Good writers often use the genre novel to explore social themes, subjects, or communities we may not often be exposed to in the traditional media. That is what Laura Lippman has done with her latest book, the eighth in the wonderful series featuring Tess Monaghan, a Jewish-Irish private investigator, and it is one of the year's best crime fiction novels so far.

An uncle introduces Tess to a new client who immediately rubs her, and the reader as well, the wrong way. Mark Rubin is a successful and wealthy businessman whose wife has unexpectedly left him, taking their three children along. He claims that their marriage was strong, his wife was happy, and he can't imagine why she would suddenly disappear. The only explanation, he is convinced, is that she must have been kidnapped.

Rubin, however, is an Orthodox Jew, a member of an isolated, insular community in which women still play less than equal roles. The more Tess talks to him and investigates, the more she learns that Rubin didn't really know his wife at all. He was controlling and rigid, and his family life was hardly the picture of domestic bliss he claimed.

There is another side to Rubin. A man passionate about his faith, he is also a devoted father and committed husband. Tess comes to learn that although Rubin might seem harsh and anachronistic to an outsider, he is actually a warm, friendly and caring man. It is simply that he is a product of a different culture, a man of beliefs different from most, thus he appears strange and alien.

It is this intriguing picture of Orthodox Judaism that makes BY A SPIDER'S THREAD rise above the level of an ordinary mystery novel. Before turning to fiction, Lippman was a gifted journalist, and she uses her facility for reportage to good effect in exploring and explaining this unusual community.

Lippman is also a superb writer and storyteller. In addition to crafting page-turning suspense, she also creates memorable characters that draw the reader into the story and keep them hungry for more.

Tess Monaghan is one of the best, much more than a feisty heroine. As this series has progressed over the years, she has evolved into a complex, multifaceted character, a woman of substance, passion and feeling, and she is what makes the series so satisfying.