Doch jeder tötet, was er liebt

Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus #8

by Faye Kellerman, Annette Meyer-Prien (Übersetzung)

Als das schönste Mädchen der Highschool ermordet aufgefunden wird, ist der Täter scheinbar schnell gefunden. Ein Mitschüler mit dunkler Vergangenheit, und den kalten Augen eines Killers. Doch noch Wochen später lässt diese leichte Lösung des Falles Detective Peter Decker keine Ruhe. Er nimmt die Nachforschungen wieder auf - und macht eine Entdeckung, die seine schlimmsten Befürchtungen übertrifft... (Klappentext)

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Jewish

511 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Faye 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.

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this installment of the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mystery series, we are introduced to recurring character Chris Whitman, son of mob boss Joseph Donatti. Hiding out from mafia life back east, Whitman attempts to blend in to life as a normal teenager yet still stands out in the crowd. Then he falls in love with his tutor even though the mob had arranged a marriage for him back home. Amidst all of this teenaged angst, on prom night Whitman's date is found strangled to death in her hotel room. Sargent Decker is called upon to investigate.
During the investigation, Decker does not see eye to eye with his Lieutenant who is pressing for Whitman to do time simply for his connections to the mob. We find, however, that Whitman is a pathological liar and the police must take everything he says cautiously. Despite evidence that a black suspect may have been involved, Lieutenant Davison does not want anymore race riots in the aftermath of Rodney King. Whitman confesses to a crime that he may or may not have done in order to get the mob and police off of his back.
Davison's investigative skills do not seem to add up for Decker, so he decides to investigate more on his own time. The second half of the book unravels layers of the case involving the mob, race relations, and tension in Decker's department. Meanwhile Rina is not involved much on this case- possibly a hangover from the last one- and is urging Peter to spend more time with the family. What ensues is a fast page turning police thriller full of twists that kept me guessing until the end.
I am looking forward to more of Decker's cases and more involvement from Rina and Rabbi Schulman because that is what enamored me to the series initially. Also, as Kellerman has revisited past cases, I would hope to see Donatti again as he is one complicated character. I am eagerly awaiting the next mystery in the series and highly recommend this series to all.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faye Kellerman is one of those writers I'd been aware of for years simply due to the number of books she'd written. I simply had never gotten around to picking one of her books up and trying it.

I picked this one up because it was used as an example in Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children a nonfiction book by her husband Jonathan Kellerman.

Otherwise I'm OCD I'd probably never picked up #8 in a series first.

This is an interesting (as advertised) character driven mystery/thriller. It's not really the style of book I generally like but it's so well written that it held my interest throughout.

I plan to go out and "start" the series and maybe read several as I've been in need of "something different" for a while.

I recommend you try these. I'm going the full 5 here. While this may not be the top of my 5 star list and probably won't be a favorite it is an excellent read. I'd say (again) try for yourself and see what you think.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly good read from start to finish. Dealing with affluent teenagers can be as frustrating as it gets, but Decker handles it well. One of his stumbling blocks though was his Lieutenant that just wanted the case solved without Decker doing his full and meticulous methods. Not as much family time for Decker in this one, but I don't have a problem with that. Two thumbs up and 4.5 stars!

From the blurb: The cruel and bizarre slaying of a beautiful teen leads Detective Decker into the dark heart of an exotic subculture: the seamy, sometimes violent world of Southern California's rootless, affluent youth. But even the confession of a disturbed kid with cold "killer eyes" cannot soothe Decker's inner torment. For he knows in his gut this crime goes much deeper and higher than anyone expects -- and that true justice, brutal and complete, has yet to be done.

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~]

DNF pg. 161

It's not surprising I didn't finish, since this is the 8th in a series that I'd never even heard of until now and definitely won't read. I only got it because it was practically for free at a Goodwill clearance center. I must have had on book blinders at the time, because I didn't realize this would be a police procedural. Silly me! I did like the storyline with Chris and Terry and would have preferred a whole book about them, even if they didn't feel quite like authentic teens (it was very difficult to find authentic fictional teens at the time this was published, even in teen fiction). Oh well, moving on to the next book, which I hopefully will finish. :P

[SA SuSu · Rating 5 out of 5]

