The Gonif

In Andy Weinberger’s The Gonif, Los Angeles’s oldest and most stubborn private investigator, Amos Parisman, is thrust into a high-stakes case centered on sacred heritage and international crime. The plot revolves around a rare, 200-year-old Torah scroll that was originally smuggled out of North Africa under the threat of Nazi persecution. When the irreplaceable artifact becomes the target of an impending heist, Parisman is tasked with thwarting the theft before it occurs. His investigation quickly spirals into a madcap race through the ruthless world of high-end art, antiquities, and black-market collectors, where greed leads inevitably to murder.

Richly infused with Yiddishisms and sharp Jewish humor, the novel shines through its deeply rooted Jewish identity and themes. Title-referencing the Yiddish word gonif (thief or rascal), the story explores the contrast between material temptation and spiritual integrity, parsing the boundary between genuine wisdom and coarse worldly obsession. Through Amos Parisman—a detective whose moral compass is shaped by his Jewish heritage and community—Weinberger crafts a lighthearted yet resonant mystery that examines historical survival, cultural preservation, and the gray lines separating the good guys from the bad.

"A charming, quirky, self-deprecating, Jewish detective is our Amos Parisman—who follows his nose from enticing noshes in LA dives and fancy hotels to a web of crime and passion linking Israel, Algeria, Casablana, Lisbon, Montreal, LA, Russia, a Torah, and a cast of characters that pop onto these pages fully formed and alive. Parisman's unexpected expressions keep coming and delighting the reader even as he ducks under fire. He ricochets engagingly from heroic to humble so we readers are gently tossed through the detective novel plot with frequent, inventive, down-to-earth colloquialisms, tasty meals, unexpected twists of plot, and Amos, our trusty, gutsy if slightly fusty guide. What's not to like?" —Rebecca Kaiser Gibson, author of The Promise of a Normal Life

"Andy Weinberger has created an absolutely charming private investigator that readers will follow from book to book." —Naomi Hirahara, author of the Edgar Award-winning Mas Arai mystery series

"Andy Weinberg's always disarming Jewish gumshoe, PI Amos Parisman, is back, this time hired to protect a synagogue and its antique Torah, a sacred relic that also happens to be extremely valuable. As Parisman describes it, '[t]hat's where this mishigas began.' His pursuit of the thief—the gonif—soon turns dangerous and reverberates halfway around the world. As always, Weinberg describes the streets of L.A. with spot-on authenticity, and Parisman outfoxes foe—and sometimes even friend—with sleight of hand worthy of the iconic TV detective Columbo. Another in a delightful series that deserves a place on the big screen or on the best streaming services. Highly recommended!" —Daco S. Auffenorde, Awarding-winning author of Cover Your Tracks and The Forgotten Girl

With noir pacing, a laid-back sensibility, and a touch of humor, the newest book in Andy Weinberger's Amos Parisman detective series, the cozy mystery novel The Gonif finds the elderly detective navigating a crime impacting the Jewish community of Los Angeles." —Jeff Fleischer, Foreword Reviews

"The author tells the story with humor and full of Yiddishisms.... The reader, while the suspense grows every day, will have fun figuring out the bad guys—even while the good ones may be the bad ones. Enjoy the adventure." —New York Journal of Books