Hannah, Janet, [Alex Kertész #1] (The Wish to Kill [hc, Soho Press, 1999] 978-1569471777 [pb, Soho Press, 2002] 978-1569472705 [Alex discovers the body of a hated professor after a lab explosion. He is forced to investigate whether malicious thoughts or wishes can actually cause physical death.]
Israel · Fiction author
Janet Hannah
Janet Hannah (est. birth 1940, in Toronto, resides in Jerusalem) is a biochemist who has worked at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, bringing professional expertise to her fictional characters. Her work typically blends international academic settings—such as Prague, Toulouse, and Jerusalem—with scientific themes like microbiology and genetically engineered bacteria. Her protagonist is Alex Kertész, a Hungarian-born microbiologist and DNA researcher based at the Hebrew University. Kertész is described as a “dashing” and “sympathetic” hero who uses his rational scientist’s mind to solve puzzles that often border on the parapsychological. Despite his scientific training, he is also willing to explore premises that his colleagues might find irrational—such as the power of a “wish to kill” or family curses—which sometimes subtly connect back to Old World superstitions or folklore from his heritage. The series currently includes four titles:
The Wish to Kill (1999/2002):
Murder with a French Accent (2009)
Mystery Time (2012)
Death of a Gypsy (2015)
Hannah, Janet, [Alex Kertész #2] (Murder with a French Accent [pb, Outskirts Press, 2009] 978-1432743512) [Alex travels to Toulouse, France, to help a biotech company with a genetically engineered bacteria he created, only to face sabotage and danger.]
Hannah, Janet, [Alex Kertész #3] (Mystery Time [pb, Outskirts Press, 2012]) 978-1432788445 [While attending a scientific congress in Prague, Alex and a German colleague investigate the sudden death of an American colleague and the theft of a mysterious family watch.]
Hannah, Janet, [Alex Kertész #4] (Death of a Gypsy [Kindle edition only, 2015] B012FYUQNE [Alex is looking forward to a family vacation in Paris with his wife, Sylvie. Plans change when Sylvie’s beloved grandmother, an old Gypsy woman, asks for his help in re-uniting with her brother in Transylvania. She wants Alex to travel there and bring the old man back to Paris. Alex is well suited for the job because he speaks Hungarian. Upon arriving, Alex learns that the brother refuses to leave until his grandson, Zoli – missing on a business trip to Albania - is found. To solve the mystery, Alex puts together an unlikely rescue team to find him.Tensions rise among the search party because of family connections and past conflicts. The book explores intense family dynamics, long-held jealousies, cultural identity, and the heavy impact that past choices have on the present.] [Google/AI]