Keith Raffel

Keith Raffel (born 1951, Chicago) - an American novelist, syndicated columnist, and former technology executive and Senate aide. “Before he turned to writing full-time, Keith Raffel watched over the CIA, supported himself at the racetrack, founded a software company, taught writing to Harvard freshmen, ran for Congress, and sold DNA sequencing to medical researchers.” (Amazon) His books often include significant Jewish characters and themes that reflect the author’s own background and engagement with Jewish life. Raffel has also authored five mystery/thriller novels, often drawing on his experiences in Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.

In Dot Dead and Smasher, set in Silicon Valley, a “career Jewish couple,” Ian Michaels and Rowena Goldberg, are the protagonists. Reviewers noted that “Jewish actions are an innate part of Ian’s life”. The first book also includes an “opinionated Jewish mother” character, adding cultural depth.

Drop by Drop, set in Washington D.C., features prominent Jewish characters and themes: 

Jewish Protagonist: The main character, Sam Rockman, is a Jewish man grieving the loss of his wife.

Rabbinic Support: Sam seeks counsel from his wife’s former rabbi, who serves as one of his key allies as he navigates a landscape of congressional politics and anti-terrorism.

Cultural Identity: Like Raffel’s other works, the Jewish identity of the characters is treated as an integrated, lived experience rather than just a plot device. 

A Fine and Dangerous Season - This historical thriller is set during the Cuban Missile Crisis and also centers on a Jewish protagonist, Nate Michaels, a Jewish businessman and Hewlett-Packard salesman living in California. Michaels, who knew John F. Kennedy during their time at Stanford in 1940, is recruited by the President to act as a back-channel negotiator with a KGB agent to prevent nuclear war. Nate Michaels is also the father of Ian Michaels, the protagonist of Raffel’s Silicon Valley mysteries like Smasher and Dot Dead, providing a multi-generational Jewish family narrative across his books.

Temple Mount is a thriller which Lee Child described as “Silicon Valley meets Raiders of the Lost Ark”. It centers on a quest for the Ark of the Covenant that takes the characters to Jerusalem. The plot incorporates specific Hebrew terms and Jewish concepts like Yom Hakippurim (Day of Atonement), the significance of the Western Wall, and historical references to the ancient temples. The Jewish protagonist, Alex Kalman, goes on a quest spanning from Washington D.C. to ancient passages under Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. The plot involves Israeli intelligence, a partner archeologist named Rivka Golan, and an action-packed chase through Jerusalem, directly immersing the narrative in a religiously and politically significant Jewish location.

Raffel has used a quote from the Talmud in his personal writings (“As my parents planted for me, so too do I plant for those who will come after me”) to describe his inspiration, indicating the deep influence of Jewish thought on his perspective and work. He has also written columns that address antisemitism and Jewish holidays, further highlighting his engagement with his Jewish identity. [Google/AI]

Raffel, Keith, (Dot Dead [pb, Midnight Ink, 2006]) 978-0738708331

Raffel, Keith, (Smasher [pb, Midnight Ink, 2009]) 978-0738718743

Raffel, Keith, (Drop by Drop [Kindle edition only, 2013] B0051UA9KA

Raffel, Keith, (A Fine and Dangerous Season [pb, Thomas & Mercer, 2013] 978-1477818206

Raffel, Keith, (Temple Mount [pb, Keith Raffel, 2014] 978-0988509887