For a long time, I have enjoyed Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis detective novels about L.A. I recently read his "Therapy." As usual (except for the dreadful "The Web"), the dialogue and plot were a lot of fun, as was the atmosphere, involving very specific descriptions of places and personality types in Los Angeles. However, his right-wing Zionist politics has gotten out of control. In an earlier one, I forgave him for modeling a bad guy on long-term leftist activist Tom Hayden (who in the book turned out to be a closet Nazi), because (among other things), Hayden could defend himself. But in "Therapy," there's a minor character who is modeled on the late Edward Said, who spouts all sorts of silly anti-Zionist rhetoric (at a bookstore modeled on the now-defunct Midnight Special books). That's okay, I guess, since Kellerman also misrepresents the politics of anyone else he disagrees with (e.g., describing a talk-radio host as insulting a listener for not liking Bush, when the truth is the opposite. it's disliking Bush that's the sin). The problem is that he cites a Jewish magazine's exposé of the Said-based character as a fraud because he was not really a Palestinian as he claimed. The fact is that COMMENTARY's exposé of Said was itself exposed as incorrect, libel. But a naive or ignorant reader might make the link between Kellerman's character and Said and not know that the exposé was false. And Said can't defend himself.
enough of Kellerman! -- Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://myweb.lmu.edu/jdevine
