Lev Raphael is a daring writerone who will not be restrained by genre but who tells his story with all the tools at his command The German Money combines all of Raphaels estimable talents delivering an emotional thriller about a totally believable contemporary family coming to terms with fifty years of silenceEdmund WhiteBest known for Dancing on Tisha BAv the groundbreaking story collection exploring the lives of children of Holocaust survivors Lev Raphael is also the author of five popular mysteries Now he combines his talents in a story of emotional suspensePaul has spent his life runningfrom New York the city of his birth from his beautiful beshert from contact with his own siblings but mostly from his mother a Holocaust survivor of inexplicable coldness Upon her mysterious death the children face shocking questions What caused her to die Why did she divide their inheritance so that Paul the least favorite son was singled out to receive the most the dreaded German moneya bequest of a million dollars accrued from German reparations to survivors a gift as cynical as it is generousLev Raphaels new novel is a powerful haunting and erotic tale The stunning narrative builds to a shocking denouement and kept me turning pages faster and faster to learn the truthLinda FairsteinLev Raphael is the author of thirteen books and known internationally as an insightful chronicler of the lives of the children of Holocaust survivors Winner of the Lambda Literary Award among many prizes his short works have appeared in two dozen anthologies including American Jewish Fiction A Century of Stories He is a book critic for National Public Radio and mysteries columnist for the Detroit Free Press