What do you think?
Rate this book
Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus #17
The Mercedes Coffin
Billionaire Genoa Greeves believes the LAPD should finally solve the fifteen-year-old execution-style murder of her favorite teacher, Bennett Little—especially now that Hollywood music producer Primo Ekerling has been slain in an eerily similar manner: shot and stuffed into the trunk of his Mercedes-Benz.
Lieutenant Peter Decker resents having to commit valuable manpower to a cold case simply because a rich woman says, "Jump!" But when a primary investigator in the Little case, now retired, suspiciously commits suicide hours after he and Decker talk, the detective realizes something evil's connecting the dots in two murders separated by a decade and a half. Wife Rina Lazarus offers a cool, rational outlook, as always, despite her growing concern for her husband's welfare—as past and present collide with a vengeance, catapulting Decker ever closer to the edge of an infinite dark abyss.
Lieutenant Peter Decker resents having to commit valuable manpower to a cold case simply because a rich woman says, "Jump!" But when a primary investigator in the Little case, now retired, suspiciously commits suicide hours after he and Decker talk, the detective realizes something evil's connecting the dots in two murders separated by a decade and a half. Wife Rina Lazarus offers a cool, rational outlook, as always, despite her growing concern for her husband's welfare—as past and present collide with a vengeance, catapulting Decker ever closer to the edge of an infinite dark abyss.
367 pages, Hardcover
First published August 12, 2008
487 people are currently reading
1790 people want to read
About the author
Faye Kellerman
180 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 473 reviews
March 27, 2009
What happened to this series? My sister Kerry got me started on these books, and while she always enjoyed them more than I have, at least they were interesting, if frustrating, mysteries. This latest installment---? The main characters barely appear, except for Peter, and he's gone boring. The mystery characters are a confusing bunch of would be musicians and music producers, almost impossible to keep straight, and completely impossible to really care about. The one interesting man, the mentally ill ex-band member who transforms into a functioning human being only when holding and playing his guitar gets short shrift indeed, and I, as the reader, was so disgusted as to fling the book aside at one point, wailing about why we should believe God cares what time of day we run the dishwasher??? I know, I know...don't disrespect a belief system you don't understand...What I do understand is when a really good writer lets a good series go flat, and starts coasting along on their reputation.
April 25, 2019
3 stars.
🇺🇸🐾
🇺🇸🐾
March 23, 2009
Actually didn't even finish this one. Used to so enjoy Faye Kellerman, but that was when she spent more time on her characters' lives. I used to especially enjoy the picture she painted of the lives of Orthodox Jews. This book just seemed to be a lot of going nowhere conversations as those involved kept changing their minds as to who could have done it.
January 3, 2010
So sorry to see one of my favorite fictional heroines reduced to her husband's occassional caterer instead of a partner in crime solving.
Also? If I've spent my hard earned money and valuaable time on a detective novel I want to know who did what and why. This book had the all my questions answered with an "I guess we'll never know".
Fooey!I won't buy another Decker/Lazarus book.
Also? If I've spent my hard earned money and valuaable time on a detective novel I want to know who did what and why. This book had the all my questions answered with an "I guess we'll never know".
Fooey!I won't buy another Decker/Lazarus book.
September 16, 2015
I now remember why I stopped reading her books years ago!! So much repeat speculation as to how the crime was committed that I was lost half the time!! Why did she give two characters names so similar - Rudy and Ryan -
with so many characters with numerous names and nicknames it it boggled my mind to keep track of them all!! Very unsatisfactory ending. Why did a nice Jewish girl use all that smut - it certainly didn't enhance a the story.
with so many characters with numerous names and nicknames it it boggled my mind to keep track of them all!! Very unsatisfactory ending. Why did a nice Jewish girl use all that smut - it certainly didn't enhance a the story.
May 30, 2021
Not one of her better ones. Why does she constantly describe what each character is wearing when it has absolutely NO RELEVANCE? “Dressed in blue slacks, a white shirt, and a cardigan sweater” “stepped into the office, wearing a brown jacket, white shirt, and a gold tie” It’s EVERY character, EVERY time.
