BOOKS BY JOSHUA COHEN
AVAILABLE NOW
2023 WINNER
FIREBIRD AWARDS
S
First Place: Detective Fiction First Place: Mystery
When his rabbi calls him after Yom Kippur, private eye Benjamin Gold thinks it’s just to yell at him for skipping services—but it’s even worse than that.
It turns out that Benny missed more than some prayers and a sermon: While everyone else was atoning for their sins, a fight broke out in synagogue when a visitor accused one of the leading members of the congregation of being a Nazi collaborator.
Is Mendel Kahn the upstanding benefactor of Cleveland’s Jewish community he seems to be? Is his real-estate fortune the product of ten years of hard work and good luck, or does his success have a more sinister origin? Is he even Mendel Kahn—or is he really Yitzhak Fried, who exploited and tortured his fellow Jews during the War?
As Gold digs into Kahn’s dark story, he learns that the man’s present is bad enough: he’s a slumlord, a gangster, and a sadist. He also doesn’t appreciate being investigated…and he has some large and dangerous friends. Can Benjamin Gold survive long enough to uncover the real story of Mendel Kahn’s past?
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
“An intimate mystery with a determined, complex lead. *** Cohen’s deft historical novel is a suspenseful, intriguing mystery at its core.”
-Kirkus Reviews
A “noir tale of Cleveland.”
-Akron Beacon Journal
… “riveting detective fiction…. Cohen has crafted a believable character in a plot that keeps the reader interested until the very end…. Here’s hoping this becomes a series.”
-cleveland.com
“Cohen weaves an intriguing plot, paying just enough attention to detail not to bog down the pace of the plot. *** The suspense in the storyline had me on the edge of my seat. The scenes were made tremendously dramatic, accentuating Cohen’s rich sense of wit.”
-Reader’s Favorite (Five Stars)
“…a novelistic tour de force. What looks to be a crime novel is in fact much more than that. Past Imperfect is an ingeniously plotted bon-bon that is at once a spellbinder, a perfect vacation read, and a daunting portrait of dubious characters living in a very dubious time. *** I, along with all readers, will be most eager to see Joshua Cohen’s next book as well.”
-Pacific Book Review (Notable Book)
A “saga laden with authenticity, humor, and unforeseen twists, captivating even the most cynical of souls *** Cohen, with the grace of a master storyteller, sketches a suspense-laden odyssey amidst the backdrop of history, embellishing the story with layers of tension and intrigue.”
-Historical Fiction Company
“Past Imperfect is a blend of historical context, complex characters, and a well-crafted plot, making it an engaging read for crime and mystery fiction enthusiasts. Joshua Cohen skillfully balances humor and gravity, crafting a story that resonates long after turning the final page.”
-Literary Titan (Five Stars)
CLICK HERE FOR INDIE CRIME SCENE’S INTERVIEW
WITH AUTHOR JOSHUA COHEN
DEBUT NOVEL
Benjamin Gold is damaged goods. After he cracked up in the war and was discharged into a psych ward, his rich wife dumped him. Right after that, the white-shoe law firm that never hired Jews dumped him too; without powerful in-laws, it didn’t matter how many cases he won or how much he shortened his name. Unemployable as a lawyer, he wound up working as a private eye—and not exactly at the top of the profession. Drunk and anorectic, his only remaining friends are bartenders and bottles.
After a long string of jilted wives and small-time scams, Gold isn’t expecting the beautiful daughter of his legal hero to show up in his office. Especially not with a crazy theory that her father—recently shot dead, supposedly in a random robbery—was in fact assassinated by order of Cleveland’s biggest tycoon, Clayton Forsythe.
To prove Judith Sorin’s case, Benjamin Gold has to navigate a web of lies and evasion, a legal establishment that’s been bought and paid for, disappearing witnesses, the FBI, surprisingly polite thugs, and the Forsythes—who only happen to be his former in-laws. A tall order for anyone, and Benny Goldstein has never been lucky.…
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
“A triumphant debut! Crisp prose and rich characterizations ... Fans of classic P.I. novels will hope for more from Cohen.”
-Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“An engrossing and well-crafted riff on the tough-guy P.I. novel.”
-Kirkus Reviews
A “great, pulpy read with the city of Cleveland serving as a character.”
-Cleveland Plain Dealer
A “sequel-worthy debut.”
-Akron Beacon-Journal