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Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus #20
Blood Games
The twentieth book in the hugely popular Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series from New York Times bestselling author Faye Kellerman When fifteen-year-old Gregory Hesse is found dead, a single gunshot to his head, it appears to be a tragic suicide. But his mother refuses to accept the verdict and pleads for a police inquiry. Detective Peter Decker of the LAPD, working the case, knows only too well what secret lives teenagers live. He and his wife Rina have recently become responsible for Gabe Whitman, an enigmatic and gifted teen, whose parents abandoned him. Just weeks later, a sixteen-year-old girl enrolled at the same exclusive high school as Gregory commits suicide. Decker’s probe into the lives of these privileged teenagers, uncovers a dark trail of twisted allegiances and unholy alliances. With the return of Gabe’s father, former hit-man Chris Donnatti, the case takes an even more sinister turn…
432 pages, ebook
First published January 3, 2012
851 people are currently reading
2413 people want to read
About the author
Faye Kellerman
179 books2,022 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 621 reviews
February 26, 2018
My February month of mysteries is winding down with one special buddy read left to go. More on that later. I will be happy in a few days time to finally turn the calendar to March. March means daylight savings time, baseball, and spring. I do have one or two mysteries planned in March because I have noticed this month how much I turn to the genre in busier times, not just as a palette cleanser. On that note, I am eagerly awaiting Faye Kellerman's latest chapter in the Decker and Lazarus series due out sometime in August. I had caught up with the series albeit with a few gaps, and, as the last installment gave us the Deckers at their finest, I decided to go ahead and read the succeeding book to fill in the final book that I hadn't discovered yet.
At the end of Hangman, Lieutenant Peter Decker had just turned sixty and was about to become a grandfather for the first time. His daughter Hannah was on the verge of leaving for college, leaving the Deckers as empty nesters and pondering their retirement years. In Yiddish there is a saying that "when man plans, G-d laughs," and this is exactly what occurs, as the one and only Chris Donatti leaves his teenaged son Gabriel in the Deckers' care. With a troubled fifteen year old at home, Peter and Rina can forget about retirement at least in the present, and it is through Gabriel's point of view that Kellerman begins Gun Games, the twentieth installment of her Decker and Lazarus series.
Gabriel Whitman is a piano prodigy and a horrible liar but he is still Chris Donatti's son. He uses this to his advantage when he comes across a gang of suspicious characters at a local Starbucks. Thinking he is out of harm's way, he continues with his relatively peaceful, stable life at the Deckers, being homeschooled while taking private piano lessons at USC. On a pace to attend Julliard Conservatory within the year, Whitman appears to be in a much better place than he would have been living in Donatti's home. That is until, two teenagers at one nearby school commit suicide within a month's span, and Decker advises Gabriel to steer clear of all shady characters because at the end of the day, he is still Donatti's son.
While Decker and his top detectives Dunn and Oliver attempt to unravel these supposed suicides, both committed with stolen guns, Whitman takes solace in his music, especially Chopin who he enjoys playing the most. One morning at a local coffee shop, he meets Yasmin Nourmand, a Persian Jew who happens to recognize him. One thing leads to another, and the two attend the opera together and fall madly in love as only teenagers can. Coming from distinct backgrounds, their relationship is largely secretive and could never work, until it does. Many goodreads users critiqued this plot development as focusing too much on teen romance rather than the detective work. With Decker clearly headed toward retirement, I felt that new, younger characters with a a bright future ahead of them breathed new life into this series. I can only hope that these youngsters become recurring characters in later cases, and perhaps have another installment focus on them and what their interracial, mixed religion backgrounds means for their relationship going forward.
Kellerman also brings the real issue of rich and privileged teenagers having access to guns and drugs to the forefront in this case. I kept thinking to myself where were the parents who allowed a large group of students at a school to reinvent themselves as a mafia. Gabriel Whitman, despite being Chris Donatti's son, is in a much better place living in the Deckers' care than the teens engaging in gun games for fun. Donatti does make appearances in this novel, as to be expected, and that can only be positive as he creepy and is actually the good guy here as he attempts to foster a better relationship with his son, albeit from a distance.
To date, Kellerman is working on that latest installment of Decker, Lazarus, family, and friends, and I can't wait to see where she will take readers this time around. With Gun Games, I have now filled in the rest of the gaps in the series, so I will have to go back and reread some of my favorites, and I have some new series I would like to try. Yet, with February finally ending, I can move toward other genres and hope that winter is over, and with it, a positive frame of mind for reading. In the meantime, it is always time well spent to spend time with my old friends, the Deckers, and I look forward to spending more time with them in the future.
3.5 stars
At the end of Hangman, Lieutenant Peter Decker had just turned sixty and was about to become a grandfather for the first time. His daughter Hannah was on the verge of leaving for college, leaving the Deckers as empty nesters and pondering their retirement years. In Yiddish there is a saying that "when man plans, G-d laughs," and this is exactly what occurs, as the one and only Chris Donatti leaves his teenaged son Gabriel in the Deckers' care. With a troubled fifteen year old at home, Peter and Rina can forget about retirement at least in the present, and it is through Gabriel's point of view that Kellerman begins Gun Games, the twentieth installment of her Decker and Lazarus series.
Gabriel Whitman is a piano prodigy and a horrible liar but he is still Chris Donatti's son. He uses this to his advantage when he comes across a gang of suspicious characters at a local Starbucks. Thinking he is out of harm's way, he continues with his relatively peaceful, stable life at the Deckers, being homeschooled while taking private piano lessons at USC. On a pace to attend Julliard Conservatory within the year, Whitman appears to be in a much better place than he would have been living in Donatti's home. That is until, two teenagers at one nearby school commit suicide within a month's span, and Decker advises Gabriel to steer clear of all shady characters because at the end of the day, he is still Donatti's son.
While Decker and his top detectives Dunn and Oliver attempt to unravel these supposed suicides, both committed with stolen guns, Whitman takes solace in his music, especially Chopin who he enjoys playing the most. One morning at a local coffee shop, he meets Yasmin Nourmand, a Persian Jew who happens to recognize him. One thing leads to another, and the two attend the opera together and fall madly in love as only teenagers can. Coming from distinct backgrounds, their relationship is largely secretive and could never work, until it does. Many goodreads users critiqued this plot development as focusing too much on teen romance rather than the detective work. With Decker clearly headed toward retirement, I felt that new, younger characters with a a bright future ahead of them breathed new life into this series. I can only hope that these youngsters become recurring characters in later cases, and perhaps have another installment focus on them and what their interracial, mixed religion backgrounds means for their relationship going forward.
