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Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus #24
Bone Box
In this thrilling chapter in Faye Kellerman’s bestselling series, Rina Lazarus makes a shocking discovery in the woods of her upstate New York community that leads her husband, police detective Peter Decker, through a series of gruesome, decades old, unsolved murders, pointing to a diabolical, serial killer who’s been hiding in plain sight.
On a bright and crisp September morning, while walking a bucolic woodland trail, Rina Decker stumbles upon human remains once buried deep beneath the forest grounds. Immediately, she calls her husband, Peter, a former detective lieutenant with LAPD, now working for the local Greenbury Police. Within hours, a vista of beauty and tranquility is transformed into a frenetic crime scene. The body has been interred for years and there is scant physical evidence at the gravesite: a youthful skeleton, a skull wound and long dark strands of hair surrounding the bony frame. As Decker and his partner, Tyler McAdams, further investigate, they realize that they’re most likely dealing with a missing student from the nearby Five Colleges of Upstate—a well-known and well-respected consortium of higher learning where Rina works.
And when more human remains are found in the same area, Decker and McAdams know this isn’t just a one-off murder case. Short-staffed and with no convenient entry into the colleges, Decker enlists Rina’s help to act as the eyes and ears of campus gossip. Winding their way through a dangerous labyrinth of steely suspects and untouchable academics, Decker, McAdams, and Rina race to protect their community from a psychopathic killer still in the area—and on the hunt for a fresh victim.
On a bright and crisp September morning, while walking a bucolic woodland trail, Rina Decker stumbles upon human remains once buried deep beneath the forest grounds. Immediately, she calls her husband, Peter, a former detective lieutenant with LAPD, now working for the local Greenbury Police. Within hours, a vista of beauty and tranquility is transformed into a frenetic crime scene. The body has been interred for years and there is scant physical evidence at the gravesite: a youthful skeleton, a skull wound and long dark strands of hair surrounding the bony frame. As Decker and his partner, Tyler McAdams, further investigate, they realize that they’re most likely dealing with a missing student from the nearby Five Colleges of Upstate—a well-known and well-respected consortium of higher learning where Rina works.
And when more human remains are found in the same area, Decker and McAdams know this isn’t just a one-off murder case. Short-staffed and with no convenient entry into the colleges, Decker enlists Rina’s help to act as the eyes and ears of campus gossip. Winding their way through a dangerous labyrinth of steely suspects and untouchable academics, Decker, McAdams, and Rina race to protect their community from a psychopathic killer still in the area—and on the hunt for a fresh victim.
415 pages, Hardcover
First published February 28, 2017
1316 people are currently reading
3321 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 714 reviews
November 12, 2017
Although I am not usually a fan of best sellers or thrillers, there is one series I make an exception for. That is the Decker and Lazarus series by best selling mystery writer Faye Kellerman. With the year winding down, I have reached the end of the series to date, and I did not want that one last book hanging over my head as the calendar changes. Bone Box is the 24th book in this long running series and it does seem that Kellerman has plans to wind things down soon. Finally entrenched in life in the college town community of Greenbury, the Deckers are active members of their communities. One day, however, Rina makes a discovery that puts this quiet community on its toes.
Rina Decker decides to hike the Bogat trail to clear her mind of the upcoming holidays. It is a stressful time of year, as an observant Jewish woman has to prepare twenty holiday meals in the span of a month. Being a staff member of the Jewish student center on campus, Rina has decided to hold an open house lunch buffet for as many as one hundred students on both days of Rosh Hashanah. Her head clearing hike turns into a cold case murder investigation when she discovers human remains on the trail. Immediately, her husband Detective Peter Decker and his partner Tyler McAdams become involved on the case. What was once a relaxing day in the woods turns into a nightmarish situation for both Deckers as they work to unravel a now complicated case.
As Decker and McAdams head to New York City to question those involved with the first murder victim, two more cadavers turn up. The three victims had one thing in common: they all had contact with two popular professors on campus, Hank Carter and Michael Pallek. Both professors appear charismatic at the onset, but the detectives unravel layer after layer, and not all is happy in this tight college community. With three cases to solve, Rina becomes involved in questioning students and professors. I enjoy seeing her in a capacity other than cooking because she has a sharp mind, and, while cooking for the masses takes a great deal of organization, I feel that she could put her mind to other, sharper uses. As Rina's involvement on the case increases, Peter fears for her safety, especially after another, current student is reported as missing. Enter old friend Chris Donatti, who makes an appearance as Rina's bodyguard. An appearance from Donatti is an added bonus, and here it is enough to put Professor Carter on alert, and perhaps enough to lead to a break in the case.
That break occurs less than a week before Rosh Hashanah as Rina is up to her elbows in cooking, Tyler has already returned to Harvard Law School, and Peter is at wit's end trying to solve these cases. A victim who may have escaped resurfaces in Ventura, California where Peter's old partner Marge Dunn still works. The Deckers fly to California to hopefully wrap the case up before the holidays, but, more touching is their reunion with Marge and her husband Will. Reliving old cases and stories, I thought inserting Marge's involvement in the case, especially right before the holiday season was a touching gesture on Kellerman's part. The lead Marge provides may actually lead to cracking the case, putting closure on a long seven years for three grieving families.
With any long running series, some cases are better than others. As Rina is involved more in this case and at home, Tyler is maturing as a detective, and cameos from old friends, I felt that Bone Box was more complex than the previous book in this series. Even though I have reached the last book to date in this series, Kellerman has noted on her website that she is currently working on the Decker's next case. Despite being retired, the Deckers do not appear to be winding down any time soon, especially as McAdams has hinted that he may pursue a career as a cop rather than a lawyer. It will be interesting to see how Kellerman explores this aspect of the series as it progresses. I will be eagerly waiting for when the next book hits the shelves. In the meantime, there are thirty years of Decker stories for me to revisit.
