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As a lieutenant in the LAPD, homicide detective Peter Decker doesn't get many calls at 3 a.m. Someone has broken into the exclusive Coyote Ranch compound of billionaire developer Guy Kaffey and viciously gunned him down, along with his wife and four employees. A well-known figure on both the business and society pages, Kaffey, with his sons and his younger brother, Mace, built most of the shopping malls in Southern California and earned a reputation for philanthropy, donating millions to worthy causes. It doesn't take long for Peter and the rest of his homicide team to figure out that the gruesome killings must be an inside job.

Decker is plenty busy-and plenty thankful not to have to worry about his wife, Rina Lazarus, getting caught up in this deadly case. But then a chance encounter with a court translator who needs her help leads Rina into the terrifying heart of her husband's murder investigations.

400 pages, Hardcover

First published August 11, 2009

825 people are currently reading
2061 people want to read

About the author

Faye Kellerman

179 books2,022 followers
Faye Kellerman was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Sherman Oaks, California. She earned a BA in mathematics and a doctorate in dentistry at UCLA., and conducted research in oral biology. Kellerman's groundbreaking first novel, THE RITUAL BATH, was published in 1986 to wide critical and commercial acclaim. The winner of the Macavity Award for the Best First Novel from the Mystery Readers of American, THE RITUAL BATH introduced readers to Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, termed by People Magazine "Hands down, the most refreshing mystery couple around." The New York Times enthused, "This couple's domestic affairs have the haimish warmth of reality, unlike the formulaic lives of so many other genre detectives."

There are well over twenty million copies of Faye Kellerman's novels in print internationally. The Decker/Lazarus thrillers include SACRED AND PROFANE; MILK AND HONEY; DAY OF ATONEMENT; FALSE PROPHET; GRIEVOUS SIN; SANCTUARY; as well as her New York Times Bestsellers, JUSTICE, PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD - listed by the LA Times as one of the best crime novel of 2001; SERPENT'S TOOTH; JUPITER'S BONES, THE FORGOTTEN, STONE KISS, STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS, THE BURNT HOUSE, THE MERCEDES COFFIN and BLINDMAN'S BLUFF. . The novels, STALKER and STREET DREAMS, introduced Kellerman's newest protagonist, Police Officer Cindy Decker. In addition to her crime series, Kellerman is also the author of New York Time's bestseller MOON MUSIC, a suspense horror novel set in Las Vegas featuring Detective Romulus Poe, as well as an historical novel of intrigue set in Elizabethan England, THE QUALITY OF MERCY. She has also co-authored the New York Times Bestseller DOUBLE HOMICIDE, with her husband and partner in crime, Jonathan Kellerman. She has also written a young adult novel, PRISM, with her daughter, Aliza Kellerman

Faye Kellerman's highly praised short stories and reviews have been anthologized in numerous collections including two volumes of the notable SISTERS IN CRIME SERIES, Sara Paretsky's, A WOMAN'S EYE; THE FIRST ANNUAL YEAR'S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES; THE THIRD ANNUAL BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR; WOMEN OF MYSTERY AND DEADLY ALLIES 11. Her personally annotated collection of her award winning stories, THE GARDEN OF EDEN and OTHER CRIMINAL DELIGHTS, was published in August of 2006. H
Her other hobbies include gardening, sewing and jogging if her back doesn't give out. She is the proud mother of four children, and her eldest son, Jesse, has just published his fourth novel, THE EXECUTOR, from Putnam. She lives in Los Angeles and Santa Fe with her husband, Jonathan, their youngest child, and their French Bulldog, Hugo.