Kellerman also brings the real issue of rich and privileged teenagers having access to guns and drugs to the forefront in this case. I kept thinking to myself where were the parents who allowed a large group of students at a school to reinvent themselves as a mafia. Gabriel Whitman, despite being Chris Donatti's son, is in a much better place living in the Deckers' care than the teens engaging in gun games for fun. Donatti does make appearances in this novel, as to be expected, and that can only be positive as he creepy and is actually the good guy here as he attempts to foster a better relationship with his son, albeit from a distance.
To date, Kellerman is working on that latest installment of Decker, Lazarus, family, and friends, and I can't wait to see where she will take readers this time around. With Gun Games, I have now filled in the rest of the gaps in the series, so I will have to go back and reread some of my favorites, and I have some new series I would like to try. Yet, with February finally ending, I can move toward other genres and hope that winter is over, and with it, a positive frame of mind for reading. In the meantime, it is always time well spent to spend time with my old friends, the Deckers, and I look forward to spending more time with them in the future.
3.5 stars
February 1, 2012
When I pick up a Decker/Lazarus book, I expect to find them to be the subject of it. They were barely in this one. First of all, Pete and Rina really took a back seat in this one and the story suffered for it. Second of all, I have about zero interest in reading about a 14 year old girl and a 15 year old boy's love affair. Frankly, some of the scenes were soft core porn and I was very uncomfortable. There is nothing appealing about a boy having sex with a girl that he's unsure of whether she's been through puberty or not. Yuck. Get me get to a shower.
In fact, I found the entire book uncomfortable. It is a strain for me to read text language. I do not understand why it's easier to type "w8t" than "wait" of "4" instead of "for". I shudder to think of literacy in the future. I didn't like the Mafia story. I didn't like not finding out about Myra Gelb's suicide. I didn't like how the father evened the score on Dylan. There were no real likable characters.
When I first started reading this series in the "Ritual Bath", I was fascinated in learning a little about the life of an orthodox Jew. I enoyed the sweet story of Pete and Rina's budding romance. I loved Rina's moral fiber. Somehow we got to this book where Rina simply makes and brings sandwiches to Decker at work and Pete oversees everyone else's work. I am truly disappointed.
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In fact, I found the entire book uncomfortable. It is a strain for me to read text language. I do not understand why it's easier to type "w8t" than "wait" of "4" instead of "for". I shudder to think of literacy in the future. I didn't like the Mafia story. I didn't like not finding out about Myra Gelb's suicide. I didn't like how the father evened the score on Dylan. There were no real likable characters.
When I first started reading this series in the "Ritual Bath", I was fascinated in learning a little about the life of an orthodox Jew. I enoyed the sweet story of Pete and Rina's budding romance. I loved Rina's moral fiber. Somehow we got to this book where Rina simply makes and brings sandwiches to Decker at work and Pete oversees everyone else's work. I am truly disappointed.
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July 8, 2012
I have no interest in teen age romance. If I wanted teen romance I would read Twilight. I sure as hell have no interest in a 15 year old's boners nor do I have interest in a 14 year old girl who is so insecure she will put out for no reason even though she is obviously not enjoying it. The poor girl seems to have no sense of self. Can I jerk you off? What about asking him to reciprocate? They do tell girls about orgasms in sex ed. I expected more from a woman who created Rina Lazarus and Cindy Decker. The character of Yasmine as well as the mom made me wonder if Ms. Kellerman doesn't like Persians. None of the other teen characters - the 2 boys or Hannah's private lives were never featured in this way. One of the boys had problems - he did drugs, admitted to having sex and got bad grades but her was never a caricature like poor Yasmine.
I am also sick to of the Donattis. They are not interesting. We have a criminal, a weak woman who can't leave her husband until she gets knocked up then abandons her very weird son.
Then we more or less have Chris Donatti's story redone at a prep school... yawn.
I won't even go into the ending.... URGH ! I hope we are done with the Donatti's. If not see Yasmine as Stupid Terry 2.
ETA: Lowered to 1 star upon further consideration.
I am also sick to of the Donattis. They are not interesting. We have a criminal, a weak woman who can't leave her husband until she gets knocked up then abandons her very weird son.
Then we more or less have Chris Donatti's story redone at a prep school... yawn.
I won't even go into the ending.... URGH ! I hope we are done with the Donatti's. If not see Yasmine as Stupid Terry 2.
ETA: Lowered to 1 star upon further consideration.
January 14, 2012
The major plot lines were definitely standard Faye Kellerman; they could have merited four stars had her writing on this one not been so lackluster. I felt like a quarter of the book was text conversations, and a third was teenage sex. I'll be honest; none of the Donetti-centered books are my favorites in the series. But this time, Rina's gentle wit was almost absent, Decker seemed to have lost his spark, and the squadroom wit and fun was noticeably absent. There was hardly even much food talk. ;) It felt so phoned in, it made me wonder if Ms. Kellerman shouldn't move on from this series, much as I love it and profitable as I'm sure it is, and do something that interests her more. I would honestly have considered three stars, though, were it not for the abysmal editing/proofreading errors. I know copy editing is becoming a lost art, but seriously! Errors like "need" for "knead" are simply not acceptable from a major publisher, and I counted at least five such errors (yes, I kept count-that's how bad they were.) In addition, having to read large passages of "txt spk" is bad enough without it being misspelled in ways that lead to stopping to figure out what the author is going for! "Great" was constantly rendered as "g8" (and a few times the egregious "g8t") rather than "gr8" so I kept having to reread passages to consciously sub in "great" for what read as "gate." Ms. Kellerman's lack of knowledge of texting was further apparent in the instances where characters ended a text conversation. One may turn off one's phone or one's ringer for the night; one does not "sign off" a text conversation! "Write what you know" may need to be an adage for her to revisit.
So, four stars for plot, three for characterization, two for writing, one for the editing. Sorry, Ms. Kellerman, I love most of your Decker series, but if you write another like this, I'll sadly be in no hurry to pick it up. Please, return to your earlier standard of writing (and demand better of your proofreaders!)
So, four stars for plot, three for characterization, two for writing, one for the editing. Sorry, Ms. Kellerman, I love most of your Decker series, but if you write another like this, I'll sadly be in no hurry to pick it up. Please, return to your earlier standard of writing (and demand better of your proofreaders!)
January 13, 2012
This is one of my favorite detective series, and Faye Kellerman did not disappoint with this book. In the last book she brought in the new character Gabe, and she did a great job developing him in this installment. It is a fast-paced, but also personal story. I am anticipating the next book to see what she has in store for her newest characters, and the old ones too!