4 stars
Rina Decker decides to hike the Bogat trail to clear her mind of the upcoming holidays. It is a stressful time of year, as an observant Jewish woman has to prepare twenty holiday meals in the span of a month. Being a staff member of the Jewish student center on campus, Rina has decided to hold an open house lunch buffet for as many as one hundred students on both days of Rosh Hashanah. Her head clearing hike turns into a cold case murder investigation when she discovers human remains on the trail. Immediately, her husband Detective Peter Decker and his partner Tyler McAdams become involved on the case. What was once a relaxing day in the woods turns into a nightmarish situation for both Deckers as they work to unravel a now complicated case.
As Decker and McAdams head to New York City to question those involved with the first murder victim, two more cadavers turn up. The three victims had one thing in common: they all had contact with two popular professors on campus, Hank Carter and Michael Pallek. Both professors appear charismatic at the onset, but the detectives unravel layer after layer, and not all is happy in this tight college community. With three cases to solve, Rina becomes involved in questioning students and professors. I enjoy seeing her in a capacity other than cooking because she has a sharp mind, and, while cooking for the masses takes a great deal of organization, I feel that she could put her mind to other, sharper uses. As Rina's involvement on the case increases, Peter fears for her safety, especially after another, current student is reported as missing. Enter old friend Chris Donatti, who makes an appearance as Rina's bodyguard. An appearance from Donatti is an added bonus, and here it is enough to put Professor Carter on alert, and perhaps enough to lead to a break in the case.
That break occurs less than a week before Rosh Hashanah as Rina is up to her elbows in cooking, Tyler has already returned to Harvard Law School, and Peter is at wit's end trying to solve these cases. A victim who may have escaped resurfaces in Ventura, California where Peter's old partner Marge Dunn still works. The Deckers fly to California to hopefully wrap the case up before the holidays, but, more touching is their reunion with Marge and her husband Will. Reliving old cases and stories, I thought inserting Marge's involvement in the case, especially right before the holiday season was a touching gesture on Kellerman's part. The lead Marge provides may actually lead to cracking the case, putting closure on a long seven years for three grieving families.
With any long running series, some cases are better than others. As Rina is involved more in this case and at home, Tyler is maturing as a detective, and cameos from old friends, I felt that Bone Box was more complex than the previous book in this series. Even though I have reached the last book to date in this series, Kellerman has noted on her website that she is currently working on the Decker's next case. Despite being retired, the Deckers do not appear to be winding down any time soon, especially as McAdams has hinted that he may pursue a career as a cop rather than a lawyer. It will be interesting to see how Kellerman explores this aspect of the series as it progresses. I will be eagerly waiting for when the next book hits the shelves. In the meantime, there are thirty years of Decker stories for me to revisit.
4 stars
October 7, 2024
When I went in to my local library to pick up books, I found this one on the shelves. (I forgot to put this in my currently reading list.) It had been a long time since I had read a Decker/Lazarus novel, but I was up for it. So, what does that mean? Well, it means that it is probably best that you follow the series from the beginning, so you know who the characters are, but you can pick up after a long absence and still feel like you are family because the characters are so rich.
Rina (Lazarus) is Peter Decker’s wife. Peter is a former detective lieutenant with the LAPD who now works for the local Greenbury Police in upstate New York.
While walking a local trail and wanting to photograph the area, Rina stumbles upon skeletal remains. What happened here? And, what does this mean when 2 more skeletal remains are discovered that are related to missing students in the area? Does this nice college town have a serial killer?
As Decker investigates, much is discovered, and the heartache of families who have been missing these kids becomes front and center. But what happens when a fresh crime occurs?
This is an excellent police procedural, with well-developed characters, short chapters and an unknown killer that will keep readers guessing till the very end.
Rina (Lazarus) is Peter Decker’s wife. Peter is a former detective lieutenant with the LAPD who now works for the local Greenbury Police in upstate New York.
While walking a local trail and wanting to photograph the area, Rina stumbles upon skeletal remains. What happened here? And, what does this mean when 2 more skeletal remains are discovered that are related to missing students in the area? Does this nice college town have a serial killer?
As Decker investigates, much is discovered, and the heartache of families who have been missing these kids becomes front and center. But what happens when a fresh crime occurs?
This is an excellent police procedural, with well-developed characters, short chapters and an unknown killer that will keep readers guessing till the very end.
November 14, 2021
After they became empty nesters, Detective Peter Decker and his wife Rina moved from Los Angeles to upstate Greenbury, New York - where Peter now works for the Greenbury Police Department.
It's been a quiet summer in Greenbury, crime-wise, until Rina discovers a skeletal hand near the Bogat Hiking Trail.
The unearthed remains are traced to Lawrence/Lorraine Pettigrew, a former student of Morse McKinley College - one of the schools in the local 'Five Colleges of Upstate Consortium.' The transgender woman left school seven years ago to transition, and disappeared some time afterwards.
As the police continue to dig around the Bogat Trail they discover the remains of two more college girls that were reported missing.
Moreover, a young waitress has also vanished. It seems clear that a serial killer is at work in Greensbury.
To start their investigation, Peter and his partner, Harvard law student Tyler McAdams......
.......make a list of the girls' boyfriends as well as people - teachers, students, bartenders, etc. - who had contact with the victims. These people provide a motley crew of 'persons of interest', ranging from druggies.....
......to a professor who actively supports alternative lifestyles.
