39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blindman's Bluff, August 17, 2009
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.
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54 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Okay, August 12, 2009
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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Faye is back., August 24, 2009
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.
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