What do you think?
Rate this book
Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus #3
Milk and Honey
Available for the first time in a Premium edition, one of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Faye Kellerman’s fan-favorite Decker/Lazurus novels.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 19, 1990
529 people are currently reading
2938 people want to read
About the author
Faye Kellerman
179 books2,021 followersFaye Kellerman was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Sherman Oaks, California. She earned a BA in mathematics and a doctorate in dentistry at UCLA., and conducted research in oral biology. Kellerman's groundbreaking first novel, THE RITUAL BATH, was published in 1986 to wide critical and commercial acclaim. The winner of the Macavity Award for the Best First Novel from the Mystery Readers of American, THE RITUAL BATH introduced readers to Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, termed by People Magazine "Hands down, the most refreshing mystery couple around." The New York Times enthused, "This couple's domestic affairs have the haimish warmth of reality, unlike the formulaic lives of so many other genre detectives."
There are well over twenty million copies of Faye Kellerman's novels in print internationally. The Decker/Lazarus thrillers include SACRED AND PROFANE; MILK AND HONEY; DAY OF ATONEMENT; FALSE PROPHET; GRIEVOUS SIN; SANCTUARY; as well as her New York Times Bestsellers, JUSTICE, PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD - listed by the LA Times as one of the best crime novel of 2001; SERPENT'S TOOTH; JUPITER'S BONES, THE FORGOTTEN, STONE KISS, STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS, THE BURNT HOUSE, THE MERCEDES COFFIN and BLINDMAN'S BLUFF. . The novels, STALKER and STREET DREAMS, introduced Kellerman's newest protagonist, Police Officer Cindy Decker. In addition to her crime series, Kellerman is also the author of New York Time's bestseller MOON MUSIC, a suspense horror novel set in Las Vegas featuring Detective Romulus Poe, as well as an historical novel of intrigue set in Elizabethan England, THE QUALITY OF MERCY. She has also co-authored the New York Times Bestseller DOUBLE HOMICIDE, with her husband and partner in crime, Jonathan Kellerman. She has also written a young adult novel, PRISM, with her daughter, Aliza Kellerman
Faye Kellerman's highly praised short stories and reviews have been anthologized in numerous collections including two volumes of the notable SISTERS IN CRIME SERIES, Sara Paretsky's, A WOMAN'S EYE; THE FIRST ANNUAL YEAR'S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES; THE THIRD ANNUAL BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR; WOMEN OF MYSTERY AND DEADLY ALLIES 11. Her personally annotated collection of her award winning stories, THE GARDEN OF EDEN and OTHER CRIMINAL DELIGHTS, was published in August of 2006. H
Her other hobbies include gardening, sewing and jogging if her back doesn't give out. She is the proud mother of four children, and her eldest son, Jesse, has just published his fourth novel, THE EXECUTOR, from Putnam. She lives in Los Angeles and Santa Fe with her husband, Jonathan, their youngest child, and their French Bulldog, Hugo.
There are well over twenty million copies of Faye Kellerman's novels in print internationally. The Decker/Lazarus thrillers include SACRED AND PROFANE; MILK AND HONEY; DAY OF ATONEMENT; FALSE PROPHET; GRIEVOUS SIN; SANCTUARY; as well as her New York Times Bestsellers, JUSTICE, PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD - listed by the LA Times as one of the best crime novel of 2001; SERPENT'S TOOTH; JUPITER'S BONES, THE FORGOTTEN, STONE KISS, STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS, THE BURNT HOUSE, THE MERCEDES COFFIN and BLINDMAN'S BLUFF. . The novels, STALKER and STREET DREAMS, introduced Kellerman's newest protagonist, Police Officer Cindy Decker. In addition to her crime series, Kellerman is also the author of New York Time's bestseller MOON MUSIC, a suspense horror novel set in Las Vegas featuring Detective Romulus Poe, as well as an historical novel of intrigue set in Elizabethan England, THE QUALITY OF MERCY. She has also co-authored the New York Times Bestseller DOUBLE HOMICIDE, with her husband and partner in crime, Jonathan Kellerman. She has also written a young adult novel, PRISM, with her daughter, Aliza Kellerman
Faye Kellerman's highly praised short stories and reviews have been anthologized in numerous collections including two volumes of the notable SISTERS IN CRIME SERIES, Sara Paretsky's, A WOMAN'S EYE; THE FIRST ANNUAL YEAR'S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES; THE THIRD ANNUAL BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR; WOMEN OF MYSTERY AND DEADLY ALLIES 11. Her personally annotated collection of her award winning stories, THE GARDEN OF EDEN and OTHER CRIMINAL DELIGHTS, was published in August of 2006. H
Her other hobbies include gardening, sewing and jogging if her back doesn't give out. She is the proud mother of four children, and her eldest son, Jesse, has just published his fourth novel, THE EXECUTOR, from Putnam. She lives in Los Angeles and Santa Fe with her husband, Jonathan, their youngest child, and their French Bulldog, Hugo.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 333 reviews
April 26, 2016
Milk and Honey is the 3rd book in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mystery series. In this installment Rina is living in New York with her two boys, but an event has occurred that has her come running to Los Angeles for a visit to Peter. Peter determined as ever to have Rina accept his marriage proposal pulls out all the stops. Meanwhile, events at work have him as exhausted as ever.
On the eve of Rina's visit, one of Peter's old army buddies is accused of rape. Always having suspect behavior, he does not trust lawyers or cops and turns to Peter for assistance, which, of course, Peter is obliged to provide. At the same time while on the daily beat, Peter and his partner Marge Dunn encounter an abandoned two year old girl and take the case in order to find her family. This case evolves from child abandonment to quadruple homicide, and Decker enthusiastically takes the case.
