Sunday, July 13. 1:46 A.M. Near Lookout Mountain and Laurel Canyon. An unidentified woman in her twenties, wearing a nightgown, was the victim of a hit-and-run accident that left her unconscious and seriously injured. There were no witnesses.

So reads the report on the accident off Mulholland Drive in Molly Blume's Crime Sheet column for a weekly Los Angeles tabloid. Just another small L.A. tragedy, soon forgotten. But the image of the young woman in her nightgown stumbling along a dark, winding road is one Molly, a freelance true-crime writer, cannot shake. In fact, it draws her to a hospital bedside where the victim whispers to her three names: Robbie, Max, and Nina.

It's not a smoking gun, but it is sufficient to reinforce Molly's gut instinct that there are sinister circumstances behind the assault on Lenore Saunders.

With fearless conviction, Molly asks questions that nobody -- including Lenore's mom, her ex-husband, her shrink, or even Molly's LAPD budy, Detective Connors -- wants to answer. Nevertheless, the astute Molly discovers that Lenore lived a fractured life so different from Molly's own secure and loving Orthodox Jewish background. And as a chilling picture of the unfortunate woman begins to take shape, the menace of murders past and present stirs and quickens.

 

Reviews for Blues in the Night:

New York Time Book Review
"Rochelle Krich finds a better way to do it in Blues in the Night...Krich shows that she really knows her stuff...Molly investigates with both thoroughness and compassion, making this new sleuth worth her salt."

Publishers Weekly
"A smart new heroine...Molly's onion-peeling investigation will appeal to those who read mysteries for the pleasure of solving an intricate puzzle. Equally appealing, enough to make us wish for more, is the affectionate portrait of a large, boisterous Jewish family. Everyone needs a wise grandmother like Molly's....Krich nicely captures the sense of community that religious faith can create, and she skillfully paints the special beauty of the desert landscape outside L.A."

Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
"An unqualified winner."

Orlando Sun-Sentinel
"Meet Molly Blume -- a bright new star in the fictional world of crime and punishment...Molly, as warm and refreshing as her all-embracing Orthodox Jewish family, doesn't waste much time uncovering the truth. Author Krich works in the rituals of Molly's religion without belaboring the point or spoiling a good story. There is even a fascinating new bachelor rabbi, who just happens to be the guy who ditched Molly in high school. Between her family, the synagogue and unraveling the mystery behind Lenore's death, Molly keeps herself and the reader totally engrossed."

Deadly Pleasures
"Smoothly written...neatly plotted, with a statisfying solution." From Pages, January/February 2003: "Krich effectively navigates a controversial subject with compassion and genuine insight."

The Drood Review
"Something special.... The strength of this novel is in its depiction of a close-knit community filled with enduring love even in the face of trouble. Blues in the Night is a promising debut for this new series."

Santa Barbara Independent
"Krich's characters are warm, interesting, and unafraid of stereotypes.... The resulting story has more twists and turns than Laurel Canyon Drive."

Denver Post
"Smart and tenacious, daring yet vulnerable, Molly Blume is an appealing character in Krich's latest. Molly writes true-crime books and works as a newspaper stringer, transcribing paragraphs from police reports for the crime log of a weekly in Los Angeles. She finds herself haunted by one item: A hit-and-run driver mows down a nightgown-clad woman who is miles from home. The more Molly ponders the facts, the less they add up. Curious, she plunges into the case."

Star Tribune
"Molly Blume is the real reason to listen to this mystery. She is a woman who is smart enough to solve crimes but is usually motivated by compassion. She adheres to a strict religion while managing to be a rebel in short skirts and is definitely worth hearing from again."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"This smoothly written, cozy mystery brings us warm-hearted Molly Blume, a charming new series character...."Blues in the Night... is skillfully plotted, with a satisfying solution."

San Jose Mercury News
"What's charming about this book is Blume herself, and the details she relates of her Jewish life in Los Angeles -- especially dating the new rabbi.....the novel is well crafted with some nice relationship parallels going on as Blume tries to figure out both the murder case and her own love life."

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Krich plans a series featuring Molly Blume. With this book, she is off to a fine start."

I Love A Mystery (three reviews):
"Another tour de force by Rochelle Krich."
"A winner"
"BLUES IN THE NIGHT has it all... a multi-tiered mystery, romance, conspiracy, and an absolutely delightful new sleuth. Molly Blume, Rochelle Krich's newest protagonist, is wonderful. She's complex, intelligent and witty. As she struggles to reconcile her independence and personal relationships with her upbringing, we get a marvelous glimpse of the life and customs of an American Jewish family."

Northern California Jewish Bulletin
"[Krich] is a fine murder mystery writer, and this latest book is engrossing. ...Read it to see if you can figure out who did it, and read it so that you can kvell at someone who is able to meld American culture and Judaism so naturally."

Booklist
"Tentalizing...engaging"

RT Bookclub
"Top Pick! Blues in the Night is a wonderful suspense story that keeps up its fast pace until the very last sentence"

Jersusalem Post
"The ultimate solution to the mystery is suprising and satisfying....[Blue] is an authentic, first-rate book."

BookBrowser
"A page turner...the reader is soon as obsessed as Moly with unravelling the backstory on the woman in the nightgown.... BLUES IN THE NIGHT is cause for celebration."

San Diego Jewish Times
"Entertaining and appealing....Blues in the Night is a welcome addition to not only this author's body of works, but to the mystery/suspense genre as well."

Jekyll's Golden Islander
"Once again Krich has taken a hard look at today's headlines and crafted a thoughtful, entertaining mystery. This is the first book in her new series. Don't miss it!"

Mystery News, Audio Book Reviews
"Rochelle Krich has written a nice mystery and works it to an exciting ending. Molly Blume is an engaging character with a wonderful outlook on life and hopefully a bright future."

Easy Reader
"[Krich's] most enjoyable book yet."