Wild Irish Yenta by Joyce Sanderly

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Set against a backdrop of a suburban Maryland synagogue, Wild Irish Yenta dishes on interfaith marriage, misbehaving clergy, and the beauty of religious traditions. When the body of custodian Roberto Gomez is found in Temple Israel’s parking lot, Patricia Weiss, nee Reilly, exchanges her suburban-mom sneakers for gumshoes to investigate the hit-and-run. An ardent new convert to Judaism, Patricia is grappling with her outsider status at the upscale Reform congregation, while Roberto had been struggling to be accepted by a new country. Inspired by her detective dad, Patricia is compelled to find out who-dun-it and why.

While poking fun at cultural stereotypes, the novel interweaves biblical stories with questions of contemporary concern. Can a nice Catholic girl find happiness with a Jewish cardiologist even if she converts? Can Patricia’s yenta patrol detect a connection between a custodian’s death and other troubling happenings at the Temple?

“Wild Irish Yenta lives up to its title—this keenly-observed, funny mystery features a plucky heroine who converts to Judaism and throws herself into synagogue life, only to discover a corpse in the temple parking lot. And so begins this whimsical cozy that combines an insightful look at interfaith marriage, the complexities of friendship, and the politics of religious institutions.”
Susan Coll
author, Bookish People

“Debut novelist Sanderly has written an inventive mystery that satirizes the modern Jewish suburban experience. In Wild Irish Yenta, Philip Roth meets Agatha Christie, and the result is a page-turner that also explores the interlocking dynamics that exist within an interfaith marriage, a family, and a Maryland synagogue.”
Michelle Brafman
author, Swimming with Ghosts

The author’s website: JoyceSanderly.com and profiles on Facebook and Instagram

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Year first published: 2024