Questioning the possible suspects reveals some suspicious behavior, but nothing definite. Then Rina makes a suggestion, the couple fly off to California, and there's a break in the case.
As the story unfolds, Rina - who's an 'unofficial detective' in the investigation - is harassed by a suspect. This brings a couple of favorite characters into the story: the gangster Chris Donatti (who's indebted to the Deckers).....
and former L.A. Detective Scott Oliver come to Greensbury to look out for Rina - not that she needs protection.
Rina has a gun and she knows how to use it....which she demonstrates quite effectively.
Another favorite character that helps out is L.A. Detective Marge Dunn, who lends a hand with the California end of things.
The scenes with Donatti, who shows up with an attitude and an arsenal, are quite funny and add a touch of humor to the book.
In addition to assisting with the case, Rina works at Hillel; makes tasty kosher meals; performs the rituals for the Jewish Sabbath; gets ready for the upcoming Jewish holidays; snuggles with her husband; visits her children and grandchildren; and so on. Rina's a trooper!
The police investigation at the heart of the story is interesting, but there are so many two-dimensional characters that it's hard to remember who's who. In addition, the 'solution' to the case is hard to buy and not satisfying.
SPOILER ALERT
END SPOILER ALERT
The end of the story is so abrupt that I actually thought I missed a section.....but I didn't. I'm not sure what the author's intention is here - but I'm not a fan of incomplete or cliffhanger endings.
Other than the finale, I liked the book and enjoyed the 'personal touches' like the Deckers' Jewish lifestyle; Tyler's being accepted as 'family' by the Decker clan; Marge buying brand new pots and dishes to prepare a kosher meal for the Deckers; Rina and Peter arguing over a TV show (I took Rina's side); etc.
I'd recommend the book to fans of the Peter Decker series.
You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/
March 5, 2017
3.5 stars, actually.
Don't get me wrong. I've never not enjoyed a book in this wonderful, long-running series, and this one is no exception. But from the git-go, things just seemed a bit "off" to me - not the least of which is the interaction between former Los Angeles Police Department detective Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus. Maybe it was because they're both semi-retired now, living in the lovely upstate New York community of Greenbury, home to the Five Colleges of Upstate consortium. Rina works at the consortium, and Peter for the local police department - lots of fodder for stories, I'd think - but Peter, at least, appeared to be more annoyed than excited when a new, clearly complicated case came along that required his attention.
It all started with Rina, who found some unearthed human bones while walking along a trail in the nearby woods. Instead of hopping on the investigation bandwagon, though, Peter immediately flies off the handle and berates Rina for taking a walk by herself. Now, as I approach 55 years of living with a husband of my own, I do get that we both have become a bit more on edge with each other (a psychologist most likely would have a field day ferreting out the reasons for that, I'm sure). But for gosh sake, Rina is a fully grown, intelligent woman, Greenbury isn't even close to a high-crime area and the bones were buried there long before Peter and Rina arrived. Put another way, Peter's hissy fit just didn't fit the "crime," at least at that point.
Later is another story. As other human remains turn up in the same spot, suspicions turn to the real possibility that a serial killer may be on the loose - with the possibility that he, or she, could strike again. The search for more bodies, and of course whoever put them there, intensifies as Peter and his super-capable (and very likable) partner, Tyler McAdams, start digging. As clues lead to faculty, staff and students at the Five Colleges, Peter asks for Rina's help; please tune in, he says, to what's being spread through the campus grapevine. At one point, the investigation takes the couple back to Los Angeles, where they lived for the bulk of their married life - and a reunion with and help from Peter's former LAPD partner, Marge (making me yearn for the good-old days, I might add).
Throughout, Rina must find time and energy for her role of maintaining the family's strong Jewish heritage - an even tougher job now that Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year, is upon them. Prepare a buffet for 150 students? No problem. Another one to wrap up the first? Piece of cake (or more likely, apple strudel). Rina does get offers of help - even from Peter, who mostly grouses about the cost and enormity of the undertakings - but generally speaking, she's on her own to pull off the events successfully while still trying to help with the investigation.
The ending, too, was a bit puzzling to me. I reread it more than once, and I'm still not certain who did the dirty deeds (not even whether it was just one person). Yes, a few supposedly involved individuals are in jail and another is in the hospital, but specifically who did what and when continue to elude my comprehension. My only choice is to assume that was done on purpose - a set-up for the next book, perhaps - but all things considered, it just didn't sit well with me.
My verdict? Peter and Rina are like old friends to me, so no matter what this book's shortcomings, I was sad when I got to the final page. That means that even if it's not one of the best of the bunch, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Don't get me wrong. I've never not enjoyed a book in this wonderful, long-running series, and this one is no exception. But from the git-go, things just seemed a bit "off" to me - not the least of which is the interaction between former Los Angeles Police Department detective Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus. Maybe it was because they're both semi-retired now, living in the lovely upstate New York community of Greenbury, home to the Five Colleges of Upstate consortium. Rina works at the consortium, and Peter for the local police department - lots of fodder for stories, I'd think - but Peter, at least, appeared to be more annoyed than excited when a new, clearly complicated case came along that required his attention.
It all started with Rina, who found some unearthed human bones while walking along a trail in the nearby woods. Instead of hopping on the investigation bandwagon, though, Peter immediately flies off the handle and berates Rina for taking a walk by herself. Now, as I approach 55 years of living with a husband of my own, I do get that we both have become a bit more on edge with each other (a psychologist most likely would have a field day ferreting out the reasons for that, I'm sure). But for gosh sake, Rina is a fully grown, intelligent woman, Greenbury isn't even close to a high-crime area and the bones were buried there long before Peter and Rina arrived. Put another way, Peter's hissy fit just didn't fit the "crime," at least at that point.
