One Hundred and Twenty Minus One

Tuesday, January 23, 2002, Jerusalem, Israel.M.K. (Member of Knesset [Israels Parliament]) David Solomon was found dead in his office, sprawled over his desk, half his head blasted off and a gun in his right hand.The Speaker of the Knesset and the Knesset Security Chief both concluded that M.K. Solomon had committed suicide.Young Itzik Bitton, a rooky in the Knesset Guard having a decorated history with an elite combat unit, finds inconsistencies in their conclusions. He launches his own investigation despite being ordered not to intervene, and soon gets into troubles.The plot thickens with political intrigues lurching at each turn in the Knesset's corridors. Dubious real estate shenanigans, mobster's deals, a corrupt Knesset Member, a dead cop, a love story and remnants of the Yom-Kippur war all add up to a suspenseful novel with a strong statement about the political culture of Israel today.A review by Amnon Jackont (a renowned Israeli writer):"e;One hundred twenty-minus one"e; is a thriller with a distinct social indictment. In this fascinating and surprising novel Hertzel Frenkel has merged the political reality known to all of us from the media, with the personal story of an idealistic young couple seeking justice in a violent, cynical and alienated world"e;.