February 11, 2009
Normally her books are an okay read for a weekend trip, (you can leave the book behind when you're done) but this was so bad I have sworn off the Kellermans forever. When they run out of plot they just throw in some extraneous characters, thinking it's a good stand-in for anything of substance.
January 21, 2016
too too confusing..a cold case reopened and that is how it ends?? all this build up and wondering and waiting for that?? it was best the case of Ben Little stayed cold
May 14, 2010
I have read all of the books in this series, but a few of them didn't quite measure up~and this was one of those. It was OK, but the end of the book left too many loose ends. I suppose she'll pick those up in future books~maybe.
Also, there were so many names swimming around in the story that I had trouble keeping them straight.
I would have liked more about Decker's family life. It's his family life and their religious traditions that have kept me interested in this series~ and the fact that I used to live in the area that this series takes place.
Also, there were so many names swimming around in the story that I had trouble keeping them straight.
I would have liked more about Decker's family life. It's his family life and their religious traditions that have kept me interested in this series~ and the fact that I used to live in the area that this series takes place.
October 17, 2009
When a current car-jacking/murder is reminiscent of another fifteen-year-old car-jacking murder, Lieutenant Peter Decker is pressured to open the cold case and solve it--and who cares that they couldn't figure it out then and all the clues are old and dusty now--just do it. The Mercedes Coffin shows police procedure at work, slow and slogging, with little of the razzle-dazzle of forensic science or the tension of suspense thrillers. I actually am surprised at Faye Kellerman's mastery of police procedure since her schooling was in mathematics and dentistry and her husband is a psychologist; where did she learn this? In the story Decker and his team conduct interview after interview and bounce theories off each other and hold more interviews. I was finding it all a little tedious--and I was having a bit of trouble keeping all the "persons of interest" in the two crimes separate--when I ran into this comment by Decker, "But that was detective work: hours of mind-numbing tedium, followed by that compensatory, glory-hallelujah, one-in-a-blue-moon, shot-in-the-veins adrenaline rush." And that kind of describes this story--lots of pulling strings and making connections and getting no where until finally we hit the great wrap-up ending.
February 13, 2018
Ugh, what's the point of reading this book. There was little character development and the story was flat. It took me forever to read this book and I was so disinterested! This was the first book of Faye Kellerman that I've read and I don't feel the need to read anymore of them.
September 15, 2020
Solid, middle of the road read. Pretty much as advertised and quick to get through.
This adequately filled my sudden craving for a police procedural mystery story. Plus, it checks off a reading challenge prompt: mystery where the victim is not a woman.
I've read Kellerman before and I generally like her Decker series characters, and the same rings true here. Some things I called, others I didn't expect at all. Some things half turned out like I expected and then took a sudden left turn. It didn't leave me breathless or anything, but it was entertaining enough.
This adequately filled my sudden craving for a police procedural mystery story. Plus, it checks off a reading challenge prompt: mystery where the victim is not a woman.
I've read Kellerman before and I generally like her Decker series characters, and the same rings true here. Some things I called, others I didn't expect at all. Some things half turned out like I expected and then took a sudden left turn. It didn't leave me breathless or anything, but it was entertaining enough.
July 4, 2024
This is very, very well written. I've never read anything by Kellerman before, so I was happily surprised to find that I enjoyed the writing, the characterizations, and the details. This book took some work. I appreciate that. I did find a few places where the profusion of details began to slow me down, so I didn't give this five stars, but then again, I couldn't have written something like this. I read a lot, and have all my life, so I can say I feel like I've read better. That said, this is one hell of a story, and I had a good time following it along. If I hadn't needed to sleep long and deep after donating blood platelets and plasma yesterday, I would have finished this a day earlier.
I used to primarily read science fiction, but somehow I managed to read two crime/murder/detective stories this week. I occasionally read non-fiction, but fiction puts me in the mood to lose track of my fingers turning pages, and the story seems to just unfold in my head, and time flies. I like that a lot, and this is one of those books. Thank you Ms. Kellerman.
