Even though our title—which was selected more than a year ago—isn't referring to the city of Jerusalem, but rather William Blake's 1820 epic poem Jerusalem, we want to acknowledge the tragic and horrific events that have been unfolding in Israel and Gaza in recent days. Our hearts go out to the victims and to those who have lost loved ones in the conflict.

Who Killed Jerusalem? is a murder mystery novel set in 1977, and like most murder mysteries, once the murderer is caught, the fictional bloodshed ends and the story becomes a thing of the past. The conflict in the Middle East, however, was present in 1977 and remains present nearly 50 years later.

We hope for a better future. To that end, we have made a donation to ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid), which has no political or religious affiliation, to support immediate emergency relief and assistance for displaced families in the region.