Detective Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus, risk life and limb to solve a pair of brutal murders that may be tied to a crime from more than twenty years ago in this intense and addictive mystery from New York Times bestselling author Faye Kellerman.On a quiet suburban street in upstate Greenbury, New York, the brutally beaten body of a young man is discovered in the woods adjacent to an … woods adjacent to an empty vacation home. Twenty-six-year-old Brady Neil a resident of the neighboring town of Hamilton, had no criminal record, few friends, worked full-time, and attended community college. But as Detective Peter Decker learns, the clean-cut kid is linked to the criminal world. When Brady was a baby, his father, Brandon Gratz, was convicted of robbing and killing the owners of a local jewelry store. While Gratz and his partner, Kyle Masterson, admitted to the robbery, they swore they left the owners, Glen and Lydia Levine, very much alive.
The experienced detective knows there’s more to this homicide case than the records show. As he digs into Gratz’s past, Decker begins to suspect that the son’s murder may be connected to the father’s sins. Before he can put together the pieces, Decker finds out that one of Brady Neil’s friends, Joseph Boch—aka Boxer—has gone missing. Heading to Boch’s house with his temporary new partner, Hamilton PD cop Lenora Baccus, they discover a bloodbath.
Who would savagely kill two innocent men—and why? Finding the answers will require all of Decker’s skill and knowledge, the help of his fellow Greenbury detectives, Tyler McAdams and Kevin Butterfield, and information gleaned from his wife Rina’s behind the scenes investigation to put all the pieces of this deadly puzzle together . . . and see justice done.
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I usually like Lazarus-Decker books, but I didn’t care much for this one. The case they were investigating didn’t really grab me.
I’ve always enjoyed the Kellerman’s books (both Faye and Jonathan). This book was not in the usual LA setting, but I enjoyed the ‘new’ towns introduced here. And the new characters too. Lennie Baccus might be back??? And Harvard too. Since their children have left the nest, it doesn’t keep Rina from filling the house with others. Peter is still a formidable homicide detective that just won’t quit until the mystery is solved regardless of who is involved.
It had been a while since reading a Kellerman. Must look for more. 🙂 Thanks
Kaye Kellerman never fails
I love all of the Decker/Lazarus series and this is no exception.
I enjoyed this book I like the interactions of Peter and Rina I haven’t read one of their books in a long time
Not one of the better ones. Where did that new town next door come from?
I love all the Faye Kellerman books.
Good book
I love all of her books!
F. Kellerman does it again.
Loved this book
I have enjoyed the development of the characters of Peter and Rina over the years. It was a solid mystery but I always find myself wishing she could find ways to involve Rina even more. This book had a solid plot but it’s the ongoing characterization of Peter and Rina that keeps me reading this series.
Another excellent tale in the Decker/Lazarus series.
I have to say I feel somewhat disloyal posting this review, and a 3.5 rating. the .5 is really part of loving Faye Kellerman throughout the years. It becomes evident after each of her books that she is tiring of her main protagonists, Peter and Rina. How many extraneous new characters can she introduce each time, and how unbelievable that after moving to a small town in Connecticut murders keep happening. Move them back to LA or something at this clip. The book follows a familiar trajectory, decades old murder (believable) intersecting with a current murder (less believable). When people get away with murder, they don’t then involve their kids. The most unbelievable part, though, was the addition of Lennie Bacchus. Don’t get me wrong — I liked her — I just found the character far-fetched, especially her father being willing to let her go in to the heart of the standoff after fighting this for so long. ‘Nuff said. Not possible, and certainly not possible that a coward cop would suddenly become a hero (and then ditch her mentor Peter entirely). Come on. I was entertained enough to continue to look forward to Kellerman’s next books, but invite her to raise the bar significantly.
I have to give it 5 stars, because of my love for Ms Kellerman, but though this book had a lot of blood, it did not have the author’s great pull. It was good and has a new character that maybe will join her crew, but she needs to get future books more tension filled, for it to be a real thriller.