I used to primarily read science fiction, but somehow I managed to read two crime/murder/detective stories this week. I occasionally read non-fiction, but fiction puts me in the mood to lose track of my fingers turning pages, and the story seems to just unfold in my head, and time flies. I like that a lot, and this is one of those books. Thank you Ms. Kellerman.
October 28, 2017
According to GR, this book wasn't marked as read, even though it's been out for quite awhile....Yet, reading it, I recognized the story line so I must have missed marking it read.
In any case, it's not a hardship for me to re-read any Kellerman book....
Genoa was a brilliant but very geeky high school teen who is now a very rich geek. A recent murder in LA reminds her of the still unsolved murder of the high school teacher who encouraged her during her school years. She pays LAPD a visit and holds out a carrot of a very generous donation if they solve the murder of Dr Ben Little, from 15 years ago.
Pete's put on the case. And he brings along Margie and Scott Oliver. With a little help from daughter Cindy. They interview the original detectives, students, members of a rap group, music producers....is it one case? Is it two cases?
In any case, it's not a hardship for me to re-read any Kellerman book....
Genoa was a brilliant but very geeky high school teen who is now a very rich geek. A recent murder in LA reminds her of the still unsolved murder of the high school teacher who encouraged her during her school years. She pays LAPD a visit and holds out a carrot of a very generous donation if they solve the murder of Dr Ben Little, from 15 years ago.
Pete's put on the case. And he brings along Margie and Scott Oliver. With a little help from daughter Cindy. They interview the original detectives, students, members of a rap group, music producers....is it one case? Is it two cases?
March 11, 2022
This is another book that I would not normally have purchased but got cheap in a sale.
Genoa was a nerd, hated or ignored by everyone in her high school except for Dr. Ben – Bennett Alston Little, one of the teachers.
He met her in the hallway, greeted her by name and sked her how she was doing; he then congratulated her on her perfect score in some important test.
This meeting changed Genoa’s life. Someone knew her and recognized her giftedness. Years later, now a billionaire due to her genius computer skills, Genoa saw in the news about Dr. Ben’s horrific murder.
Later, she read about a similar murder; Dr. Ben’s case had still not been solved. She called LAPD and offered them a huge sum of money to reopen and solve this cold case – the murder of the only person who had ever been kind to her.
This was what led to Lieutenant Peter Decker’s homicide squad being put on this fifteen year-old case.
This was my first book by Faye Kellerman and, though the book was readable (but barely), it may be the last for the following reasons:
I found the book boring because of too much repetition and too much detail about what the various characters were wearing. What did it matter what they were wearing?
It was difficult to remember who was who as regards the various detectives involved in the case and the various suspects, several of whom were themselves later murdered.
Dr. Little had been a paragon of virtue, apparently loved by everyone. On the other hand, his wife Melinda was promiscuous and money-loving and one of the prime suspects.
By the end of the book I didn’t really care who had committed the crime, and was fed up with hearing about the many suspects whom I couldn’t distinguish between.
The last couple of chapters did get somewhat more exciting, I admit.
I can’t recommend the book and, as stated, probably will not be reading others by this author.
Genoa was a nerd, hated or ignored by everyone in her high school except for Dr. Ben – Bennett Alston Little, one of the teachers.
He met her in the hallway, greeted her by name and sked her how she was doing; he then congratulated her on her perfect score in some important test.
This meeting changed Genoa’s life. Someone knew her and recognized her giftedness. Years later, now a billionaire due to her genius computer skills, Genoa saw in the news about Dr. Ben’s horrific murder.
Later, she read about a similar murder; Dr. Ben’s case had still not been solved. She called LAPD and offered them a huge sum of money to reopen and solve this cold case – the murder of the only person who had ever been kind to her.
This was what led to Lieutenant Peter Decker’s homicide squad being put on this fifteen year-old case.