My all time favorite book! I became emotionally attached to a character. It's another coming of age story for a late teen woman who comes from an emotionally unavailable home. And story of justice for a killer, for the victim's family, for an overlooked employee, and for a corrupt public servant. I can't say enough about how much I enjoy and in a way, depend on this book.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a actually my favourite Peter Decker book to date. The subject matter is very unsavoury and the plot very gripping, as you would expect. There are also some very unexpected twists that occur towards the end. As usual, Faye Kellerman creates an acute sense of place. The reader can feel the heat when Terry is being driven through the desert for her assignation at Piedmont and when Peter Decker and Wanda Bontemps are driving through South Central LA investigating a cold case, you actually feel you are there with them, such is Faye Kellerman's talent for creation of scene. However, this book is also a little bit different. At times, a first person narrative perspective is used, with parts of the story told from the perspective of re-occurring character Teresa McLaughlin. This obviously intersects with the main line of crime investigation, which is the murder of a young woman. I have read the Peter Decker books out of order, and have read the most recent texts first. So I was fascinated to find out Terry's back story and also to meet the notorious Christopher Donatti as an eighteen year old. Elements of this story go in a different direction from what readers normally expect from this genre and there are scenes of sexual intimacy, which echo the later books account of Gabriel Whitman's relationship with Yasmeen. It is interesting to see this surprising narrative thread in the wider contexts of the books. With this family, Kellerman does go in a different direction, embracing the seedy side of life - which is such a contrast to Decker's own wholesome lifestyle and functional relationship with Rina. This is very interesting as it gives a crime fiction novel extra depth and dimension. Also - and this I feel is a real triumph for Kellerman, through her creation of Christopher Donatti, she creates a wicked, deeply disturbed character, who I find weirdly likable and charismatic. So nothing is clear and our knowledge and principals are constantly challenged in a low grade and thoughtful way. The title of the novel is also very interesting - as is the character development of Wanda Bontemps. An excellent book, with an eerie free-standing sentence to end. Excellent employment of slightly different ingredients not normally associated with crime - thoughtful, well written and generally fab!!

[Sherri F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 to 3 stars and only reason that much was b/c the last quarter (2-3 hrs) redeemed itself, but through the first 9-10 hrs I had planned on giving it 2 or less. This is #8 in Decker/Lazarus series (& my 10th read) and one of my favorite crime duo and def fav. m/f duo, but the majority of this one was by far the worst in series. Although I missed Decker's partner, Marge, I could get past that and still even though Rina was barely in this installment, BUT most of the 1st quarter were two teens (or supposed teens) strange relationship & narration and the teen dialogue was terrible. Also, in the first part Decker wasn't Decker, either he was having a mid-life crisis or out-of-body experience and was just mean and different. Since the book is 20 yrs old, I did internet search to see if this one was ghostwritten or someone else helped b/c didn't seem like Faye Kellerman's work in this series in the previous 9 books I've read. I the concept or storyline was good but just how it was delivered wasn't good then it slowly eased into the style I was used to & even Peter eased back into his former self. Possibly if I picked the book up cold, it might have been ok BUT b/c it just was so far from what I was expecting, it was so disappointing. I wanted to rush through it to get it over with, which turned out better b/c the ending was better, and so I could get to next in series (sooner than usual) so I can the flavor of this out of my mouth (and mind).

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading this series in order, and I liked this one least of all of them. I'll read one more to see if I'll go further with the series.
The interaction between Decker and his wife was limited, so that part of the "human interest" was lacking. Worst, to me, were the totally unbelievable characters. I see other people liked the them; not I. An 18-year-old cello virtuoso who's a mafia hitman? Really now, how believable is that? And who didn't figure out he was a hitman shortly after meeting him? In the end, the storyline got better, making me want to finish it, when Decker discovers an older crime with the same pattern.

[Jenene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy reading this series and will continue to do so. I liked the mystery and it held my attention to the end. I was less impressed with the attempt by the author to write the way she thinks Black people speak. I found the main character interesting but a bit up and down and way off towards the end.

[Alf Goodall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still haven't figured our how the beginning of the book relates to the rest of it except to introduce us to a serial rapist in New York. The book however deals with characters based in LA. Decker is his usual self, hard working, neglecting everything in order to solve a crime. Some interesting twists that lead to the real killer (or do they?).

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best of the series so far. More police work than family in this one and it makes it a better read. Don't want to see the family go but just a bit less.

[EssentiallyMeagan]

I really didn't like this book. The plot was all over the place and I found Decker to be really unlikable throughout the whole book.

