Customer Reviews

Blindman's Bluff: A Decker and Lazarus Novel

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have been reading Faye and Jonathan Kellerman's books since the beginning so I am fairly use to their individual styles of writing.

Blindman's Bluff is the newest by Faye Kellerman. Decker and Rinna are back and so are most of Decker's crew, including Scott and Marge. I like that Kellerman has continuity in her books and I am thrilled that this book focuses mainly on Decker and his investigation of a very strange murder, which took place in a home that sounds as though it could compete with Neverland Ranch.

From the get go, Decker finds himself in the middle of a murdered family - with the exception of one son - still alive but badly wounded. What makes this so spectacular is that the murder husband and wife are rich, rich and that they had a ton of bodyguards taking care of them.

As Decker and his crew are called to investigate, we will find a maze of guilty parties, of people who may be innocent but are not and a family that has more secrets than the Manson family.

I love, love it when Kellerman features her book around Decker. I have always felt that the Rinna character should always be a background character as she always felt a little too "perfect" for me (not to mention high, high maintenance) and fortunately, in Blindman's Bluff, although Rinna is featured, she is NOT the main storyline.

Decker and his crew are wonderful together and we get to see them interact alot in this novel - particularly at the beginning of the story where there is a little bit of dark humour about them all needing maps to get around the gigantic house (I am sorry, but some of these exchanges had me laughing).

The murder itself was a tad confusing at times because there were soooo many characters involved in this storyline. You really had to be focusing on reading this book or you would end up getting lost. But the flip side of this is that I had no clue who the actualy murderer(s?) was/were? and when you get to the end you will end up going "okay".

There is alot of information about gangs and gang members (not to mention tats) in this story and I kind of found that interesting.

However, the big, big piece for me is that Kellerman has kept many of the religious aspects out of her book this time and this is sooooooooooo greatly appreciated by this reviewer. Although I have no problem with incorporating religion and various views in novels, they should NOT dominate the storyline and in many Kellerman books (especially her early ones) this was often, often the case. Not so in this one and I am grateful.

This book is a good read, but it is highly focused on the detective work - there are no huge car chases or other surprises that will make this book move at a quicker pace. If you like procedural looks at an investigation then this is a great book to read.

Overall I enjoyed it.

Faye Kellerman has created a winning formula in her Lazarus & Decker series.

For me the attraction has always been the intelligently plotted & complex stories, where crimes are investigated in a classic procedural, with the fascinating Orthodox Jewish homelife of the two protagonists adding an extra layer to the mix.

Kellerman doesn't make the mistake of allowing the Orthodox lifestyle to seem effortless. Peter & Rina have faced many problems through the series as they attempt to raise their family within the guidelines of their religion. It's great to read of a lifestyle driven by religion that doesn't claim to be problem free, & also to see the importance of spirituality in everyday life addressed. The development of Peter as a character through his discovery of the Orthodox beliefs & lifestyle is a delight. For those like me who have only limited knowledge of Orthodox Judaism, the books are incredibly interesting.

It's also good to see Rina, the conservative Orthodox woman, portrayed as being a strong, intelligent partner who is often crucial to the story.

That said, unlike the previous reviewers, I was disappointed to see the family life taking a lesser role in this book. However the crime story was a winner, an intricate family murder that certainly kept me guessing. Kellerman is skilled at portraying characters that seem real, & she is shrewd enough to understand the basic shallowness of our culture, obsessed with celebrity, money & possessions.

For me this book was a very satisfying read, & I'd highly recommend it.

After reading "Mercedes Coffin" I thought Faye Kellerman ran out of steam. I have to say I was wrong. I really enjoyed reading this book all the way to the end. At times I could not put it down. I agree with previous critics about Rina's role but appreciate Decker's family life being in the books. I'm a LAPD sergeants wife and I live in the San Fernando Valley. Faye's discription of this part of Los Angeles and it's problems with the gangs is very correct. I hope that readers from outside of LA realize that there are many nice areas in the Valley to live in.
I also appreciate her fair treatment of the Los Angeles Police Department.

It's weird. You read, and read, and read, and there is no spark, no suspense and you just could not care less about the bad guys. The good guys are there, behaving like they always do, but they sound tired. And there is absolutely nothing going in the personal life of the characters we know. So why do we keep reading? Because it is Faye K. and she writes well even when she has nothing to say. Come one Faye, your last book (before that one) was terrific, wake up and give us another winner!