December 21, 2012
I was frankly disapinted in this novel and decided I had to write about the Lazarus/
This may the worst of her latest novels yet! If I want to read teenage angst and prblems- and I really do not tp be honest. When I was younger and
that age, sure. However, this narrative does NOTHING for people who have followed the Lazarus/Decker family and now its additional teens. What I DO want to know
is how Hannah is and where she is. Yes, I KNOW she is at university and seems to be the goody two shoes she always is but no one is that well behaved and why are there never any major issues
with her? I do not suggest she cannot possibly be a truly wonderful kid but we, the readers, have little notiomn of who she has become as she grows up. Does she debate with her dad about
guys he may not like? He have Cindy a tough time but Hannah Rosie, as is fairly usual actually is truly a Jewish Prncess who can do not wrong. So why do we have to add someone else's teenage angst and
major problems? Plus, his mother has been the excellent mother and now SHE - after obtaining her medical degree and supposedly maturing more than she already had- which was beyomd her years - and has become this
witch for a mother , in the sense she just takes off. No matter what kind of issues she is coping with, this is not Terri at all, at all! If so, why do they not find help for her? She sounds as though SHE needs a psychiatrist or
someone as she engages in activity denied to her as a teenager and med student who was so good all the time. Something is just off with that. In a sensr, she did misbehave b y dating the son
of a mobster so she was not perfect either. Yet with all she had to cope with, she never gave up and now she is giving up on her son or so it seems. Whar gives Dr. K? I do not understand!
What I want to know- as do many of my non Jewish friends of all ages because I am by no means a teenager any more (!!) - is how she manages to live as an Orthodox Jew in her neighbourhood. Yes, it might be easier than where I reside and we constitute 0ne per cent of the population. But there are always issues as we learned when Rina lived in what was referred to by less well informed people as "Jewtown". There are vahue references to Peter the Rabbi by the police and all in good nature comments from people about his wife's great cooking (I really wish Rina would have a role that stands out more and where she defers less to others and actually demponstrates that strength she displayed in the first book. I think it in IN there but she seems not at all the same character and less assertive and even somewhat like a teen herself in how she relates to Peter who is a good guy but has that occupational hazard of being in a position whee people obey his orders and for some reason - and he may not even be aware of this but is it meant to drive readers , especially women who like her, to levels of frustration? Do not sneak around Rina - stand up to him. Debate and argue!
This book is for me the icing on that cake that has lost its original taste, of Rina must define herself as a cook and holding a typical nurturing job, ie teacher. We never even see her in her work or even in lectures at the shul. That would so enhance the novels and really help others understand the kind of Temples we have and what we do and provide a service as well as offer a mystery , the sort which are becoming, alas, cozier by the book!
I read these books to hopefully enjoy a police procedural interlaced with some Orthodox Jewish life so that I know I am not alone and to see someone with my religious background engaged in adventure. Instead, the main female character has become more of a stay at home mom , part time teacher though we have no clue how she handles that or even how she teaches and interacts with others at work. There is an inequality here and Rina while involved tends to have to help as an afterthought or by sneaking around like one of the kids. There are enough people in that family to be nvolved in lots of adventures- the guys, Cindy and her new family and of course Hannah who has never for example been involved Cindy like in shootings, school problems or coping with those bullies whpo will always exist and opt to yell at her due to her religion. It happens little where I live but I know I am fortunate and that I also do not hear everything that is said. So, real life would be wonderful to read in these books. Please Dr. Faye, bring back the Rina we all came to know , introduce some of her friends at the Temple - hav e a book perhaos about the Shoah. There are allusions to the losses of the Elias family but the details (not I know all that uncommon) are sketchy. There WAS one where a teen pondered his grandparent but what if Rina's parents see one of the guards from whatever camp they were at or one of their friends does. Very few books incolbing Jewish families discuss what it is like for elderly survivors - hearing German, loud noises, showers, seeing large barking dogs, any kind of selection, train rides...the list is long. We know little about Rina's parents. Why is that? And why is it that Peter just coincidentally meets his biologicaql mom on a visit to not the Borcht belt exactly but the towns not far from it. I know as the granddaughter of a Manhattan physician who helped liberate a camp , himself a Jewish member and though deceaesed now, he never got over that. And my Israeli relatives are more assertive and why is that? There are references to Israel - these are books that can help the discouraging role ascribed to Israel and its leaders lately. Maybe Sammy can meet a Sabra? A kibbutzim Sabra meeting Rina would be one book I would pay EXTRA to read!! Providing we get the real Rina back!
I do like the books and I am glad the Kellermans- all of you are there - but please, less schmaltz and more mentsh. Thanks and keep writing these books.
siobhancohen@gmail.com
This may the worst of her latest novels yet! If I want to read teenage angst and prblems- and I really do not tp be honest. When I was younger and
that age, sure. However, this narrative does NOTHING for people who have followed the Lazarus/Decker family and now its additional teens. What I DO want to know
is how Hannah is and where she is. Yes, I KNOW she is at university and seems to be the goody two shoes she always is but no one is that well behaved and why are there never any major issues
with her? I do not suggest she cannot possibly be a truly wonderful kid but we, the readers, have little notiomn of who she has become as she grows up. Does she debate with her dad about
guys he may not like? He have Cindy a tough time but Hannah Rosie, as is fairly usual actually is truly a Jewish Prncess who can do not wrong. So why do we have to add someone else's teenage angst and
major problems? Plus, his mother has been the excellent mother and now SHE - after obtaining her medical degree and supposedly maturing more than she already had- which was beyomd her years - and has become this
witch for a mother , in the sense she just takes off. No matter what kind of issues she is coping with, this is not Terri at all, at all! If so, why do they not find help for her? She sounds as though SHE needs a psychiatrist or
someone as she engages in activity denied to her as a teenager and med student who was so good all the time. Something is just off with that. In a sensr, she did misbehave b y dating the son
of a mobster so she was not perfect either. Yet with all she had to cope with, she never gave up and now she is giving up on her son or so it seems. Whar gives Dr. K? I do not understand!
What I want to know- as do many of my non Jewish friends of all ages because I am by no means a teenager any more (!!) - is how she manages to live as an Orthodox Jew in her neighbourhood. Yes, it might be easier than where I reside and we constitute 0ne per cent of the population. But there are always issues as we learned when Rina lived in what was referred to by less well informed people as "Jewtown". There are vahue references to Peter the Rabbi by the police and all in good nature comments from people about his wife's great cooking (I really wish Rina would have a role that stands out more and where she defers less to others and actually demponstrates that strength she displayed in the first book. I think it in IN there but she seems not at all the same character and less assertive and even somewhat like a teen herself in how she relates to Peter who is a good guy but has that occupational hazard of being in a position whee people obey his orders and for some reason - and he may not even be aware of this but is it meant to drive readers , especially women who like her, to levels of frustration? Do not sneak around Rina - stand up to him. Debate and argue!
