The tour I was taken on by Chief Inspector Aviv Shpentzer of the Levinsky Precinct, in which he explained the issues from the perspective of the police, was one of the most thought-provoking experiences of my life. The commitment and sensitivity with which the police handle the social problems in south Tel Aviv is inspiring.
I wish to thank Chief Superintendent Miri Peled, who agreed to talk to me about her work as a detective. After meeting with her, I knew the hero of this book would be a policewoman.
Finally, I am extremely grateful to Hila Gersi, who spent long hours explaining police procedure and answering a multitude of questions. Our meetings were invariably interesting, informative, and enlightening. It was an honor for me to get to know her.
To the journalist Yaniv Kobovitz from Haaretz. The stories he told me during a tour of Lod sparked the urge to look more deeply into the subject.
To my brother-in-law, Nimrod Ram, my CTO, for explaining computers, and to my mother-in-law, Dr. Daniela Ram, my CSO, for explaining genetics (and, of course, for babysitting the kids). And last but not least, to my sister, Einav Shoham, my legal adviser.
To my brother, Shiran Shoham, who read an early draft of the book and offered me his unique perspective.
Thanks also go to Lee Feller, for highly pertinent comments on the first draft of this book.
To Tamar Bialik, who is always my first reader, for her wise comments and for all of our work together.
To the director, Eitan Zur, who watched the book unfold from the beginning, for cues and suggestions, and especially his eagerness to learn more.
To Eilon Ratzkovsky, for his support and encouragement.
To Kinneret Zmora-Bitan, for their unswerving support for so many years (this is my tenth book!), and particularly to Yoram Roz and Eran Zmora for their sage guidance.
To Ziv Lewis, for opening the door to the publication of my books in other languages, for championing my choice of subject, for his commitment and encouragement, and for his instant replies to my e-mails at any hour of the day.
To Riki Danieli, for her perceptive advice throughout the years. She always helps me understand what I need to do and how to do it.
To Daniel Roz, who is about to hear much more often that “Liad Shoham is looking for you.”
And, of course, to Ido Peretz, for his devoted efforts.
To Sara Kitai, for her smooth, deft translations, which leave readers wondering whether my books were originally written in English.
To my parents, Haya and Avi, for their never-ending support.
And last, but actually first, to my children, Rona and Uri, and my wife, Osnat, for all their love.
About the Author
PHOTOGRAPH BY OREN DAY
LIAD SHOHAM is Israel’s leading crime writer and a practicing attorney with degrees from Jerusalem’s Hebrew University and the London School of Economics. All his crime novels have been critically acclaimed bestsellers. He lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and two children.
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Also by Liad Shoham
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COVER DESIGN BY JARROD TAYLOR
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Copyright
ASYLUM CITY. Copyright © 2014 by Liad Shoham. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Originally published as Ir Miklat in a different form in Israel in 2013 by Kinneret Zmora-Bitan.
FIRST EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
ISBN: 978-0-06-223753-8
14 15 16 17 18 OV/RRD 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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