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Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus #23
The Theory of Death
Now living in upstate New York, former LAPD lieutenant Peter Decker is plunged into a bizarre web involving academia, underworld crime, and calculating killers in this next compulsive novel in New York Times bestselling author Faye Kellerman's beloved Decker and Lazarus series
Former LAPD lieutenant Peter Decker is relishing the quiet and slow pace of his new job with the Greenbury police department. The work is low stress and engaging, and it’s been almost a year since the last murder in this sleepy upstate New York town.
Then the body of a nude man is found deep within the woods, shattering Decker’s peace. The death appears to be a suicide—a single shot to the head, the gun by his side. But until the coroner’s ruling, the scene must be treated as a suspicious crime. Without any personal effects near the body, Decker must dig to uncover his identity, a task made difficult by the department’s tight budget and limited personnel. Luckily, Decker gets some unexpected help when his friend and former Greenbury colleague Tyler McAdams calls, looking for a quiet place to study for his law finals.
The investigation takes Decker and McAdams to Kneed Loft College, where they must penetrate the indecipherable upper echelons of mathematics and mathematical prodigies. Beneath the school’s rarified atmosphere they discover a sphere of scheming academics, hidden cyphers—and most dangerous of all—a realm of underworld crime that transforms harmless nerds into cold, calculating evil geniuses. It will take all of Decker’s experience and McAdams’s brains to penetrate enigmatic formulas and codes and solve a dark, twisted crime devised by some brilliant and depraved masterminds.
Former LAPD lieutenant Peter Decker is relishing the quiet and slow pace of his new job with the Greenbury police department. The work is low stress and engaging, and it’s been almost a year since the last murder in this sleepy upstate New York town.
Then the body of a nude man is found deep within the woods, shattering Decker’s peace. The death appears to be a suicide—a single shot to the head, the gun by his side. But until the coroner’s ruling, the scene must be treated as a suspicious crime. Without any personal effects near the body, Decker must dig to uncover his identity, a task made difficult by the department’s tight budget and limited personnel. Luckily, Decker gets some unexpected help when his friend and former Greenbury colleague Tyler McAdams calls, looking for a quiet place to study for his law finals.
The investigation takes Decker and McAdams to Kneed Loft College, where they must penetrate the indecipherable upper echelons of mathematics and mathematical prodigies. Beneath the school’s rarified atmosphere they discover a sphere of scheming academics, hidden cyphers—and most dangerous of all—a realm of underworld crime that transforms harmless nerds into cold, calculating evil geniuses. It will take all of Decker’s experience and McAdams’s brains to penetrate enigmatic formulas and codes and solve a dark, twisted crime devised by some brilliant and depraved masterminds.
371 pages, Hardcover
First published October 27, 2015
715 people are currently reading
3191 people want to read
About the author
Faye Kellerman
179 books2,021 followersFaye Kellerman was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Sherman Oaks, California. She earned a BA in mathematics and a doctorate in dentistry at UCLA., and conducted research in oral biology. Kellerman's groundbreaking first novel, THE RITUAL BATH, was published in 1986 to wide critical and commercial acclaim. The winner of the Macavity Award for the Best First Novel from the Mystery Readers of American, THE RITUAL BATH introduced readers to Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, termed by People Magazine "Hands down, the most refreshing mystery couple around." The New York Times enthused, "This couple's domestic affairs have the haimish warmth of reality, unlike the formulaic lives of so many other genre detectives."
There are well over twenty million copies of Faye Kellerman's novels in print internationally. The Decker/Lazarus thrillers include SACRED AND PROFANE; MILK AND HONEY; DAY OF ATONEMENT; FALSE PROPHET; GRIEVOUS SIN; SANCTUARY; as well as her New York Times Bestsellers, JUSTICE, PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD - listed by the LA Times as one of the best crime novel of 2001; SERPENT'S TOOTH; JUPITER'S BONES, THE FORGOTTEN, STONE KISS, STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS, THE BURNT HOUSE, THE MERCEDES COFFIN and BLINDMAN'S BLUFF. . The novels, STALKER and STREET DREAMS, introduced Kellerman's newest protagonist, Police Officer Cindy Decker. In addition to her crime series, Kellerman is also the author of New York Time's bestseller MOON MUSIC, a suspense horror novel set in Las Vegas featuring Detective Romulus Poe, as well as an historical novel of intrigue set in Elizabethan England, THE QUALITY OF MERCY. She has also co-authored the New York Times Bestseller DOUBLE HOMICIDE, with her husband and partner in crime, Jonathan Kellerman. She has also written a young adult novel, PRISM, with her daughter, Aliza Kellerman
Faye Kellerman's highly praised short stories and reviews have been anthologized in numerous collections including two volumes of the notable SISTERS IN CRIME SERIES, Sara Paretsky's, A WOMAN'S EYE; THE FIRST ANNUAL YEAR'S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES; THE THIRD ANNUAL BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR; WOMEN OF MYSTERY AND DEADLY ALLIES 11. Her personally annotated collection of her award winning stories, THE GARDEN OF EDEN and OTHER CRIMINAL DELIGHTS, was published in August of 2006. H
Her other hobbies include gardening, sewing and jogging if her back doesn't give out. She is the proud mother of four children, and her eldest son, Jesse, has just published his fourth novel, THE EXECUTOR, from Putnam. She lives in Los Angeles and Santa Fe with her husband, Jonathan, their youngest child, and their French Bulldog, Hugo.
There are well over twenty million copies of Faye Kellerman's novels in print internationally. The Decker/Lazarus thrillers include SACRED AND PROFANE; MILK AND HONEY; DAY OF ATONEMENT; FALSE PROPHET; GRIEVOUS SIN; SANCTUARY; as well as her New York Times Bestsellers, JUSTICE, PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD - listed by the LA Times as one of the best crime novel of 2001; SERPENT'S TOOTH; JUPITER'S BONES, THE FORGOTTEN, STONE KISS, STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS, THE BURNT HOUSE, THE MERCEDES COFFIN and BLINDMAN'S BLUFF. . The novels, STALKER and STREET DREAMS, introduced Kellerman's newest protagonist, Police Officer Cindy Decker. In addition to her crime series, Kellerman is also the author of New York Time's bestseller MOON MUSIC, a suspense horror novel set in Las Vegas featuring Detective Romulus Poe, as well as an historical novel of intrigue set in Elizabethan England, THE QUALITY OF MERCY. She has also co-authored the New York Times Bestseller DOUBLE HOMICIDE, with her husband and partner in crime, Jonathan Kellerman. She has also written a young adult novel, PRISM, with her daughter, Aliza Kellerman
Faye Kellerman's highly praised short stories and reviews have been anthologized in numerous collections including two volumes of the notable SISTERS IN CRIME SERIES, Sara Paretsky's, A WOMAN'S EYE; THE FIRST ANNUAL YEAR'S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES; THE THIRD ANNUAL BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR; WOMEN OF MYSTERY AND DEADLY ALLIES 11. Her personally annotated collection of her award winning stories, THE GARDEN OF EDEN and OTHER CRIMINAL DELIGHTS, was published in August of 2006. H
Her other hobbies include gardening, sewing and jogging if her back doesn't give out. She is the proud mother of four children, and her eldest son, Jesse, has just published his fourth novel, THE EXECUTOR, from Putnam. She lives in Los Angeles and Santa Fe with her husband, Jonathan, their youngest child, and their French Bulldog, Hugo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 528 reviews
October 26, 2017
Over the past two years my go to mystery series has been the Decker and Lazarus series by Faye Kellerman. With what looks to be a busy last two months of the year as I wrap up challenges and commitments, I felt the need for respite before forging ahead. Thus, I decided to revisit my old friends the Deckers in another installment of their fast paced police mystery drama.