This book is for me the icing on that cake that has lost its original taste, of Rina must define herself as a cook and holding a typical nurturing job, ie teacher. We never even see her in her work or even in lectures at the shul. That would so enhance the novels and really help others understand the kind of Temples we have and what we do and provide a service as well as offer a mystery , the sort which are becoming, alas, cozier by the book!
I read these books to hopefully enjoy a police procedural interlaced with some Orthodox Jewish life so that I know I am not alone and to see someone with my religious background engaged in adventure. Instead, the main female character has become more of a stay at home mom , part time teacher though we have no clue how she handles that or even how she teaches and interacts with others at work. There is an inequality here and Rina while involved tends to have to help as an afterthought or by sneaking around like one of the kids. There are enough people in that family to be nvolved in lots of adventures- the guys, Cindy and her new family and of course Hannah who has never for example been involved Cindy like in shootings, school problems or coping with those bullies whpo will always exist and opt to yell at her due to her religion. It happens little where I live but I know I am fortunate and that I also do not hear everything that is said. So, real life would be wonderful to read in these books. Please Dr. Faye, bring back the Rina we all came to know , introduce some of her friends at the Temple - hav e a book perhaos about the Shoah. There are allusions to the losses of the Elias family but the details (not I know all that uncommon) are sketchy. There WAS one where a teen pondered his grandparent but what if Rina's parents see one of the guards from whatever camp they were at or one of their friends does. Very few books incolbing Jewish families discuss what it is like for elderly survivors - hearing German, loud noises, showers, seeing large barking dogs, any kind of selection, train rides...the list is long. We know little about Rina's parents. Why is that? And why is it that Peter just coincidentally meets his biologicaql mom on a visit to not the Borcht belt exactly but the towns not far from it. I know as the granddaughter of a Manhattan physician who helped liberate a camp , himself a Jewish member and though deceaesed now, he never got over that. And my Israeli relatives are more assertive and why is that? There are references to Israel - these are books that can help the discouraging role ascribed to Israel and its leaders lately. Maybe Sammy can meet a Sabra? A kibbutzim Sabra meeting Rina would be one book I would pay EXTRA to read!! Providing we get the real Rina back!
I do like the books and I am glad the Kellermans- all of you are there - but please, less schmaltz and more mentsh. Thanks and keep writing these books.
siobhancohen@gmail.com
January 18, 2012
I started reading Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series way back in 1986 when it first started. I haven't kept up with the last three or four books, so I thought I would pick up Gun Games, the 20th entry in this long running series.
Lieutenant Decker is petitioned by a distraught mother to investigate her son's death. It has been ruled a suicide, but she can't accept it. Decker agrees - and finds that her mother's instincts may be right. When another student at the same school also kills themself, a full scale investigation is launched.
Rina and Peter have taken in 15 yr. old Gabe as a foster child. He comes from a troubled background, but is having success as a talented pianist. He runs into a group of teens who are looking for trouble, but escapes unscathed - this time. Gabe also meets a family acquaintance of the Deckers - 14 yr. old Yasmine.
I have always enjoyed the personal interaction between Rina and Peter in this series. Their home life, learning of their Jewish faith, description of food, Rina's gentle nature and Peter's gruff competence. The supporting cops on Decker's team - Marge and Oliver are characters I've enjoyed following as well. Sadly, there is little of this in Gun Games. Rather we are forced to endure endless pages of texting between Gabe and Yasmine. Their undying love for each other. Promise? Poor Gabe's sexual frustration. Gabe's deflowering of Jasmine.Yeah, I know - I felt like I was in a (bad) YA novel.
I found myself skipping pages of italicized texting and moony phone calls to try and get back to Decker and his case - which ended up playing a sad second fiddle to Gabe and his libido. The police work seemed lackluster, only hitting some sort of action at the end, when a list of names and assignments is given (over and over again) in a ten page flurry.
A reference to a previous case involving New Mexico is introduced early in the book, ignored and brought back in the last few pages. It added nothing to the book except as a possible set up for book 21.
I was disappointed with Gun Games - Kellerman jumped the shark on this one. It just might be time for Decker to retire
January 31, 2012
I liked this enough to finish it, and the basic concept was fine, and held my attention. I have two main issues with the book-- okay, three. The first is that two plot lines, a police inquiry and a personal one, combine into one. Not sure how probable that is, and it was a little too tidy for me. Secondly, I never really got how one of the main characters, a fifteen-year-old, came to be in the home of a police officer in an unofficial fostering capacity, when his father is a "bad guy." (Maybe this was covered, but I missed it, or was covered in a previous book?) But the third issue is the main reason I would not recommend this book to anyone else. This book is quite graphic when it comes to sex, which is not necessarily a deal breaker for me per se, however, all of the sex in question (or sexual acts) involved teenagers. As a parent and former teacher, and simply as an adult, this kind of creeped me out. I understand and accept that teenagers have sex, but I don't want to read pages of writing about it. Especially when one of them is described as thirteen, but one who looks to be ten. I might understand it more if this was a YA book or targeted to that age group in some way, but that is not the case. Just found it odd that the minors in question were treated as older than they were. It seemed that too much effort was spent trying to shock, and not enough spent developing characters and plausible story lines.
May 24, 2012
Huge disappointment. This book focuses on Gabe Whitman, the teenager who isliving with the Deckers. Gabe's father is Chris Donatti, a mafia guy, and a recurring character in this series. Much of the book is about the love story between Gabe and Yasmine, a young Persian Jewish girl. They are brought together by their love of music.
The mystery resolves around two teen suicides at a prestigious private high school. Besides having to suffer through pages of "text billet doux" between Gabe and Yasmine, the story just doesn't hold up. Since I didn't read the Twilight books, I have no idea whether this was Kellerman's, or her publishers attempt to attract that very lucrative audience.
Whatever.
For someone who has been reading these books for a long time, this feels like it was written by someone who doesn't know, or care, about her characters. Save yourself a few hours, pass on this one.
The mystery resolves around two teen suicides at a prestigious private high school. Besides having to suffer through pages of "text billet doux" between Gabe and Yasmine, the story just doesn't hold up. Since I didn't read the Twilight books, I have no idea whether this was Kellerman's, or her publishers attempt to attract that very lucrative audience.
Whatever.
For someone who has been reading these books for a long time, this feels like it was written by someone who doesn't know, or care, about her characters. Save yourself a few hours, pass on this one.