Not as good as her usual work. Didn't feel as though anything 'happened' in this story, just an endless narrative. I just wanted this one to be over.

She refers to all the men by their last names and all of the women by their first names. That's
so patronizing of women - referring to them as if they were children.

Lieutenant Peter Decker is not one to be surprised by a phone call telling him that a homicide has taken place in his jurisdiction. But after so many years on the force, he knows a 3 AM call means more than the usual trouble. When Decker is told of a multiple homicide at the estate of tycoon Guy Kaffey, he knows he will not be getting any more sleep that night. The Coyote Ranch murders are at the center of BLINDMAN'S BLUFF, Faye Kellerman's latest novel, and once again she succeeds in marrying a crisp police procedural with the sympathetic characters of Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus.

Just before Decker gets the middle-of-the-night call informing him that at least four people have been shot at Coyote Ranch, Lazarus finds out she has been selected to sit on the jury of another Los Angeles criminal case. While there was seemingly no reason that Lazarus, despite being married to an LAPD homicide detective, should have been excluded from the jury, just days into the trial, a strange occurrence at the courthouse connects her to the case Decker is investigating.

The link between the two is a courtroom translator working on the case Lazarus is hearing. Odd and a bit creepy, Lazarus and some of the jurists she befriends call him "Smiling Tom" and write him off as a weirdo. But when he asks Lazarus to take a look at two men on whom he is eavesdropping, she is drawn into danger, and the translator, Brett Harriman, won't leave her or Decker alone.

Meanwhile, Decker and his team of seasoned detectives are deep into the investigation at Coyote Ranch. Who would've wanted Kaffey and his wife dead? Why was his son shot, and why were two bodyguards still missing? With a full staff of employees at the ranch, Decker and his crew have a lot of people to account for, and as they work, no motive becomes clear. There are too many family members who stand to inherit money and power, and it turns out that Kaffey was fond of hiring former gang bangers to work as his security detail. Decker and the others are pulled in a number of directions as they try to sort out what happened that night and why.

The story in this latest Decker/Lazarus book is intricate; there are many characters to keep track of, and much of the plot involves the legwork of the investigation. While Lazarus does take an active role in the investigation, as she sometimes does in this series, the marriage and family life of the couple remains merely in the background here. BLINDMAN'S BLUFF lacks some of the tension and drama of Kellerman's other novels, but the details, plotting and thoughtfulness of the book make up for what it lacks in pace and thrills. The characters are sometimes a bit flat or stereotypical, but readers looking for a mystery with a less than obvious conclusion and a couple of good twists will be satisfied.

Is BLINDMAN'S BLUFF the masterpiece of the series? Certainly not. But it's another solid and crafty tale of murder and greed, good detective work and perseverance, and good guys versus the bad.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Faye's books, like so many authors lately, have been somewhat less than expected. Blindman's Bluff meets expectations. The story line is well crafted and the familiar characters are present in just the right amounts. As far as the religious aspects of her books, I have always enjoyed the opportunity to learn about a segment of society about which I know very little.

You can't help but wonder how she does it, but Faye Kellerman has written another wonderful Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mystery that holds your interest the entire book. I love the characters and have learned so much about them and their family that I feel part of their extended family. I want to hear more about them each book I pick up. And I especially enjoyed the way that daughter Cindy was brought in, just as might occur in a normal family - or not. Is this family really normal? I think they might be for a police detective's family. You can't help but think they are. Loved the book!

This mystery from Faye Kellerman is another in her Peter Decker-Rina Lazarus series and it commands your attention from beginning to end. Decker is the commander of an elite homicide squad that is called to the home of a wealthy real estate developer in Southern California. Five people are dead and another is seriously injured.

The crime is complicated. The large house sits on a big property surrounded by fencing and with its own security force. All signs point to an inside job--but is it family or members of the security force that have committed the crime?

Meanwhile, Rina is on jury duty. The court's witness translator is a blind man with a highly developed sense of hearing. During a trial break,he overhears two men talking about the mass murder. He asks Rina to describe the men, thus putting himself and Rina in danger.

In Blindman's Bluff, Kellerman creates a compelling mystery wrapped in the everday realities of Decker's family life and his challenge of maintaing the daily rituals of the Jewish faith as he hunts violent criminals.

I lost a lot of sleep reading this book. I was so caught up in the fast paced events I just couldn't put my Kindle down.