Rating: 
Summary: WONDERFUL........
Review: As a long-time fan of Jonathan Kellerman, I decided to try reading the books of his wife, the most talented Faye Kellerman. Ms. Kellerman shines on her own. She has managed to endear her characters to me and capture me with her suspense and mystery. Because I wanted to read all of her books in sequence, I ordered them all and did so. "Ritual Bath" was a whole new world for me. I loved the fact that it exposed me to a culture that I had no knowledge of. The characters of Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus gripped me, along with the story line of a world which was totally new to me. By the end of this book, I was so hungry for another that I was glad that I had ordered all of Ms. Kellerman's books. I am so glad that I decided to read "Ritual Bath", as it gave me another favorite author who I will eagerly await new offerings. Both Jonathan Kellerman and Faye Kellerman have mastered the art of combining mystery, suspense, as well as the emotional attachment to their characters that cannot, in my opinion, be matched by any authors with continuting characters today. I, in fact, felt like I know them and love them. I am currently on "Santuary" and eagrly await Ms. Kellerman's newest addition to this series, as by the time I catch up, I know I will be so wrapped up in her characters I will feel that I am as much a part of the family as Peter, Rina, all of their children and their respective families (biological, extended, adoptive, etc.). Thank you Ms. Kellerman for your down to earth series. I truly hope that you never tire of Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus. You have done someting for me that no other author with continuing characters has done - created a real affection within me for those characters. Thank you, Ms. Kellerman, for your addition to my literary tastes.
Rating:
Summary: This mystery, its insights & its characters fascinated me.
Review: Det.Peter Decker takes the call when a wife is raped while walking home after her mikvah within the grounds of a yeshiva near Los Angeles. With his partner, Marge Dunne, Peter comes face-to-face with his birthright, a secluded devout sect, a worldly rabbi & the woman who will renew his faith in life in more ways than one. I was fascinated by what I found in Faye Kellerman's The Ritual Bath. She has composed a fully-fleshed mystery complete with the sacred & profane. "Jewtown", so called by everyone outside of it, has a reputation for easy pickings by burglars & vandals. Its very seclusion, created to enhance the practice of their faith, makes the yeshiva an easy target. It's been 35 years since I lived in a Wisconsin retreat where a thousand people of the same faith stayed for the summer; coming in waves every two weeks. It's been that long since my days took on that lovely religious rhythm of prayer & play, fasting & feasting, study & sports within the community body. Faye Kellerman's The Ritual Bath brought back fond familiars. When I discovered that Peter Decker was adopted & it hadn't bothered him much up until then; when he has to question Rina Lazarus in the women's mikvah & is surprised by her good looks, powers of observations & her reluctance to be there alone with him; when he meets Rav Schulman, the Rosh Yeshiva, & they strike up a smoke & a cordial connection; when Peter & Rina struggle within themselves, curious about each other - she, a widow with young sons to raise & a religion to practice; he, divorced for years with a teenage daughter for the summer & no spiritual calling...I couldn't stop reading. Then Rina is harrassed by a quartet of youths outside a supermarket & Peter's on call for that. Suddenly she's calling him from the mikvah where someone is trying to get at her through the locked door & windows. The newly hired & much liked security guard is nowhere to be seen. By this time they both realize she has been the target all along & none seems to know why. By now Peter Decker's heart has become engaged &, if Rina could admit it, so has hers. Faye Kellerman offers us a rich, evocative tale - yes it is set about a mean & dirty act by wilful & destructive people. Real life is like that, isn't it? Very well done, I really liked this one! An unusual, absorbing, erudite read of mysteries within mysteries. Delicious!
Rating: 
Summary: Good thriller
Review: Faye Kellerman is well known for her thrillers, and "The Ritual Bath" is the first of the Peter Decker/Nina Lazarus series. This book is both attractive for readers who appreciate the "thriller" as well as for those who are not familiarized with this type of gene. F.Kellerman elaborates on two parallel plots, the first one being the crime itself (a woman is raped close to the mikvah) and the love relationship between two individuals of different religious background (Rina Lazarus the orthodox Jew and Peter Decker the strong-minded police detective). The latter plot is more artistically developed and takes precedence over the first one. The setting is a small Jewish orthodox community on the outskirts of Los Angeles and the meaningful descriptions of orthodox rites are embodied with great moral content. Well elaborated, main characters with strong structured identities, a most enjoyable reading.