While working to solve these two cases, Rina arrives, radiant as always, and the two share many a moment together. Unfortunately, the army buddy shows up at the house under the pretext of returning Peter's favor, causing both Peter and Rina to feel uncomfortable. Separately, both seek counsel from Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Shulman. As in the first two books in the series, I enjoyed Peter's conversations with the Rabbi as enlightening, willing Peter on to live his life as a G-d fearing Jew.
Having read the first three books of this series I am in it for the long haul. I am looking forward to Peter and Rina finally getting married and forming a blended family of their own. I appreciate Faye Kellerman's writing in that she balances police duties with explanations of a religious Jewish lifestyle in a way that readers unfamiliar with it would understand. This is now my go-to mystery series, and I recommend to all mystery readers out there. Looking forward to book four.
On the eve of Rina's visit, one of Peter's old army buddies is accused of rape. Always having suspect behavior, he does not trust lawyers or cops and turns to Peter for assistance, which, of course, Peter is obliged to provide. At the same time while on the daily beat, Peter and his partner Marge Dunn encounter an abandoned two year old girl and take the case in order to find her family. This case evolves from child abandonment to quadruple homicide, and Decker enthusiastically takes the case.
While working to solve these two cases, Rina arrives, radiant as always, and the two share many a moment together. Unfortunately, the army buddy shows up at the house under the pretext of returning Peter's favor, causing both Peter and Rina to feel uncomfortable. Separately, both seek counsel from Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Shulman. As in the first two books in the series, I enjoyed Peter's conversations with the Rabbi as enlightening, willing Peter on to live his life as a G-d fearing Jew.
Having read the first three books of this series I am in it for the long haul. I am looking forward to Peter and Rina finally getting married and forming a blended family of their own. I appreciate Faye Kellerman's writing in that she balances police duties with explanations of a religious Jewish lifestyle in a way that readers unfamiliar with it would understand. This is now my go-to mystery series, and I recommend to all mystery readers out there. Looking forward to book four.
November 4, 2013
Ugh. I was already getting irritated with some things about this series, mainly a clunky writing style and an overuse of the "grittiness" of LA. I continued on to this book because I wanted some resolution in the romance plot, but this book convinced me that the author's treatment of gender and race is just so obnoxious that I'm not going to bother sticking around, and that any resolution in the romance plot would be unsatisfying to me anyway.
Also, I was expecting that a series of mysteries known as the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mysteries would involve both characters in solving the mysteries. Instead, it seems like Decker does all the solving, and Rina Lazarus serves as muse/love interest/source of conflict. Yes, there are other women involved in crime-solving, but Decker is really the POV character and by halfway through this book, I had realized that I didn't like him or his point of view. YMMV.
Also, I was expecting that a series of mysteries known as the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mysteries would involve both characters in solving the mysteries. Instead, it seems like Decker does all the solving, and Rina Lazarus serves as muse/love interest/source of conflict. Yes, there are other women involved in crime-solving, but Decker is really the POV character and by halfway through this book, I had realized that I didn't like him or his point of view. YMMV.
March 2, 2013
This the third Faye Kellerman book that I have read. By this time I have discovered that the series is more about a man and a woman from two different cultures and with two different sets of emotional baggage who happen to love one another and are trying to build a life together than it is about "who done it?" Unlike like other stories that draw their energy from the heat of conflicting values and cultures, Faye Kellerman writes her stories about the couple's efforts to build an unique and powerful relationship from what is best in each of them. The bonus that the series has offered me is a personalized look at the culture of Judaism. The mysteries in these books are good, but the character development and look behind the curtain of Jewish faith are the best parts of this great series.
November 3, 2012
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!
Did you ever hear of 'It's so bad it's good? This is one of those. Totally silly and stupid, and absolutely unintentionally a riot. AND it blissfully sneaks up on you. The pages and chapters move along seemingly within the normal universe, but then the accumulation of silly and emotionally wrong and the sense of 'Wait. That would never happen. No one would act like that. Hold on, that was too unbelievable. Really? No......omg.'
The saga of Peter Decker, police detective and religious faker, and his delusional lover, Rina, who talks the talk of a religious fundamentalist but walks the walk of a Clint Eastwood when she is with Pete and is generally as inconsistent as a bipolar hippie, continues.
Where do I start? Perhaps when I first giggled. That would be the scene with the eventually completely dropped character, Ozzie Crandal, whose introduction and inclusion in the middle of the book where the author apparently was going to have him be an incompetent lazy sheriff character, but for some reason, even though the murders were in his town, simply dropped out of the book, after a completely irrational hissy fit by Marge, Pete's partner, because Crandal called her, 'little lady', joking, while they were examining four rotting eviscerated bloated bodies crawling with maggots and bees and stinking of rotting meat smell with blood sprayed everywhere and thick on the floor. Crandal was mentioned in a later conversation as being somewhat competent in showing a little girl's picture around the town, and then phhhht! He's never mentioned or around ever again, despite the fact the case was actually in his town, and Pete had agreed to split the investigation with him. Except that there was no splitting. Pete's department did all of the investigation, with the one and a half chapter exception.