Peter and Rina Decker have been living in quiet Greenbury, New York for almost two years. It has been a year since the town's last murder, but the crime pointed to the need to upgrade the police department with everything from yellow crime tape to a better heating system in the station house. While not the chief or even the lieutenant, Decker is viewed as the senior detective and the one in charge of most investigations. Not one to sit idly in retirement, Decker gladly shares his years of knowledge with his underworked yet appreciative colleagues. None values this experience more than Tyler McAdams who decides to visit the Deckers to study for law school finals at their home so he is free from distractions of campus. The plan goes well until it does not.
En route from picking up McAdams, Decker gets a call that a body has been discovered in the woods near by Greenbury. McAdams knows he is independently wealthy and will never have to work a day in his life is all to eager to assist on the investigation rather than study for exams. Decker welcomes the help although he does encourage his young colleague to study well enough to pass his finals. McAdams provides youthful energy and being close in age to the college students who reside in Greenbury, a police officer who students may trust more than the senior Decker. After a year following their first case, the team of Decker and McAdams is back at it to solve what looks to be a multi layered case.
While this case does not feature Rina all that much or the Decker's children, it does bring readers up to date where they are in their lives. Rina does assist with the case but more as moral support than actual solving. Featuring academic plagiarism and back stabbing within the Greenbury Five Colleges math department, the investigation involves a lot of hearsay and those gifted with math minds. Ownership of research and theses may be at stake as well as the future of both day trading and the space program if Decker and McAdams do not unravel the case soon. With Rina once being a math major many moons ago, she is enlisted as a sounding board, but, unfortunately, her involvement is not at the level of other cases where she appears in the majority of the book.
With McAdams becoming a more vital part of the Greenbury Police Department, Kellerman does not appear to be winding down her best selling series anytime soon. As the Deckers take on more activities in their retirement years as well as visiting their children and grandchildren, Kellerman still has a wealth of material to work with. It will be interesting as Decker approaches age sixty five if how she chooses to wrap up the series or shift it to cases featuring McAdams. As a fan of the series, I hope that Kellerman is not close to being finished as reading each case is like visiting with old friends. I eagerly await the next installment to see what it will bring to the table.
3.5 stars
Peter and Rina Decker have been living in quiet Greenbury, New York for almost two years. It has been a year since the town's last murder, but the crime pointed to the need to upgrade the police department with everything from yellow crime tape to a better heating system in the station house. While not the chief or even the lieutenant, Decker is viewed as the senior detective and the one in charge of most investigations. Not one to sit idly in retirement, Decker gladly shares his years of knowledge with his underworked yet appreciative colleagues. None values this experience more than Tyler McAdams who decides to visit the Deckers to study for law school finals at their home so he is free from distractions of campus. The plan goes well until it does not.
En route from picking up McAdams, Decker gets a call that a body has been discovered in the woods near by Greenbury. McAdams knows he is independently wealthy and will never have to work a day in his life is all to eager to assist on the investigation rather than study for exams. Decker welcomes the help although he does encourage his young colleague to study well enough to pass his finals. McAdams provides youthful energy and being close in age to the college students who reside in Greenbury, a police officer who students may trust more than the senior Decker. After a year following their first case, the team of Decker and McAdams is back at it to solve what looks to be a multi layered case.
While this case does not feature Rina all that much or the Decker's children, it does bring readers up to date where they are in their lives. Rina does assist with the case but more as moral support than actual solving. Featuring academic plagiarism and back stabbing within the Greenbury Five Colleges math department, the investigation involves a lot of hearsay and those gifted with math minds. Ownership of research and theses may be at stake as well as the future of both day trading and the space program if Decker and McAdams do not unravel the case soon. With Rina once being a math major many moons ago, she is enlisted as a sounding board, but, unfortunately, her involvement is not at the level of other cases where she appears in the majority of the book.
With McAdams becoming a more vital part of the Greenbury Police Department, Kellerman does not appear to be winding down her best selling series anytime soon. As the Deckers take on more activities in their retirement years as well as visiting their children and grandchildren, Kellerman still has a wealth of material to work with. It will be interesting as Decker approaches age sixty five if how she chooses to wrap up the series or shift it to cases featuring McAdams. As a fan of the series, I hope that Kellerman is not close to being finished as reading each case is like visiting with old friends. I eagerly await the next installment to see what it will bring to the table.
3.5 stars
May 28, 2022
Book 23 of the Decker/Lazarus series. Faye Kellerman continues to keep me glued to this series with her remarkable characters:
Rina - the Jewish Orthodox wife of Detective Decker. I love seeing what she cooks up in each read. Her meals sound exquisite and I’d love to be a guest at their table.
Peter Decker - closing in on retirement fast (again.) He already retired once from the LAPD but quickly jumped back in after he and Rina moved to Upstate New York. I’m not sure he’ll ever be ready to truly put down his badge. It’s still in his blood. Still tough as nails. I’d never want to be on his bad side.
Tyler McAdams - former partner of Decker’s in this small, upstate college town. Presently on break from Harvard Law School to find some peace and quiet to study for his finals.
But as many times as Decker tells McAdams to go home and study, McAdams refuses. (And trust me, he told him about a 100 times) His heart is still with law enforcement and can’t turn his back until the latest crime is solved. The latest being that of a student’s alleged suicide and the death of one of the faculty.
Great addition to the series! Though it did get a bit bogged down with math theories. (Boo...my least favorite subject?😝
I listened to the audio and Richard Ferrone did an exceptional job with the voices.🎧
Rina - the Jewish Orthodox wife of Detective Decker. I love seeing what she cooks up in each read. Her meals sound exquisite and I’d love to be a guest at their table.
Peter Decker - closing in on retirement fast (again.) He already retired once from the LAPD but quickly jumped back in after he and Rina moved to Upstate New York. I’m not sure he’ll ever be ready to truly put down his badge. It’s still in his blood. Still tough as nails. I’d never want to be on his bad side.
Tyler McAdams - former partner of Decker’s in this small, upstate college town. Presently on break from Harvard Law School to find some peace and quiet to study for his finals.
But as many times as Decker tells McAdams to go home and study, McAdams refuses. (And trust me, he told him about a 100 times) His heart is still with law enforcement and can’t turn his back until the latest crime is solved. The latest being that of a student’s alleged suicide and the death of one of the faculty.
Great addition to the series! Though it did get a bit bogged down with math theories. (Boo...my least favorite subject?😝
I listened to the audio and Richard Ferrone did an exceptional job with the voices.🎧
September 6, 2021
Former LAPD detective Peter Decker and his wife Rina have moved to upstate New York where Decker now works for the small Greensbury Police Department.
As the book opens, Tyler McAdams - who briefly partnered with Decker at the Greensbury PD before starting Harvard Law School - asks to stay with the Deckers to study for finals.
Before McAdams can crack a book the body of Eli Wolf, a student from local Kneed Loft College, is found in the woods - and the Decker/McAdams partnership is (temporarily) back on.
While investigating Eli's death, which appears to be a suicide, the detectives learn that Eli is a math genius who comes from a Mennonite family. Faculty and fellow students at Kneed Loft explain that Eli was studying an esoteric field of mathematics involving Fourrier Analysis, Fourrier Transforms, Eigenvalues, and Eigenvectors which - in short - can be used to make money in the real world.
One application, for instance, is used to predict changes in the stock market. So it's no surprise that - when some of Eli's research papers turn up - lots of people are anxious to get their hands on them.
