Book Log 2014 #9: The Labyrinth of Osiris by Paul Sussman

Our favorite pair of mismatched Arab and Israeli detectives is back, investigating poisoned wells, the murder of an Israeli journalist in Jerusalem's Armenian quarter, and how they may be connected. The titular labyrinth - an ancient mine - figures prominently, as you might imagine.

But so does the personal lives of our two protagonists. Ben-Roi has lost his girlfriend - and mother to his unborn child - due to his obsession with work. Khalifa has the double whammy of being displaced due to a massive building scheme and coping with a family tragedy that has left his wife nearly insensate.

But as they work together and uncover new connections - an American energy company and the 1930s death of an archaeologist become important to the investigation - the personal issues work their way in, too, and by the time the pair come together for force a conclusion, it's not always clear where the line is between their professional functions and personal obligations to their families and to each other. There's also one very surprising twist, which led to me to wonder how it would play out in future books.

But, sadly, there aren't going to be any more books in the series. Not long after this one hit the shelves, Paul Sussman died from a ruptured aneurysm. There is a posthumous book that came out in May, not part of the series. I'm both looking forward to reading it and sad that it's the last of book his available to read.