Rating: 
Summary: A LITTLE LONG IN THE TOOTH, BUT...
Review: SERPENT'S TOOTH is one of the better novels in this series; her reduction of time spent on religious background and squabbles actually aids her in this one. The first chapter is intriguing as Kellerman sets us up for what's about to happen by letting us know a little bit about some of the people in the trendy restaurant who are about to meet a fatal end. Once the killer "kills himself," it seems like an open and shut case, but where would the novel be if this was the case? Decker is now more willing to accept the advice of his daughter, Cindy, who is about to enter the police academy; Rina once again goes behind Peter's back to give him some assistance; we learn more about some of the other detectives: Webster, the southern transplant, is a likeable and a good addition; I haven't decided if I like Scott Oliver yet, what a chauvinist and ... fiend, but Kellerman is smart in giving us that sensitive side that indicates his main problem might be loneliness; Marge continues to be the lonely amazon woman--I think she's really in love with Peter?
Anyway, the cast of meanies in this one are despicable: Jeanine Garrison, the daughter of two of the restaurant's victims, who has her own financial agenda; Sean Amos and Malcolm Carey, two vile teenagers; Joaquin, a rather nerdy teen, who is a champion Scrabble player; David Garrison, Jeanine's brother who has (there's one of these in each book it seems?) a drug problem, and winds up iced, too.
The whodunit isn't overly exciting, but the way Kellerman interweaves all these personalities makes for good reading for fans of this series.
Rating:
Summary: A LITTLE LONG IN THE TOOTH, BUT...
Review: SERPENT'S TOOTH is one of the better novels in this series; her reduction of time spent on religious background and squabbles actually aids her in this one. The first chapter is intriguing as Kellerman sets us up for what's about to happen by letting us know a little bit about some of the people in the trendy restaurant who are about to meet a fatal end. Once the killer "kills himself," it seems like an open and shut case, but where would the novel be if this was the case? Decker is now more willing to accept the advice of his daughter, Cindy, who is about to enter the police academy; Rina once again goes behind Peter's back to give him some assistance; we learn more about some of the other detectives: Webster, the southern transplant, is a likeable and a good addition; I haven't decided if I like Scott Oliver yet, what a chauvinist and ... fiend, but Kellerman is smart in giving us that sensitive side that indicates his main problem might be loneliness; Marge continues to be the lonely amazon woman--I think she's really in love with Peter?
Anyway, the cast of meanies in this one are despicable: Jeanine Garrison, the daughter of two of the restaurant's victims, who has her own financial agenda; Sean Amos and Malcolm Carey, two vile teenagers; Joaquin, a rather nerdy teen, who is a champion Scrabble player; David Garrison, Jeanine's brother who has (there's one of these in each book it seems?) a drug problem, and winds up iced, too.
The whodunit isn't overly exciting, but the way Kellerman interweaves all these personalities makes for good reading for fans of this series.
Rating: 
Summary: Running Out of Steam
Review: Serpent's Tooth was my first exposure to Faye Kellerman and her Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series and it really was excellent. Kellerman tells an excellent tale and fills it with realistic characters. In Serpent's Tooth Decker must solve a mystery that challenges his self-image and understanding of his relationship with Lazarus. While Decker is the street-smart cop and Lazarus is an orthodox Jewish wife who has no direct link the case, it is Lazarus who provides valuable contributions to Decker solving the case. Kellerman does spend considerable effort in character development and understanding relationships. However, that aspect complements rather than clashes with the mystery. The solution of the external mystery is dependent on the understanding of internal mysteries. The whole effect is mesmerizing.
Rating: 
Summary: Top Notch Murder Mystery
Review: Serpent's Tooth was my first exposure to Faye Kellerman and her Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series and it really was excellent. Kellerman tells an excellent tale and fills it with realistic characters. In Serpent's Tooth Decker must solve a mystery that challenges his self-image and understanding of his relationship with Lazarus. While Decker is the street-smart cop and Lazarus is an orthodox Jewish wife who has no direct link the case, it is Lazarus who provides valuable contributions to Decker solving the case. Kellerman does spend considerable effort in character development and understanding relationships. However, that aspect complements rather than clashes with the mystery. The solution of the external mystery is dependent on the understanding of internal mysteries. The whole effect is mesmerizing.
Rating:
Summary: I love her characters, and have read EVERY book, BUT . ..
Review: The one issue i have with her books--it just doesn't seem like it's written by a woman. I keep thinking its a pseudonym. WHy? because every single time she describes a woman, it is sexualized as if seen through the eyes of a perpetually turned on guy. I guess it makes sense because she is trying to portray a certain earthiness in the cop dept, but it gets a bit depressing when even WOMEN authors can't describe a woman without describing how she physically affects all the men in her midst. I love her characters and story line but this gets very old. I have a feeling she might begin spinning off his daughter, and if she does and has her constantly objectifying the men around her, then I will withdraw my criticism! All I want is equal time! And her stories are more than compelling enough to carry interest without all the objectifying!
Rating:
Summary: Poor Plot
Review: The problem with this book is the gaping flaws in the plot. The story begins by proving that more than one person must have been involved in the mass shooting, so the hunt is on. But eventually, the plot winds down, and we are suddenly presented with one perpetrator, and we are told that he must have seemed like two "with bullets whizzing around." (This is despite the earlier forensic evidence about the direction of the shots.) Seems quite careless plotting. There are about a dozen other improbabilities as well, but I can't go into them without giving the story away.
Rating:
Summary: waste of time
Review: The story was utterly predictable, the characters were self-righteous and boring, the writing was mediocre at best, and reading the book was a complete waste of time. I read the entire story because I expected the author to come up with some interesting plot or character developments; she didn't. I keep seeing Faye Kellerman's name on the best seller lists and thought there must be a reason for her popularity. This book was not it. I suppose that any author may produce a poor story, but this one was so nothing, I wonder why it was published. I trust Ms. Kellerman's other books are something more than poorly written, boring blather. I should have followed my usual rule: if something is poorly written, don't continue to read it. Life is too short to read bad books.
Rating:
Summary: Mass murder stumps Peter
Review: This book begins with a mass murder in a trendy restaurant. The police think they have found the man who did it and they are ready to close the case. Peter Decker thinks otherwise and he spends the rest of the book trying to find out what was really behind the murders. He looks into the family lives of some of the deceased and finds multiple motives for the murders. Several family members stand to gain financially and personally from the deaths of their relatives. Peter is accused of sexual harrassment when he interviews one of the suspects, and Rina stands by him when he is forced to defend himself. This is another good entry in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Mass murder stumps Peter
Review: This book begins with a mass murder in a trendy restaurant. The police think they have found the man who did it and they are ready to close the case. Peter Decker thinks otherwise and he spends the rest of the book trying to find out what was really behind the murders. He looks into the family lives of some of the deceased and finds multiple motives for the murders. Several family members stand to gain financially and personally from the deaths of their relatives. Peter is accused of sexual harrassment when he interviews one of the suspects, and Rina stands by him when he is forced to defend himself. This is another good entry in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't live up to its potential
Review: This could have been a very interesting detective story, but it deteriorated into a boring chain of events from which the spineless characters couldn't save it. The sexist undertones really alienated me, as did the chirpy goodness of Decker's family. I kept waiting for a twist, but it never came.
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