January 26, 2012
Having read this series for many years I have to say that I was a little disappointed with this one. I did like the main storyline but I felt that Kellerman trying to write dialogue for a fourteen year old boy was less than successful. I did, however, like catching up with the Decker family, but don't like the Dionati family novels quite as well.
October 19, 2012
I like Fay Kellerman's writing and her creation of Rina and Peter Decker. In this next installment of the series, the Decker's have invited Gabe, a 15-year-old piano prodigy, to live with them because his father is a sociopath and his mother has disappeared (see Hangman for that story.) When a teenager in the community commits suicide, Lieutenant Decker is guilt-tripped into checking into it by the mother who can't believe her son would do that. And so we are introduced into the world of high school cliques and teenage boys--horny and crude, experimenting with drugs, pornography, guns, and violence, and playing games of one-up-manship. Gabe is more worldly wise than that but he is lonely and when he meets Yasmine, a 14-year-old Jewish Persian girl, he falls in love and our story becomes a romance in tandem with a murder investigation when another teen commits suicide and the police find too many parallels and unexplained details. I'd give the story four-stars for the plot and tension but I don't recommend reading it because of the graphic sexual details of Gabe and Yasmine's romance. The premise is that making out, petting, and premarital sex -- if you are "in love" -- is the norm. Even given that, I could have done without the graphic details, although perhaps Kellerman felt that it was necessary for realism and developing the kids' romance. The book paints a picture of high school life that is pretty awful if you are an outcast and a target, and otherwise full of the "normal" experimentation with drugs and sex along with school work and friendships. I think the book's title might more descriptively have been Sex and Drug Games. I hate the thought that high school life might be like this now.
March 5, 2018
This was the worst book by Faye Kellerman. Ever. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Is the book about Decker and Rina anymore or really about Gabriel Whitman? You know a series has run its course when it starts relying on superfluous characters to flesh out a story. This was below Kellerman's talents as an author and to see this plot developed in a book in conjunction with characters I have loved since I was in college is tasteless and demeaning to fans of the series and to Ms. Kellerman herself.
The plot was derivative and the ridiculous love affair between Gabriel and Yasmine was gross, poorly written and contrived. Every time the characters came up on the page, I cringed with horror at having to read the sappy love talk between the both of them, none of which is true to real life. Kids, no matter what age, do not speak like that to their boyfriends or girlfriends. And if they do, then I'm glad I'm no longer that age.
Don't waste your time reading this book. Do something useful like wash your hair or construct the Eiffel Tower out of empty milk cartons or bash your head repeatedly with this book for having read it in the first place and wasting three days of your life you will never get back.
If you think this book was good, then you really are a cuckoo bird.
The plot was derivative and the ridiculous love affair between Gabriel and Yasmine was gross, poorly written and contrived. Every time the characters came up on the page, I cringed with horror at having to read the sappy love talk between the both of them, none of which is true to real life. Kids, no matter what age, do not speak like that to their boyfriends or girlfriends. And if they do, then I'm glad I'm no longer that age.
Don't waste your time reading this book. Do something useful like wash your hair or construct the Eiffel Tower out of empty milk cartons or bash your head repeatedly with this book for having read it in the first place and wasting three days of your life you will never get back.
If you think this book was good, then you really are a cuckoo bird.
March 11, 2016
Standard Faye Kellerman fare - good plot, good characters, but if you haven't read a few previous earlier books to this one you might feel a bit lost. I had and it had been a while, and I was a tad frustrated with the hazy back story which kept encroaching on the main one with insufficient details until near the end of the book. By then, I had remembered the previous novel too, so that may have had a lot to do with it. But hey, for a goy like me, I always appreciate the Orthodox Jewish traditions and descriptions of the food as we follow Peter Dexter on his journey to solve his latest mystery.
July 30, 2017
2.5 aunque la idea es buena, hubieron muchas cosas que no me convencieron... además lo leí justo después de haber terminado una novela de Karin Slaughter, autora que sin duda es la reina del thriller.
July 24, 2020
I didn't enjoy the teenage angst in this one... Felt like it was a little overdone but the ending was amazing and made up for that
January 12, 2012
Gun Games is my first Faye Kellerman novel. I have meant to read her for years. I have read her husband and have even read her son, but for some reason haven't read her. I use to have this thing where I had to start the series from the beginning, but I have finally gotten over that. Yes you do miss character growth and some background, but I've found a lot of these suspense series, each book stands on it's own and that's how I feel about Gun Games. It's the 20th novel in the Rina and Peter Decker series and as I stated before the first I have read.
Gun Games seems to center around two separate stories, Gabe, the foster son that Pete and Rina are keeping who is a piano prodigy is the center of one of the stories. He meets a girl who is a year younger and is a Persian Jew. Gabe is white and not a Jew at all. A romance ensues secretly. Gabe keeps up his piano studies and is trying to decide what to do with his life. All-in-all I really enjoyed this story line. I liked Gabe and Yasmine. They were cute and sweet and everything young love is when you are 15 and 14.
The second story centers around a suicide that Pete and his detectives have been asked to look into at an exclusive private school. The mom just doesn't think her son could have committed suicide. Crazy things start showing up. I really enjoyed this storyline. The detective work and the way things unfolded really made the story. And I always enjoy reading about exclusive prep or boarding schools.
And then the storylines intersect like you would not believe and I won't give anything more away. But thing go completely crazy. If you think you couldn't put the book down before this point, there is no way you are putting it down after this point.
I think Ms. Kellerman does an excellent job creating believable characters and scary characters. She interweaves a plot that is so crazy that it is believable. I was enthralled. It's one of those books that is so calm and easy going in the beginning that it sucks you in and before you know it you just cannot put it down.
Overall I think this was an amazing book and if the others in this series are anything like it I am definitely starting at the beginning and working my way through. In fact I'm going to my library website now to reserve The Ritual Bath. I can't wait to get more of Peter and Rina Decker.
Gun Games seems to center around two separate stories, Gabe, the foster son that Pete and Rina are keeping who is a piano prodigy is the center of one of the stories. He meets a girl who is a year younger and is a Persian Jew. Gabe is white and not a Jew at all. A romance ensues secretly. Gabe keeps up his piano studies and is trying to decide what to do with his life. All-in-all I really enjoyed this story line. I liked Gabe and Yasmine. They were cute and sweet and everything young love is when you are 15 and 14.
The second story centers around a suicide that Pete and his detectives have been asked to look into at an exclusive private school. The mom just doesn't think her son could have committed suicide. Crazy things start showing up. I really enjoyed this storyline. The detective work and the way things unfolded really made the story. And I always enjoy reading about exclusive prep or boarding schools.
