Mystery

Emma Meade, an ex-drummer mourning the loss of her brother, discovers an abandoned drum set in her new home. Thinking it’s a sign to play again, she picks up the sticks and hits the snare. Instead of a satisfying clang, there’s an unexpected rattling. Hidden inside is a note with eight names. All are crossed off but one.

Obsessed with the note, Emma seeks answers and learns that the eight names include criminals who evaded punishment. The last, unchecked one has taken on a new identity and owns a nearby venue. Drumming up vengeance may not be good for the soul, but for Emma, it might be the only option.

After joining a band, she convinces them to play at the venue and concocts a daring scheme. As Emma weighs getting caught against getting justice, she must decide whether an evil person deserves to die, and whether she the strength to dole out that justice.

As we come across books that are described as having Jewish main characters, we add them to this database. The creators of the Jewish Genre Reading Challenge have not read all (or even most) of the books in this database. We have gathered information from many sources and not all may be accurate. Inclusion of a book in our database does not imply endorsement or approval. There is always the possibility that antisemitism may be present in a book, either written into a character's experience or through malicious or ignorant caricature or stereotypical portrayal of Jewish characters and culture. Please take care of yourselves as you read.

Please let us know if you encounter a book in this database that does not have a Jewish main character, if you have corrections or additions for a book's genre categories, or if you have any other concerns about the inclusion of a particular book in this database.