Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing read
Review: This was a really difficult book to finish. Nothing about it interested me. To be brutally honest I don't understand how it is classified as a crime/mystery as it seems more appropriate as a cheap romance novel. If this book is anything to go by, I won't bother trying any of her other books.
Rating: 
Summary: Street Dreams
Review: What happened to Faye Kellerman? I have been hooked on her books. This one is clearly not up to par! It's choppy, all over the place, the story line doesn't flow.... Other than the fact that the same characters were used, it almost seems like the book was written by someone else. Very disappointing!
Rating:
Summary: You'd Think I'd Learn
Review: With each Faye Kellerman novel I think, well, I enjoyed a couple -- maybe the next one will be better. No such luck. Her characters have two settings: passionate and angry. The players seethe and boil over at the slightest provocation; that is, when they're not having sex. At this point it has grown tedious. Cindy's bi-racial relationship devolves into cliche: "the South shall rise again" (p.443)....what year is it again? Honey, have you ever been to Atlanta?
This, however, pales next to the anvil-like subtlety of Kellerman's Jewish subtext. Don't misunderstand, this flavor in her writing has produced some of the most enjoyable and informative pieces of text previously, but the whole Israeli = good, Palestinian/Arabic = terrorist thug bit is black and white thinking on a pathological level.
Another reviewer suggested that this would inspire novelist wannabes to go ahead and write. I say: have at it; you probably couldn't do worse.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun read starring Decker's cop daughter Cindy !
Review: With more than a dozen books in the popular Rina Lazarus/Peter Decker series, Faye Kellerman's new books are normally anxiously awaited by her fans. We've come to enjoy the clever mysteries solved by this conservative Jewish couple, with fairly detailed expositions of the Jewish religion part of the nominal price of admission. In one earlier book, "Stalker", Decker's daughter by his first marriage, Cindy, now an LAPD officer, was the central character in an compelling story of danger and crime solving. In "Street Dreams", so titled from the recurring nightmares she has of her earlier experience, Cindy once again plays front and center, the opening premise about a still-alive baby she finds in a dumpster. Through some brilliant and persistent sleuthing, above the call of duty for a "mere" officer not yet on the official ('gold shield') Detective staff, Cindy finds not only the natural mother but pursues strong leads to the probable natural father. Along the way, and with just a little help from her father Peter, Cindy helps track down a hit and run killer while getting leads on some dangerous gang members. All in all, the mystery had an entertaining plot and a nicely drawn conclusion.Unlike most of Kellerman's stories which feature sometimes almost overwhelming descriptions of Jewish orthodox practices, in this novel she provides a love interest for Cindy in the form of a male nurse named Yaakov "Koby" Kutiel, an African who turns out to be an Ethiopian Jew. When things get hot between the two, some interesting scenes take place when Cindy decides to take Koby home for Sabbath dinner. The family reactions to the mixed race couple varies from shock by daddy Peter to immediate acceptance by mama Rina, that latter based on the simple binary discriminator that Koby is a Jew. A great deal of interesting dialogue from these characters as well as some of the detectives spoke to the issue of mixed race and faiths, and added a provocative element to the main story line without "taking sides". To us, this is one of the best Kellerman offerings in the recent past. Her usual excellent story telling, combined with social issues of concern to all, with just passing indulgence in Jewish practices, make "Dreams" a novel that should enjoy broad reader delight. Read it!
Rating:
Summary: Putting some spark back into it.
Review: With Stalker, Kellerman introduced Cindy as the next generation of detective in the Decker family. While that book did not reach its full potential, Street Dreams does a lot better. This is the first book in a while from this once fascinating series which does justice to both the characters and the writer.
Cindy is a lot less contrived and more interesting than she was in Stalker. Kellerman has let her be less driven and somehow more human. Koby is a really nice character addition and he gives the book a little extra sparkle. The story is interesting and the relationship between the character generations is well written.
Unfortunately, the story of the German murder which Rina investigates is a bit of an off note in an otherwise sharp book. While it had the potential to be interesting, it is never really developed and in the end serves only to distract from the main event.
Long time fans of the series should take heart and enjoy. Newcomers probably should not begin here-- the backstory is a little dense if you haven't met the characters already.
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