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5 stars
1,850 (27%)
4 stars
2,681 (40%)
3 stars
1,764 (26%)
2 stars
308 (4%)
1 star
77 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 426 reviews
Profile Image for Sheila.
35 reviews91 followers
May 16, 2024
First time reading Faye Kellerman and you can bet it won't be the last. Can't wait to start the next book.
Profile Image for Marleen.
1,867 reviews90 followers
January 16, 2012
If I weren’t such a fan of Peter & Rina Decker, I might find this quite a mediocre read. Fortunately I’ve read all the previous books and I’ve been familiar with all the main players literally for years. That simply means that I can’t be a 100% objective. It’s difficult to see the flaws when you’ve adored a character for so long. Peter Decker is simply unique. First of all, he's a very decent guy. He's also tenacious, strong-willed and protective of those he loves. He’s so appealing because there are so many facets to his personality – which makes him an excellent police officer & lieutenant detective - and for the last 17 years he has combined that with being an admirable family man.
I will admit that in Blind man’s Bluff I experienced a bit of flatness and blandness to the characters I didn’t expect from this author. It felt like it really wasn’t Peter Decker and Rina anymore. It’s like they’ve gone soft or something. I know they’ve aged considerably, but still.
On top of that, like another reviewer observed there are noticeable editing errors in this book. That surprised me. Names that got mixed up, the syntax that sometimes didn’t add up. All rather disappointed.
What I always liked about Faye Kellerman’s books was the fact that they are character-driven: that hugely compensated for the weak plots. Same here. It wasn’t a terribly bad story, but it wasn’t great story either. It’s the pace of the investigation, the cadence of the dialogues that make up for that.
Maybe I’ve lost some faith in the author, but I’ve not given up on Decker yet.
Profile Image for Becca.
98 reviews3 followers
November 12, 2009
I don't know if I am getting pickier as I get older or what, but it seems like authors that I use to really enjoy are writing some sloppy books lately. Grisham, Stuart Woods, and now Faye Kellerman. I end up reading them only out of loyalty to the characters from past books.

The dialogue in this was downright painful at times. The murder mystery kept following new leads but none of them ever seemed to make a difference in solving the case till the very end. Peter and Rina had no spark to their characters. So many things were clumsily explained.

Overall, it was something to read when I had nothing else on the shelf.
Profile Image for Maria Clara.
1,243 reviews721 followers
January 27, 2016
No tengo mucho a decir, la verdad, solo que a medida que iba leyendo tenía la sensación de que la historia podía ser una de esas series de televisión que están tan de moda. Una donde se muestra los problemas de una comisaría de policías y la vida cotidiana de su protagonista, con su familia.
Profile Image for Paulo Pires.
246 reviews51 followers
June 29, 2016
4,3

«Peter Deck, inspector-coordenador de homicídios é acordado às 3h da manha: apesar da forte segurança, um magnata da construção foi assassinado junto com alguns membros da sua família. Gil Kaffey, um dos filhos, foi o único sobrevivente, que bastante combalido étransportado para o Hospital. Poderá ele explicar o que aconteceu?

No decorrer da investigação de Peter descobre que o magnata tinha como seguranças delinquentes que de alguma forma tinham relações com um perigoso gang chamado Bodega 12th Street. Seria essa a origem do ataque?

Rina Lazarus, mulher de Peter, no decorrer de um julgamento, em que faz parte do júri, obtém uma (suposta) informação valiosa de um intérprete cego que pode fazer a diferença na investigação do marido, e a pode colocar em perigo.

É o primeiro livro de Faye que leio, e fico muito satisfeito. Tenho pena que não tenham (ainda) publicado os restantes livros da série, até porque o casal Peter e Rina, que nos apaixonam desde as primeiras páginas, mostram uma cumplicidade e simbiose que era interessante explorar desde a sua génese.

Este livro segue uma linha que muito me agrada: além da investigação do crime em causa, há todo um enfoque na vida pessoal de Peter e da Mulher, revestindo ambas as personagens com humanidade e de uma maior proximidade do leitor.

No meio de várias personagens, as que mais se destacaram, para mim, foram as personagens Peter e Rina, a sua dinâmica, a sua coerência, cumplicidade e sua “intimidade” invejáveis.

Ambos são judeus or (...)

Nota: Tem disponível pdf com quadro de personagens

Ler mais em:
Opinião: Na Escuridão de Faye Kellerman (com QP) |Livros e Marcadores


Profile Image for Sonia Cristina.
2,277 reviews79 followers
July 7, 2016
Acabei este livro hoje ainda, antes de vir para o trabalho; ontem adormeci a menos de 10 páginas do final. ::)

A sinopse deixou-me entusiasmada mas assim que comecei a ler não gostei da escrita; é muito sem-emoção, sem-sentimento, são só palavras. Ao contrário do que é usual, este livro é cheio de diálogos, tem muito poucos parágrafos narrativos. Normalmente esperaria que isto tornasse a leitura melhor mas senti a falta de descrições.

Lá para o último terço do livro é que as coisas se tornam melhores, a tensão faz-se sentir e fiquei mais presa à leitura. No entanto, o desenlace foi tão fácil, sem "fogo-de-artifício" que me senti enganada.