This was my first book by Faye Kellerman and, though the book was readable (but barely), it may be the last for the following reasons:
I found the book boring because of too much repetition and too much detail about what the various characters were wearing. What did it matter what they were wearing?
It was difficult to remember who was who as regards the various detectives involved in the case and the various suspects, several of whom were themselves later murdered.
Dr. Little had been a paragon of virtue, apparently loved by everyone. On the other hand, his wife Melinda was promiscuous and money-loving and one of the prime suspects.
By the end of the book I didn’t really care who had committed the crime, and was fed up with hearing about the many suspects whom I couldn’t distinguish between.
The last couple of chapters did get somewhat more exciting, I admit.
I can’t recommend the book and, as stated, probably will not be reading others by this author.
September 1, 2019
Another good book by Faye
May 8, 2024
Another entry in an excellent series.
November 28, 2018
Two-haiku review:
Cold case teacher kill
New murder similar style
Was it same killer?
A bit confusing
Or maybe memory's gone
Exciting ending
Cold case teacher kill
New murder similar style
Was it same killer?
A bit confusing
Or maybe memory's gone
Exciting ending
July 4, 2025
I enjoyed this book as I was reading it and I was totally invested, especially the last 10% or so. That climax was great. However, I didn't really enjoy the mystery itself. After all that buildup, it was kinda a boring reason for murder.
March 13, 2020
Though always a fan of Peter and Rina, this book was tough to get through. It has a large number of characters, so much so that their names are constantly repeated and reviewed so you don't lose track and still I did.
I'm always fascinated with the way Peter and his team uncover the details that lead to an arrest but this one felt like a lot of coincidences and huge leaps that didn't come naturally. I also don't get the whole Chris Donatti bit - why bother adding him to this story? It felt like a Tv show with an actor under contract who had to have his five minutes of screen time.
Still, I enjoy spending time with the Decker family - hey I've watched those kids grow up! But this wouldn't be the first book I'd hand anyone who hasn't read Faye Kellerman's work.
I'm always fascinated with the way Peter and his team uncover the details that lead to an arrest but this one felt like a lot of coincidences and huge leaps that didn't come naturally. I also don't get the whole Chris Donatti bit - why bother adding him to this story? It felt like a Tv show with an actor under contract who had to have his five minutes of screen time.
Still, I enjoy spending time with the Decker family - hey I've watched those kids grow up! But this wouldn't be the first book I'd hand anyone who hasn't read Faye Kellerman's work.
April 12, 2019
2.5 Stars. I finished this book earlier this week and I've already forgotten a lot of it so that in itself is not a ringing endorsement.
Genoa Greeves was an extremely shy, awkward high school student who had no friends due in part to her inability to talk to people. One of her teachers, Ben Little, saw potential in her, however, and by the time she graduated, she had managed to strike up enough of a friendship with him to put her on the path of success. And then he was killed, execution style, and left in the trunk of his Mercedes.
Now fifteen years later, Genoa is a Silicon Valley billionaire. Upon reading about a murder with a similar M.O. to Ben Little's (which was never solved), she becomes convinced they are related and offers the LAPD a rather large sum of money to re-open and solve Little's murder, which Peter Decker is assigned to do.
Next comes a bunch of people who were hard to keep straight in audiobook format as Peter tries to solve the cold case somewhat behind the backs of those from another division (where his daughter conveniently works) investigating the current case, who believe they have their suspects in custody.
The ending was weak though I suppose plausible enough and there wasn't really much character development in this one, but I guess that's a bit harder to do in book 17 of a series. Cindy is happily married, Hannah is a typical teenager, the boys are apparently still off in New York attending college; Sammy may or may not be engaged - I wasn't really clear on that. Rina spends her time gardening and teaching something when she's not cooking for Shabbat. She's become such a background character, the series really should be "A Peter Decker" book vs "A Decker/Lazarus Book." I think Decker's former partner/employee/friend, Marge, gets more page time than Rina does!