Then there is the stranded thread about the biker gang hangout, introduced strictly as a red herring, as well as to have the strangely talkative, friendly restaurant owner, Chip, pass on clues to Pete. Despite this man's gossipy unreal overly sexual verbal lower-class presentation, only mean, fat, murderous anti-social bikers and skinny skanks eat at his pizza joint. One of the bikers, Rolland Mason, is apparently a genetic prize winner for no reason in particular, other than having five kids, but he is otherwise a complete loser in every area of his life, a meth dealer. He is one of the rotting bodies - but other than the single reference by his ex-fiancé of his dealing meth, that is never brought up again or investigated. None of his biker friends ever show up again, not even to mourn, much less avenge. Phhhhht.
There is the peculiar neighbor Patty, who threw up on her husband out of grief when she learned his girlfriend Linda was pregnant with his child, the same as her. She stays with good old Cliff for two more years until Pete visits and she decides to leave Cliff on the spot.
Here is Earl, the 'retard' who plays with his two-year-old cousin but who is also capable Sue Beth, his sister, has a wonderful way of handling Earl, which I think was supposed to sound oddly like a backwoods mother with a rambunctious six year old (Earl is a grown-up man) demonstrating his lack of mental ability, but it sounds more like an abusive controlling bitch picking on Earl. Sue Beth says things like, "Don't get fresh" inappropriately, after Earl politely asks Pete how he is. She says, "We don't need no lawyer," "Doggone it!" "What in tarnation...." and other hillbilly constructions of speech.
There is the really peculiar relationship between Pete and Abel, the 'gimp', REALLY peculiar, which even when finally it is revealed how their history took a left turn into crazy land in Vietnam, makes NO sense on any level, unless you, the reader, take LSD while reading it. Abel is a sex addict pervert, and he rapes every woman in his mind, but he's an honorable friend owed much affection. No, really. Pete wants to be his savior, so he agrees to help him beat a charge of assault and rape; however, he doesn't trust him farther than the end of his own nose, but Pete leaves Rina, the love of his life, weaponless and alone without either an explanation or gun to defend herself after bringing this maimed Abel into their lives. All three of them eventually take turns aiming guns at each other not knowing if they will pull the trigger. But never mind.
Where I started to laugh was in the barn scene between 'the gimp' and Rina and her little pistol. What got me guffawing was the grand denouement which starts with Granny Darcy siccing the bees on Decker and Hollander. No kidding! She sets loose the bees of righteousness somehow aiming them after only those two, and they obey her. Still wiping tears from my eyes, I had the joy of Pappy Darcy's explanation of events next, with "go on and git" and "she ain't right in the head" and "the girl was plumb crazy" "deep in her spells" and "she didn't do no work for it." and EVER so much more. Actually, it's the best worst dialogue in the whole book, but I can't say too much about it, because its several pages long, plus it's the big conclusion. To say insanity runs in this family does not come close to how ignorant and inbreedingly crude of a manner that Pappy explains things, or how unintentionally funny it is to read it.
This series is absolutely whack. It's not supposed to be. I guess I love it. I had planned to read at least the first three in the series to get a feel for it - I knew by the finish of the first one it was silly, but I did not know it would have me howling with the pure sheer idiocy of the plots and melodramatic tone deafness of the characters. Omg.
I will be reading more in the series.
Did you ever hear of 'It's so bad it's good? This is one of those. Totally silly and stupid, and absolutely unintentionally a riot. AND it blissfully sneaks up on you. The pages and chapters move along seemingly within the normal universe, but then the accumulation of silly and emotionally wrong and the sense of 'Wait. That would never happen. No one would act like that. Hold on, that was too unbelievable. Really? No......omg.'
The saga of Peter Decker, police detective and religious faker, and his delusional lover, Rina, who talks the talk of a religious fundamentalist but walks the walk of a Clint Eastwood when she is with Pete and is generally as inconsistent as a bipolar hippie, continues.
Where do I start? Perhaps when I first giggled. That would be the scene with the eventually completely dropped character, Ozzie Crandal, whose introduction and inclusion in the middle of the book where the author apparently was going to have him be an incompetent lazy sheriff character, but for some reason, even though the murders were in his town, simply dropped out of the book, after a completely irrational hissy fit by Marge, Pete's partner, because Crandal called her, 'little lady', joking, while they were examining four rotting eviscerated bloated bodies crawling with maggots and bees and stinking of rotting meat smell with blood sprayed everywhere and thick on the floor. Crandal was mentioned in a later conversation as being somewhat competent in showing a little girl's picture around the town, and then phhhht! He's never mentioned or around ever again, despite the fact the case was actually in his town, and Pete had agreed to split the investigation with him. Except that there was no splitting. Pete's department did all of the investigation, with the one and a half chapter exception.
Then there is the stranded thread about the biker gang hangout, introduced strictly as a red herring, as well as to have the strangely talkative, friendly restaurant owner, Chip, pass on clues to Pete. Despite this man's gossipy unreal overly sexual verbal lower-class presentation, only mean, fat, murderous anti-social bikers and skinny skanks eat at his pizza joint. One of the bikers, Rolland Mason, is apparently a genetic prize winner for no reason in particular, other than having five kids, but he is otherwise a complete loser in every area of his life, a meth dealer. He is one of the rotting bodies - but other than the single reference by his ex-fiancé of his dealing meth, that is never brought up again or investigated. None of his biker friends ever show up again, not even to mourn, much less avenge. Phhhhht.
There is the peculiar neighbor Patty, who threw up on her husband out of grief when she learned his girlfriend Linda was pregnant with his child, the same as her. She stays with good old Cliff for two more years until Pete visits and she decides to leave Cliff on the spot.