Decididamente, não é uma experiência que fique na memória.
Profile Image for Cindy B. .
3,899 reviews220 followers
March 5, 2017
Like series - profanity, graphics & gore are seldom and plots are well executed, characters consistent. Well narrated and recommended.
464 reviews2 followers
December 9, 2018
So, I figured out who I thought did it, and was correct, but had no idea how. The weavings and turns could be very distracting and confusing, which was great. Then throw in a seemingly harmless, but maybe not, blind guy, and it creates perfection in a homicide novel. I love the way the author wraps up the story. It appeals to my sense of order.
Profile Image for Angelique Simonsen.
1,446 reviews31 followers
July 10, 2020
These are great, easy to read and each case is different and they all keep me guessing.
Profile Image for Shannon.
1,319 reviews45 followers
December 1, 2025
A great addition to the series. This was one of the first books in this series to be a straightforward cop novel in a while. A lot of times the books can be filled with intense personal drama or the cases can be convoluted and crazy (though still enjoyable) but not this book. It was just a bunch of detectives pounding the pavement, looking for clues, following up leads, and solving mysteries. My kind of book. There was one big coincidence that bothered me a bit but it didn't have much bearing on the story so I wasn't too fussed. I wish the big bad hadn't been quite so obvious but I'd rather have that than some rando who makes no sense.
Profile Image for Caitlin.
709 reviews76 followers
May 26, 2011
I've written before about books as comfort food and Faye Kellerman is on that list for me. She writes smart, complicated crime fiction and I just love her primary series characters, Pete Decker and Rina Lazarus. If she's got a new book on the shelf, I'm reading it.

As with any series some books are better than others. I found Blindman's Bluff to be quite satisfying with just enough of the elements needed to make it an entertaining escapist read.

I'm back and forth on the aging of this series' characters. On the one hand it's natural and seems much more real than books where the next one is a week later. Everyone's sort of perpetually 25 and too many things happen every week. It stretches credulity. On the other hand, I'm kind of sad to see Pete and Rina aging. They should, but something about it feels as if it's going to be harder and harder to get stories out of them. In some ways I'd almost like Ms. Kellerman to let them go and start working on one of her other characters. It's not that older people can't be in thrillers, but at some point the body wears down and you can't go dashing around the city on coffee and cigarettes. Realistically at some point people go behind a desk or retire and move on to gardening or opening their second business or consulting or traveling the world.

As always a great read, but I'm beginning to wonder if Kellerman is writing herself into a corner. It'll be interesting to find out.
400 reviews10 followers
August 31, 2009
The latest book about the character of Peter Decker, a LAPD homicide detective, is a good as the previous blockbusters. Decker is awakened at 3 am to oversee the crime scene investigation of the slaying of a billionaire and his family. Since the Kaffeys had four on site guards as well as a state of the art security system at the ranch, it is obvious that the murder is an inside job. Meanwhile, Decker's wife, Rina, is called for jury duty. While she is on a break, a blindman approaches and asks her to describe 2 men he has overheard discussing the Kaffey murder.Somehow the men suspect that Rina and the blindman are aware of their conversation and they get targeted for elimination. Now, Decker must solve the murder before his wife is the next victim.
Profile Image for Wendy Schumacher.
11 reviews
July 16, 2016
The constant barrage of F-bombs really ruined this story for me. If you can call it a story, it was very flat. No excitement, or ups and downs, no edge-of-your seat whodunit.
Profile Image for Renee.
1,396 reviews222 followers
January 15, 2018
Listening to a story featuring Rina Lazarus & Peter Decker is like spending time with old friends :) I forgot how much I enjoyed Faye Kellerman until I stumbled upon Killing Season (which was a fab stand-alone!). This series is a must-read for police procedural/mystery fans. Entertaining.
681 reviews2 followers
October 10, 2020
Boring, confusing sequencing, with an abrupt none-ending...a narrative description that was apparently meant to wrap up the plot but was incomplete and totally unsatisfying. Then a Biblical reference, as a moral?? What and why was that?? Faye Kellerman is usually much better than this.
Profile Image for Diane.
178 reviews8 followers
April 16, 2024
I had a hard time to not lose interest in this book!
Profile Image for Robin.
378 reviews143 followers
August 19, 2009
The rating of this book depends on why you're reading it. If you're reading because you're a Rina Lazarus/Peter Decker (and friends) fan and you want to catch up, it is a solid 4. If you're reading for a good, suspenseful mystery....it's a solid 3, possibly 3.5.

