Review: Invisible City (Rebekah Roberts #1) by Julia Dahl

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 607 KB
• Print Length: 305 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (May 6 2014)
• Sold by: Macmillan CA
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00GL3XIX6

Book Description


A finalist for the Edgar and Mary Higgins Clark Awards, in her riveting debut Invisible City, journalist Julia Dahl introduces a compelling new character in search of the truth about a murder and an understanding of her own heritage.

Just months after Rebekah Roberts was born, her mother, an Hasidic Jew from Brooklyn, abandoned her Christian boyfriend and newborn baby to return to her religion. Neither Rebekah nor her father have heard from her since. Now a recent college graduate, Rebekah has moved to New York City to follow her dream of becoming a big-city reporter. But she's also drawn to the idea of being closer to her mother, who might still be living in the Hasidic community in Brooklyn.

Then Rebekah is called to cover the story of a murdered Hasidic woman. Rebekah's shocked to learn that, because of the NYPD's habit of kowtowing to the powerful ultra-Orthodox community, not only will the woman be buried without an autopsy, her killer may get away with murder. Rebekah can't let the story end there. But getting to the truth won't be easy-even as she immerses herself in the cloistered world where her mother grew up, it's clear that she's not welcome, and everyone she meets has a secret to keep from an outsider.

About the Author

Julia Dahl was born in Fresno, Calif., to a Lutheran father and a Jewish mother. She currently lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Julia has been writing about crime since 2004 when Seventeen magazine sent her to cover the story of a young Birmingham, Ala., girl who had been killed by her mother. Since then, she has worked as a freelance reporter at the New York Post, the deputy managing editor of The Crime Report, and now covers crime and justice for CBSNews.com.

Julia's feature articles have appeared in Mental Floss, Salon, Pacific Standard, the Columbia Journalism Review, the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, and the Daily Beast, among others. She has been the recipient of fellowships from the H.F. Guggenheim Foundation and the Nation Institute for her reporting on criminal justice issues.

Before turning her attention to crime and justice, Julia was an editor at Redbook and Marie Claire. She began her career fact-checking at Entertainment Weekly.

INVISIBLE CITY is her first novel. She is at work on the sequel.


My Review

Invisible City by Julia Dahl is a fabulous debut mystery novel. It is the first book in the Rebekah Roberts series. Rebekah is a fascinating women. She is one half Hasidic Jew but was not raised in the faith. Her mother, Aviva Kagan, abandoned Rebekah and her father when she was a baby. Rebekah's journey is very intriguing.

Rebekah though raised by her father in Florida, is now a tabloid reporter in New York City. When a woman from Brooklyn's Hasidic community is murdered, Rebekah is drawn into the community she has always been curious but cautious about. As Rebekah explored and delved deeper into the workings of  the Hasidic community, we the readers learned too. I've always been fascinated by their decision to dress and live they way they do and I have now been very enlightened. I completely understand why they chose to live together as a group. Why it is important. There is nothing better than learning new things while you are reading an outstanding book.

Great writing, settings and intriguing characters brought The Invisible City to life. I highly recommend reading this book. The Invisible City was recently nominated for an Anthony award and also was nominated for a Edgar award. So deserving! Must read!!!

The second book in the series, Run You Down, is out in June. I cannot wait to read it!