Yasmina, with whom Joseph has been living for the past two years, has given him his marching orders. With no one to turn to, Joseph imposes on his only unmarried friend Drew. Drew grants him the use of his couch for a limited time so he is actively looking for some source of income and a place to live.

He stumbles across an ad in a student newspaper for a conversationalist. The only contact information is a phone number. The lack of more data unnerves Joseph a bit, but he is desperate so he makes the call. His potential employer is eighty year old Alma Spielmann. Ms. Spielmann would like Joseph to come to her home periodically and spend a few hours talking about diverse subjects. She is a well educated woman with a chronic illness that keeps her pretty much housebound.

Time passes and the two find themselves pleased with their talks. When Joseph confesses his lack of a permanent residence, Alma is quick to offer a room in her home. This arrangement suits both parties until the arrival of Alma’s grandnephew, Eric. Joseph immediately identifies Eric as a freeloader, a fact to which Alma seems oblivious.

When Eric turns on the charm he makes Alma come alive. While Joseph realizes the power of kinship, he fears that Eric is not beyond hastening his great aunt’s death to benefit from her wealth. He also recognizes his somewhat precarious position. He and Alma are soul mates. Alma would like nothing better than to see Joseph earn his degree as would Joseph if he could just settle down and write his dissertation. Eric, while outwardly respecting Joseph, views Joseph as a threat to his livelihood.

On the surface, The Executor appears to be a thinly veiled attempt to use a mystery story as a vehicle for a discussion of several philosophical conundrums. In reality it is that, but something else as well. It certainly is not a conventional mystery, but it does evolve into an enigma involving more than one death. Mr. Kellerman quite correctly invites the reader to posit his own solution, given an adequate amount of information.

Joseph and Alma are interesting intelligent people who act on and are influenced by a variety of external forces. We think we can predict how they will respond to various stimuli, yet a slight change in those same stimuli causes a much different response. Who would believe that a mystery with a graduate student in philosophy protagonist could evolve into a page turning thriller?

To many people, myself included, philosophy seems to be a subject where arguments are presented for the sheer pleasure of arguing. As one who thrives on peace and quiet these problems are a gigantic waste of time. Yet within the pages of this short novel, I became intrigued by several of the philosophical dilemmas presented. The Executor is much more than it appears on the surface and makes for a very compelling read.

--Andy Plonka