Later is another story. As other human remains turn up in the same spot, suspicions turn to the real possibility that a serial killer may be on the loose - with the possibility that he, or she, could strike again. The search for more bodies, and of course whoever put them there, intensifies as Peter and his super-capable (and very likable) partner, Tyler McAdams, start digging. As clues lead to faculty, staff and students at the Five Colleges, Peter asks for Rina's help; please tune in, he says, to what's being spread through the campus grapevine. At one point, the investigation takes the couple back to Los Angeles, where they lived for the bulk of their married life - and a reunion with and help from Peter's former LAPD partner, Marge (making me yearn for the good-old days, I might add).
Throughout, Rina must find time and energy for her role of maintaining the family's strong Jewish heritage - an even tougher job now that Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year, is upon them. Prepare a buffet for 150 students? No problem. Another one to wrap up the first? Piece of cake (or more likely, apple strudel). Rina does get offers of help - even from Peter, who mostly grouses about the cost and enormity of the undertakings - but generally speaking, she's on her own to pull off the events successfully while still trying to help with the investigation.
The ending, too, was a bit puzzling to me. I reread it more than once, and I'm still not certain who did the dirty deeds (not even whether it was just one person). Yes, a few supposedly involved individuals are in jail and another is in the hospital, but specifically who did what and when continue to elude my comprehension. My only choice is to assume that was done on purpose - a set-up for the next book, perhaps - but all things considered, it just didn't sit well with me.
My verdict? Peter and Rina are like old friends to me, so no matter what this book's shortcomings, I was sad when I got to the final page. That means that even if it's not one of the best of the bunch, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
October 29, 2017
HORRIFYINGLY homophobic and transphobic. Drink a shot for every pointed misgendering of a victim and you will have drunk yourself into sweet blackout oblivion by chapter 5. Throw in regular total incurious They Just Didn't Care cluelessness about how gender and sexuality and actual gay/queer/transgender people actually work in 2017, and you will welcome the soothing distraction of hangover. CONCLUSION: go get blind drunk, it is less painful than this book
February 7, 2018
This book was promising until the author forgot to add an ending.
September 20, 2017
The fabulous cover for BONE BOX was the first thing that caught my attention and I found the blurb fascinating. It all starts with Rina Lazarus out on a walk in the woods, taking in the scenery not at all expecting to find human remains. Someone has buried a body and her husband police detective Peter Decker, a former detective lieutenant with LAPD, now working for Greenbury Police has to figure out both the identity of the dead person and who's behind the murder. And, it gets worse another body is found. It seems that there is a serial killer loose.
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION
January 2, 2018
With Bone Box, I can say that Faye Kellerman's series has devolved into the "cozy mystery" genre. Her books have gradually lost their oomph over the years, but I've always liked the family cultures juxtaposed upon the harshness of Decker's job. Somehow, his retirement just isn't lending itself to the same intrigue nor charm as Faye's earlier books.
June 13, 2018
Another decent Decker/Lazarus mystery. This one was nice and twisty. My only complaint is the sheer amount of uncomfortable language Kellerman used in regards to the murdered transgender character. Misgendering, dead naming, and even a cringe-worthy moment where someone referred to her as "He, she or it." I get that the characters in the book were uneducated about how to talk about transgender people, but I still found it uncomfortable. And having characters who were close to the woman in question - particularly her lover - also refer to her as "he", and also equate gender to what they "have in their pants" was particularly egregious. There really was no reason to HAVE a transgender character, considering we never met her alive, so I feel like Kellerman just put it in for an opportunity to be edgy. The mystery itself is fine, I just wish Kellerman had given Lorraine's character a little bit more respect.
July 26, 2017
I kept pressing on, hoping that Faye Kellerman made one of the murder victims a trans woman in order to be inclusive. Hoping that my (previously) beloved Peter Decker, and therefore the readers, would be taught that gender is not binary and pronouns are important and trans women are women and...nope. I'm seventy-fucking-six percent done with this book and I can't take another page of the casual transphobia, dead-naming, and misgendering. I've read all 23 previous books in this series and I'll never read another one because fuck this author tokenizing trans women for her book sales.
Oh, and it was boring.
Do not buy.
Do not read.
Oh, and it was boring.
Do not buy.
Do not read.
February 15, 2017
I received Bone Box as an ARC, never having read Faye Kellerman's Decker series. While I always say I will not do it, this seems to be my year of starting a series at the tail end, lol! This is the second time in 2017! However I am so glad that I did as I really enjoyed reading this book.
While hiking in the woods in an upstate New York college town, Rina Lazarus stumbles upon skeletal remains. Her husband Peter Decker, former LAPD detective and currently a member of Greenbury PD, is soon leading the investigation of this cold case which quickly is beginning to look like the work of a serial killer.
Kellerman kept the pace of the book moving forward quickly with a wonderful mix of methodical detective work, personal life of the characters, and fast paced current thriller action. While I may not have had an emotional attachment to characters brought in from past cases that readers familiar with the series, a quick back story synopsis was provided so I was not lost but done efficiently so not to bore loyal readers.
I would recommend this book and intend to start reading the earlier books from this series.
While hiking in the woods in an upstate New York college town, Rina Lazarus stumbles upon skeletal remains. Her husband Peter Decker, former LAPD detective and currently a member of Greenbury PD, is soon leading the investigation of this cold case which quickly is beginning to look like the work of a serial killer.
Kellerman kept the pace of the book moving forward quickly with a wonderful mix of methodical detective work, personal life of the characters, and fast paced current thriller action. While I may not have had an emotional attachment to characters brought in from past cases that readers familiar with the series, a quick back story synopsis was provided so I was not lost but done efficiently so not to bore loyal readers.
