Reviews for Graveyard Blues
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“Harriet Rzetelny is an inheritor of the great tradition of the social novel which mixes imaginative and documentary writing. Her wise and melancholy protagonist, Molly, is a walker in the city who bestows her gifted and caring vision on the sensuous details of the ‘inner city’ neighborhoods through which she moves, and the marginalized people who inhabit them. This tragicomic novel is magnificent in its reach. Combining profound knowledge of the alleyways and corridors through which a soul can be lost and found, Graveyard Blues haunts the imagination of the reader long after the murder mystery has been resolved. Images of human differences and conflict, of attraction and repulsion, sanity and madness, love and destructiveness fill the pages of this book and embed themselves in memory. Ultimately, it is the quality of Rzetelny's writing that distinguishes it most—the echoes of song, the cadence that takes one's breath away, the musicality that saturates her storytelling.”
Marc Kaminsky, author of Shadow Traffic
“Harriet Rzetelny mines the grit of the city and comes up with gold. Her indomitable social worker detective, Molly Lewin, relentlessly traces the twisty path that has lead to the murder of one of her clients. When the casual bureaucracy and corruption of city agencies threaten to topple the investigation, Molly's determination leads her to confront her own personal demons. Thought-provoking and compassionate, Rzetelny's first novel presents a deeply sympathetic female detective with a profound understanding of people and the complexity of their emotional lives.”
Carole Rosenthal, author of It Doesn't Have to Be Me
“Graveyard Blues is a YOU-CAN'T-PUT-IT-DOWN book, and I share with Marc Kaminsky the experience of having my imagination haunted by the book. Molly Lewin is a wonderful social worker—first rate practitioner, friend, social activist, and family member. Isn't it wonderful to have a really good social worker as the central character of a terrific book? Enjoy and take pride!
Dr. Rose Dobrof, Professor Emeritus, Hunter College School of Social Work and Executive Director (Ret) of Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging & Longevity.
A fascinating and intriguing mystery not to be missed.
“The effort needed to maintain the status quo can seem all the more crushing. Graveyard Blues is the story of Molly Lewin as she confronts the crushing environment around her. A homecare worker, she faces a client's murder, and the pending eviction of everyone at a low rent complex as big business wants to take over their land. Crushed between family issues, the murder, and the loss of home for people with few other options, Graveyard Blues is a fascinating and intriguing mystery not to be missed.”
Midwest Book Reviews, July 2010