Richard Steinitz

The Voyage of the Stingray is written by Richard Steinitz.
“A new type of stealthy nuclear submarine - the USS Stingray - is under development and Commander Jeff Woodbridge has been assigned to command her. Shortly after sea trials have been successfully concluded, Stingray is sent on an urgent mission.”

This title is filled with fascinating, interesting details of life aboard a submarine.
It is very technical and offers an insider’s look at submarine design and construction.
The technical advancements are astounding.
There is a brilliant (it seemed to me) CO - I hope the Navy has many officers like him.
The story is full of geography, Navy life, ship building, sea trials, suspense and adventure.
There is a Notes section which I appreciated.

I read this book on the basis of two other titles written by Mr. Steinitz.
Murder Over the Border - a detective story set in the turmoil and upheaval of the Middle East.
Kaplan’s Quest - a personal and historical journey of discovery.
Both titles were excellent.
I recommend all 3 titles. *****… (mere)

It’s been a question in Sammy’s family for years, but no one pursued it. Now for his Master’s Thesis concerning the history of Germany between the two world wars, he decides to research what happened to his namesake, his great uncle (Onkel Samuel), just prior to WWII. Samuel had been an excellent athlete participating in the Maccabi Games of 1935; returned to Berlin; and corresponded with his brother, Ethan Kaplan, until September 1939. That’s where the trail ended. Ethan had tried to find Samuel after the war was over. He was only able to discover that Samuel had been picked up by the German army in late 1938, interrogated and released.

Sammy and his cousin, Jack, were always close. When Jack wasn’t involved in his archaeological project in France, he offered to give Sammy a hand in his research. Jack’s archaeological dig was actually located under the building known as the Monastery of Mont St. Michel. What he found hidden there had nothing to do with medieval construction and everything to do with the 1940’s era. It was a German soldier’s helmet from WWII and a journal belonging to Captain Max von Vollendorf.

The subject matter of this story was fascinating. It’s historical fiction dealing with the Jewish culture and history of the holocaust. I hadn’t pre-read a lot of information about the book so when I started reading, I began to wonder if any / some of these characters were real. But at the outset, the author made it clear they were fictional. The novel is told in first person by Shmuel (Sammy) Kaplan. I thought the characters were well developed. However, there is a bit too much detail for the story to flow smoothly. While it is never my intention to give ‘spoilers’ in my review, I just need to mention that there is a high level of coincidence to bring it all together. As Sammy is side-tracked to investigate Vollendorf instead of his great uncle, it’s not too hard to put it together that the two will connect in some way. But in reality, if I were looking for Onkel Samuel, I would not have spent time researching Vollendorf. Much of the work that Sammy and Jack engage in is interviews and finding additional research material. Rating: 3 out of 5.… (mere)

I received this book as an ebook free from the author through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. This is an excellent book, one that everyone should read. It shows a quieter side of the Israeli Arab conflict with both sides secretly trying to work out their differences. Of course there is still violence and murder. This book is about ordinary people, their work, their lives, and trying to get along with each other. Throughout the course of the book an Israeli police officer establishes a lasting friendship with a Jordanian police officer. I get the feeling that the author loves Israel but he doesn’t take sides. After reading this book I came away with a better understanding of the Israeli Arab conflict and negotiations and the people and culture of the area. There are villains and extremists on both sides as there are good people on both sides. There is a strong emphasis on family and friendships. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.… (mere)

MURDER OVER THE BORDER is a highly recommended mystery from GMTA Publishing. I 'won' this book in exchange for a sincere and unbiased review. I am very lucky as this was an outstanding read.
MURDER OVER THE BORDER is written by Richard Steinitz. His bio says he was born in New York City of German-Jewish immigrant parents and has lived in Israel since 1968. "Though his own parents escaped the Holocaust, it has had an enduring effect on his life and on his writing."
"Researching the background for his books is his favorite activity, after reading mysteries."
KAPLAN'S QUEST is his second novel, just published on August 8. I have already ordered a copy based on my reading and enjoyment of MURDER OVER THE BORDER.
MURDER OVER THE BORDER is a 'quiet' book, full of ordinary people going about their work and their lives. I expected a fast-paced thriller full of international intrigue, but what I got was a refreshing surprise.
Lt.(Res.)Yossi Abulafia is a 45 year old commander in the Jerusalem Police Department. He gave up his exemption for his yearly one month military reserve duty, as he had a great 'gig' going for him at Charlie Post, near the triangular border between Israel, Jordan and Syria. It was very boring duty but it cleared his head of job stress and he began a hobby of nature photography, especially of a local antelope herd, while watching and documenting border traffic in the area. One random photograph of a metallic gray BMW with 2 men (1 with a gun) stopped alongside the Jordanian highway haunts Yossi for decades and proves to be the key to solving an international murder mystery.
MURDER OVER THE BORDER is a many-faceted story. It is a mystery; it is a spy thriller; it is about friendship and family life; it is a great description of Israeli life. I especially liked the strong 'sense of place' in the story and very much enjoyed the characters and identified with them.
I hope Mr. Steinitz has plans to develop these characters and write another mystery with them as key players, as I would like to meet up with Yossi, Yehiel Avison, Arieh Bar-Gur and Abd'el Wafa Aziz again. I feel connected to them and like their honesty, candor, and practical and realistic philosophies about life.… (mere)