And then the storylines intersect like you would not believe and I won't give anything more away. But thing go completely crazy. If you think you couldn't put the book down before this point, there is no way you are putting it down after this point.
I think Ms. Kellerman does an excellent job creating believable characters and scary characters. She interweaves a plot that is so crazy that it is believable. I was enthralled. It's one of those books that is so calm and easy going in the beginning that it sucks you in and before you know it you just cannot put it down.
Overall I think this was an amazing book and if the others in this series are anything like it I am definitely starting at the beginning and working my way through. In fact I'm going to my library website now to reserve The Ritual Bath. I can't wait to get more of Peter and Rina Decker.
May 7, 2012
Having been a fan of the Peter Decker series since the very first book, there have been some titles I have enjoyed more than others. While this was still a good read and I had no trouble finishing it, I wouldn't say it was one of my favourites. There are two reasons for that - one is that Decker was hardly in the story. I enjoy reading about his skill as a detective, so it's really disappointing when he had almost nothing to do with the investigation. Secondly there is almost nothing about his family. Once again, one of the reasons I've enjoyed this series over the years is because of the way Peter's family has been folded into the storylines. Rina and Cindy had about two lines each and the other children Sammy, Jake and Hannah were barely mentioned (in fact Jake wasn't mentioned at all). This is actually something that has happened over the course of the past few books and I think they have suffered because of it.
The other reason I didn't enjoy this book as much as I might is because the main character (Gabe) was the son of Chris Donatti (Whitman). I have to admit Chris Donatti has always annoyed me right from his first appearance in Justice (about the 3rd of 4th Decker book). In fact I thought there were many elements of this story (with the main theme being depraved and privileged high school students) that were similar to Justice (just updated by about 20 years). In mentioning that, I think that some of the things relating to the storyline were almost a little too cliched - are private school in the US really full of psychopathic kids who have access to guns/porn/drugs?
Like some of the other reviewers I thought the texting scenes were too long and the sex scenes very graphic (and a bit creepy considering they related to a 14 and 15 year old who had just met). Also I was a bit puzzled why after reading a certain action scene through Gabe's eyes it was also relayed to Marge (in dialogue) in the same detail.
In saying all that though, Blood Games was still an enjoyable read and had the usual fast pace, suspense and action that you associate with a Faye Kellerman novel and is well worth a read.
The other reason I didn't enjoy this book as much as I might is because the main character (Gabe) was the son of Chris Donatti (Whitman). I have to admit Chris Donatti has always annoyed me right from his first appearance in Justice (about the 3rd of 4th Decker book). In fact I thought there were many elements of this story (with the main theme being depraved and privileged high school students) that were similar to Justice (just updated by about 20 years). In mentioning that, I think that some of the things relating to the storyline were almost a little too cliched - are private school in the US really full of psychopathic kids who have access to guns/porn/drugs?
Like some of the other reviewers I thought the texting scenes were too long and the sex scenes very graphic (and a bit creepy considering they related to a 14 and 15 year old who had just met). Also I was a bit puzzled why after reading a certain action scene through Gabe's eyes it was also relayed to Marge (in dialogue) in the same detail.
In saying all that though, Blood Games was still an enjoyable read and had the usual fast pace, suspense and action that you associate with a Faye Kellerman novel and is well worth a read.
January 12, 2012
I've been a fan of this series for many, many years. As sometimes happens with long-running series, I've lost track of it a bit. When I started reading this book, I was surprised at all that has happened since I last visited Peter Decker, Rina Lazarus and family. I checked and saw that I've missed two books, which I need to go back and fill in.
I'm impressed at how Faye Kellerman keeps shifting the focus of the series to keep it fresh,while still remaining true to the characters. There's only so much character growth any one or two characters can reasonably have! Over the course of 20 books, the focus has gone from religious, professional, personal, and family. She's looked at other family members (most memorably, Decker's daughter, who is also a police officer). Here, the focus is on a foster child, one that came to live with the family in one of the books that I missed.
I really liked Gabriel, who was simultaneously very, very young (when it comes to his love life) and much, much older (when it comes to his music, and to knowledge of the seamy side of the world.) He's Romeo to a very naive Juliet. He manages to stumble into a situation that Decker is investigating, and it's a good think he has the skills to navigate some very risky waters.
The mystery itself is good, but not outstanding. What I enjoyed was the quick visit with all the characters I know so well, and getting to know a few more even better.
There is no need to have read the full list of previous books in the series to enjoy this one. I haven't read Hangman, the previous book, but suspect the context from that one might be nice, and there are clearly spoilers here for the events there. I'll go back and read it anyway.
I'm impressed at how Faye Kellerman keeps shifting the focus of the series to keep it fresh,while still remaining true to the characters. There's only so much character growth any one or two characters can reasonably have! Over the course of 20 books, the focus has gone from religious, professional, personal, and family. She's looked at other family members (most memorably, Decker's daughter, who is also a police officer). Here, the focus is on a foster child, one that came to live with the family in one of the books that I missed.
I really liked Gabriel, who was simultaneously very, very young (when it comes to his love life) and much, much older (when it comes to his music, and to knowledge of the seamy side of the world.) He's Romeo to a very naive Juliet. He manages to stumble into a situation that Decker is investigating, and it's a good think he has the skills to navigate some very risky waters.
The mystery itself is good, but not outstanding. What I enjoyed was the quick visit with all the characters I know so well, and getting to know a few more even better.
There is no need to have read the full list of previous books in the series to enjoy this one. I haven't read Hangman, the previous book, but suspect the context from that one might be nice, and there are clearly spoilers here for the events there. I'll go back and read it anyway.
March 30, 2013
In South Africa, this book is published under the name "Blood Games" - it should come with a warning label.
Frankly this is the worse book from Faye Kellerman I have ever read. I felt compelled to finish it as I have always loved the author.
The relationship between Gabe and Yasmine started off rather sweet but quickly turned very un Faye Kellerman like. I am a Mom of many teenagers and am by no stretch a woman who is close minded when it comes to sexual intimacy. I am also not naive in thinking my children are angels. I love sex as much as any playboy funny but honestly, I have no desire to read about Gabe's (15) constant 'boners'or Yasmine's (14) wetness.
Eventually I got so irriated that I started skipping the pages about the teenage love scenes and focussed on the crime solving. Dylan was a well developed character. Even Cam I could picture. The rest of the 'mafia' was just too many names with no faces or character traits.
The second suicide was not well resolved or explained at all. The introduction to the character was sufficient and then she got lost somewhere. Her death was not solved, but hinted at. It felt incomplete with far too little sympathy or understanding for the illness.
