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The Forgotten : A Peter Decker / Rina Lazarus Novel

The Forgotten : A Peter Decker / Rina Lazarus Novel

List Price: $25.00
Your Price: $16.50
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Too bizarre to be believed
Review: I'm a big fan of this series, but the coincidences we are expected to swallow in the book are just too much. First of all, we're expected to buy that the very first and only hate group that Decker investigates after the synagogue trashing is the one involved with the crime and subsequent murders - and the first prep school he goes to after the crime turns out to yield the perpetrator. Then the kid who does the crime ends up magically going to the therapist who ends up being linked to this hate group, etc. etc. etc. And Decker's step son magically knows all of these people. Wait a second, is this a small town? I thought it was Los Angeles! You expect some coincidences in mystery novels but this is just too much. It's not a well-crafted novel, and although the familial relationships are still quite interesting and endearing (although Decker's love/distrust relationship with stepson is a bit overdone)... I think you can do better, Ms. Kellerman...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A forgettable audiotape of a so-so mystery
Review: If you are Jewish, and a diehard fan of Kellerman, read the book instead of listening to the tape. Boutsikaris couldn't be bothered to learn the correct pronunciation of the Hebrew and Yiddish that Kellerman sprinkles throughout the book and he absolutely butchers it. I found this so distracting that it made it difficult to concentrate on the plot, which was only moderately suspenseful and somewhat convoluted.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Remember the Forgotten
Review: It's hard to think of Faye Kellerman without thinking of her husband, Jonathan, who also writes mysteries. While his Alex Delaware series is getting weaker and weaker, her series featuring Peter and Rina Decker is actually getting better. On the quality scale, the two have reversed positions over the years and she is now the Kellerman to read.

This story starts relatively slowly with an act of anti-Semitic vandalism. The culprit is caught reasonably quickly, but it also triggers a series of events that leaves several people dead.

While the mystery is okay enough, the subplot involving Peter and his stepson is actually better; in fact, the family is more interesting overall than Peter's coworker cops. This is not a series where the characters remain static; instead, they definitely evolve over time. Even Peter and Rina have their tense moments, but the solidness of their marriage is also evident.

It is not a perfect novel. While Faye Kellerman is a good author, she can improve still. My biggest gripe, however, actually has to do with the marketing of these books. Rina and Peter have been married for over seven years in book time and at least half a dozen novels; I think she should be referred to as Rina Decker, not Rina Lazarus; she hasn't used that name for a long time and I don't think it is essential to use it on the book covers.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Deliciously complex plot
Review: Lt. Peter Decker is called to the scene of a vandalized synagogue which he attends along with his wife Rina. They are both sickened by the racial slurs which are written on the walls and by the photos of Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust. The perpetrator is apprehended, but the case does not end there. What follows is a complex unwinding of past and present deep-seated prejudices, greed, and selfish ambition which various characters display. Wound throughout the case is the homelife of Peter and Rina and their struggles with young son Jacob who is trying to find his identity in a confusing world. This is a wonderfully crafted book, full of suspense and interesting characters.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Deliciously complex plot
Review: Lt. Peter Decker is called to the scene of a vandalized synagogue which he attends along with his wife Rina. They are both sickened by the racial slurs which are written on the walls and by the photos of Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust. The perpetrator is apprehended, but the case does not end there. What follows is a complex unwinding of past and present deep-seated prejudices, greed, and selfish ambition which various characters display. Wound throughout the case is the homelife of Peter and Rina and their struggles with young son Jacob who is trying to find his identity in a confusing world. This is a wonderfully crafted book, full of suspense and interesting characters.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Forgotten: A Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus Novel
Review: Ms Kellerman continues to keep you on the edge of your seat with this new Decker/Lazarus novel. This is NOT disappointing. It is up to her great books. As soon as I finish one book, I continue to wait for the next book in the hope it will be out soon. I have never been disappointed and I continue to learn more about Judism and enjoy all aspects of the books.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: FORGIVEN NOT FORGOTTEN
Review: Ms. Kellerman returns with another "ethnic" mystery. The plot in this one starts out intriguing but gets bogged down by too much repetitive dialogue; an incoherent ending in which who did what to whom is never answered; and even though many reviewers found Jacob's plight involving or sensitive, I found his teen age rebellion a little too pat. Rina also steps in to solve a mystery regarding one of the victim's background, researching and proletyzing on the Holocaust.
Kellerman again demonstrates her narrative skills, and if she would only maintain more suspense and mystery, I think her novels would be more entertaining.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: FORGIVEN NOT FORGOTTEN
Review: Ms. Kellerman returns with another "ethnic" mystery. The plot in this one starts out intriguing but gets bogged down by too much repetitive dialogue; an incoherent ending in which who did what to whom is never answered; and even though many reviewers found Jacob's plight involving or sensitive, I found his teen age rebellion a little too pat. Rina also steps in to solve a mystery regarding one of the victim's background, researching and proletyzing on the Holocaust.
Kellerman again demonstrates her narrative skills, and if she would only maintain more suspense and mystery, I think her novels would be more entertaining.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Why write more?
Review: Not reading any of the series to date, I found this plot interesting at first then hard to close in the end. I believe this comes from the authors attempt to involve so many characters from the series. She dives into a few paragraphs of relationships and descriptions of the detectives then swings to the criminals without completing the dynamic. Also, the plot ends 14 pages before the book ends. Where is the author going? Being a reader of authors this book does not make me want to go back to the previous 13 in the series.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A thought-provoking novel
Review: One of the joys of reading a series is reconnecting with old friends and seeing what changes have occurred from one book to the next.

In THE FORGOTTEN, Lieutenant Peter Decker is investigating a hate crime involving the desecration of a synagogue. Decker manages to solve the case but he's left with an uncomfortable resolution. After being caught, the guilty party does restitution and then six month later goes to a summer camp for troubled rich kids. It is then that he is killed together with his therapist. Naturally, Decker feels that this is retribution from the cohort who may also have been involved in the act of vandalism. Lets just say that it does not turn out that way.

The second plot in the book is of more interest that involves Decker's youngest stepson Jacob. Since the beginning of Kellerman's Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series he has been troubled due to certain circumstances in previous novels. He is now a recovering drug-addict who is trying hard to make amends for everything he's done. The bad part about it in this book is that he is familiar with the players involved in Peter's case. Something he is not to thrilled about. In the end he manages to help the police solve the case and have some one-on-one time with his stepdad. They talk in the end and it end in a funny note. In essence I liked the book and I recommend it.


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