Murder Under the Bridge: A Palestine Mystery

(Paperback)

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Winner IPPY Silver in Mystery and IndieFab Finalist in Mystery and Multicultural Fiction
When Raniathe only female Palestinian police detective in the northern West Bank, as well as a young mother in a rural community where many believe women should not have such a dangerous careerdiscovers the body of a foreign woman on the edge of her village, no one seems to want her look too deeply into whats happened. But she finds an ally in Chloea gay, Jewish-American peace worker with a camera and a big attitudeand together, with the help of an annoying Israeli policeman, they work to solve the murder. As they do, secrets about war crimes and Israels thriving sex trafficking trade begin to surfaceand Rania finds everything she holds dear in jeopardy. Fast-paced and intricately plotted, Murder Under The Bridge offers mystery lovers an intimate view of one of the most fraught political conflicts on the planet.

Reviews

One of the best mysteries I've read in a long time. Kept me from doing ten important things I should have been doing because I just had to finish it! Kate Raphael writes great women characters and does a fantastic job of portraying the realities of Palestinian life as background to a gripping story. Starhawk, best-selling author of The Fifth Sacred Thing and The Spiral Dance Strong and complex female characters, a unique and vividly drawn setting, and an utterly compelling storyKate Jessica Raphael offers you everything you could possibly want in a page-turning mystery. Let's hope this is the first of many novels to come. Elaine Beale, author of Murder in the Castro [Murder Under the Bridge's] mix of murder and politics makes for fascinating reading, made even richer by the revealing glimpse of life in the occupied territories. Booklist A stunning mystery novel by a talented new writer. Anyone picking up the book will be drawn in by Rania and Chloe, a dynamic, realistic, pair of women sleuths . . . An outstanding addition to the global mystery field. More, please! Sujata Massey, author of The Sleeping Dictionary Raphael has created a wonderful cast, most especially her Palestinian policewoman, Rania Authoritatively and vividly rendered, Murder Under the Bridge is a compelling read. Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and The Jane Austen Book Club Both [Chloe] and Rania work, in their own ways, to protect the innocent from easy labels like terroristlabels that Raphael dismantles and examines in this provocative novel. Publishers Weekly Raphael thoroughly captures the tension of life on the West Bank by setting a murder in a location marked by daily violence. Substantial yet humanly flawed female protagonists give depth to both the mystery and the political and social turmoil of the region. Library Journal, starred review

Author Bio

Kate Raphael is a San Francisco Bay Area writer, feminist and queer activist and radio journalist, who makes her living as a law firm word processor. She lived in Palestine for eighteen months as a member of the International Womens Peace Service, documenting human rights abuses and accompanying Palestinians as they attempted to live normal lives under occupation. At the end of her time in Palestine, she was imprisoned for over a month by the Israeli authorities and eventually deported. In 2011, she won a residency at Hedgebrook. She produces the weekly radio show, Womens Magazine, on KPFA/Pacifica, which is heard throughout Northern and Central California. Her writing from Palestine has been included in the anthology Peace Under Fire (Verso), Reclaiming Quarterly, Left Turn, and websites including miftah and palestinemonitor.