If you are a serious Faye Kellerman fan of the Peter Decer and Rina Lazarus thrillers, you can skip this one.
No thrill.
Frankly this is the worse book from Faye Kellerman I have ever read. I felt compelled to finish it as I have always loved the author.
The relationship between Gabe and Yasmine started off rather sweet but quickly turned very un Faye Kellerman like. I am a Mom of many teenagers and am by no stretch a woman who is close minded when it comes to sexual intimacy. I am also not naive in thinking my children are angels. I love sex as much as any playboy funny but honestly, I have no desire to read about Gabe's (15) constant 'boners'or Yasmine's (14) wetness.
Eventually I got so irriated that I started skipping the pages about the teenage love scenes and focussed on the crime solving. Dylan was a well developed character. Even Cam I could picture. The rest of the 'mafia' was just too many names with no faces or character traits.
The second suicide was not well resolved or explained at all. The introduction to the character was sufficient and then she got lost somewhere. Her death was not solved, but hinted at. It felt incomplete with far too little sympathy or understanding for the illness.
If you are a serious Faye Kellerman fan of the Peter Decer and Rina Lazarus thrillers, you can skip this one.
No thrill.
May 1, 2018
Leídos seguidos los cuatro libros traducidos de una saga protagonizada por un policía judío de Los Angeles. Cosas inexplicables de las editoriales, ya que corresponden a los libros del 18 al 21 de la serie original (¿que ha pasado con los 17 anteriores?).
Me han gustado. Los personajes son muy creíbles, las investigaciones bien desarrolladas; pero lo que me ha atraído es que no se limita a las tareas de investigación; sino que también desarrolla las relaciones entre los miembros del equipo y como se compagina con la vida personal de ellos.
Como comentario adicional, me ha hecho gracia saber que la autora es la esposa de John Kellerman, creador del psicólogo Alex Delaware; al que Faye hace aparecer tangencialmente.
Me han gustado. Los personajes son muy creíbles, las investigaciones bien desarrolladas; pero lo que me ha atraído es que no se limita a las tareas de investigación; sino que también desarrolla las relaciones entre los miembros del equipo y como se compagina con la vida personal de ellos.
Como comentario adicional, me ha hecho gracia saber que la autora es la esposa de John Kellerman, creador del psicólogo Alex Delaware; al que Faye hace aparecer tangencialmente.
May 28, 2012
Not sure what happened to my review of Gun Games. I am disapointed that Faye Kellerman has chosen to make Gabe Whitman the new focal point of her books as Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus are wonderful characters, and their family life and relationship are what has endeared her to her fans. In this story, Gabe and a Persian girlfriend are bullied by a group of popular kids from their prestigious school and Peter has to solve the crime.
January 15, 2024
It has been a while since I've worked on the Decker/Lazarus series, but it was very enjoyable to return. I really liked the plot development on this one, as well as the Gabe/Jasmin story woven within. The development of the gun issue and the school connection was well done. The ending was perfect. I assume that these two will come to figure more fully in future volumes. Looking forward to continuing to work through this great series.
January 13, 2019
I enjoyed the nook as I always enjoy Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus books. However, the depth of the mystery was a little thin. Much of the book concentrated on Gabe and his relationship with Yasmine. While I really like to follow the characters, their development, and what they are up to, this seemed like too much.
April 18, 2025
Peter and Rina get involved in a death, revolving around a young man Gregory Hesse. His mother Wendy does not believe that he killed himself and feels some else killed him. Mystery
January 13, 2012
Faye, Faye, Faye. What were you thinking? And why did no one stop you from writing this book at its inception? I checked this book out from the library and a few chapters into it, I had the urge to check the spine to see if it was classified as a young adult book. Not that it was nearly as good as some of the YA books I have read. But having read this entire series, I have to tell you, this was the worst entry yet. Why? Because it is all about Gabe and his hormones. Each and every section featuring him--and there were far too many--has him contemplating how aroused he is. I kid you not. The poor boy. But really, I do not want to read about it. Especially when he satisfies his urges with an innocent fourteen year old. The yuck factor was overwhelming due to her age, and because Gabe was much more experienced and taking advantage of her. Not that I am naive about teens having sex. But this whole situation with Gabe and Yasmine just made me sad for them. It was obvious from their texts and conversations that they were not nearly mature enough for such a serious relationship. But I digress. Getting back to the book as a whole, the investigative part, where Peter Decker and company are trying to determine if a couple of teen suicides were truly suicides or not, was stagnant and fairly amateurish. The police were not overly competent this time around nor pressed to succeed. Many times they were conducting interviews as much as a week after deciding to do them. Guess they were busy? Anyway, what happened to this series? I have always enjoyed Peter and his talent in police work in most of the other books. And I used to enjoy his interactions with Rina. But it seems the only thing they share these days is food. There is none of the demonstrative affection they used to have for one another in evidence anymore. I want to read a good police procedural when I pick up a book by this author, one that does not forget what is special about the characters she writes about. If this is the best she can do, it is time for her to say goodbye to this series, or she will ruin it.
August 9, 2016
This story is evenly divided between the perspectives of Lieutenant Decker and fifteen year old Gabe, both personalities come off as pretty relaxed and easy going, until a problem hits, then they are on their toes and fast thinkers. I enjoyed the fact that even at the age of fifteen, Gabe was overall a very intelligent boy, but like most teenage boys the thought of sex drives most of his storyline. I believe that the relationship that slowly builds between Yasmine (14) and Gabe (15) was incredibly romantic. Although the more mature scenes between them I had a hard time picturing her as visually looking "10-12" years old as she is described by the author. The connection they had together from their love of music, piano, opera was a nice pace of story to break up the intense detective work that the lieutenant was going through.
The Lieutenant and his staff are working to figure out how the boy that committed suicide got the gun. This detective work, along with the additional suicide of a girl that attended the same school, starts to trigger more questions. As the deceased teenagers property starts to turn up missing the school and it's students are getting inspected further and further as they try to connect the missing links. There is very clearly a gang of students that stand out and the only question is why is there a "mafia" group at a prestigious high school, and what is their involvement with Guns and drugs.
The story raps up with dangerous activities tumulting in some very dangerous Gun Games. With a combination of sex, drugs, gangs and guns this story reads like a gangster movie.
The Lieutenant and his staff are working to figure out how the boy that committed suicide got the gun. This detective work, along with the additional suicide of a girl that attended the same school, starts to trigger more questions. As the deceased teenagers property starts to turn up missing the school and it's students are getting inspected further and further as they try to connect the missing links. There is very clearly a gang of students that stand out and the only question is why is there a "mafia" group at a prestigious high school, and what is their involvement with Guns and drugs.