I think this would have been better for me if I had read it rather than listened to it, simply because of all the characters and the two timelines (and murders) they belonged to. It was too much to keep track of so after awhile I quit trying, especially once I realized someone I thought was somehow involved with law enforcement was actually a potential suspect. I did love this moment though: Cindy's husband agrees to walk Hannah over to her friend's house with Rina. His parting shot to his detective wife and father-in-law: "We'll be fine. But if we aren't back in 30 minutes, call the cops!"
(Note: "The Mercedes Coffin" and "Cold Case" are the same book, depending on where you live).
Genoa Greeves was an extremely shy, awkward high school student who had no friends due in part to her inability to talk to people. One of her teachers, Ben Little, saw potential in her, however, and by the time she graduated, she had managed to strike up enough of a friendship with him to put her on the path of success. And then he was killed, execution style, and left in the trunk of his Mercedes.
Now fifteen years later, Genoa is a Silicon Valley billionaire. Upon reading about a murder with a similar M.O. to Ben Little's (which was never solved), she becomes convinced they are related and offers the LAPD a rather large sum of money to re-open and solve Little's murder, which Peter Decker is assigned to do.
Next comes a bunch of people who were hard to keep straight in audiobook format as Peter tries to solve the cold case somewhat behind the backs of those from another division (where his daughter conveniently works) investigating the current case, who believe they have their suspects in custody.
The ending was weak though I suppose plausible enough and there wasn't really much character development in this one, but I guess that's a bit harder to do in book 17 of a series. Cindy is happily married, Hannah is a typical teenager, the boys are apparently still off in New York attending college; Sammy may or may not be engaged - I wasn't really clear on that. Rina spends her time gardening and teaching something when she's not cooking for Shabbat. She's become such a background character, the series really should be "A Peter Decker" book vs "A Decker/Lazarus Book." I think Decker's former partner/employee/friend, Marge, gets more page time than Rina does!
I think this would have been better for me if I had read it rather than listened to it, simply because of all the characters and the two timelines (and murders) they belonged to. It was too much to keep track of so after awhile I quit trying, especially once I realized someone I thought was somehow involved with law enforcement was actually a potential suspect. I did love this moment though: Cindy's husband agrees to walk Hannah over to her friend's house with Rina. His parting shot to his detective wife and father-in-law: "We'll be fine. But if we aren't back in 30 minutes, call the cops!"
(Note: "The Mercedes Coffin" and "Cold Case" are the same book, depending on where you live).
June 13, 2018
I gave this book this tepid review because I hated the end. I liked the book all the way through although since I have to read in fits and starts and there were so very many suspects and characters I kept losing track of who was who. But then at the end ... well I don't want to spoil anything obviously but a murder mystery that (while the actual murder is kinda sorta solved) leaves so many important plot elements unexplained as the detective says 'well we don't know who did that or how or why' and 'that's another question that will never be answered' and 'the blood all over the guy's floor that pushed him to the top of the suspect's list? Yeah, we will never know about that' just pissed me off. I know real life and real police work is like that but that is not why I read murder mysteries. I want it all explained. I don't want some important incongruity that they (and I) have been worrying at all through the book to be dismissed with a shrug and a 'we'll never know now'. I feel that is just sloppy writing. Ms Kellerman set up many elements that were confusing and contradictory which of course made the plot denser and more intriguing but then to just leave them as 'well we don't know about that' is cheating. Disappointed in this book. Can you tell?
February 20, 2011
Fifteen years ago, Dr Ben Little, a very popular school VP, was murdered execution style and found in the trunk of his Mercedes. The crime was never solved. One of the students whose life he touched is now a very wealthy woman. When she reads a current article in the newspaper about another man found dead in the trunk of his Mercedes, she believes the two crimes are somehow related. She offers a million dollars to the LAPD to take another look at the cold case.
The story follows Lt Peter Decker who is assigned the task of finding Dr Ben's killer through a maze of relationships that tie known associates to both of the murdered men. The story contains a lot of layers as the puzzle pieces come together.
This is the first book I've read by the author. I very much appreciated the mystery aspect of the story which was well thought out, and was surprised at the outcome. I also appreciated that triggers were pointed out to us during questioning of various people, giving us a better idea of what the detective got out of it, instead of having it explained to us afterwards.
