Jasmine Schwartz

Jasmine Schwartz (birth est. 1970, New York City?) – author of the Melissa Morris Detective Series which follows the misadventures of a neurotic New York fashionista-turned-sleuth. Her work has been described as “Bridget Jones with guns and dead bodies” and compared to the wit of Woody Allen. According to Melissa’s official bio, she lives in New York with her “future ex-husband”. The series has been described as a humorous contemporary mystery series with elements that align with the “cozy” genre, though one with more edge and “urban neuroses” than a traditional small-town cozy. Jasmine Schwartz is the pen name of Devorah Blachor, who lived in Jerusalem for over 20 years, including a period of working for Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzchak Rabin. She is married to the author Matt Rees and has lived in Luxembourg since 2014 (see Matt Rees entry in the Israeli Bibliography linked to this one).

Melissa Morris Detective Series Publications: The series consists of two full-length novels and several short stories:

(Farbissen: Melissa Morris and the Meaning of Money) – [pb, Createspace Independent, 2012] 978- 1479182459 [Melissa is banished from the New York fashion industry and follows her boyfriend to London, only to find a dead body]

(Fakakt: Melissa Morris and the Meaning of Sex) – [pb, Createspace Independent, 2012] 978-1479182633 [Melissa chases a cheating boyfriend to Rome, where she is arrested for the murder of a Romanian businessman.]

(Email From Beyonce) – [Kindle edition, 2012] B009Q8N4RI [Short story]: Melissa joins the Obama campaign and finds herself in a situation where nothing is as it seems.]

(Before the Crash) – [Kindle edition, Camari Books, 2013] B0088D5KMY [Short Story/Prequel: Introduces Melissa working in a Manhattan boutique before her life takes a strange turn.]

(Jewish Christmas) – [Kindle edition, 2014] B00A8J1430 [Short story: Set in Manhattan, Melissa gets tangled in a burglary and kidnapping while dealing with a mess of a personal life.]

(How Would You Fight A Lion?) - [Kindle edition, 2014] B00BU8VLLS [Short story: Melissa starts a new job on Wall Street, but a mysterious email threatens her fresh start.]

“Melissa Morris” is regarded as a cozy mystery series with a comedic edge. In subsequent writing, Blachor has concentrated on humour and parenting. Jewish elements in her work:

Cultural “Jew-ishness”: The series leans into secular Jewish-American culture, specifically the “Jewish Christmas” tradition of Chinese takeout and a movie in Manhattan.

Yiddish Influence: The book titles themselves - Farbissen  (Yiddish for “embittered” or “grim”) and Fakakt (Yiddish for “messed up” or “shitty”) - signal the protagonist’s cultural lens and use of Yiddishisms to describe her chaotic life.

Character Neuroses: The protagonist, Melissa Morris, is often described through the lens of ”quirky neuroses,” a staple of Jewish humor that Blachor has compared to the style of Woody Allen.

Professional Background: Before writing humor and mysteries, Blachor covered the Palestinian Intifada and directed the documentary Waiting For Quds, reflecting a career-long engagement with Jewish and Middle Eastern identity.

Jewish Pride & Resilience: Outside of her fiction, Blachor has written about the importance of teaching the next generation to draw strength from their Jewish identity rather than hiding it, particularly in the face of modern challenges.  [Google/AI and Amazon]