Here is Earl, the 'retard' who plays with his two-year-old cousin but who is also capable Sue Beth, his sister, has a wonderful way of handling Earl, which I think was supposed to sound oddly like a backwoods mother with a rambunctious six year old (Earl is a grown-up man) demonstrating his lack of mental ability, but it sounds more like an abusive controlling bitch picking on Earl. Sue Beth says things like, "Don't get fresh" inappropriately, after Earl politely asks Pete how he is. She says, "We don't need no lawyer," "Doggone it!" "What in tarnation...." and other hillbilly constructions of speech.
There is the really peculiar relationship between Pete and Abel, the 'gimp', REALLY peculiar, which even when finally it is revealed how their history took a left turn into crazy land in Vietnam, makes NO sense on any level, unless you, the reader, take LSD while reading it. Abel is a sex addict pervert, and he rapes every woman in his mind, but he's an honorable friend owed much affection. No, really. Pete wants to be his savior, so he agrees to help him beat a charge of assault and rape; however, he doesn't trust him farther than the end of his own nose, but Pete leaves Rina, the love of his life, weaponless and alone without either an explanation or gun to defend herself after bringing this maimed Abel into their lives. All three of them eventually take turns aiming guns at each other not knowing if they will pull the trigger. But never mind.
Where I started to laugh was in the barn scene between 'the gimp' and Rina and her little pistol. What got me guffawing was the grand denouement which starts with Granny Darcy siccing the bees on Decker and Hollander. No kidding! She sets loose the bees of righteousness somehow aiming them after only those two, and they obey her. Still wiping tears from my eyes, I had the joy of Pappy Darcy's explanation of events next, with "go on and git" and "she ain't right in the head" and "the girl was plumb crazy" "deep in her spells" and "she didn't do no work for it." and EVER so much more. Actually, it's the best worst dialogue in the whole book, but I can't say too much about it, because its several pages long, plus it's the big conclusion. To say insanity runs in this family does not come close to how ignorant and inbreedingly crude of a manner that Pappy explains things, or how unintentionally funny it is to read it.
This series is absolutely whack. It's not supposed to be. I guess I love it. I had planned to read at least the first three in the series to get a feel for it - I knew by the finish of the first one it was silly, but I did not know it would have me howling with the pure sheer idiocy of the plots and melodramatic tone deafness of the characters. Omg.
I will be reading more in the series.
July 18, 2015
You know, even for a cop Peter Decker's life is...fast moving.
Even on a night drive in a quiet neighborhood things will seemingly search out Peter and draw him into tragic events.
Here Peter comes across a blood spattered toddler wandering a residential neighborhood in the dead of night. From there he gets drawn into a convoluted case that will strain his, Rina's and hopefully your sensibilities.
This is a good entry to the series and as with the others I've read (so far) I can recommend it. There is a pert that leans on some, well some well trodden ground here but it doesn't take away from the story significantly.
recommended.
Even on a night drive in a quiet neighborhood things will seemingly search out Peter and draw him into tragic events.
Here Peter comes across a blood spattered toddler wandering a residential neighborhood in the dead of night. From there he gets drawn into a convoluted case that will strain his, Rina's and hopefully your sensibilities.
This is a good entry to the series and as with the others I've read (so far) I can recommend it. There is a pert that leans on some, well some well trodden ground here but it doesn't take away from the story significantly.
recommended.
July 3, 2010
This was my first Faye Kellerman book. It was okay but I probably will not read any of her other books based upon this read.
Milk and Honey did not hold my interest as do many other mystery writers. To me, the characters were not believable and the plot trite. There were many incidents such as finding a lost child, officers being shot or injured, being attacked by swarms of bees and discovering multiple murders. However, none of these happenings really had much credibility.
I felt the ending was predictable and was an average mystery at best.
Milk and Honey did not hold my interest as do many other mystery writers. To me, the characters were not believable and the plot trite. There were many incidents such as finding a lost child, officers being shot or injured, being attacked by swarms of bees and discovering multiple murders. However, none of these happenings really had much credibility.
I felt the ending was predictable and was an average mystery at best.
July 22, 2013
The side story of Decker's past is more interesting than the actual case he is working on in this novel. Murder on a bee farm could be engrossing, but somehow it is just confusing and not a satisfying conclusion.
I'm glad that I am reading these in order because I find the romance between Peter and Rina to be an interesting one, and I am enjoying the religious discussions that come up fascinating too.
I'm glad that I am reading these in order because I find the romance between Peter and Rina to be an interesting one, and I am enjoying the religious discussions that come up fascinating too.
December 24, 2018
Not a bad installment in the Decker and Lazarus series. Still on a learning curve.
Decker is a good cop and a decent human being until his anger pokes through - something that he has to come to terms with and learn to control.
A complicated murder mystery with red herrings thrown in. The bee/honey industry is the focal point and it does become nasty! A couple of stories intertwined make this a pretty good book.
From the blurb: In the silent pre-dawn city hours -- alone with his thoughts about Rina Lazarus, the woman he loves, three thousand miles away in New York -- LAPD detective Peter Decker finds a small child, abandoned and covered in blood that is not hers. It is a sobering discovery, and a perplexing one, for nobody in the development where she was found steps forward to claim the little girl. Obsessed more deeply by this case than he imagined possible, Decker is determined to follow the scant clues to an answer. But his trail is leading him to a killing ground where four bodies lie still and lifeless. And by the time Rina returns, Peter Decker is already held fast in a sticky mass of hatred, passion, and murder -- in a world where intense sweetness is accompanied by a deadly sting.
