Faye Kellerman

That was one mess of a novel.

The horribly mutilated body of a young woman is found in the desert around Las Vegas. The lead detective on the case, Romulus Poe, soon realizes that the victim is a known call girl who had been a one-time fling of Steve Jensen, his colleague, but as Steve seems to have slept with everyone in Vegas, he decides to keep him on the case. And for most of the novel, this is the most rational of his decisions.

Another body follows, a 25-years old unsolved murder rears show more its head and a powerful man seems to be somehow related. And then there is Alison - Romulus Poe's old love, now Steve Jensen's wife, who is pretty disturbed mentally. Throw in NTS (Nevada Test Site), Native American believes (Poe is part-Native American), dust storms, love stories and a lot of sex.

The story of the murders is interconnected with the slow deterioration of Alison's mind. There are some hints through the novel that there is something supernatural going on although there is also the very real possibility that it is all in Alison's head. That ambiguity is there to the very end... except that without the supernatural elements, the story does not work. And that is the main problem in the novel.

I like supernatural novels. I even like the borderline ones which can be read either way. Here it felt almost as a cheat - there was no other way for the novel to work but the author was not ready to make it a supernatural novel. Which is always annoying.

Despite a lot of questionable decisions (both personal and professional), the characters mostly work - people are messy, noone is perfect. Some elements may be a bit on the nose and even cliched but even they do not annoy too much. And where the story ends is almost satisfying (despite that last ambiguity of normal world vs. the supernatural - and even that is also explored in those last pages - the characters actually comment and explore the ambiguity).

If one expects anything close to the Decker series, they will be disappointed - this could not have been further away. Kellerman uses the standalone to play with different style and language and not to successfully at that. show less

I have missed the last two books in the Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series, largely because they have been released since I started blogging and my reading time has rarely since been my own, so I jumped at the chance to rejoin the series with Murder 101.

It’s been six months since Peter retired from the LAPD and he and Rina are now living in upstate New York, closer to their adult children. Peter is working for the local police force which is rarely troubled by anything more than drunken show more college students, while Rina has made herself at home within the community. When the body of a young coed is discovered brutally stabbed to death, Decker is the only member of the Greenbury Police with the experience to investigate. He quickly connects the dead woman to a recent theft from a crypt and, teamed with an obnoxious rookie, Tyler McAdams, Decker suddenly finds himself in the midst of a case involving stolen art, Russian assassins and international politics.

I so enjoyed reconnecting with the characters of this series, I love that Kellerman has aged them in ‘real time’…it has been 27 years since The Ritual Bath was first published. The children Decker and Rina share, including foster son Gabe, are now grown up and on their own, Decker’s old partner Marg has left the LAPD for quieter pastures and Decker and Rina are adjusting to the changes their move has wrought.

In this book Decker is partnered with Tyler McAdams, a Harvard graduate with a silver spoon in his mouth and a chip on his shoulder, who initially drives Peter crazy but eventually, with Decker’s gruff guidance, proves useful.

I wouldn’t expect anything less from Kellerman than a well crafted mystery which requires shoe leather, rather than luck, to solve. Decker’s investigation is all about following leads, face to face interviews and a bit of hard earned cop instinct. The murdered girl is the first homicide to occur in Greenbury in twenty years so it makes sense that Decker is placed in charge, and in his usual bulldog manner, Decker is determined to solve the case even when his life, and Rina’s and Tyler’s, are threatened.

Murder 101 is another well paced, solid installment in the Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series, which is likely nearing its conclusion, but proves that Decker isn’t quite ready to give up his badge just yet. show less

That is an unusual book for the series. Marge is on vacation (so Peter ends up working with another cop (unintentionally first); Rina is mostly missing, Cindy is away in college (and making her father anxious because of a rapist on campus), the boys do not even make an appearance and Hannah Rose shows up almost as a background.

But we get to meet Terry McLaughlin - almost half of the book is from her POV - a good student that does not get much love at home. And then she meets Chris - a show more fellow student, a bit older than her, with a music career that takes him away - which causes him to fall behind at school. Thus Terry finds herself tutoring him - and falling in love with him. The only way she knows how - completely and without reservations.

But unfortunately this is not a happy story. Chris has a dark past and even darker present - between the mafia, murders and past connections, he is as far away as possible from Terry. When a girl is found dead, he is the main suspect - and the dark secrets start unraveling. Decker gets pulled into the case and starts finding connections to older cases - until he is pulled off it and the case is closed with a decision that just does not sit well. It takes him a while to decide that it really cannot sit and he is off investigating again - against orders and expectations. He finds the truth but you get to wonder, is it enough? And what would really be justice in this case.

In a way it is the story of a lost innocence - both Chris's and Terry's; about consequences and choices. It is also a lot more explicit in its sex scenes than I ever remember Kellerman being. Going to jail for the one you love is an old trope but it is done here in a way that breaks your heart. Love does not seem to be enough and yet that is all that Terry and Chris have - even with the murder in the middle of the story.

The ending is almost perfect - anything else would not have really worked - the darkness of the story matches the darkness in everyone's heart. At the end of the day, it is a love story - the love story of two broken kids that never had any choice in anything that happened to them. show less

This was really intense, sometimes a deeply unpleasant read, but there were twists and turns beginning to end, and I wanted to know what would happen next. I can't say much without spoilers, but it picks up where the last book left off (thank goodness, it left us hanging). It has a lot more about Donatti and fam than we have ever previously experienced -- hence the unpleasant parts of the read -- be prepared for rape and abuse, in addition to the usual murder/violence. Also, happily, some show more good family time for the Peter and Rina, and a continuation of the plotline heading towards retirement, though like any Decker plan, it doesn't go as you might expect. Enthralling read, and I think (I hope?) gives us a peek into the future of the series.

*I have to say there were moments when I wondered what message Kellerman is sending -- Chris and Terry's relationship is so messed up, and it almost seems to justify extreme sexual demands as part of the package when dealing with men, especially men who have experienced abuse themselves. There's so much of it that it's hard to know if that's Donatti's character speaking or if there's some background agenda. Definitely something that Terry is struggling with in the book.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss. show less