I would recommend this book and intend to start reading the earlier books from this series.
March 11, 2017
31/85, 4 stars ****
I love this author, her crime thrillers are right up there with the best of the best! This is book number 24 in the series and not a one of those 24 books have been anything less than a four-starrer :)
I love this author, her crime thrillers are right up there with the best of the best! This is book number 24 in the series and not a one of those 24 books have been anything less than a four-starrer :)
March 25, 2017
Rina is hiking and stumbles across a mostly buried body, who turns out to be a flamboyant man undergoing therapy to become a woman. Things get complicated quickly as in the process of determining the identity of the dead body, other missing women from the local colleges are introduced. Peter and his recent trainee (Tyler McAdams) start assembling the clues, including finding a key witness to identify a serial killer. Rina being more involved was refreshing.
April 1, 2017
Another enjoyable novel in the Decker/Lazarus series. There were a couple of places I felt the story slowed down a little because of extra details being added, but overall I enjoyed the usual suspense and family interactions.
April 24, 2017
I haven't read a PD/RL book in a long time. I totally missed their move across country and the kids growing up and having kids of their own.
Having said that, this book was painful.
First off it was transphobic and disrespectful. Secondly, the mystery part was way too easy--not in the I solved in on page twenty way (I was still pissed off about the transphobia and the anti-LGBTQ sentiments at that point) but in the Decker solved it way too easily for a cold case kind of way.
Having said that, this book was painful.
First off it was transphobic and disrespectful. Secondly, the mystery part was way too easy--not in the I solved in on page twenty way (I was still pissed off about the transphobia and the anti-LGBTQ sentiments at that point) but in the Decker solved it way too easily for a cold case kind of way.
February 27, 2018
Obviously, I’ve come to this series very late in the game: Number 24. By now everybody (except me, apparently) knows all about Peter and Rina, a sortof latter-day, less witty Nick & Nora Charles, but from SoCal, transplanted by their 24th reincarnation to upstate New York: Jewish, middle-class, with a passel of kids, grand-kids, former and current (work) partners, former clients, ex- (and not-so-ex-) criminal friends. It was at times a bit mystifying to an outsider, but not impossibly so. These personal relationships and the cultures they engender are as attractive and important to the narrative as numerous acts of lethal behavior, spread over several years, whose discovery provides the excuse for this latest installment in their family drama.
After Rina stumbles over skeletal remains of one, several bodies start surfacing near a Five College consortium that sounds more like the one in Amherst, MA than the one in Pomona, CA. This one is in “upstate New York” (but also, apparently, south of Boston, which sent me to Google Maps in a vain search for geographical enlightenment). Most of the students caught up in this tangled web seem to be triple majors in Sexual, Pharmaceutical, and Alcoholic Studies and most flaunt a privileged sense of entitlement, nurtured by a coven of enablers from the tenured faculty. (Only one stereotypically Asian student seems to spurn all that, however, in favor of her homework.) A scattering of Skeleton Number One’s painted toenails, recovered at the first burial, suggest a fluid gender identity, which introduces a GLBTQ sub-theme. As is, this struck me as an unnecessary complication: either a missed opportunity or a red herring.
Sorting out all the carnage and its causes requires excursions, not only “north” to the Boston area, but also to LA and NYC, which allows reunions with the Peter-and-Rina extended famiglia (or, more aptly, mishpucka), and a chance for Peter to luxuriate briefly in the NYC digs of his young Harvard-law-school sidekick Tyler McAdams. (Although born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Tyler seems most at home with Peter and Rina, eschews gold bathroom fixtures, and presumably scorns the desperate grubbing for class and prestige of other One Percenters down around 5th Ave and 57th St.)
It takes lots of time, miles, and pages to untangle the mystery, with an apparent serial killer still out there somewhere—all the more alarming since Rina doesn’t always recognize the necessity to stay out of harm’s way. Since readers remain in the dark for the longest time about those on the dark side, these characters never emerge as much more than pasteboard. Once things start to fall into place, however, Peter and Tyler’s deftly handled interrogation of spoiled, smartass campus miscreants becomes a very enjoyable highlight of the narrative.
The conclusion, on the other hand, was so abrupt that I wondered if my copy was missing its final fascicle. Presumably Faye Kellerman was keen to get on to Number 25.
After Rina stumbles over skeletal remains of one, several bodies start surfacing near a Five College consortium that sounds more like the one in Amherst, MA than the one in Pomona, CA. This one is in “upstate New York” (but also, apparently, south of Boston, which sent me to Google Maps in a vain search for geographical enlightenment). Most of the students caught up in this tangled web seem to be triple majors in Sexual, Pharmaceutical, and Alcoholic Studies and most flaunt a privileged sense of entitlement, nurtured by a coven of enablers from the tenured faculty. (Only one stereotypically Asian student seems to spurn all that, however, in favor of her homework.) A scattering of Skeleton Number One’s painted toenails, recovered at the first burial, suggest a fluid gender identity, which introduces a GLBTQ sub-theme. As is, this struck me as an unnecessary complication: either a missed opportunity or a red herring.
Sorting out all the carnage and its causes requires excursions, not only “north” to the Boston area, but also to LA and NYC, which allows reunions with the Peter-and-Rina extended famiglia (or, more aptly, mishpucka), and a chance for Peter to luxuriate briefly in the NYC digs of his young Harvard-law-school sidekick Tyler McAdams. (Although born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Tyler seems most at home with Peter and Rina, eschews gold bathroom fixtures, and presumably scorns the desperate grubbing for class and prestige of other One Percenters down around 5th Ave and 57th St.)