As the story unfolds the detectives talk to a number of people in Eli's orbit including his mother and father; his thesis advisor; professors on his thesis committee; other faculty members; the dean of student life; the RA in his dorm; fellow math majors; and so on.
One attractive math student, Mallon Euler, seems especially interested in Eli's papers and takes to stalking/flirting with Detective McAdams in an obvious attempt to get a look at them.
Before long the body of another victim, a math professor, is found in the woods - and this time it looks like murder! Who knew advanced math could be so dangerous?
The investigation proceeds rather languidly as one or both detectives (and sometimes Rina) drive here and there to visit Eli's family, get help from a Harvard math professor, speak to the brother of a victim in New York City, and interview local persons of interest.
The detectives also get relevant phone records, examine victims' computers, collect text messages, etc.
A sketchy monetary scheme is uncovered, as well as an illicit affair, faculty rivalries, professional jealousy, misogyny, and other shady behavior.
Step by step Decker puts together all the clues and learns the identity of the murderer.
For me this is just an okay addition to the series. The mystery is mildly engaging and the (brief) explanation of the fancy math is interesting, but the story meanders along with minimal excitement. Also, it disturbed me that Rina tags along on police interviews.
What cop would take his civilian wife along during an investigation? This has to be against the rules... besides being potentially dangerous (McAdams was already shot in a previous book). It feels like this plot device was used just to give Rina a role in the story - which seems to be to provide tasty kosher snacks.....
......schmooze with the Mennonite mom, and throw out a suggestion every now and then.
Fans of the series might enjoy the book just to see what some favorite characters are up to - but very few ancillary characters from previous books make an appearance. To me it feels like the Decker series needs a jolt of electricity.
You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/
October 28, 2015
Way way back now, more years than I care to think about, I picked up a copy of a novel called “The Ritual Bath” and was introduced to Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. I’ve grown up with them pretty much, we are now on book 23 and despite that fact this series just keeps going strong and I have never once been disappointed. Definitely one of my favourite series, here is hoping that our couple have a good few more years in them.
Over the course of the 23 books and counting, we have seen Decker and Lazarus come together, form a family, add to that family all whilst becoming embroiled in murder and mayhem, this is just as much a family drama as it is a crime series. Think The Waltons only less saccharine and with more dead bodies….
Faye Kellerman writes beautifully – the entirety of this body of work is simply amazing – creating an authentic and highly absorbing set of stories that are all extremely addictive – not only in the mystery elements which are always intelligently done and unpredictable – but also in the background and growth of the characters you come to know and love. Peter and Rina have grown with the series – they age appropriately, they face everyday problems, the religious background and themes work magnificently within the narrative (and often create a starting point for the individual case) so the core of each tale is steady and perfectly paced.
The author has an intuitive way of injecting new life into the ongoing drama every now and then – characters from previous novels often hang around, some permanently, adding to the whole and keeping things fresh, giving the reader new focus (and often huge amounts of book love – Chris Donatti, wait until you meet him)
Recently, with this book and the last, she has shaken things up again – moving Peter and Rina to pastures new and setting off a whole new set of life events for them. Into the mix in “Murder 101” came Tyler McAdams, a new partner for Peter in his policework and fast becoming a favourite for me – although he polarised opinion I’m firmly on the side of more Tyler all the time. Luckily for me it’s looking like I might get my wish…
So here we are at the latest adventure then – The Theory of Death. A student who may or may not have killed himself starts things off – and as Peter and Tyler enter the academic world once again, they will have their work cut out for them as they sort through a myriad of issues. Luckily as usual, Rina is around to ground things and keep them on the straight and narrow.
I loved this one it has to be said – I found the mathematics theory portions of the tale completely fascinating even though I understood not one darn word of it despite the excellent explanations. Once again Faye Kellerman throws a lot of intriguing and well drawn characters into the mix, gives us a complex and riveting puzzle to solve (and I’m not just talking about the maths here) and keeps you guessing to the very last page. I was enthralled from start to finish. I always am.
Overall this whole series comes highly recommended from me – you can read any of them, but for me to read in order is to go on a wonderful literary journey, after a few books reading one will be like coming home. For that reason hey, start at the start and work your way towards today – I can almost guarantee that once started you will devour each and every one then be tapping your fingers waiting for more. Which is what I’m doing right now.
Over the course of the 23 books and counting, we have seen Decker and Lazarus come together, form a family, add to that family all whilst becoming embroiled in murder and mayhem, this is just as much a family drama as it is a crime series. Think The Waltons only less saccharine and with more dead bodies….
Faye Kellerman writes beautifully – the entirety of this body of work is simply amazing – creating an authentic and highly absorbing set of stories that are all extremely addictive – not only in the mystery elements which are always intelligently done and unpredictable – but also in the background and growth of the characters you come to know and love. Peter and Rina have grown with the series – they age appropriately, they face everyday problems, the religious background and themes work magnificently within the narrative (and often create a starting point for the individual case) so the core of each tale is steady and perfectly paced.
The author has an intuitive way of injecting new life into the ongoing drama every now and then – characters from previous novels often hang around, some permanently, adding to the whole and keeping things fresh, giving the reader new focus (and often huge amounts of book love – Chris Donatti, wait until you meet him)
Recently, with this book and the last, she has shaken things up again – moving Peter and Rina to pastures new and setting off a whole new set of life events for them. Into the mix in “Murder 101” came Tyler McAdams, a new partner for Peter in his policework and fast becoming a favourite for me – although he polarised opinion I’m firmly on the side of more Tyler all the time. Luckily for me it’s looking like I might get my wish…
So here we are at the latest adventure then – The Theory of Death. A student who may or may not have killed himself starts things off – and as Peter and Tyler enter the academic world once again, they will have their work cut out for them as they sort through a myriad of issues. Luckily as usual, Rina is around to ground things and keep them on the straight and narrow.
I loved this one it has to be said – I found the mathematics theory portions of the tale completely fascinating even though I understood not one darn word of it despite the excellent explanations. Once again Faye Kellerman throws a lot of intriguing and well drawn characters into the mix, gives us a complex and riveting puzzle to solve (and I’m not just talking about the maths here) and keeps you guessing to the very last page. I was enthralled from start to finish. I always am.
Overall this whole series comes highly recommended from me – you can read any of them, but for me to read in order is to go on a wonderful literary journey, after a few books reading one will be like coming home. For that reason hey, start at the start and work your way towards today – I can almost guarantee that once started you will devour each and every one then be tapping your fingers waiting for more. Which is what I’m doing right now.
November 22, 2015
Again this was ok. The mystery was predictable and I was annoyed by the side plot of a college girl acting like a stalker to the new young male character - and it was presented as "cute"! Ugh. Not cute, not likeable. If Faye Kellerman is out of ideas for the series she should take a break - not introduce inane new characters. The move to the northeast from California is fine, I just wish she'd stop with the dumb supporting characters. I really don't want to see Mallon in the next book.
November 7, 2015
My feelings about this, the 23rd book featuring former LAPD Lieutenant Peter Decker and his wife, Rina, are somewhat mixed (my actual rating is 3.5 stars, but since that's not possible here, I gave it the benefit of rounding up to 4). I admit I haven't totally adjusted to their move from California to a far less hectic life in upstate New York, although they seem to be handling it fairly well at this point (the second book set in their new location). When I finished the previous book, Murder 101, I had hopes that Rina would take a stronger role on the crime-solving end from then on. And to a certain extent, in this one she does - but it still seems she's much more valued for making sure lunch and dinner are on the table and soothing her overworked husband's ego.
