The Beast

I did not like -- I did not like -- I did not like at all.

This was truly a gruesome experience.

And yet I read it. From beginning to end.

That's what happens when you're trapped in hospital waiting rooms, waiting for the shoe(s) to drop. You read garbage. You read each page twice and thrice. And you read to the very end. And you wonder why. And you wished you still belonged to that religion you once believed in, just so you could go to confession and absolve yourself/get absolution for the (chargeable) offence of having read this.

Needless to say, I won't be reading anymore Kellerman based on this experience.

I have been away from this series for a few years now and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get into this book as I might have forgotten so much about the main characters. Well Ms Kellerman made it real easy for me to pop back in and take up where I had left off. Yes, if you are a first time reader you may want to start with the very first book, but I see no problem starting here if you want. Each of Ms. Kellerman’s book can be read as a stand-alone if you wish.

This book opens with a bang and a growl. The main crime we are pulled right into concerns a dead elderly recluse. Did I happen to mention that he was brilliant and richer than rich? This recluse just happened to keep a Bengal tiger as a pet.and that makes this a very show more unpleasant crime scene to go through, since the man , Hobart Penny, has been dead for several days and a tiger has been on the loose!

Soon we will find that Hobart Penny was more of a beast than the tiger was and the crime gets harder and harder to solve,

Ms. Kellerman does a fantastic job with her characters, writing them vividly in her usual style. There is humor interspersed with the goriness and that is much appreciated by this fan.
The secondary story was not as appreciated by me and won’t be if you have not kept up with the books as I have not.. The secondary story concerns Rina and Deckers foster son who is a 17-year-old prodigy with the piano and his girlfriend. It was a pleasant diversion, but I would have much rather have had more about the crime than that story.

Some parts of this book did seem to leave gaps that are never fully explained, but they are not really germane to the main story. The author seems to have chosen not to over-write this novel and to let our imaginations fly.

I will now be reading this series from the very beginning and fall in love with the characters again. Plus I really do have to see what I’ve been missing since I’ve been away!

------------------------------Spoiler Alert -----------------------------------------

I have looked, although not as carefully as I could have, to see if this is the last book in the series. I understand that the author is writing a stand-alone book next. Will we have more Decker and Rina now that he is going to move to the east coast? Will we get snippets from Marge’s life now that she is engaged to be married and will be moving…what about Oliver? These are all characters that we have come to respect and like and I think I will be missing them if they do not show up once in a while. *ARC supplied by publisher* show less

The Beast was the first book I read in the Decker/Lazarus series so I didn't have a lot to base the past story lines on. That said The Beast is one of those stories that starts out exciting and doesn't let go. The story starts with Gabe, foster son of Decker, expecting to testify in a court case, I think if I had read more in the series I would understand more what the case was about. Decker is called in on a murder where an elderly man, Hobart Penny, is found murdered, in the apartment is a tiger, yup a tiger. At first glance it is not quite clear as to how the man died and the forensic team has their work cut out for them in determining how the man died. The investigation takes some strange turns as Decker and his colleagues show more Detectives Dunn and Oliver start interviewing a list of suspects. I love a good murder mystery and this one was no exception, I enjoyed the author's writing style and the characters are believable. I just have to say that since I had not read any of the previous books in the series, at times I was at a loss, but it did not really keep from me enjoying the book. I will be going back and probably starting with the first book, I enjoyed it that much!! show less

Gabe Whitman, the piano prodigy, seventeen-year-old foster son of Rina and LA Lieutenant Peter Decker completing a day of testifying for the prosecution in a rape case. It quickly moves on to investigating complaints of neighbors about the smell from an apartment where the police discover a full grown lion and a dead man. The investigation reveals that the victim, an eighty-nine-year-old billionaire recluse named Hobart Penny, was very strange, was willing to pay for whatever he wanted, especially kinky sex, and had no friends. He also had some very unusual collections, part of which lead to other potential victims.

I have been reading the Decker/Lazarus books for years.I was absolutely delighted to read this latest book.The mystery part show more of the book is interesting. Revisiting the main characters is the best part. show less

THE BEAST begins with Gabe Whitman, the piano prodigy, seventeen-year-old foster son of Rina and LA Lieutenant Peter Decker completing a day of testifying for the prosecution in a rape case. It quickly moves on to investigating complaints of neighbors about the smell from an apartment where the police discover a full grown lion and a dead man. The investigation reveals that the victim, an eighty-nine-year-old billionaire recluse named Hobart Penny, was very strange, was willing to pay for whatever he wanted, especially kinky sex, and had no friends. He also had some very unusual collections, part of which lead to other potential victims.
A subplot revolves around Gabe’s relationship with fifteen-year-old Yasmine Nourmand.
LA show more Lieutenant Peter Decker and his partners, Marge and Oliver, are the central character in the latest of Faye Kellerman’s Rina Lazarus/Peter Decker series. When the series began, Rina Lazarus was the main character and the main story line involved her and her life. She and Peter didn’t know each other. Rina barely played a role in this book. She’s described as a stereotypical patient, devoted housewife who took care of the house and family, maintained their social life, prayed, exercised, and taught at a Jewish High School. The cover calls it “A Decker/Lazarus Novel with Rina in second place.”
Kellerman also brings in Dr. Alex Delaware, the main character of some of Faye’s husband Jonathan’s novels.
The end of the book suggests major changes for the family but seemed rushed.
THE BEAST talks around the opening case but it seems that it is a continuation of a previous book. The particulars are omitted and left me wanting more information. In one location, the reader is spared having to reread information when Decker asks Marge and Oliver to fill him in about what they have learned but doesn’t go into detail. I wish that happened more often.
While Faye Kellerman can tell a good story, several of the characters and situations were unrealistic. I’m not sure who her target audience is for this one. The subplot about Gabe and Yasmine seems more suited for a young adult audience. There is a lot of descriptive gore which would appeal to a different audience. I became interested in the series because of Rina and the Orthodox Jewish angle. It is missing from THE BEAST. And one character, in particular, fills a couple pages with profanity which seems to be unnecessary.
I’ve really appreciated most of the books in the series. This one seems to have lost its uniqueness and was a disappointment. show less

The gripping next installment of the the Decker/ Lazarus series. It starts out with a dead man keeping a tiger in his apartment as a pet, and grows steadily more bizarre and twisted from there.

I really think this series needs to end. The stories used to be so well-developed. Everything seems contrived now and the writing is horrendous. What is up with the stilted dialogue and all the typos?! And enough with the teenage romance already. No one cares! Guess I'll go back and reread some of my favorites from this once great series.