It takes lots of time, miles, and pages to untangle the mystery, with an apparent serial killer still out there somewhere—all the more alarming since Rina doesn’t always recognize the necessity to stay out of harm’s way. Since readers remain in the dark for the longest time about those on the dark side, these characters never emerge as much more than pasteboard. Once things start to fall into place, however, Peter and Tyler’s deftly handled interrogation of spoiled, smartass campus miscreants becomes a very enjoyable highlight of the narrative.
The conclusion, on the other hand, was so abrupt that I wondered if my copy was missing its final fascicle. Presumably Faye Kellerman was keen to get on to Number 25.
September 4, 2019
First Read: What a surprise to learn that Richard Ferrone is in another series and this episode is called Bone Box. I very much enjoyed it. I've not read any of Faye Kellerman books before. I've been a pretty big fan of John Sanford with the "In Prey" series, and Ferrone has been his narrator. His wife is Weather and they live in Minnesota. The similarities between the wives and their relationships is very interesting to me.
In this thrilling chapter in Faye Kellerman's best selling series, Rina Lazarus makes a shocking discovery in the woods of her upstate New York community that leads her husband police detective Peter Decker, through a series of gruesome, decades old, unsolved murders, pointing to a diabolical, serial killer who's been hiding in plain sight. On a lovely and bright September morning, while walking a bucolic woodland trail, Rina Decker stumbles upon human remains once buried deep beneath the forest grounds. Immediately, she calls her husband, Peter, a former detective lieutenant with LAPD now working for the local Greenbury Police. Within hours a vista of beauty and tranquility is transformed into a frenetic crime scene: a youthful skeleton, a skill wound and long dark strands of hair surrounding the bony frame.
Another subplot of the book is transgendering people, sex changes etc. It is an unusual part to read and understand, but could have amply cut out as well. Overall a good story. Recommend.
SECOND READ: In bestseller Kellerman's so-so 24th novel featuring Pater Decker, a retired LAPD homicide detective who now works for the Greenbury, N.Y. police and his wife, Rina Lazarus (after 2015's The Theory of Deathj, a routine morning hike for Rina becomes the catalyst for the search for a serial killer after she accidentally steps on skeletal remains which may belong to one of several students reported missing in recent years from the so-called Five Colleges of Upstate. Peter and his sidekick, Tyler McAdams, an affluent law student who spending his summer with the police and has become a virtual family member, investigate, the pair eventually identify the victim, before more skeletons are unearthed in the area of the original find. Rina inserts herself into the case, despite a spat between Peter and Rina. The plot line unfolds fairly pedictably and there's no real emotional tension despite watching TV.
Highly recommend. I thoroughly enjoyed this series. It is very well done, and maintains reading /listening interest thoroughout.
In this thrilling chapter in Faye Kellerman's best selling series, Rina Lazarus makes a shocking discovery in the woods of her upstate New York community that leads her husband police detective Peter Decker, through a series of gruesome, decades old, unsolved murders, pointing to a diabolical, serial killer who's been hiding in plain sight. On a lovely and bright September morning, while walking a bucolic woodland trail, Rina Decker stumbles upon human remains once buried deep beneath the forest grounds. Immediately, she calls her husband, Peter, a former detective lieutenant with LAPD now working for the local Greenbury Police. Within hours a vista of beauty and tranquility is transformed into a frenetic crime scene: a youthful skeleton, a skill wound and long dark strands of hair surrounding the bony frame.
Another subplot of the book is transgendering people, sex changes etc. It is an unusual part to read and understand, but could have amply cut out as well. Overall a good story. Recommend.
SECOND READ: In bestseller Kellerman's so-so 24th novel featuring Pater Decker, a retired LAPD homicide detective who now works for the Greenbury, N.Y. police and his wife, Rina Lazarus (after 2015's The Theory of Deathj, a routine morning hike for Rina becomes the catalyst for the search for a serial killer after she accidentally steps on skeletal remains which may belong to one of several students reported missing in recent years from the so-called Five Colleges of Upstate. Peter and his sidekick, Tyler McAdams, an affluent law student who spending his summer with the police and has become a virtual family member, investigate, the pair eventually identify the victim, before more skeletons are unearthed in the area of the original find. Rina inserts herself into the case, despite a spat between Peter and Rina. The plot line unfolds fairly pedictably and there's no real emotional tension despite watching TV.
Highly recommend. I thoroughly enjoyed this series. It is very well done, and maintains reading /listening interest thoroughout.
March 15, 2017
And so with “Bone Box” Faye Kellerman fills out her second full dozen Rina Lazarus/Peter Decker novels. In the early novels, Rina’s role was more prominent – and the leading lady was used unabashedly to illuminate the strict practices of conservative Judaism. As the series matured, the focus shifted mostly to LAPD senior cop Peter – while there were family-oriented interludes, the tales were almost exclusively police procedurals. As the couple aged, and their nest empties out, the stories became a little stale, tiresomely revolving around an “adopted” teenager.
Just as we thought maybe retirement was brewing (for both the Deckers and their writer!) the family moves to small town Greenbury in upstate New York, where Peter is just one of the cops (albeit significantly more experienced than anybody else there). He has a likable partner of sorts, a Harvard law student Tyler, who helps him solve crimes more exciting than the steady diet of woozy college kids.
The plot finds Rina hiking near one of the five private colleges in the area, when she stumbles upon some bones she fears is part of a skeleton. Before the police finish unearthing the area, two more skeletal remains are discovered, and using missing person reports, the victims are rather promptly identified pending dental-work verification. A missing grocery store clerk, seemingly not part of the pattern, and then another girl run off the road but alive to eventually give some clues, leads Decker and company all over the place trying to in effect solve this spate of five serious crimes. As an aside, one of the victims was a transgender individual, which we suspect was a tactic used to illuminate the issues in a matter many find confusing.
