Rating: 
Summary: A must read!
Review: I could not put the book down.. David Evans Katz created characters that I related to on an emotional level. His style of story telling is right up there with the best.. Spielberg should bring this novel to the big screen.
Rating:
Summary: Sin of Omission
Review: I found Sin of Omission appealing on several levels and I recommend it highly. First, for those of us who grew up in the 1950's and early 1960's, it provides a reminder that the past shouldn't be viewed through rose-colored glasses; the author's description of a game of Red Rover-Red Rover played in the street is a grim reminder that our games weren't always fun. Second, it blends gritty realism with a healthy dose of comic relief. Sin of Omission isn't so much a coming-of-age story as it is a tale of coming to grips with the past. The author tells the story of Danny Cogan and his best friend, Matt Lasker, in three parts. The first two parts (dealing with Cogan's great-grandfather coming to America and his great-aunt's tribulations during the war) are told in the third person and initially appear unrelated to the third part (told in the first person) until the reader comes to realize, as the main character does, that we are all affected by events that happened long before we were born. Overall, I found Sin of Omission to be much more than a satisfying read; it was a trip back in time that brought a smile to my face and a tear to my eye.
Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: I recommend this book to anyone because it can reach its audience on many levels. Certainly, for those who grew up around Suffolk Square, it is a trip down memory lane-the book provides a vivid description of those places we used to go but have since disappeared. But the book can also reach a wider audience-anyone who grew up in the close-knit ethnic communities so common in the `50s and `60s will find something to relate to. It also is the story of an innocence lost, a murder mystery, friendship, and regret.
Rating:
Summary: Irresistible tale of suspense
Review: Irresistible even before consumption of its opening words nestled on page one, Sin of Omission reaches out and hooks readers via its back cover blurb:"That evening after dinner, we all gathered in the Nyevas' backyard to build a campfire and tell ghost stories. It had been a longstanding tradition on Coburn Street to gather on Friday evenings for an informal competition to determine who could tell the scariest story. The honors usually went to Kenny or his little brother, Tim. Perhaps the Volkovsky brothers had a talent for scaring the rest of the kids in the neighborhood, but in Kenny's case, I think it was more a natural streak of sadism. I can't remember any of the ghost stories that truly frightened me, but I'm an adult now, looking back on it from a span of forty years, knowing things that scared me as a child no longer have the same effect. Instead, I remember that the worst thing I could ever imagine really happened, and no ghost story invented by an adolescent boy and told in hushed tones in the fading light of an August dusk could ever evoke in me the terror I still feel when I think of what took place between Kenny Volkovsky and Billy Cline that high summer night in 1962." What took place, of course, is the bounty of this fine mystery, a journey which includes a rather nostalgic peek at 1960s Suffolk Square, an ethnic neighborhood nearby and in sync with Boston's unmistakable heartbeat. Katz, a well-educated debut novelist from Granby, Connecticut, is at the helm and in command of this literary excursion about one man's search for redemption from start to finish, a read which will satisfy all but the most over-stimulated of suspense aficionados.
Rating:
Summary: Sin of Omission--a highly satisfying novel
Review: Regardless of a reader's tastes, one mark of a good writer is to tell a story through memorable characters. Having read and critiqued several of David Evans Katz's wonderful short stories in another venue, I anticipated quality writing here. I was not disappointed. Sin of Omission is about particular people and their attitudes, yet it is universal in its theme. It's a story of childhood secrets kept into adulthood; it's a story of the multi-level conflict among individuals and cultures. The narrative style is quiet, perhaps not for everyone, but you'll find Mr. Katz's writing to be flawless. His wonderful sense of character and story draw the reader into the world of his novel. Even though the novel ended exactly where it should, I was sad to leave these characters and their world, just as I was getting to know them. Another mark of a good writer is to leave the reader wanting more. I hope that Mr. Katz will oblige us with more of his creativity in the near future.
Rating:
Summary: Sin of Omission--a highly satisfying novel
Review: Regardless of a reader's tastes, one mark of a good writer is to tell a story through memorable characters. Having read and critiqued several of David Evans Katz's wonderful short stories in another venue, I anticipated quality writing here. I was not disappointed. Sin of Omission is about particular people and their attitudes, yet it is universal in its theme. It's a story of childhood secrets kept into adulthood; it's a story of the multi-level conflict among individuals and cultures. The narrative style is quiet, perhaps not for everyone, but you'll find Mr. Katz's writing to be flawless. His wonderful sense of character and story draw the reader into the world of his novel. Even though the novel ended exactly where it should, I was sad to leave these characters and their world, just as I was getting to know them. Another mark of a good writer is to leave the reader wanting more. I hope that Mr. Katz will oblige us with more of his creativity in the near future.
Rating:
Summary: Good Plot, Memorable Kids
Review: Sin of Omission grabs you from the beginning and holds you captive so that you must continue reading until the end. The content is rich and colorful; at some points familiar, at others unknown and intriguing.
The history of the characters made them come alive on the page. I was transported back, first to Russia and later to my own childhood of the 50's and 60's in America. I felt as though I were a part of the circle of friends who kept secrets as bloodbrothers and played familiar games with sacred rules.
David Evans Katz describes the scenery, the games played, and the characters' emotions so that you become a character yourself; experiencing all that they experience. Even if you were born later in life, I believe some of your parents' and grandparents' stories will come alive again in Sin of Omission.
Kudos to the author and his talented storytelling!
Rating:
Summary: Great Storytelling
Review: Sin of Omission is storytelling at its best. The novel combines elements of mystery, history and irony in an extremely intelligent manner. In tracing a multi-generational feud between Jewish and Gentile families, beginning in Russia and later in Massachusetts, David Evans Katz addresses the important subjects of ethnic bigotry and stereotyping. Most of all, the book is a coming of age story, focusing on Danny and Matt and a traumatic event they witness as 10-year olds. The novel includes a number of stories within the overall story, including even a gripping ghost mystery. In sum, Sin of Omission is a beautifully woven quilt. I loved it and recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Great Storytelling
Review: Sin of Omission is storytelling at its best. The novel combines elements of mystery, history and irony in an extremely intelligent manner. In tracing a multi-generational feud between Jewish and Gentile families, beginning in Russia and later in Massachusetts, David Evans Katz addresses the important subjects of ethnic bigotry and stereotyping. Most of all, the book is a coming of age story, focusing on Danny and Matt and a traumatic event they witness as 10-year olds. The novel includes a number of stories within the overall story, including even a gripping ghost mystery. In sum, Sin of Omission is a beautifully woven quilt. I loved it and recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Mutation of Murder
Review: Sin of Omission David Evans Katz builds a riveting story around a murder witnessed by two neighborhood friends. They keep the murder a secret and then deal with 40 years of guilt. Late in their adult life the two friends meet and share a beer together. They reminisce about the past and struggle with the thought that their secret caused a family a great deal of grief. You must read the book to discover the strange twist the murder takes. Mr. Katz also provides the reader with a look at the ethnic neighborhoods of Middlesex, Massachusetts and a glimpse of the relatives lives in Russia. Sin of Omission is a great story filled with sociological insights.
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