4 stars and 2 thumbs up
Decker is a good cop and a decent human being until his anger pokes through - something that he has to come to terms with and learn to control.
A complicated murder mystery with red herrings thrown in. The bee/honey industry is the focal point and it does become nasty! A couple of stories intertwined make this a pretty good book.
From the blurb: In the silent pre-dawn city hours -- alone with his thoughts about Rina Lazarus, the woman he loves, three thousand miles away in New York -- LAPD detective Peter Decker finds a small child, abandoned and covered in blood that is not hers. It is a sobering discovery, and a perplexing one, for nobody in the development where she was found steps forward to claim the little girl. Obsessed more deeply by this case than he imagined possible, Decker is determined to follow the scant clues to an answer. But his trail is leading him to a killing ground where four bodies lie still and lifeless. And by the time Rina returns, Peter Decker is already held fast in a sticky mass of hatred, passion, and murder -- in a world where intense sweetness is accompanied by a deadly sting.
4 stars and 2 thumbs up
March 13, 2019
2.5 stars. I liked the characters, but I felt Kellerman was trying to shove too much into this story. The story revolving around Decker and his Vietnam War best friend Abel could have been a novel all on its own. A lot of baggage to unpack in addition to solving an assault & rape case that Abel has been accused of.
The murders that start out the novel involve a family of beekeepers. Peter Decker is restless & roaming the streets late at night when he happens upon a toddler in a residential neighborhood. Her PJs are stained with blood. After an unsuccessful attempt at finding the family, he turns her over to social services. Still trying to find out why this little girl was wandering all alone, his inquiries eventually lead him 20 miles away to the Darcy farmstead. There he makes a gruesome discovery, 4 bodies shot to death. His unraveling of this crime involves some crazy family dynamics, greed, mental illness, betrayal, adultery, and land disputes just to get things rolling!
The final reveal a little too easy. After so much cover-up and resistance, it was like a dog who gives up and just rolls over.
The murders that start out the novel involve a family of beekeepers. Peter Decker is restless & roaming the streets late at night when he happens upon a toddler in a residential neighborhood. Her PJs are stained with blood. After an unsuccessful attempt at finding the family, he turns her over to social services. Still trying to find out why this little girl was wandering all alone, his inquiries eventually lead him 20 miles away to the Darcy farmstead. There he makes a gruesome discovery, 4 bodies shot to death. His unraveling of this crime involves some crazy family dynamics, greed, mental illness, betrayal, adultery, and land disputes just to get things rolling!
The final reveal a little too easy. After so much cover-up and resistance, it was like a dog who gives up and just rolls over.
November 24, 2019
This is the third Decker/Lazarus book in Kellerman’s series. I am find the books are about two people from different cultures trying to make life work for them. Deckers job as a police detective adds some mystery and rounds out the story. Will continue with the series.
December 11, 2018
4 stars
🇺🇸
🇺🇸
July 20, 2013
Detective Pete Decker finds a little girl on patrol one night, and in his quest to find out who she is and who she belongs to, uncovers a grisly quadruple murder scene.
This is a tough review to write. The overall mystery involving the little girl and the murders was good, and the only real reason I kept listening. But, and this is a big one for me, Pete Decker is a pig. He's verbally abusive to his fiancee on several occasions, and treats her like she's a little girl. "You only talk to other men if I'm with you" "You can't handle my car, take the Jeep instead, it's easier to drive" and to another detective "Don't talk like that in front of my woman. She's too good to hear that language". It was ridiculous and really hard to read. Well, hear. There were a lot of characters portrayed as really backwoods, and the n-word was sprinkled liberally throughout the story, making me cringe every time I heard it. I understand that people who think and talk like that exist, but not in my world. It's not something I hear a lot.
The way women are treated in general in this book is bothersome. Even Decker's partner, Detective Marge Dunn, is referred to as "little lady" constantly, and told to wait in the car while Decker does the dirty work, or pointedly ignored while "the men are talking". There are several references to "those women's libbers" as well. I'm trying really hard to put this in the context of when it was written, but it was published in 1990. And while I have no doubt this attitude was still present at the time, I don't recall it being quite as blatant as it is here.
(Side thought - The time the book was set was a little confusing to me. It was published in 1990 - is it set there, as well? It seemed to me that it was; there were beepers and pay phones, but also rotary phones at the station. If that's the case, given the fact that the Pete/Rina series is still being published, are all the books set in the early 90s? Or are they present day? Do Pete and Rina age in real time, or do they stay about where they are in this book while the world around them changes? I guess I won't know unless I keep reading, but Pete was born in 1950, so he'd be in his early 60s in 2013. That seems well past the standard 20 or 25 years most cops put in. But if Kellerman keeps him in his 40s, that would change a lot of the dynamic, since Pete's experiences in Vietnam had a huge impact in making him who he is, as they did everyone involved. And his caveman attitude would have to undergo some major changes in order for him to fit in in 2013.)
Pete's one saving grace to me is that by the end of the book, he seemed to realize that he has some anger issues and is a pig at times, and he seemed to want to make a genuine effort to change. That's the one reason I'll read at least one more in this series. I'll at least give him a chance to redeem himself.
The narration of this book was somewhat off-putting. Enough that I'll probably just read any more in this series, not listen to them, at least not if they're narrated by Mitch Greenberg. His reading of the main characters was fine, but all of the male side characters sounded like Rodney Dangerfield. Every one of them. Some times a straight Rodney, sometimes a hillbilly Rodney, sometimes a southern Rodney, but all of them sounded like Rodney. And there were several bizarre musical breaks in the audio. I have no idea what was happening with those. They weren't between chapters or scenes, or parts, and they weren't consistent. Suddenly I'd just be listening to 30-45 seconds of weird music, then back to the story.