Rating: 
Summary: seeking info
Review: i have not read ritual bath so i cannot review it. however, i have read "serpent's tooth" which was given to me as a gift. I enjoyed the novel tremendously and look forward to reading more of the decker/lazarus series. I would appreciate someone giving me a list of the decker/lazarus series in the order they were published. thanks. look forward to chatting with you in the future as I complete the novels.
Rating:
Summary: The Ritual Bath
Review: I have to admit, this book was a "second attempt" for me. One of those that you've picked up before, started, went "eh" to and put down. I'd picked up "The Ritual Bath" once before and only made it about three chapters in (failed the 3 chapter test) but I kept hearing good things about this pair and about the author so I decided to give the book another shot. I'm glad I did. This book is actually very well written. I'm not sure why I didn't see it before. My guess is that I had to mature into the book as I have into others. What I loved about this book is that you could feel the emotions of the two main characters just rolling off the pages. You felt the struggle and the temptation and the integrity of Peter and Rina, and you cheered for them. I found myself rolling my eyes at Chanya (maybe it was Chayna, I know it was a C name) and smiling at Sarah and Rina's two boys. I was interested in the characters' lives. I found the picture painted of live on the yeshiva interesting. I'm definitely searching out other works by this author, in order, so I can watch the relationship between Rina and Peter progress. This is one book I'm glad I gave a "second chance" to.
Rating:
Summary: The Ritual Bath
Review: I have to admit, this book was a "second attempt" for me. One of those that you've picked up before, started, went "eh" to and put down. I'd picked up "The Ritual Bath" once before and only made it about three chapters in (failed the 3 chapter test) but I kept hearing good things about this pair and about the author so I decided to give the book another shot. I'm glad I did. This book is actually very well written. I'm not sure why I didn't see it before. My guess is that I had to mature into the book as I have into others. What I loved about this book is that you could feel the emotions of the two main characters just rolling off the pages. You felt the struggle and the temptation and the integrity of Peter and Rina, and you cheered for them. I found myself rolling my eyes at Chanya (maybe it was Chayna, I know it was a C name) and smiling at Sarah and Rina's two boys. I was interested in the characters' lives. I found the picture painted of live on the yeshiva interesting. I'm definitely searching out other works by this author, in order, so I can watch the relationship between Rina and Peter progress. This is one book I'm glad I gave a "second chance" to.
Rating:
Summary: First book in an excellent series
Review: I love this series. A rape is committed outside the bath house of a Jewish community. Peter Decker, a police detective, is called in on the case and meets Rina Lazarus. We get to see what it is like to be a Torah Jew and to follow all of their rules and laws. Peter is attracted to Rina but he is not a religious person as she is. While he deals with this attraction, he hunts for the rapist plus another rapist who has eluded him for months. We get equal measures of police work/romance/Jewish culture. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing!
Review: I picked up this book because I have read several of her husband"s books. I really liked the book and was really interested in the Jewish community protrayed here. Being a spiritual person, I can understand the faith that Rina Lazarus compasses. The authors prose flows and is easy to read. Her book differs from her husband's in that he has lot of imagery and focusses a lot on setting. Ms. Kellerman main points are:Jewish family life and ritual and faith. I recommend this book highly and am currently reading Grievous Sin and just finished Santuary
Rating:
Summary: I don't usually care for mysteries, but this was great!
Review: I rarely read mysteries, but this one really kept me captivated. Perhaps it was my familiarity with Orthodox Jewish traditions, which Kellerman portrayed more realistically then any other secular writer I can think of, that made it so personally intriguing. The story itself evolved so well. Really ended up not being able to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: A different sort of mystery
Review: I read this book knowing nothing about the background (this is the 1st in an eleven book series) and found it an easy, enjoyable, different read. The scene is something I'm completely unfamiliar with (A yeshiva community) so it was interesting to read about the rituals, their importance, and the people's commitment to their beliefs. The crime and the mystery ranked right up there with other good mystery novels. The main characters, Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus are interesting, but not riveting. The character development seems a bit slow, although they are both likeable and interesting. Once I knew there would be several sequels, it seemed to make more sense---no rush in explaining these people, there will be time for that later. Their attraction to each other was obvious, and the mini-mystery-within-the-mystery is how will Rina reconcile her religious beliefs with her attraction to this guy? Fortunately for us, Kellerman does not stray from the crime and into a world of romance. An engaging read that most mystery lovers will enjoy.
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