[Techlady · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read some of the books in the series before and after this one. But this one left me with a little “cringy feeling”. The situations these kids were in made me think they were in college. The “ethnic” voices and word choices were for lack of a better word, flat and stereotypical….I may be able to forgive that since this book was done in 1996 (but should I really have to?) Storyline at first was a tad confusing (east coast vs west coast), but it got worked out. All in all, I like this series….but Justice didn’t do itself justice.

[Linda Power · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good page turner. Liked the break from Orthodox Judaism and more police work. Still involved family, but on a lesser level. Decker is promoted to Lieutenant and has a good team behind him. The story involves murder, teenagers, drugs..... Chris Whitman is a very interesting character. See if he reappears in future books.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good read with some really interesting characters. I hope we get to see more of Terry in the future. As for the mystery, parts of it were obvious from the start and parts were never fully answered. A bit more of a resolution would have been nice but it still had an interesting ending.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I Gave the book just ok because i thought too much graphic scenes. i liked the story of decker and his wife. didnt follow through with story of his daughter. i gave just ok because i like police stories and procedures.

[Laura Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book of the Peter Decker series the emphasis is on the mystery and the characters involved in the murder. Peter struggles with his boss, his time at home, worry about his daughter and it all makes for a very real, enjoyable read. I am just loving this series.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faye Kellerman creates an enigmatic character with Christopher Whitman, a cello player and good looking guy, who just happens to be the nephew of a Mob boss, Joey Donatti. Chris is a suspect in the murder of his date on Prom Night, and because he has mob ties, is the immediate suspect. Chris is already engaged to a woman he can't stand to make peace between warring mob families. He is in love with Terry, a beautiful, smart and innocent girl. So he has a kind of Madonna/Whore thing going on. But did he really murder his date? And what about Terry? She's clearly in way over her head.

I like the dynamic between Orthodox Jew Rina and her Policeman husband Peter, and have learned a lot about the faith through these books. Her characters are well drawn, and Peter is a nice guy with a sharp mind, who always examines ethics in his cases, having joined Rina's religion in order to marry her. They both have children from prior marriages, so have all those challenges too.

The series is a good one, just as Kellerman's husband Jonathans are.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not up to this authors usual standards, in my opinion. Extremely graphic~unnecessarily so. I guess what I enjoy so much about the other books in this series is the descriptions of the culture and beliefs of Orthodox Jews. I'm a Christian, but I always feel that learning about the Jewish faith tells me more about the history of my own, since Jesus was a Jew.
I enjoy reading about Decker and Rina's family life, too.
However, Justice had little or no information about Decker's faith, or his family life. I missed that.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good read. I will say it was not a page turner but I found myself intrigued by the story line. The characters were interesting especially one of the main one, Christopher Whitman. I think I wanted to know more about him because he was such an interesting guy. This book was not a page turner because I thought it was predictable and kept turning pages hoping for a bit more. However I did like the way the ending worked for all the police characters involved. Would recommend.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just barely two stars. This was nowhere near the quality of her other books in this series. No focus at all on Peter and Rina or on their religious life. The latter really disappointed me, as Kellerman's usual focus on Orthodox Judaism is usually so interesting - and educational too! Very little suspense and not much thrill either, unless you count the gratuitous sex scenes, which were really over the top. Very disappointing.

[Dorothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this was my first book by Faye Kellerman. Although I thought the book was ok I felt it took the long route to getting us to answers (I think answers) and once there it was a little anticlimactic. I thought the whole thing was a little anticlimactic. Intriguing enough story but just mehhhhh. I will try some of her other books though.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It was dark & mysterious and took a turn at the end that I did not expect. Christoper Whitman/Donatti was pure evil even though I wanted him to be the nice guy that Terry thought he was. This was the 2nd time I read this book and liked it even more the second time.

[Priya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Major part of the book was on teenage love and the police investigation was disastrous. If this is how Decker goes about his work I wonder how he became a detective. Only the last part of the book salvaged the story. Too long for its own good.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite of the Decker/Lazarus series.

[Bonnie Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Chris, thought he was superbly drawn and was thrilled to discover, in later books, that he (and Terry) became recurring characters.

[Abra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read 3/23/13; re-read again 2/17/16

[Michelle Lemay santiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite in the series so far. Could not put it down! Wish I could give more stars

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one in the series, especially as I've read some out of order. It explains Chris Donatti and his relationship with Deckard, and explains so much of what happens in the later books.