This one begins when Peter, who now works at the Greenbury Police Department, is called in when the nude body of a young man is found in the woods. Killed by a single gunshot to the head with the gun near the body, at first blush the death is considered to be suicide. Peter gets some help from Tyler McAdams, a former Greenbury police colleague who's back in the area prepping for Harvard Law School finals (he earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard, is quite wealthy and, as readers are reminded many times over, isn't worried about passing his exams and therefore is able to help with the investigation despite Peter's insistence that he pay more attention to studying).
The body turns out to be a student in the Mathematics Department of Kneed Loft College, where he's considered a prodigy - working on (officially and unofficially) projects with real-world applications that could be worth millions. This is where things start to get a bit jumbled, at least to my totally math-challenged mind. No matter how - or how often - the concepts are explained in "layman's" terms, I didn't really grasp a word anybody said (with one notable exception that I can't reveal without spoiling it for others).
In the end, though, understanding really isn't all that important, except that it does give Rina a chance to show that her brain is capable of cooking up more than a great brisket. In fact, it appears she majored in math in the brief time she spent in college (a bit too conveniently, perhaps) and thus, with a tiny bit of brushing up, is able to explain what the math students and professors are about. There's even a suggestion that she should return to school and get a degree in math (aha - do I smell the basis for another book)?
Maybe yes, maybe no, but when that next one comes to pass, count me among those who will be reading it. I'm still a big fan and I don't see that changing anytime soon; I've followed this couple from the time they first got together, and they're almost like family to me. Yasher koach!
This one begins when Peter, who now works at the Greenbury Police Department, is called in when the nude body of a young man is found in the woods. Killed by a single gunshot to the head with the gun near the body, at first blush the death is considered to be suicide. Peter gets some help from Tyler McAdams, a former Greenbury police colleague who's back in the area prepping for Harvard Law School finals (he earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard, is quite wealthy and, as readers are reminded many times over, isn't worried about passing his exams and therefore is able to help with the investigation despite Peter's insistence that he pay more attention to studying).
The body turns out to be a student in the Mathematics Department of Kneed Loft College, where he's considered a prodigy - working on (officially and unofficially) projects with real-world applications that could be worth millions. This is where things start to get a bit jumbled, at least to my totally math-challenged mind. No matter how - or how often - the concepts are explained in "layman's" terms, I didn't really grasp a word anybody said (with one notable exception that I can't reveal without spoiling it for others).
In the end, though, understanding really isn't all that important, except that it does give Rina a chance to show that her brain is capable of cooking up more than a great brisket. In fact, it appears she majored in math in the brief time she spent in college (a bit too conveniently, perhaps) and thus, with a tiny bit of brushing up, is able to explain what the math students and professors are about. There's even a suggestion that she should return to school and get a degree in math (aha - do I smell the basis for another book)?
Maybe yes, maybe no, but when that next one comes to pass, count me among those who will be reading it. I'm still a big fan and I don't see that changing anytime soon; I've followed this couple from the time they first got together, and they're almost like family to me. Yasher koach!
August 7, 2016
I was kindly sent this book by the publisher through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. This book started out well - it was reasonably easy to read and had my attention. The plot seemed decent, although I must admit my brain switched off during the boring paragraphs about eigenvalues and other equally tedious mathematical terms. I had hoped that attempting to get my head around the maths would pay off by the end but unfortunately I am left questioning whether it had any relevance at all.
Although things started out well, I'm afraid the author just didn't keep my attention. The book became repetitive at times - how many times did we need to hear a debate about Tyler returning to Harvard?! It also became very unrealistic at times. For example, Decker's wife going along to police interviews like it was a coffee morning and a police officer kissing a suspect. Unrealistic plots is something I hate in a crime thriller so unfortunately this was a real negative for me.
I found the last 100 pages of the book really quite tedious. The ending was an anti-climax and I'm left wondering what the relevance of much of the book was. There was a lot of unnecessary and irrelevant aspects to the story which, again, I find frustrating. What a love in a crime thriller is when everything links up at the end and it all makes sense. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for me in The Theory of Death.
Thank you very much to Goodreads and the publisher for gifting me with this book - I did enjoy the first half of this book, it's just a shame I couldn't be more positive about the rest.
Although things started out well, I'm afraid the author just didn't keep my attention. The book became repetitive at times - how many times did we need to hear a debate about Tyler returning to Harvard?! It also became very unrealistic at times. For example, Decker's wife going along to police interviews like it was a coffee morning and a police officer kissing a suspect. Unrealistic plots is something I hate in a crime thriller so unfortunately this was a real negative for me.
I found the last 100 pages of the book really quite tedious. The ending was an anti-climax and I'm left wondering what the relevance of much of the book was. There was a lot of unnecessary and irrelevant aspects to the story which, again, I find frustrating. What a love in a crime thriller is when everything links up at the end and it all makes sense. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for me in The Theory of Death.
Thank you very much to Goodreads and the publisher for gifting me with this book - I did enjoy the first half of this book, it's just a shame I couldn't be more positive about the rest.
March 25, 2016
I liked this one more than the last one. Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus are settling in to their new quiet life in a college town in upstate NY, when a young Ph'D math student is found dead and naked in the woods, an apparent suicide. Kellerman takes us into the competitive world of academia, and the applications of math in the larger world. Peter and Rina continue to minister to their newest stray person, McAdams, who asks if he can study for his Harvard Law finals there, only to be drawn back into the detective business. When an untenured professor is found dead, and perhaps posed to look like the initial suicide, Peter and McAdams bore down. Their relationship continues to be a central tenet, somewhat diminishing Rina's role as Peter's conscience. I found the ending to this one more satisfying: one element was sadly predictable, while the second was quite clever. Peter still rocks.
August 8, 2016
I had read a Faye Kellerman novel from the same series previously, albeit one written a good ten or fifteen years ago, so kinda knew what to expect. That previous experience had been mixed - I had liked some aspects, but in other senses it hadn't really been my kind of thing. I was keen to give the author another try, and was glad when I won a giveaway to get my own copy of this book.
Overall, as reasonable a read it was, and as much as I am able to understand how the author has plenty of admirers, I got to the end of this with a reinforced sense that it's not my favourite crime series by far. The plot takes in the suspicious deaths of a mathematical genius student and later further deaths within his faculty, investigated by Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus (did anyone mention she was Jewish? Perhaps we should mention it a few more times just to make sure) as well as a young colleague of Decker's. The story was OK, the writing wasn't bad - straightforward and of good pace - but for me it relied too much on long conversations between characters, interviews and then people fessing up to crimes. This was padded out with quite a bit of 'soap opera' pointless family/friend relationship stuff which I found a bit unnecessary. I never quite connected with the academic setting either - despite the author having a BA (? - they must do it differently in the US) in Mathematics, a lot of the technical content of this story seemed slightly clunkily shoe-horned in like she'd done her research and was determined to include as often as she could.
So my overall feeling on completing this book was that it was a decent novel, confident and ticking all the boxes for readers who like this kind of American crime thriller, but that it's not really my preferred taste, and I'm still likely to enjoy Scottish, Irish, British or Scandinavian crime more.
I received a copy of this book from Killer Reads, via the Goodreads Book Giveaway programme. This did not affect my opinion or the honesty of my review.