It was nice to see Rina’s role expanded a tad, while the Tyler character, basically a rich college kid helper, seems “planted” for younger reader appeal. While the story was suspenseful, and quite complicated by a bevy of suspects, all becomes clear in a rather tidy, albeit somewhat confusing, ending. It almost seemed like the author had too many plot ideas for one book, but we got through it with the expected entertainment value.
Just as we thought maybe retirement was brewing (for both the Deckers and their writer!) the family moves to small town Greenbury in upstate New York, where Peter is just one of the cops (albeit significantly more experienced than anybody else there). He has a likable partner of sorts, a Harvard law student Tyler, who helps him solve crimes more exciting than the steady diet of woozy college kids.
The plot finds Rina hiking near one of the five private colleges in the area, when she stumbles upon some bones she fears is part of a skeleton. Before the police finish unearthing the area, two more skeletal remains are discovered, and using missing person reports, the victims are rather promptly identified pending dental-work verification. A missing grocery store clerk, seemingly not part of the pattern, and then another girl run off the road but alive to eventually give some clues, leads Decker and company all over the place trying to in effect solve this spate of five serious crimes. As an aside, one of the victims was a transgender individual, which we suspect was a tactic used to illuminate the issues in a matter many find confusing.
It was nice to see Rina’s role expanded a tad, while the Tyler character, basically a rich college kid helper, seems “planted” for younger reader appeal. While the story was suspenseful, and quite complicated by a bevy of suspects, all becomes clear in a rather tidy, albeit somewhat confusing, ending. It almost seemed like the author had too many plot ideas for one book, but we got through it with the expected entertainment value.
April 11, 2017
Confusion reigns in this book is the victim male (Lawrence) or female (Lorraine). Was she/he killed because they were transgender? These are just some of the questions that arise when Rina stumbles on a corpse while hiking on Bogat trail alone. Soon more questions are added to the list as more bodies are found and suspects multiply.
With multiple victims and multiple killers one is left to wonder if Decker will be able to put ALL the criminals away.
Not only does Decker have "the kid" Tyler McAdams helping him, Marge and Will deliver a witness to his doorstep, Chris Donatti and Scott Oliver take turns babysitting Rina and the kid and grandkids make cameo appearances.
I probably enjoyed catching up with the old characters from previous books more than I actually enjoyed the plot.
With multiple victims and multiple killers one is left to wonder if Decker will be able to put ALL the criminals away.
Not only does Decker have "the kid" Tyler McAdams helping him, Marge and Will deliver a witness to his doorstep, Chris Donatti and Scott Oliver take turns babysitting Rina and the kid and grandkids make cameo appearances.
I probably enjoyed catching up with the old characters from previous books more than I actually enjoyed the plot.
April 15, 2017
Rina, wife to Detective Peter Decker, hikes in the woods to take pictures of beautiful trees when she literally steps on bones. Turns out the skeleton has been buried for years. Decker and his partner McAdams focus on the local colleges for missing students. Rina helps out where she can. Another skeleton is found nearby and then a third. Decker has to consider whether a serial killer has been at work over the past few years. Following up on interviews with the families and friends of the victims, plus some of the college faculty, Decker thinks a few people are hiding something. Then another girl goes missing.
I've read many of the books in this series so I'm familiar with all the characters. I like Decker because he genuinely cares about the victims and their families. I always learn a lot about Jewish food and customs when I read these books.
I've read many of the books in this series so I'm familiar with all the characters. I like Decker because he genuinely cares about the victims and their families. I always learn a lot about Jewish food and customs when I read these books.
July 7, 2018
I've read, and enjoyed, most of Ms Kellerman's Decker/Lazarus series. This book was marred by (at best) a severe case of misinformation about nonbinary gender orientation/expression or (at worst) homo/transphobia. If you don't understand something either get educated about it or don't write about it. If you "have issues" about something, have the decency to leave it alone.
September 22, 2020
Thrilling
March 21, 2017
Another Winner
I do love this series and recommend you start with the first one. It tells the story of a wonderful romance, courtship and marriage.
By this novel, Rina and Decker are an old married couple with grandchildren. Their children have the successful careers we were rooting for them to have.
This novel displays Detective Decker's skills with cold cases and the suspicion of a serial killer -- or maybe more than one.
The best part is Rina's grit and bravery, and her dedication to the college kids from the local Hillel House who deserve a good Rosh Hashanah dinner. Her acceptance of being a Homicide Detective's wife, with all the adrenaline pumping moments is glorious to behold. And I love the way they fight and make up.
A special treat in this novel is how easily and naturally some main characters from previous novels turn up, older and changed in perfectly normal ways. We know these people and love them.
So start at the beginning and read them in publishing date order. If you love Detective Fiction, you will adore this series.
I do love this series and recommend you start with the first one. It tells the story of a wonderful romance, courtship and marriage.
By this novel, Rina and Decker are an old married couple with grandchildren. Their children have the successful careers we were rooting for them to have.
This novel displays Detective Decker's skills with cold cases and the suspicion of a serial killer -- or maybe more than one.
The best part is Rina's grit and bravery, and her dedication to the college kids from the local Hillel House who deserve a good Rosh Hashanah dinner. Her acceptance of being a Homicide Detective's wife, with all the adrenaline pumping moments is glorious to behold. And I love the way they fight and make up.
A special treat in this novel is how easily and naturally some main characters from previous novels turn up, older and changed in perfectly normal ways. We know these people and love them.