The story raps up with dangerous activities tumulting in some very dangerous Gun Games. With a combination of sex, drugs, gangs and guns this story reads like a gangster movie.
May 25, 2016
Alweer de eerste keer dat ik een boek lees van deze overbekende auteur. Het is het 20ste deel met het echtpaar Deckers in de hoofdrol en alhoewel dat ik ergens las dat je naadloos mee kunt als je de rest niet gelezen had, vind ik toch niet helemaal kloppen. Twee delen van het verhaal hadden hun oorsprong in één of meer vorige boeken en dan is het niet simpel om te volgen, zeker als er niets of heel weinig wordt meegeven over het verleden. En natuurlijk zit je ook met het feit dat dit boek niet helemaal af is maar ook verder zal lopen over de rest van de serie.
De engelse titel (gun games) past veel beter bij het verhaal dan de Nederlandse vertaling. Soms snap ik echt niet waar ze die vandaan halen en ook de cover zou veel beter bij de originele titel aansluiten.
Veel mensen vinden het leuk om een dikker boek te lezen. Je krijgt tenslotte meer waar voor je geld, maar als er, naar mijn mening, een aantal dingen in staan die niet veel ter zake doen, dan heb ik liever een dunner boek. Voor mij kwam het pas echt op gang in de tweede helft. Ik zou het leuker gevonden hebben, moest er wat ballast uit geschrapt worden om zo meer het thrillerkarakter te krijgen of behouden.
Voor mij waren er ook teveel personen in en die moesten echt niet telkens met voor- en familienaam benoemd worden.
Ik had er meer van verwacht. Het heeft met niet echt aangezet om andere boeken van haar te lezen.
Bedankt Harper Collins Nederland
De engelse titel (gun games) past veel beter bij het verhaal dan de Nederlandse vertaling. Soms snap ik echt niet waar ze die vandaan halen en ook de cover zou veel beter bij de originele titel aansluiten.
Veel mensen vinden het leuk om een dikker boek te lezen. Je krijgt tenslotte meer waar voor je geld, maar als er, naar mijn mening, een aantal dingen in staan die niet veel ter zake doen, dan heb ik liever een dunner boek. Voor mij kwam het pas echt op gang in de tweede helft. Ik zou het leuker gevonden hebben, moest er wat ballast uit geschrapt worden om zo meer het thrillerkarakter te krijgen of behouden.
Voor mij waren er ook teveel personen in en die moesten echt niet telkens met voor- en familienaam benoemd worden.
Ik had er meer van verwacht. Het heeft met niet echt aangezet om andere boeken van haar te lezen.
Bedankt Harper Collins Nederland
February 26, 2012
I couldn't wait to read this book. Ever since Chris Donatti walked back into this series, he's had such a magnetic hold on Peter and Rina and his son, musical prodigy Gabe, has been no different. Gabe becomes a major player in this book for two reasons. While he is not a gangster like his father, his father taught him how to keep his head and when he's confronted by gangbanger wannabes with guns in Starbucks, Gabe not only keeps his head but earns their respect. He immediately switches coffee shops and forgets about it, but high school students seem to hang out everywhere. In his next coffee shop he meets Yasmine, a 14 year old Persian Jewish sister of a friend of Hannah's, Peter's daughter. She invites him to the opera and they fall in love. It's not puppy love. It's the real thing, at least as real as 14 and 15 year olds who aren't brought up traditionally can have. And that brings Yasmine to the attention of the gangbangers. Meanwhile, Peter is investigating the suicide of a teenage boy at a top tier high school. There were no signs and where did he get a stolen gun? When world collide Chris Donatti doesn't hesitate to do what he has to do. And I, for one, was happy to watch it happen.
July 11, 2016
This is two different stories in one book. One is a young adult drama that make you roll your eyes at how stupid 14-year-old kids are, and one is a crime novel that had a lot of potential. They have little to nothing in common!
If each of these stories were told in two separate books, I might have rated each one much higher. But, all you get is a chapter from each tale, really messing up the experience. One minute you deep in a crime, the next you dealing with a Romeo-and-Juliet type romance.....
The stories converge once... ONCE!! What was the point of both sides then? Afterwards, the tales just go on their own path again.
Also, Decker and Lazarus have no say in this book... They are hardly in it!!! Why promote them on a cover, when they have so little screen time? Marge and Oliver do all the work!
The world building was good. I did find it easy to get lost in the book. Also, I like Gabe as a character. He is excused from all the cringy moments because I enjoyed reading about him. But, I found Yasmin epically annoying. (Learn to use Grammar when you text!!!)
Overall.... Meh???? I would read it again if I had nothing else. But, literally, nothing else. Might read another one from the series, but only to follow Gabe Whitman. The dude is pretty cool!
If each of these stories were told in two separate books, I might have rated each one much higher. But, all you get is a chapter from each tale, really messing up the experience. One minute you deep in a crime, the next you dealing with a Romeo-and-Juliet type romance.....
The stories converge once... ONCE!! What was the point of both sides then? Afterwards, the tales just go on their own path again.
Also, Decker and Lazarus have no say in this book... They are hardly in it!!! Why promote them on a cover, when they have so little screen time? Marge and Oliver do all the work!
The world building was good. I did find it easy to get lost in the book. Also, I like Gabe as a character. He is excused from all the cringy moments because I enjoyed reading about him. But, I found Yasmin epically annoying. (Learn to use Grammar when you text!!!)
Overall.... Meh???? I would read it again if I had nothing else. But, literally, nothing else. Might read another one from the series, but only to follow Gabe Whitman. The dude is pretty cool!
January 31, 2012
Faye Kellerman is a wonderful author who usually has me eating out of her hand from the first page. I usually find myself enjoying learning a bit of Judaic law that she skillfully weaves in with the mystery/suspense themes that are at the heart of her Decker and Lazarus novels. In Gun Games she takes on teen bullying at an elite private school in LA, along with the expected drugs, sex, and guns. Two apparent teen suicides, a relationship between a 15 year-old boy--staying with Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus--and a 14 year-old girl (who is a Persian Jew) that is hidden from both families, are woven into a confrontation with the school bullies that leads to the stroy behind the suicides.
I was not overly enthusiastic about the teens who seemed to be cliches of every news report about school bullies and the dialogue between the two star-crossed teens came out of a soap opera. The interplay between Pete and Rina and their family continues to carry her books. It's terrific and makes Gun Games well worth reading.
I was not overly enthusiastic about the teens who seemed to be cliches of every news report about school bullies and the dialogue between the two star-crossed teens came out of a soap opera. The interplay between Pete and Rina and their family continues to carry her books. It's terrific and makes Gun Games well worth reading.
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