Overall, as reasonable a read it was, and as much as I am able to understand how the author has plenty of admirers, I got to the end of this with a reinforced sense that it's not my favourite crime series by far. The plot takes in the suspicious deaths of a mathematical genius student and later further deaths within his faculty, investigated by Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus (did anyone mention she was Jewish? Perhaps we should mention it a few more times just to make sure) as well as a young colleague of Decker's. The story was OK, the writing wasn't bad - straightforward and of good pace - but for me it relied too much on long conversations between characters, interviews and then people fessing up to crimes. This was padded out with quite a bit of 'soap opera' pointless family/friend relationship stuff which I found a bit unnecessary. I never quite connected with the academic setting either - despite the author having a BA (? - they must do it differently in the US) in Mathematics, a lot of the technical content of this story seemed slightly clunkily shoe-horned in like she'd done her research and was determined to include as often as she could.
So my overall feeling on completing this book was that it was a decent novel, confident and ticking all the boxes for readers who like this kind of American crime thriller, but that it's not really my preferred taste, and I'm still likely to enjoy Scottish, Irish, British or Scandinavian crime more.
I received a copy of this book from Killer Reads, via the Goodreads Book Giveaway programme. This did not affect my opinion or the honesty of my review.
July 12, 2016
I must admit, I was a little dubious about reading a crime novel with a heavy dose of maths thrown in, but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, but perhaps I wasn’t expecting much. Granted, some of the technical material was skim read, and the repetition of it did become tedious, but the initial idea was interesting, especially the ideas about mapping.
I like the relationship between Decker and McAdams, but I was driven to distraction by Mallon. I couldn’t understand why they accepted her stalkery behaviour, especially doing the job they do. It wasn’t cute and endearing, it was weird and irritating. Why they let her tag along is anyone’s guess, let alone see her as a romantic interest.
Although I enjoyed the father/son dynamic, the endless duplication and references to McAdams’ need to study was really overplayed, as was the different names the author used for her characters e.g. McAdams, Tyler, the boy. I thought the dialogue was quite stilted, especially between Decker and Rina.
A bit stodgy, a disappointing end… I wouldn’t bother.
I like the relationship between Decker and McAdams, but I was driven to distraction by Mallon. I couldn’t understand why they accepted her stalkery behaviour, especially doing the job they do. It wasn’t cute and endearing, it was weird and irritating. Why they let her tag along is anyone’s guess, let alone see her as a romantic interest.
Although I enjoyed the father/son dynamic, the endless duplication and references to McAdams’ need to study was really overplayed, as was the different names the author used for her characters e.g. McAdams, Tyler, the boy. I thought the dialogue was quite stilted, especially between Decker and Rina.
A bit stodgy, a disappointing end… I wouldn’t bother.
January 10, 2016
I have read all the Decker/Lazarus books, even before Decker was in the picture. At that time, Rena Lazaus was the main character. This books continues the thread the of the last ones: Rena has been reduced to almost a stereotype of a “housewife.” She cooks. She welcomes guests. She does the laundry. Her multi-faceted activities from the earlier books are barely mentioned. Rena, an Orthodox Jewish woman who helped solve crimes made the series unique. Sadly, that element is now gone.
On it’s own, THE THEORY OF DEATH does provide an interesting plot: The nude body of Eli, a college student and a brilliant mathematician, is found in the woods. He has been shot in the head. There is residue on his hands. His clothes are neatly stacked in a pile nearby. The gun is on the ground nearby and the question becomes is it murder or suicide.
As Peter Decker, assisted by Tyler McAdams, a former detective and now college law student, tries to solve the case, he interviews many people associated with the victim. His family tells him that Elijah changed after an automobile accident. “Before he was friendly, popular, and outgrowing. Afterward, he became withdrawn and quiet. Very uncommunicative. He buried himself in a world of numbers.” In college, he had few friends and no one seemed to know much about him.
Later on, another character’s body is found in almost the same condition. Are the two deaths related? If so, how?
The book has an excessive amount of information about abstract mathematics, particularly Fourier transformation, eigenvectors, eigenvalue, and oscilator mathematics. While some of that does figure in the plot, it is over explained but can easily be skipped for the most part.
The book discusses college politics, sexism, and relationships between faculty and students. The characters are stagnant. One is particularly annoying.
Two interesting observations:
“Then it’s good you have the money to be labeled as an eccentric rather than a nutcase.”
“Persistence is helpful in math if you’re on the right track. But sometimes you’ve got to stop working an idea to death no matter how brilliant you think it is.” That is true in many areas in addition to math.
There is some repetition. “Duxbury, the oldest of the five institutions” is mentioned twice. The name was all that was necessary the second time. The chronology and physical descriptions of the five neighboring schools were not a necessary part of the story.
There are some contradictions: At one place it said their house was kept on the chilly side. At another point, the temperature was about 80 degrees. Very few people keep their thermostats at eighty degrees especially when the outside temperature is not very much below freezing. In another place Rina said there had been ice on the windshield and the car had been warming up for fifteen minutes. Having had to scrape ice off a windshield many times, it doesn’t take fifteen minutes of warm-up time to accomplish this. Most people don’t warm a car up at all. And since Faye Kellerman lives in Los Angeles, she should be aware of the pollution caused by unnecessary fuel consumption.
There is a description of “a mud-filled expanse that turned into lawn in the springtime.” There was snow on the ground. A lawn will turn brown in the winter, it will not die out and turn to mud. If the grass is gone, it will have to be reseeded.
In one place a witness said, “A light was on in her living room. Several lights were on, actually...I thought she was working late.” A couple pages the witness was asked “Did you see or hear anything unusual before you knocked?” “No. Just the light on in her house, which I thought was a little unusual given the hour.”
Decker decided to call upon a Harvard professor to analyze some information. Several people, particularly faculty members, asked who the person was. Decker refused to name him but freely told one of them. Why?
He was having difficulty locating a piece of evidence. Someone said “Sometimes it was the last item checked.” Duh! After people find something, they usually stop looking so of course it would be the last item checked..
There was no ballistics checks on the guns or finding out how they were obtained. The question about its location on the ground near the body was not resolved
And there is a short reference to their house being bugged electronically without any explanation about why that would ever be necessary.
Despite all its faults, THE THEORY OF DEATH does present an interesting plot and makes for a good read. Faye Kellerman has done much better in the past. I hope she can return to that standard.
On it’s own, THE THEORY OF DEATH does provide an interesting plot: The nude body of Eli, a college student and a brilliant mathematician, is found in the woods. He has been shot in the head. There is residue on his hands. His clothes are neatly stacked in a pile nearby. The gun is on the ground nearby and the question becomes is it murder or suicide.
As Peter Decker, assisted by Tyler McAdams, a former detective and now college law student, tries to solve the case, he interviews many people associated with the victim. His family tells him that Elijah changed after an automobile accident. “Before he was friendly, popular, and outgrowing. Afterward, he became withdrawn and quiet. Very uncommunicative. He buried himself in a world of numbers.” In college, he had few friends and no one seemed to know much about him.
Later on, another character’s body is found in almost the same condition. Are the two deaths related? If so, how?
The book has an excessive amount of information about abstract mathematics, particularly Fourier transformation, eigenvectors, eigenvalue, and oscilator mathematics. While some of that does figure in the plot, it is over explained but can easily be skipped for the most part.
The book discusses college politics, sexism, and relationships between faculty and students. The characters are stagnant. One is particularly annoying.
Two interesting observations:
“Then it’s good you have the money to be labeled as an eccentric rather than a nutcase.”
“Persistence is helpful in math if you’re on the right track. But sometimes you’ve got to stop working an idea to death no matter how brilliant you think it is.” That is true in many areas in addition to math.
There is some repetition. “Duxbury, the oldest of the five institutions” is mentioned twice. The name was all that was necessary the second time. The chronology and physical descriptions of the five neighboring schools were not a necessary part of the story.
