews, know nothing about the differences between how different sects in Israel live their lives and I found it fascinating.

I liked the heroine, Hadas Levinger, quite a bit and hope to see her again.
1 people found this helpful
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Great condition

Came quickly. Book in great condition.
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I sm very happy to be able to know Michal Hardstein Hill of ...

I sm very happy to be able to know Michal Hardstein
Hill of secrets is a dont let down book you read page after page I reccomend you
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Insightful and empathic detective story worth reading

Ms. Hartstein writes lively and insightful stories of crime and police investigations in Israel. Her leading character is Hadas Levinger, whose mother constantly harasses her, and who painstakingly solves mysteries. Her writing style flows easily and carries the reader along while portraying everyday life in Israeli society. She demonstrates empathy with all the characters in her book, even the criminals, as she uncovers the forces that drive them. I heartily recommend this book and I'm looking forward to reading another of her books.
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Well Worth Reading for the Cultural Glimpses Alone

I think I liked this more for the peek into Israeli Jewish culture than the actual mystery that drove the story - although the mystery itself was intriguing. Very interesting book with characters whose lives intersect, sometimes with close connections, yet don't really touch.
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I highly recommend it to anyone who likes good mysteries

A fabulous book! I highly recommend it to anyone who likes good mysteries! I will look for more stories by Michal Hartdstein.