Overall, I listened to this as fast as I could because I wanted to get through it and find out the answer to the murder mystery, but not because I was enjoying my listening experience. I'd recommend it only to people who really want to read this series.
This is a tough review to write. The overall mystery involving the little girl and the murders was good, and the only real reason I kept listening. But, and this is a big one for me, Pete Decker is a pig. He's verbally abusive to his fiancee on several occasions, and treats her like she's a little girl. "You only talk to other men if I'm with you" "You can't handle my car, take the Jeep instead, it's easier to drive" and to another detective "Don't talk like that in front of my woman. She's too good to hear that language". It was ridiculous and really hard to read. Well, hear. There were a lot of characters portrayed as really backwoods, and the n-word was sprinkled liberally throughout the story, making me cringe every time I heard it. I understand that people who think and talk like that exist, but not in my world. It's not something I hear a lot.
The way women are treated in general in this book is bothersome. Even Decker's partner, Detective Marge Dunn, is referred to as "little lady" constantly, and told to wait in the car while Decker does the dirty work, or pointedly ignored while "the men are talking". There are several references to "those women's libbers" as well. I'm trying really hard to put this in the context of when it was written, but it was published in 1990. And while I have no doubt this attitude was still present at the time, I don't recall it being quite as blatant as it is here.
(Side thought - The time the book was set was a little confusing to me. It was published in 1990 - is it set there, as well? It seemed to me that it was; there were beepers and pay phones, but also rotary phones at the station. If that's the case, given the fact that the Pete/Rina series is still being published, are all the books set in the early 90s? Or are they present day? Do Pete and Rina age in real time, or do they stay about where they are in this book while the world around them changes? I guess I won't know unless I keep reading, but Pete was born in 1950, so he'd be in his early 60s in 2013. That seems well past the standard 20 or 25 years most cops put in. But if Kellerman keeps him in his 40s, that would change a lot of the dynamic, since Pete's experiences in Vietnam had a huge impact in making him who he is, as they did everyone involved. And his caveman attitude would have to undergo some major changes in order for him to fit in in 2013.)
Pete's one saving grace to me is that by the end of the book, he seemed to realize that he has some anger issues and is a pig at times, and he seemed to want to make a genuine effort to change. That's the one reason I'll read at least one more in this series. I'll at least give him a chance to redeem himself.
The narration of this book was somewhat off-putting. Enough that I'll probably just read any more in this series, not listen to them, at least not if they're narrated by Mitch Greenberg. His reading of the main characters was fine, but all of the male side characters sounded like Rodney Dangerfield. Every one of them. Some times a straight Rodney, sometimes a hillbilly Rodney, sometimes a southern Rodney, but all of them sounded like Rodney. And there were several bizarre musical breaks in the audio. I have no idea what was happening with those. They weren't between chapters or scenes, or parts, and they weren't consistent. Suddenly I'd just be listening to 30-45 seconds of weird music, then back to the story.
Overall, I listened to this as fast as I could because I wanted to get through it and find out the answer to the murder mystery, but not because I was enjoying my listening experience. I'd recommend it only to people who really want to read this series.
February 4, 2015
First, some background to put my review in context.
About me: mid 30's, married white Australian, career military officer, non-religious.
Series reading history: I found Book 1 quite interesting and enjoyed learning about Judaism. Ambivalent about Rina because her personality couldn't be more opposite mine and thought Decker was a good lead. Summary would be 'boy meets girl, major differences to overcome in cultural and religious beliefs, good suspense in the detective mystery'. I found Book 2 enjoyable because the relationship between Rina and Decker wasn't rushed to develop and because Peter admitted to the unlikelihood he would become as religious as Rina would like him to be. Summary would be 'boy and girl test the boundaries of what is possible between them, realistic development of relationship and interesting detective mystery'
Book 3 - DNF. In one word - Decker. I can't stand him. I think he is an overbearing bully with attitudes more suited to the 50's than the late 80's. I quit when Decker threw a temper tantrum because Rina had spoken to an ex-'Nam vet mate of Decker's. His lack of remorse for his unacceptable words and actions, his lack of awareness that the reason his first marriage failed was due to his behaviour which he was repeating with Rina, his unwillingness to accept that his behaviour had rightfully frightened Rina..... Honestly, even though I haven't yet gotten to the stage where I know 'who dun' it' I am willing to give that up to not have to listen (yep, audio book) to more about Decker's unacceptable behaviour towards his supposedly love of his life.
So, thanks for the first two installments but I will leave Rina and Decker to their lives.
About me: mid 30's, married white Australian, career military officer, non-religious.
Series reading history: I found Book 1 quite interesting and enjoyed learning about Judaism. Ambivalent about Rina because her personality couldn't be more opposite mine and thought Decker was a good lead. Summary would be 'boy meets girl, major differences to overcome in cultural and religious beliefs, good suspense in the detective mystery'. I found Book 2 enjoyable because the relationship between Rina and Decker wasn't rushed to develop and because Peter admitted to the unlikelihood he would become as religious as Rina would like him to be. Summary would be 'boy and girl test the boundaries of what is possible between them, realistic development of relationship and interesting detective mystery'
Book 3 - DNF. In one word - Decker. I can't stand him. I think he is an overbearing bully with attitudes more suited to the 50's than the late 80's. I quit when Decker threw a temper tantrum because Rina had spoken to an ex-'Nam vet mate of Decker's. His lack of remorse for his unacceptable words and actions, his lack of awareness that the reason his first marriage failed was due to his behaviour which he was repeating with Rina, his unwillingness to accept that his behaviour had rightfully frightened Rina..... Honestly, even though I haven't yet gotten to the stage where I know 'who dun' it' I am willing to give that up to not have to listen (yep, audio book) to more about Decker's unacceptable behaviour towards his supposedly love of his life.
