The Missing File: A Novel (Avraham Avraham Series Book 1)

From Booklist Inspector Avraham “Avi” Avraham is a veteran cop in Holon, a quiet suburb of Tel Aviv. Experience tells him that crime in Holon is pretty simple: no serial killers, and murder and rape are rare. So, when a distraught mother reports that her 16-year-old son didn’t return from school, Avi assures her that the boy will turn up. But he doesn’t, and Avi, a man filled with self-doubt and perhaps numbed by his town’s lack of unusual crime, agonizes as the investigation lurches on. A primary source of his discomfort is a high-school teacher who had previously tutored the missing boy and proceeds to insert himself into the investigation in a way that seems inexplicable. The sense of place here is fascinating (Tel Aviv’s suburbs seem both familiar and exotic), and the focus on Avi’s state of mind, which is plumbed continuously, brings psychological depth. Procedural details are intriguing, too, suggesting that policing, at least in Holon, is a more humane enterprise than in the U.S. Armchair-traveler crime aficionados will welcome Mishani’s debut and look forward to Avi’s return. --Thomas Gaughan --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Detective Avraham Avraham must find a teenage boy who has vanished from his quiet suburban neighborhood. Police detective Avraham Avraham knows that when a crime is committed in his sleepy suburb of Tel Aviv, there is little need for a complex investigation. There are no serial killers or kidnappings here. The perpetrator is usually the neighbor, the uncle, or the father. As he has learned, the simplest explanation is always the answer. But his theory is challenged when a sixteen-year-old boy named Ofer Sharabi disappears without a trace while on his way to school one morning. There is no simple explanation, and Avraham's ordered world is consumed by the unimaginable perplexity of the case. The more he finds out about the boy and his circumstances, the further out of reach the truth seems to be. Avraham's best lead is Ofer's older neighbor and tutor, Ze'ev Avni. Avni has information that sheds new light on the case—and makes him a likely suspect. But will the neighbor's strange story save the investigation? Told through dual perspectives, The Missing File is a crisp, suspenseful tale that introduces an indelible new detective and offers an evocative portrait of suburban life and tension with a universal reach. As it draws to its startling conclusion, D. A. Mishani's twisting mystery will have readers questioning notions of innocence and guilt, and the nebulous nature of truth. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. “Impressive! . . . Dror Mishani writes with profound originality. . . . A truly interesting story.” (Henning Mankell)“THE MISSING FILE is a wonderfully satisfying detective mystery, with a heartbreaking finale. A tense, gripping page-turner that I devoured in two days―it’s hard to believe it’s a debut.” (S.J. Watson, New York Times bestselling author of Before I Go to Sleep )“[A] solid brainteaser…. satisfying…. a thoughtful character study of a good man deeply troubled by issues of innocence and guilt. ” (Marilyn Stasio, New York Times )“An outstanding first novel. . . . Mishani puts his expertise in the genre to good use in combining the procedural and the puzzle with artful misdirection.” ( Publishers Weekly (starred review))“The sense of place here is fascinating, and the focus on Avi’s state of mind, which is plumbed continuously, brings psychological depth. Procedural details are intriguing, too. . . . Armchair-traveler crime aficionados will welcome Mishani’s debut and look forward to Avi’s return.” ( Booklist )“A compelling debut in a complex case aimed straight at the reader’s heart.” ( Kirkus Reviews )“Mishani weaves a densely complex psychological mystery…[and] provides a stunning and surprising conclusion.” ( Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine )“[A]very well-written and well-plotted story.” ( Daily American )“[A] promising debut…[that] examines issues of truth, lies and perspective…. Raders of edgy mysteries set in unusual places will eagerly await his planned sequel.” ( Richmond Times-Dispatch )“[Mishani] has created a new…memorable…protagonist, Israeli detective Avraham (‘Avi’) Avraham. The translation is smooth, and the twist at the end is so unexpected that it is worthy of a more seasoned novelist. … Recommended (Theodore Reit, Spinetingler Magazine )“D. A. Mishani’s The Missing File is the first installment of a gripping new crime series.” ( World Literature Today ) --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Inside Flap Police detective Avraham Avraham knows that when a crime is committed in his quiet suburb of Tel Aviv, there is little need for a complex investigation. He has found that the simplest explanation is always the answer . . . until now. -- Richmond Times-Dispatch --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. D. A. Mishani is a literary scholar specializing in the history of detective literature. His first novel, The Missing File , was the inaugural book in his literary crime series featuring the police inspector Avraham Avraham. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Read more