There are some contradictions: At one place it said their house was kept on the chilly side. At another point, the temperature was about 80 degrees. Very few people keep their thermostats at eighty degrees especially when the outside temperature is not very much below freezing. In another place Rina said there had been ice on the windshield and the car had been warming up for fifteen minutes. Having had to scrape ice off a windshield many times, it doesn’t take fifteen minutes of warm-up time to accomplish this. Most people don’t warm a car up at all. And since Faye Kellerman lives in Los Angeles, she should be aware of the pollution caused by unnecessary fuel consumption.
There is a description of “a mud-filled expanse that turned into lawn in the springtime.” There was snow on the ground. A lawn will turn brown in the winter, it will not die out and turn to mud. If the grass is gone, it will have to be reseeded.
In one place a witness said, “A light was on in her living room. Several lights were on, actually...I thought she was working late.” A couple pages the witness was asked “Did you see or hear anything unusual before you knocked?” “No. Just the light on in her house, which I thought was a little unusual given the hour.”
Decker decided to call upon a Harvard professor to analyze some information. Several people, particularly faculty members, asked who the person was. Decker refused to name him but freely told one of them. Why?
He was having difficulty locating a piece of evidence. Someone said “Sometimes it was the last item checked.” Duh! After people find something, they usually stop looking so of course it would be the last item checked..
There was no ballistics checks on the guns or finding out how they were obtained. The question about its location on the ground near the body was not resolved
And there is a short reference to their house being bugged electronically without any explanation about why that would ever be necessary.
Despite all its faults, THE THEORY OF DEATH does present an interesting plot and makes for a good read. Faye Kellerman has done much better in the past. I hope she can return to that standard.
March 16, 2016
I liked this more than some of the later books, probably because it's back to the roots: Decker investigating, with his new partner [unofficially] at his side and Rina backing him up. The mathematics was way out of my league, but carefully presented to be accessible to the average reader, and the plot development was outstanding! If you're a fan of these books, you won't be disappointed.
August 24, 2016
Another well-crafted exciting crime story from Faye Kellerman. Peter and Rina are getting older, but their capacities are for the most part undiminished. As she often does, Kellerman uses the opportunity to teach us something, this time about math in academia, which turns out to have a lethal side.
November 30, 2015
One of the best Decker/Lazarus books. I loved the dialogue between Peter, Tyler and Rina. The math involved in the book was a bit too much, but the story was awesome. So much fun.
November 28, 2015
I'm a fan of this series since starting it earlier this year (started w/#19; then #1-9), but with the new release, I was impatient & jumped ahead. This installment had a different feel since Peter & Rina are not only older but moved & semi-retired in rural NY, rather than LA, and kids all grown & new co-workers. However, a there's a death of a genius math student from one of the local colleges and Decker is unsure if it's suicide or murder. Decker & his former colleague, back from Harvard on break, struggle to investigate in collegiate world of advanced mathematics, physics & cosmology and the competition & politics that they unknowingly go along with it. Just when they think they figure it out, there's another death and this time it's murder, and there are lots of suspects. Although I often prefer a fast-paced story, this medium-paced, slow burner hit the spot too. At some point I kind of saw where it was going, but it kept me guessing and I only got one small point of the story right. There was plenty to keep me guessing and enjoying with a part emotional ending and a little sweet bit too. For some readers, they might get a little frustrated with the very advanced mathematics, formulas and theories, which are complex--and that's coming from a math lover who never made it past Calc 1 b/c I had a baby, but I think it was getting too hard anyway & switched majors--but it is explained somewhat and, I think, the story can still be enjoyed by math haters or novices. For long time Decker & Lazarus fans, the grown children & their families do make a brief appearance. I'm glad I made this one-time jump ahead to see them in current times & technology and should have installments #10-17 & 19-22 read before another one comes out. I'm glad to see author is still keeping one of my favorite crime couples fresh & up-to-date.
January 23, 2016
I received The Theory of Death by Faye Kellerman through Goodreads for an honest review. Thank you to Goodreads, Faye Kellerman, and William Morrow Books.
Where have I been? This is the 23rd book in this series. Peter Decker is a former LAPD lieutenant who has given up on the fast-paced life of police work in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Rina, have moved to a so-called quiet and uneventful life in Greenbury, New York where Decker is now the head of the Greenbury Police Department.
All is not well when the body of a college student is found and there is the question of suicide or murder. Added to the mix is the arrival of a former young colleague, Tyler McAdams, who is studying law at Harvard. The banter between Decker and McAdams is refreshing and the zingers give you an out-loud chuckle. Kellerman provides sheer wittiness that engages you with these characters.
This book is stimulating and settles around the world of academia. There are plenty of references to theorems and mathematical properties which are necessary to the plot without causing the reader to glaze over. I found this book to be far above the "same ol', same ol'" in its subject matter and approach. Kellerman does a fine job of drawing you in from the get-go and takes you on a tricky ride to the finale. Will be checking out prior books on Peter Decker and the intriguing writing of Faye Kellerman.
Where have I been? This is the 23rd book in this series. Peter Decker is a former LAPD lieutenant who has given up on the fast-paced life of police work in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Rina, have moved to a so-called quiet and uneventful life in Greenbury, New York where Decker is now the head of the Greenbury Police Department.
All is not well when the body of a college student is found and there is the question of suicide or murder. Added to the mix is the arrival of a former young colleague, Tyler McAdams, who is studying law at Harvard. The banter between Decker and McAdams is refreshing and the zingers give you an out-loud chuckle. Kellerman provides sheer wittiness that engages you with these characters.
This book is stimulating and settles around the world of academia. There are plenty of references to theorems and mathematical properties which are necessary to the plot without causing the reader to glaze over. I found this book to be far above the "same ol', same ol'" in its subject matter and approach. Kellerman does a fine job of drawing you in from the get-go and takes you on a tricky ride to the finale. Will be checking out prior books on Peter Decker and the intriguing writing of Faye Kellerman.
January 30, 2016
Faye Kellerman's latest continues where the last novel left off with Decker and Rina settling into their new home in a small town on the East Coast. The move gives Kellerman a chance to change up the stories but I do miss many of the old characters from the original series.
As for this book, it wasn't one of my favorites. It starts out strong enough but a lot of the pages feel like filler the further in you go. Repeated explanations of the same mathematical theories, repeated visits to the same characters (with no new revelations) and enough with the obligatory visits to the kids in NY. This isn't a TV show where all of the contracted players have to appear every week. It's okay if we don't see Decker's children and grandchildren in every book.
My biggest issue with this book is that I felt unsatisfied at the end and that's never a good thing when you're reading a murder mystery. I love the characters and I love Kellerman's writing. I'll keep reading as long as she keeps publishing but this particular installment is not a keeper.
As for this book, it wasn't one of my favorites. It starts out strong enough but a lot of the pages feel like filler the further in you go. Repeated explanations of the same mathematical theories, repeated visits to the same characters (with no new revelations) and enough with the obligatory visits to the kids in NY. This isn't a TV show where all of the contracted players have to appear every week. It's okay if we don't see Decker's children and grandchildren in every book.
My biggest issue with this book is that I felt unsatisfied at the end and that's never a good thing when you're reading a murder mystery. I love the characters and I love Kellerman's writing. I'll keep reading as long as she keeps publishing but this particular installment is not a keeper.
November 15, 2015
Five stars because it is always good to visit with Rina and Peter and the family. I do wish FK would write a more Rina-centered book. The mystery was somewhat predictable, although the very end had a satisfying conclusion to the red herring death.
