Michal Hartstein

Michal Hartstein (born 1974, Israel, resides in Ness Ziona) an Israeli author who has two novels in the mystery genre featuring Detective Hadas Levinger. The novels are police-procedurals which balance crime-solving with deep explorations of Israeli social dynamics and the protagonist’s personal history. Hadas is described as a renegade atheist who was raised in a religious family. This background allows her to explore both secular and orthodox Israeli communities with a unique, often critical perspective. She is portrayed as smart, witty, sharp, and fiercely independent. Her character often clashes with a society that demands conformity. She possesses top-tier investigative and interrogation skills, noted for her ability to draw voluntary confessions out of suspects. Books in the series:

Hill of Secrets: Set in the quiet suburb of Givat Shmuel, Hadas investigates the murder-suicide of an entire religious family. To solve the case, she must peel back the layers of a closed religious community, uncovering painful secrets that mirror her own past.

The Hit: The story begins with a hitman firing on a Tel Aviv café, killing Hadas’s confidential informant. The investigation leads her through the Israeli underworld, uncovering a massive fraud scheme and murder-for-hire plot. 

The author has indicated that two more books are planned for the series. No translators are indicated for these two books, and it appears likely the author translated them herself. [Google/AI]

Hartstein, Michal [Hadas Levinger #1], (Hill of Secrets [pb, CreateSpace Independent, 2014] 978-1500577889

Hartstein, Michal [Hadas Levinger #2], (The Hit [pb, Independently published, 2018] 978-1730713606