So, thanks for the first two installments but I will leave Rina and Decker to their lives.
December 13, 2015
This book certainly wasn't up to the standard of other crime fictions books I read by any means. Perhaps my negative review is down to the fact that I didn't read the first two books of this series, in fact I've never read a book by this author before. Putting that to one side, however, I found the endless religious references & terminology in this book very tedious. Being an atheist myself I felt almost excluded, like I had been left out of some private joke, during most of the dialogue that involved Peter and Rina due to them being loaded religious references which the reader was just expected to understand. I found this wholly unnecessary as it offered nothing to the storyline. The other major issue I had with this book was the way the author waited till literally the last couple of pages to explain what happened with, what I would consider to be, the second biggest plot line in the book. It was rushed and actually left me confused as to what had happened. Pretty sloppy writing in my opinion. Won't be reading any more of this authors books in a hurry.
April 14, 2023
i would give this 0 stars if i could. quite genuinely the worst book i’ve ever read. kellerman tries to address way too many heavy topics, but almost treats them as throw away information, a light background description of the characters, but nothing to be taken more serious than that. the descriptions of every female, and black character were demeaning. slurs were used liberally, which could be credited to the time period but the majority of the slurs used were put in quotation marks. this could be interpreted as kellerman offloading his racist and ableist beliefs onto her characters, to make her seem less at fault. kellerman’s language was primitive and cheap. i did not enjoy this book in the slightest. i was intending on letting my friend read it after me so she can share my distress, but concluded it was too insensitive of a text to share without feeling immense guilt. the characters disgusted me. kellerman tried to hard to prove her intelligence and ended up coming across as quite tasteless. DO NOT READ MILK AND HONEY.
July 23, 2019
I would recommend this series to anyone that loves detective stories. I love the way Kellerman uses real facts to teach us about Jewish culture and traditions. I'm just starting the fourth book and look forward to seeing the relationship develop between Detective Decker and Rina. This is a must read series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2013
The early Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novels are still the best of the lot. This one was a very tangled, very good mystery to work through, as well as getting to see the tension rachetting up between Peter and Rina in their ongoing, rather troubled, courtship.
February 8, 2014
Love these
August 16, 2018
More than two decades ago, I discovered the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus detective crime novels in the library; and I think those books were what spurred me on to having a huge attraction to these pure police procedural reads. I always thought that the squad room scenes, with Pete Decker, Marge Dunne, Mike Hollander, and Paul McPherson, were spot on and atmospheric, witty and entertaining (and reminded me a bit of the Hill Street Blues, but then more undermanned and in L.A. which is a total different scene), but the same reality factor is there in Faye Kellerman’s books. I am also quite surprised now that I’m re-reading this one, what foul and filthy language these detectives occasionally speak, Peter included. Of course, Peter Decker is more than that; he's such a good listener and interviewer when delving for the truth. He's a kind man and I've always liked him, despite a few flaws here and there.
At the center of Milk and Honey are two main story lines; one the quadruple murder of 4 adults at a remote Honey farm, and secondly, Peter trying to exonerate an old Army buddy, who's allegedly accused of rape. The appearance of Abe Atwater, with whom Peter has a love/hate relationship because of the obvious shared history of their time in Vietnam, shows us a different side to Pete.
I’ve always liked this book; especially how it’s totally realistic and there are no sicko weirdo villains in it. Simply ordinary people who make mistakes. The other reason I like it, is its first chapter; Peter finding a toddler roaming the streets of a residential area, in the middle of the night, is quite extraordinary.
At the center of Milk and Honey are two main story lines; one the quadruple murder of 4 adults at a remote Honey farm, and secondly, Peter trying to exonerate an old Army buddy, who's allegedly accused of rape. The appearance of Abe Atwater, with whom Peter has a love/hate relationship because of the obvious shared history of their time in Vietnam, shows us a different side to Pete.
I’ve always liked this book; especially how it’s totally realistic and there are no sicko weirdo villains in it. Simply ordinary people who make mistakes. The other reason I like it, is its first chapter; Peter finding a toddler roaming the streets of a residential area, in the middle of the night, is quite extraordinary.
October 13, 2017
Ms Kellerman gets 5 stars for a book that kept me guessing all the way through. Peter finds a blood-stained toddler playing in the dark of a residential area. No one has reported a child missing and soon the police find out why.
Meanwhile, Rina, who misses him dreadfully, comes for a visit. The visit is complicated by the fact that Peter is helping Abel, an old army buddy, accused of rape. Dealing with Abel awakens memories of Viet Nam that Peter would prefer would stay buried.
Despite all the different storylines Ms Kellerman weaves them into a satisfactory ending to the third novel in the love story of Pete and Rina.
Meanwhile, Rina, who misses him dreadfully, comes for a visit. The visit is complicated by the fact that Peter is helping Abel, an old army buddy, accused of rape. Dealing with Abel awakens memories of Viet Nam that Peter would prefer would stay buried.
Despite all the different storylines Ms Kellerman weaves them into a satisfactory ending to the third novel in the love story of Pete and Rina.