So start at the beginning and read them in publishing date order. If you love Detective Fiction, you will adore this series.
March 8, 2017
At first it was going to be 2 stars, but by the last third of the book, things pick up.
I have read most of Faye Kellerman over the years and thought this one was just average for her.
Characters from her previous stories made cameo appearances, which might have left readers new to her series flummoxed. The plot twist where a victim is located on the west coast fails the test of willing suspense of disbelief.
And where does the title come from??
I have read most of Faye Kellerman over the years and thought this one was just average for her.
Characters from her previous stories made cameo appearances, which might have left readers new to her series flummoxed. The plot twist where a victim is located on the west coast fails the test of willing suspense of disbelief.
And where does the title come from??
June 15, 2017
This is the latest book in the series and another good mystery. I have been reading these out of order and this one takes the focus off Rina/Peter's kids since the kids are older/married and really delves into the mystery of the body Rina finds buried on her hike. McAdams fills the shoes Marge did back in LA and I like his relationship as a surrogate son to them. Always an ending that keeps me guessing and I can't wait till the next book
March 15, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. I love the relationship between Peter and The Kid; Tyler who no one calls him that. He is practically part of the family. I loved how there was move family interaction and we go to see Marge and Oliver again, which was awesome. The case was grueling and Rina was involved with so much of the research. I am still trying to figure out how old Peter is now.
March 19, 2017
Jonathon Kellerman is one of my all-time favorite authors....books by his wife Faye Kellerman, usually not quite so much. But oh, so glad I picked up this one.....it is really good! The plot, the characters, the flow of the story, and the dialogue were all believable and point on and definitely a solid 4 star read.
February 25, 2017
I like reading these books because I learn so much about the Jewish traditions. This one is not the best, but still interesting.
April 22, 2017
Not my favorite in the series. Didn't like the whole LGBTQ theme; wasn't necessary. Prefer more involvement of family members/storylines. Just ok.
March 19, 2017
While hiking in the woods near her New York state home, Rina Lazarus spotted a beautiful tree in the distance. She walked closer to get a better angle to take some pictures and as she stepped on some spongy ground, thought she had broken a twig. She looked down and saw the bones of a human hand. She panicked and, after walking to a location where her phone had a signal, tried calling her husband, Peter Decker, retired LAPD Detective. Her call went to his voice mail but was able to reach his sometimes partner, Tyler McAdams, who was finishing is summer work with the local police department before returning to Harvard Law School.
While waiting for them and the forensic team to show up, Rina took pictures of the crime scene. When Peter got there, he was furious with her for wandering in the woods alone.
There were no identifying clues near the skeleton but the police were able to establish the cause of death. They began looking up missing people from the Five College area but there were only two coeds and they had each disappeared several years previously. The autopsy revealed that the body was that of a male.
Eventually, they the cases might be related and set out to see if there were any other bodies buried in the area and if the cases were related. The search led them to more buried bodies (all reduced to bones) in the vicinity as well as information about other missing women about the same age as the coeds.
BONE BOX gave Rina a larger role than she played in some of the more recent books in the series but not as much as she had in the earliest books. Most of the current role is the stereotypical Jewish wife and mother. Peter’s anger at her for walking alone was overdone: The area, near the Five Colleges, was relatively safe. The most recent missing person report was several years old and the story provided no reason to believe the area was dangerous.
Characters from previous books are mentioned, especially her children (except for Hannah) but only Peter’s LAPD partner Margie plays more than an incidental role. A couple of them don’t seem to be necessary.
While Faye Kellerman’s writing is very good, the book dragged a bit in some places. The ending, on the other hand, was too compact. We don’t learn what happens to the perpetrators after they had been identified.
One interesting observation about the history of the teenager. “It used to be that sophisticated young people imitated adults–they dressed like their parents, they danced to the same music, saw the same plays, and drank martinis when they went out. Teenagers, as we know and love them, came in the ‘50s along with rebellious rock and roll. Now adults are emulating teens. It’s trickled down to the universities. More and more, the students seem to be running the show.”
While waiting for them and the forensic team to show up, Rina took pictures of the crime scene. When Peter got there, he was furious with her for wandering in the woods alone.
There were no identifying clues near the skeleton but the police were able to establish the cause of death. They began looking up missing people from the Five College area but there were only two coeds and they had each disappeared several years previously. The autopsy revealed that the body was that of a male.
Eventually, they the cases might be related and set out to see if there were any other bodies buried in the area and if the cases were related. The search led them to more buried bodies (all reduced to bones) in the vicinity as well as information about other missing women about the same age as the coeds.
BONE BOX gave Rina a larger role than she played in some of the more recent books in the series but not as much as she had in the earliest books. Most of the current role is the stereotypical Jewish wife and mother. Peter’s anger at her for walking alone was overdone: The area, near the Five Colleges, was relatively safe. The most recent missing person report was several years old and the story provided no reason to believe the area was dangerous.
Characters from previous books are mentioned, especially her children (except for Hannah) but only Peter’s LAPD partner Margie plays more than an incidental role. A couple of them don’t seem to be necessary.
While Faye Kellerman’s writing is very good, the book dragged a bit in some places. The ending, on the other hand, was too compact. We don’t learn what happens to the perpetrators after they had been identified.
One interesting observation about the history of the teenager. “It used to be that sophisticated young people imitated adults–they dressed like their parents, they danced to the same music, saw the same plays, and drank martinis when they went out. Teenagers, as we know and love them, came in the ‘50s along with rebellious rock and roll. Now adults are emulating teens. It’s trickled down to the universities. More and more, the students seem to be running the show.”
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