Read for Books and Chat
The story follows Lt Peter Decker who is assigned the task of finding Dr Ben's killer through a maze of relationships that tie known associates to both of the murdered men. The story contains a lot of layers as the puzzle pieces come together.
This is the first book I've read by the author. I very much appreciated the mystery aspect of the story which was well thought out, and was surprised at the outcome. I also appreciated that triggers were pointed out to us during questioning of various people, giving us a better idea of what the detective got out of it, instead of having it explained to us afterwards.
Read for Books and Chat
March 13, 2022
I really do like this Faye Kellerman series. That being said, though, this particular book is seriously irritating. The police are trying to link two different crimes that occurred a number of years apart. And they have a roster of "persons of interest" who may or may not have been involved in either or both crimes. It's when they begin laying out all of the complicated, intertwining relationships, combined with confusing time-lines, and further complicated by multiple hypotheses and speculations involving all of this -- well, my mental hard drive just crashes. It reads almost as if the author -- instead of doing her homework by trying out various plot possibilities prior to writing the book -- actually lays out that homework on the pages of the book itself. If any reader has a clear take on how the characters are related and what has occurred in order of time, that reader should receive some sort of reward.
Meanwhile, I'm on page 253 and torn between continuing to slog through this in the hopes that soon a bright light will soon shine and illuminate what exactly is going on, and just skipping to the last 10 or 15 pages and putting myself out of my misery.
Meanwhile, I'm on page 253 and torn between continuing to slog through this in the hopes that soon a bright light will soon shine and illuminate what exactly is going on, and just skipping to the last 10 or 15 pages and putting myself out of my misery.
April 13, 2012
in this newest episode detective peter decker is given a cold case to solve, after a nearly identical murder is committed. as he digs into the past, the usual drugs, sex and rock and roll raise their ugly heads, and lots of potential suspects pop up at regular intervals. and of course his wife rina is there to keep peter steady and even. if you haven't ever read any of the peter decker novels, you are in for a treat. I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series, not that it's necessary for each story, but the progression of the couples meeting, romance, marriage, and melding of families, is just such a treasure. plus it's so interesting learning about orthodox judism as peter works to convert and win his beloved's heart. as you red, you really invest in the lives of the characters. a really great series.
July 30, 2015
My first Faye Kellerman book and it is apparently 17th in the series. Two murders, 15 years apart are remarkably similar and a rich computer tycoon will pay the police dept. big bucks if they reopen the first case. Her beloved high school counselor was the victim. Lt. Decker is on the case and looks for the links between the cases, which on first glance, except for the manner in which the victims died, do not seem to be connected. As he digs deeper, he finds the missing links.
I liked the way Decker goes about getting his clues and i especially liked some of the Jewish references, which I wasn't expecting. When I finished, I immediately checked out the first book in the series.
I liked the way Decker goes about getting his clues and i especially liked some of the Jewish references, which I wasn't expecting. When I finished, I immediately checked out the first book in the series.
October 10, 2021
I really hated the book, it was kinda confusing for me with so many names and characters. It took me months to finish it, and I read it just for the sake of finishing it. Also I failed to understand why does the blurb of the book includes Rina, when she does not even play a really big role in the story, she was just there as a wife of the Lieutenant.
Anyway I'm just glad I finished this book and can finally move on to next one.
Anyway I'm just glad I finished this book and can finally move on to next one.
February 21, 2021
So-so
Not her best, by a long shot, but readable. The ending was a bit of a fizz too. Kinda slow yet a good storyline There was something missing that I can’t put my finger on. I’ll go back and read my favorites in the series.
Not her best, by a long shot, but readable. The ending was a bit of a fizz too. Kinda slow yet a good storyline There was something missing that I can’t put my finger on. I’ll go back and read my favorites in the series.
September 14, 2018
Very disappointing read. Used to love this series.
July 25, 2019
A bit over complicated.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 473 reviews