This isn't one of Kellerman's best mysteries. From the very beginning, you can make a pretty solid guess about who is behind the murder. She tries to throw you off with a few events, but all the information is right there in front of you. There are some gun fights, some investigation, but very few surprises. By the time the end of the book rolled around, I was curious as to the why, but only for a few of the more minor details. The main WHY (as in why the three people were killed) was evident long before the end.

But, for the most part, the characters shine in this book. If you're a longtime fan of the series, you'll be happy to catch up with your favorite people to see how their lives have progressed. The relationship between Decker and Hannah is a little bit awkward, and maybe that is on purpose as Hannah is in an awkward teen place. There was barely a mention of the boys and Koby, but other than that, it was like a reunion. I only wish Kellerman could have done BOTH well, instead of just one side or the other. I always said I cared more about the characters than the actual mystery of the books, but maybe that wasn't as true as I had hoped. It was a good book, as far as it went, but I was expecting more.
Profile Image for Bob.
1,984 reviews20 followers
August 16, 2009
Lt. Decker has another case to solve. A very rich developer and his wife, 2 guards and a maid are killed on his well guarded estate and one son is severely wounded. 2 other guards are missing and there are a number of suspects both in and out of the family. Decker's wife Rina is picked for jury duty and while awaiting in the hall following a break is asked by a translator for the court to describe two men he hears talking near by, which brings her into Decker's case as well. I always like the Decker/Lazarus books and this is now exception.
ISBN - 978-0-06-170232-7, Suspense, Pages - 390, Print Size - R, Rating - 4.75
Profile Image for Kim.
2,242 reviews2 followers
March 13, 2023
Too many Jewish references that I had to look up.

Someone liked my review, and I pulled it up and a year later, realize that it sounds very prejudicial. I swear, I meant no harm by it. There were a lot of Jewish cultural mentions, and Yiddish words, and sometimes they were quite integral to the plot. So, I did a lot of research to make sure I wasn't missing anything truly important and that took away from the book for me.
Profile Image for Carrie.
241 reviews
April 8, 2010
I got through the first CD OK although I thought the narrator was horrible because he didn't vary his voice enough, and I couldn't tell who was talking. Then, a character was introduced where every other word was the F-word. No thanks. That doesn't make a great novel.
Profile Image for Afsana.
449 reviews10 followers
June 15, 2011
I enjoyed this it was great for them to have ideas and of who did and see how they connected the dots.

i have loved the series and will continue reading
Profile Image for Pauline.
1,826 reviews34 followers
August 17, 2013
Once more a great read by this author. This is no 18 in the s we ties and is still as good as the first.
Profile Image for Simone.
795 reviews26 followers
November 21, 2017
I like this series, obviously since I am up to Book 18! But the I think the love affair might be coming to an end.

In this instalment, there were just to many characters and I was often confused; I have a hard time keeping track of the story when there are too many moving parts.

I didn’t mind so much at first because I like Rina and Decker and I decided to push on and concentrate on their storyline - but lately they bore me. Rina is getting on my nerves with her almost 50s fawning housewife attitude, their kids irritate me because they are too perfect and too nice and too polite…

Was I just not in the right frame of mind to read this book or is the bloom of the rose and it’s time to say good bye? I feel like I’ve invested a lot of my time in this series over the years, and there are “only” 6 more to go to catch up (24 books in the series so far) but if the rest are all like this one I might give up.
Profile Image for Roni.
72 reviews1 follower
July 27, 2017
Another epic read in the Decker/Lazarus series, Lt. Decker is called to a crime scene in the early hours, that is so horrific that even seasoned detectives and officers, are left stunned. Two of the most wealthiest people in the US have been murdered, one practically cut in half by shot gun blasts. Their son was left for dead, but survives his wounds, a maid has also been killed, along with two security guards. Missing in actions are the other two security guards who were on duty that night. Searching the vast 600 acres or more of the estate, is a daunting task.
The other family members who are alive and live out of state, include the dead couples other son and the brother of father who was killed. This investigation takes Lt. Decker and his team into the under belly of a very nasty gang. While also investigating the living relatives, could this crime be as old as Cain and Able?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 426 reviews

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