Welcome to the website of Libi Astaire,
award-winning author and explorer of Jewish history.

                          

Classic Mystery.
Classical Music.

The Doppelganger's Dance:
An Ezra Melamed Mystery

"A great, gentle read" -- 5 Stars, Amazon.com

David Salomon, a young violinist and composer, has left New York to find fame and fortune in Regency London, but disaster strikes not long after he arrives. Someone is stealing and publishing his compositions before he can perform them and soon he is the laughingstock of the beau monde that he had hoped to conquer. With few friends and even fewer resources, he turns to Ezra Melamed for help with finding the thief—and thus begins one of the most discomposing mysteries of the wealthy-widower-turned-sleuth’s career. 

Available at Amazon.com

See some of the images that inspired the book at Pinterest. Follow Miss Rebecca Lyon on Twitter.
Join the mailing list and be among the first to know when the next book in the series comes out.

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Get Carried Away This Winter
to England ...

The Banished Heart
a novel about Shakespeare & the writing of The Merchant of Venice

"A Brilliant Stew of Time, Place and Insights" - 5 Stars on Amazon.com

"A surprisingly GREAT read" - 5 Stars on Goodreads.com

For Paul Hoffmann, a Jewish student at the University of Berlin, life would be sweet if he could write poetry and, of course, graduate. But since the year is 1933, his life is about to take a very different turn — one that leads him back to Elizabethan England, where his idol, William Shakespeare, is having a crisis of his own. Shakespeare’s theatre company expects him to write an anti-Jewish play that will incite the public against Dr. Rodrigo Lopez, a crypto-Jew accused of planning to poison Queen Elizabeth. But there is a problem: Shakespeare knows that Lopez is innocent.

Will Shakespeare remain loyal to the truth and his friends in London’s crypto-Jewish community or sacrifice Dr. Lopez to further his own career? As Shakespeare struggles over his rewrites of the play that will be known as "The Merchant of Venice," questions are raised for Paul Hoffmann, as well: in a world where he can no longer be a German, can he find the courage to rewrite the “script” and be, first and last, a Jew?  Available at Amazon.com     

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 Tempest in the Tea Room
An Ezra Melamed Mystery

"Very entertaining." - 5 Stars on Amazon.com

"Highly recommended page-turner" - Jewish Book Council

Jane Austen meets Sherlock Holmes when a crime wave sweeps through 19th-century London's Jewish community and the adventures of wealthy-widower-turned-sleuth Ezra Melamed are recorded for posterity by Miss Rebecca Lyon, a young lady not quite at the marriageable age.

In this third volume of the series, tragedy strikes when the Jewish orphanage's children are stricken with a mysterious and nearly fatal stomach ailment. When the ailment travels to the Mayfair home of Lady Marblehead, a young Jewish physician is accused of poisoning his patients - a suspicion that is further fueled when a priceless pearl bracelet is discovered missing from Lady Marblehead's jewellery box.

As more outbreaks occur, an increasingly hysterical community turns to Mr Ezra Melamed to investigate the case. But once again there are too few clues and too little time, especially since the littlest victim, a frail orphan boy, is already almost at death's door. Available at Amazon.com 

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... and Jewish Spain

Terra Incognita

Take a virtual trip to Catalonia with this story of a sleepy Catalan village that one day wakes up to discover a long-buried secret: the villagers are all descended from Anusim, Spanish Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity during the Middle Ages.  

Both poignant and funny, Terra Incognita is a journey of personal discovery that will resonate with anyone who has ever gone on a quest to discover their past - or who has ever lain awake at night wondering where in the world they are going.  Available at Amazon.com

Read about the Sukkos of  Spain's crypto-Jews on Aish.com: Under the Nose of the Inquisition 

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Day Trips to Jewish History

Who was the New World's first Jewish author? Why did some medieval moneychangers cover their hair? Which Jewish woman became queen of a North African people? And what's the truth about the story that claims Hebrew almost became the official language of the United States?

Join journalist and historical novelist Libi Astaire for a fascinating journey down some of the less-traveled roads of the past in her latest book, "Day Trips to Jewish History."

Available at Amazon.com

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And don't forget these other great books:

Praise for THE DISAPPEARING DOWRY - Winner of a 2010 Sydney Taylor Notable Book Award

"A quick-paced, absorbing read" -The Jerusalem Post

"The reader is held spellbound” – Forwordsbooks.com

"What really sets the book apart is its portrayal of Jewish life in 19th century England" - Heidi Estrin, The Book of Life

"We look forward to many more in this intriguing series" - The Jewish Tribune (London)

A September History Paperback Pick - The Poisoned Pen

Read more.

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Praise for the Second Volume in the Ezra Melamed Mystery Series: THE RUBY SPY RING 

"Highly recommended" - Kaet's Weblog

"Well written and lots of fun" - love2read, amazon.com

"You are all in for a treat" - Maven Mall 

It is the winter of 1811, and the father of Rebecca Lyon's best friend has just been accused of spying for Napoleon! 

With only a mysterious ruby ring, a coded message, and a cryptic message from a Chassidic Rebbe to guide him, will Mr. Ezra Melamed be able to save the unfortunate man from the hangman's noose?  Read more.

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