September 4, 2020
There were times I didn't think this was up to the standards of the previous two books in the series. The beginning seemed a little implausible to me, and I did get a little lost in remembering who all the family members were in the extended beekeeping family. By the end though it was a good read, and with enough plot turns to keep you guessing. Just enough of Detective Decker and his fiance's relationship to add some variety, and a dab of Decker's Vietnam backstory. Still like the Southern California setting, and this time some of it was a little closer to where I live--Saugus and Santa Clarita. I'll probably read the fourth in the series soon.
September 9, 2017
Well, this book was more appealing to me than the last in the series because the religious parts weren't quite so abundant and in my face. I liked the story line and I was anxious to see the outcome which was discombobulated in the end. The very first book that I read whose name escapes me really drew me to the characters, Decker and Rina, but I'm still not as much of a fan of these earliest books in the series. I suppose they will lay the ground work but it's making it hard for me to stick with the series. I'll try a couple more at least to see what comes...
June 11, 2021
LAPD detective Peter Decker finds a toddler wandering the streets in a new development above an old lime quarry. The baby’s pajamas is covered in blood (which thankfully isn’t hers).
A year ago Rina left Decker and moved to New York leaving Decker to make his personal choices.
Meanwhile, Abel Atwater, an old army buddy of Decker is being accused of raping an eighteen-year-old sex worker. But Abel insists he didn’t hurt the girl. Decker thinks Abel is innocent since he’s not seen Abel lose his temper once the whole time they were both in combat.
Not sure what happened here. The book was lengthy, dull and drawn out as opposed to the previous books in the series. Nevertheless, I’ll still read the next book sometime in the near future. Would recommend
A year ago Rina left Decker and moved to New York leaving Decker to make his personal choices.
Meanwhile, Abel Atwater, an old army buddy of Decker is being accused of raping an eighteen-year-old sex worker. But Abel insists he didn’t hurt the girl. Decker thinks Abel is innocent since he’s not seen Abel lose his temper once the whole time they were both in combat.
Not sure what happened here. The book was lengthy, dull and drawn out as opposed to the previous books in the series. Nevertheless, I’ll still read the next book sometime in the near future. Would recommend
June 6, 2020
Not enjoying anymore, even though I'd bought the next in the series so I feel an obligation to at least finish that one ahhahaha! I'm forcing myself to like mysteries when my track record has been quite poor with them. Perhaps I should stop giving myself such a hard time.
October 18, 2018
Two-haiku review:
Old friend arrested
Then Decker finds little girl
With blood on pjs
Parallel cases
One theme: uncontrolled anger
Look at Decker's past
Old friend arrested
Then Decker finds little girl
With blood on pjs
Parallel cases
One theme: uncontrolled anger
Look at Decker's past
October 30, 2025
Reading the series in order, love these characters!
December 20, 2025
The story lacked direction, the ending was all tangled and I didn't like it. This is the first book I read of the series. I did not enjoy it.
July 27, 2025
This one was tough for me and I just couldn't like it. I found the characters to be sexist, racist and hypocritical - even the ones who were supposed to be the most likeable. Struggling with whether to continue the series.
September 18, 2013
Detective Pete Decker finds a little girl on patrol one night, and in his quest to find out who she is and who she belongs to, uncovers a grisly quadruple murder scene.
This is a tough review to write. The overall mystery involving the little girl and the murders was good, and the only real reason I kept listening. But, and this is a big one for me, Pete Decker is a pig. He's verbally abusive to his fiancee on several occasions, and treats her like she's a little girl. "You only talk to other men if I'm with you" "You can't handle my car, take the Jeep instead, it's easier to drive" and to another detective "Don't talk like that in front of my woman. She's too good to hear that language". It was ridiculous and really hard to read. Well, hear. There were a lot of characters portrayed as really backwoods, and the n-word was sprinkled liberally throughout the story, making me cringe every time I heard it. I understand that people who think and talk like that exist, but not in my world. It's not something I hear a lot.
so far this has been my least favorite of the series. Didn't care for the Viet Nam story w/Abel.
This is a tough review to write. The overall mystery involving the little girl and the murders was good, and the only real reason I kept listening. But, and this is a big one for me, Pete Decker is a pig. He's verbally abusive to his fiancee on several occasions, and treats her like she's a little girl. "You only talk to other men if I'm with you" "You can't handle my car, take the Jeep instead, it's easier to drive" and to another detective "Don't talk like that in front of my woman. She's too good to hear that language". It was ridiculous and really hard to read. Well, hear. There were a lot of characters portrayed as really backwoods, and the n-word was sprinkled liberally throughout the story, making me cringe every time I heard it. I understand that people who think and talk like that exist, but not in my world. It's not something I hear a lot.
so far this has been my least favorite of the series. Didn't care for the Viet Nam story w/Abel.
July 15, 2014
I really liked the first book in this series. The second book wasn't as good, but I chalked that up to the audio format - sometimes a book just isn't as good in audio format if the narrator doesn't do a good job. Well, this book was on paper so I can't blame the format. Peter Decker was portrayed as a horrible, overbearing, short-tempered brute and Rina seemed to accept it much more readily than seemed realistic for her character as portrayed so far. Toward the end of the book, Peter's emotional "lapse" was explained, but it still left me wondering about these characters whom I had begun to like so much. I might give one more book a try and see if this was just a one-time thing in developing Peter's back-story. Plot-wise, the book was pretty good, but several of the characters were less than likable (bigoted and misogynistic). I hope the next book is better!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 333 reviews