An X-Ray Burst (Love Burns)

Suspense, psychological drama and bizarre comedy combine in a novel which many will find difficult to put down. The unique cast of characters includes a forty-eight-year-old professor of astro-physics obsessed with his beautiful and very young wife, the professor’s tough mother and his shrewd childhood friend, Anton, an Arab police detective. Ilan, the professor, discovers that his wife Naomi is having an affair and follows her to her lover’s hideaway. Terrified of losing her in a confrontation, and after endless dithering, he confronts the man instead. Their meeting climaxes with the unpremeditated murder of the lover; the unlikely murder weapon is Ilan’s pipe. In total desperation, Ilan spills the story to his mother who comes to his rescue. They despose of the body in the fresh grave of Ilan’s kindergarten teacher.The body is discovered, but the older woman (who is suffering from a terminal illness) commits suicide and leaves behind a note claiming that she murdered her daughter-in-law’s lover. The happy ending is inevitable, with Ilan and the now loving Naomi expecting a baby.