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Fiction. Literature. Mystery. HTML: When a Manhattan rabbi is brutally murdered, an LAPD officer and his wife begin a dangerous mission to save a young girl from kidnapping � and investigate a deadly new case that puts them both at great peril. Rina Lazarus has some shocking news for her husband, LAPD Lieutenant Peter Decker. A horrible murder has occurred in the family of his half-brother, Rabbi Jonathan Levin. The rabbi's brother-in-law was found slain in a seedy hotel room in upper Manhattan, and the victim's 15-year-old niece, with whom he was spending the day, is missing. Decker, with Rina at his side, immediately heads out to New York to assist in the investigation. But what starts out as simple inquiries soon evolves into a twisted and perilous journey � from the darkened slums of New Jersey and the deserted industrial streets of New York to the recesses of sexual perversity and the hidden meeting places of Hasidic outcasts. Thrust into a deadly maze of deceit, lies, and danger, the couple can no longer trust anyone � friend or family. And when salvation is finally within Decker's grasp, it can only be delivered by a depraved lone wolf, hell-bent on his own personal vengeance..… (more)
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Back Cover Blurb:
The call is brief, but to the point. There has been a murder in
Jonathan pleads with his policeman brother to come to New York to help the family.
Reluctantly, Decker agrees, taking his wife, Rina, and their youngest daughter with him for company. But soon after arriving on the East Coast Decker is infuriated to discover that Shaynda's parents have changed their minds about involving him in the case. Faced with a hostile family, a city in which he's a stranger and a local police force mired in international problems, Decker is on his own. Moving from the darkened slums of New Jersey to the deserted industrial streets of New York, he is thrust into a world divided mercilessly into killers and victims.
And Decker must decide which he wants to be....
It's one of the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series, and Peter and Rina are the really
One of the best things about this novel is that it gave me a peek into a culture I know almost nothing about, Chasidic (I've always spelled it Hasidic) Jews. Decker's half brother is a rabbi whose brother-in-law is Hasidic. When the brother-in-law's teenage daughter goes missing, the rabbi calls Decker in California in a panic, practically begging him to come to New York to help. Decker's wife thinks they should go and by the way they could also see her grown sons while they are visiting.
In New York Decker is out of his element but he runs into an evil man with a good side (sort of like the prostitute with a heart of gold you know) who helps him. The problem is that you never know whether this guy is truly helpful or is preparing to kill Decker. The story is set partly in the city and partly in a fictional upstate NY town with a corrupt police chief. Decker is in danger no matter where he is but keeps putting off a planned flight to Florida to visit his parents and brother because he just can't quit on the case, even when the Hasidic family lets him know he needs to leave.
There are some passages which stretched my tolerance for fortuitous appearances past its limit, and I thought too many characters were actually ordered from stock. Nonetheless I can see why Faye Kellerman's novels are very popular and have countless fans. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
Source: swap with friend. Recommended only for people who know and like this author.
Taunt psychological thriller that keeps the reader on pins and needles.
1. Plot -- 19 out of 20 Points
The interwoven stories of various characters mesh with the psychological twists and turns in a thriller that keeps readers guessing. Unpredictable, tense
2. Characters -- 19 out of 20 Points
Offering a glimpse into differences between Jewish sects, their philosophies, and even practices, the characters contrast on many levels. Some sexual predators hide behind their cloak of respectability; others are brazen in their embrace of criminal enterprise and flaunt their bad behavior, boldly inviting trouble. For Peter Decker, it must be like always walking on egg shells, navigating that difficult landscape where desperate people do desperate things. Wife Rina is a good partner for the burdened police lieutenant, offering him sanctuary from the grim realities of his work. When she is forced into contact with a very dangerous man, Rina manages to find her footing by using her wits and her knowledge of human behavior. Perhaps one of the best of the more minor characters in the book is the beleaguered rabbi, Decker's half-brother, Jonathan, because he plays the role of the decent man in over his head, forced to recognize the ugly truth about human nature again and again, even as he struggles to keep the faith. But the real villain of the book, Christopher Donatti, is Decker's nemesis. His pleasure in torturing the cop with a conscience, physically and emotionally, and deliberately (and sometimes menacingly) meeting with Decker's wife, puts the reader on edge as Donatti's intentions vacillate between helping and hurting the lieutenant he blames for destroying the only relationship that ever mattered to him.
3. Setting -- 19 out of 20 Points
Out of his normal California operating terrain, Lt. Decker must not only find transportation to and from crime scenes and witness locations in an unfamiliar state, sometimes relying on civilians, he's forced to deal with emergencies without his normal backup team. Some local cops are hostile to outsiders, others corrupt, but Decker still has to track down leads as he tries to cross a psychological mine field ready to explode as the tragedies pile up. Inclement weather just adds to his burden. As Decker's discomfort rises when he's forced to operate outside his comfort zone, it adds a jagged tension and unpredictability to the story.
4. Pacing -- 19 out of 20 Points
The non-stop drama moves rapidly through the pages, with no real down time. Constantly switching back and forth between character perspectives actually broadens the scope of the story, connecting the dots on a very human plane. At one point, the author writes in the "I" for a minor character. This simple change draws an important zigzag to one of the most dangerous characters in the book, that somehow makes him almost human, even at his most ruthless.
5. Tone -- 20 out of 20 Points
Faye Kellerman's strength is found in her ability to make readers connect to a very "unpretty" story of betrayal and brutality, through a variety of characters, good and bad, weak and strong. Decker's initial reluctance to take on the case shows his intelligence -- he knows that somewhere, somehow, this will end badly. And yet, the tone of the story always keeps the reader hoping that somehow, some way, Decker will at least manage to control the collateral damage, even as events spin out of his control. We trust this policeman to find some semblance of justice for the victims, even as we understand just how close to impossible that will be.
Lt. Decker is asked by his brother, Jonathan, an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, to come to New York to help find the murderer of his brother-in-law. Peter and his wife Rina had planned a vacation, but they take this side trip to help family. The mystery actually gets overshadowed by the complexity of the relationships and the conscienceless Donatti. It's easy to see who the murderer is but the real draw here is the relationship between Peter and Chris. I enjoy the Jewish aspect and perspective of these books. I found the references to the Orthodox Jewish community to be quite interesting and I think the author did a good job in presenting them as whole characters, not all good or all bad.
Chris is definitely sadistic, egocentric and psychopathic. I like the way the author does show us his “better” side making us wonder if inside this brutal man there's an abused child trying to connect with Decker.
Lt. Decker is asked by his brother, Jonathan, an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, to come to New York to help find the murderer of his brother-in-law. Peter and his wife Rina had planned a vacation, but they take this side trip to help family. The mystery actually gets overshadowed by the complexity of the relationships and the conscienceless Donatti. It's easy to see who the murderer is but the real draw here is the relationship between Peter and Chris. I enjoy the Jewish aspect and perspective of these books. I found the references to the Orthodox Jewish community to be quite interesting and I think the author did a good job in presenting them as whole characters, not all good or all bad.
Chris is definitely sadistic, egocentric and psychopathic. I like the way the author does show us his 1Cbetter 1D side making us wonder if inside this brutal man there's an abused child trying to connect with Decker.