March 15, 2017
Am Anfang war dein Ende gehört zur Reihe um Detective Decker und dessen Ehefrau. Ich habe keine vorhergehenden Teile der Reihe gelesen, ich bin einfach in die Geschichte gesprungen, in der Hoffnung, dass nicht allzu viel auf vorhergehenden Teilen aufbaut. Jetzt im Nachgang kann ich sagen, dass man das Buch problemlos lesen kann, ohne die Teile vorher zu kennen.
Der Fall dreht sich zuächst um einen tot aufgefundenen Studenten des hiesigen Colleges, dehnt sich jedoch im Verlauf noch etwas aus. Die Story selbst war bis zu einem gewissen Punkt sehr spannend, irgendwann hatte ich jedoch eine Vermutung in welche Richtung das wohl gehen soll. Am College bewegen wir uns übrigens im Fachbereich der Mathematik, weshalb bei der Falllösung auch oftmals über komplexe mathematische Dinge gesprochen wird. Am Anfang fand ich es noch nett, dass immer wieder erklärt wurde, was man unter gewissen mathematischen Begriffen versteht, jedoch waren das so komplexe Dinge, die sich mir auch nach der 6. Erklärung nicht erschlossen haben. Für die Story braucht man kein tieferes Verständnis für Mathematik, jedoch hat mich diese Wiederholung etwas genervt.
Ein weiterer Minuspunkt in der Geschichte war eine Nebenfigur. Eine Studentin wurde im Prinzip als hoch unsympathische und dauerschlechtgelaunte Stalkerin dargestellt, jedoch fanden alle Personen das eher putzig als nervig oder gar besorgniserregnd? Für mich jedenfalls eine der schlimmsten Personen seit langer Zeit.
Insgesamt war die Story natürlich nichts Neues, jedoch konnte man das Buch schnell und flüssig weglesen. Ich würde durchaus nochmal ein Buch mit Detective Decker zur Hand nehmen, falls die Story packend klingt. Für die Figuren allein würde ich momentan noch kein Folgebuch blind kaufen, dafür sind sie mir noch nicht genug ans Herz gewachsen.
*Rezensionsexemplar
Der Fall dreht sich zuächst um einen tot aufgefundenen Studenten des hiesigen Colleges, dehnt sich jedoch im Verlauf noch etwas aus. Die Story selbst war bis zu einem gewissen Punkt sehr spannend, irgendwann hatte ich jedoch eine Vermutung in welche Richtung das wohl gehen soll. Am College bewegen wir uns übrigens im Fachbereich der Mathematik, weshalb bei der Falllösung auch oftmals über komplexe mathematische Dinge gesprochen wird. Am Anfang fand ich es noch nett, dass immer wieder erklärt wurde, was man unter gewissen mathematischen Begriffen versteht, jedoch waren das so komplexe Dinge, die sich mir auch nach der 6. Erklärung nicht erschlossen haben. Für die Story braucht man kein tieferes Verständnis für Mathematik, jedoch hat mich diese Wiederholung etwas genervt.
Ein weiterer Minuspunkt in der Geschichte war eine Nebenfigur. Eine Studentin wurde im Prinzip als hoch unsympathische und dauerschlechtgelaunte Stalkerin dargestellt, jedoch fanden alle Personen das eher putzig als nervig oder gar besorgniserregnd? Für mich jedenfalls eine der schlimmsten Personen seit langer Zeit.
Insgesamt war die Story natürlich nichts Neues, jedoch konnte man das Buch schnell und flüssig weglesen. Ich würde durchaus nochmal ein Buch mit Detective Decker zur Hand nehmen, falls die Story packend klingt. Für die Figuren allein würde ich momentan noch kein Folgebuch blind kaufen, dafür sind sie mir noch nicht genug ans Herz gewachsen.
*Rezensionsexemplar
September 7, 2021
Very nice mystery book, especially for fans of the Kellerman family of authors, as I certainly am.
The setting is cool, we are back in Western Mass "Five Colleges" town.
Tyler is making a comeback and has all the making of a recurring character, which would be great.
Enjoyed it lots.
The setting is cool, we are back in Western Mass "Five Colleges" town.
Tyler is making a comeback and has all the making of a recurring character, which would be great.
Enjoyed it lots.
Read
May 21, 2016Murder in the math department at a small private college specializing in math and physics. I learned a lot about Fourier transforms, stocatic something or others and more math stuff. I was a math major for awhile in college, so I found all the math talk pretty interesting. The story is pretty good too. This is one of the more recent Pete Decker/Rina Lazarus books. Their kids are grown and they live in a small town in upstate NY. I like the setting.
October 13, 2016
Another great Decker/Lazarus book. I liked the idea that there were so many suspects and so many motives. I think those things kept the story interesting. As always, I enjoyed the parts of the story about Decker's life outside of work.
December 3, 2016
While investigating the apparent suicide of of graduate student, Decker is confronted by the murder of one of the student's professors. The background is a New England college and higher math. The story is full of plot turns.
December 8, 2015
The book dragged things out a little too long and the stranger stalker relationship didn't make sense to me. Not the best entry in the series.
August 9, 2016
409 pages.
March 12, 2017
Traum der Wissenschaft
Der Student Eli Wolf galt als Mathe-Genie, ein Unfall hatte in seinem Gehirn ungeahnte Kräfte freigesetzt, die er im Sinne der Wissenschaft nutzen wollte. Doch nun liegt der junge Mann erschossen in einem Waldstück. Detective Peter Decker und Tyler McAdams ermitteln. Zwar sieht es nach einem Selbstmord aus. Vielleicht steckt aber doch mehr dahinter. Jedenfalls kommen bei den Befragungen auffällig häufig Elis Forschungsergebnisse zur Sprache. Von den Mitstudenten bis zu den Dozenten scheinen viele ein großes Interesse an den Unterlagen zu haben. Hatte Eli eine besondere Entdeckung gemacht, die sich finanziell bezahlt machen könnte. Könnte da etwa ein Grund für seinen Tod zu sehen sein.
Tyler, der sich eigentlich auf eine Abschlussprüfung vorbereiten will, beteiligt sich mit Eifer an den Ermittlungen. Detective Decker gehört zu den Wenigen, von denen McAdams sich was sagen lässt. Er ist Tyler ein Vorbild und so zieht es Tyler eher zur Polizeiarbeit als zur Jurisprudenz. Ein Abschluss schadet aber nie und deshalb ermuntert Decker seinen Schützling wieder und wieder dazu, die Nase in die Bücher zu stecken. Mit jungendlicher Energie schafft es McAdams jedoch beides unter einen Hut zu bringen und neben der Büffelei nimmt er Anteil an den Ermittlungen. Gemeinsam versuchen Decker und McAdams Licht ins Dunkel zu bringen und entdecken dabei, dass der Wissenschaftsbetrieb nicht nur von der bloßen Forschung geprägt ist, sondern auch von Neid und Missgunst.
Mit Humor fechten Peter Decke, seine Frau Rina aber auch Tyler McAdams so manches Wortgefecht. Schlagfertig werfen sie sich die Wortbälle zu und brainstormen sich so zu Lösungsansätzen, die der näheren Betrachtung bedürfen. Mit menschlichem Einfühlungsvermögen, Witz und Intelligenz beflügeln sie sich gegenseitig. Je tiefer sie allerdings in die Abgründe des College-Betriebes eintauchen, desto mehr Ungereimtheiten fördern sie zutage. Es scheint ein Hauen und Stechen zu herrschen. Doch kann das ausreichend sein, um einen Todesfall herbei zu rufen? Mit leichter Hand beschreibt die Autorin den Verlauf der Ermittlungen. Bodenständige Polizeiarbeit verhilft den Ermittlern zu Erkenntnissen, die sie gemäß ihrem Alter mit Erfahrung und frischer Unvoreingenommenheit zusammen setzen. Ein klug konstruierter Plott fesselt dabei und die sympathischen Ermittler tun ihr Übriges, um die Lesezeit wie im Flug vergehen zu lassen.
Der Student Eli Wolf galt als Mathe-Genie, ein Unfall hatte in seinem Gehirn ungeahnte Kräfte freigesetzt, die er im Sinne der Wissenschaft nutzen wollte. Doch nun liegt der junge Mann erschossen in einem Waldstück. Detective Peter Decker und Tyler McAdams ermitteln. Zwar sieht es nach einem Selbstmord aus. Vielleicht steckt aber doch mehr dahinter. Jedenfalls kommen bei den Befragungen auffällig häufig Elis Forschungsergebnisse zur Sprache. Von den Mitstudenten bis zu den Dozenten scheinen viele ein großes Interesse an den Unterlagen zu haben. Hatte Eli eine besondere Entdeckung gemacht, die sich finanziell bezahlt machen könnte. Könnte da etwa ein Grund für seinen Tod zu sehen sein.
Tyler, der sich eigentlich auf eine Abschlussprüfung vorbereiten will, beteiligt sich mit Eifer an den Ermittlungen. Detective Decker gehört zu den Wenigen, von denen McAdams sich was sagen lässt. Er ist Tyler ein Vorbild und so zieht es Tyler eher zur Polizeiarbeit als zur Jurisprudenz. Ein Abschluss schadet aber nie und deshalb ermuntert Decker seinen Schützling wieder und wieder dazu, die Nase in die Bücher zu stecken. Mit jungendlicher Energie schafft es McAdams jedoch beides unter einen Hut zu bringen und neben der Büffelei nimmt er Anteil an den Ermittlungen. Gemeinsam versuchen Decker und McAdams Licht ins Dunkel zu bringen und entdecken dabei, dass der Wissenschaftsbetrieb nicht nur von der bloßen Forschung geprägt ist, sondern auch von Neid und Missgunst.
Mit Humor fechten Peter Decke, seine Frau Rina aber auch Tyler McAdams so manches Wortgefecht. Schlagfertig werfen sie sich die Wortbälle zu und brainstormen sich so zu Lösungsansätzen, die der näheren Betrachtung bedürfen. Mit menschlichem Einfühlungsvermögen, Witz und Intelligenz beflügeln sie sich gegenseitig. Je tiefer sie allerdings in die Abgründe des College-Betriebes eintauchen, desto mehr Ungereimtheiten fördern sie zutage. Es scheint ein Hauen und Stechen zu herrschen. Doch kann das ausreichend sein, um einen Todesfall herbei zu rufen? Mit leichter Hand beschreibt die Autorin den Verlauf der Ermittlungen. Bodenständige Polizeiarbeit verhilft den Ermittlern zu Erkenntnissen, die sie gemäß ihrem Alter mit Erfahrung und frischer Unvoreingenommenheit zusammen setzen. Ein klug konstruierter Plott fesselt dabei und die sympathischen Ermittler tun ihr Übriges, um die Lesezeit wie im Flug vergehen zu lassen.
June 5, 2017
This novel is, like, #23 in the Decker/Lazarus mystery series. By this time detective Peter Decker and former widow and Yeshiva teacher, Rina Lazarus, have sorted our their relationship. Now they are investigating a murder in a small upstate New York college. Both the victims and the suspects are mathematicians (students and faculty) and so there is a little math on the side. (Math AND mystery -- how good can it get??)
The book is a light fun read, relatively fast paced, good for recreational reading. I give it four stars out of five for its readability and for involving mathematicians. (!) On the other hand, a few nits to pick: the math professors have labs, the students worry about ideas being stolen and the faculty fight over first authorship. And the students are a nerdy and distracted prodigies. Labs, stolen ideas, first authorship, nerdy characters -- only ONE of those FOUR really occurs in the typical college math department.
The book is a light fun read, relatively fast paced, good for recreational reading. I give it four stars out of five for its readability and for involving mathematicians. (!) On the other hand, a few nits to pick: the math professors have labs, the students worry about ideas being stolen and the faculty fight over first authorship. And the students are a nerdy and distracted prodigies. Labs, stolen ideas, first authorship, nerdy characters -- only ONE of those FOUR really occurs in the typical college math department.
May 16, 2018
Faye Kellerman - Am Anfang war dein Ende
eBook - 374 Seiten
Obwohl das bereits der 23. Teil der Krimi-Serie ist, war dies mein erstes Buch der Reihe sowie auch der Autorin.
Cover und Klappentext waren vielversprechend, deswegen wollte ich es auch unbedingt lesen.
Das Vorhaben hat sich dann allerdings doch als gewisse Herausforderung dargestellt.
Die Handlung ist das gesamte Buch über eher schleppend, wenig spannend und eher trocken.
Die während der Ermittlungsarbeit peinlich genau abgehandelten mathematische Themen empfand ich irgendwann als sehr anstrengend, trocken und teilweise echt zu viel des Guten.
Spannungsmomente sucht man vergeblich - selbst als der Mord endlich aufgeklärt wird, ist dort nichts spannendes oder überraschendes zu finden, die Auflösung ist wie das gesamte Buch - trocken, emotionslos, langatmig.
Daher leider nur gutgemeinte 3 Sterne.
* digitales Rezensionsexemplar von NetGalley & HarperCollins
eBook - 374 Seiten
Obwohl das bereits der 23. Teil der Krimi-Serie ist, war dies mein erstes Buch der Reihe sowie auch der Autorin.
Cover und Klappentext waren vielversprechend, deswegen wollte ich es auch unbedingt lesen.
Das Vorhaben hat sich dann allerdings doch als gewisse Herausforderung dargestellt.
Die Handlung ist das gesamte Buch über eher schleppend, wenig spannend und eher trocken.
Die während der Ermittlungsarbeit peinlich genau abgehandelten mathematische Themen empfand ich irgendwann als sehr anstrengend, trocken und teilweise echt zu viel des Guten.
Spannungsmomente sucht man vergeblich - selbst als der Mord endlich aufgeklärt wird, ist dort nichts spannendes oder überraschendes zu finden, die Auflösung ist wie das gesamte Buch - trocken, emotionslos, langatmig.
Daher leider nur gutgemeinte 3 Sterne.
* digitales Rezensionsexemplar von NetGalley & HarperCollins
June 5, 2017
It is very hard to write a long tem continuing series and the author definitely has succeeded with the 23rd novel in the Decker/ Lazarus series. Kellerman has aged the key characters as the series progressed and done so successfully. I like the fact that she has moved the series from LA to the small academic community in outstate NY as part of Decker's "semi-retirement. Kellerman, as in all of the series teaches by injecting concepts into her novels-- in this case higher math which fits nicely with the academic setting. Personally, I think her works are well plotted and are excellent police procedurals with a personal identification with the characters and are easier to read than her husbands highly successful Alex Delaware series but both series are well worth the read.
April 12, 2022
I've read this series off and on over the years, but apparently I missed a few, because suddenly Decker and Lazarus have left southern California and are on the east coast with Decker supposedly in semi-retirement working at a small town police force. However, at the pace he worked these cases, it seems he needs to revisit the idea of what retirement is like. There is also a new (to me) character who seems to be a surrogate son to the couple and is currently in law school at Harvard, but had worked at the same small town force previously. He comes to stay with them to study for law school exams, but can't seem to get away from helping out with the case. The mystery itself is nicely convoluted and I didn't guess ahead which is always a bonus. 3.5 stars
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