Customer Reviews

Milk and Honey (Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus Novels)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Milk and Honey" the third book in the Decker/lLazarus series continues their relationship between Peter and Rina.. By now followers of Kellerman's previous books know Peter Decker is studying with Rabbi Aaron Schulman to become the Jew he never was. His relationship with Rina has grown. He has proposed to her. While she's back east wrestling with his proposal Decker discovers a two year old wandering around. Unharmed and covered with blood she does not belong to anyone in the development where she's found. By the time Rina returns to California Decker is obsessed with the case especially when he stumbles in a grisly a quadruple murder. Exciting as her other books. A must read for Kellerman fans.

This one was my first Faye Kellerman book, and have read them all since. You really get fooled at the start because it sort of eases along; a little family life with Peter and Rina, a little police work with Peter and Marge (his partner), then she lowers the boom. Great story. If you are new to her, go back and read from The Ritual Bath to here, and then on with the rest. You'll love the series.

I have recently entered the field of crime writing myself and had often been asked if I had read Faye Kellerman, as I am also writing from a Jewish point of view. My crime novel "Dark Tapestry" will be available on amazon.com within a few weeks. OK, plug over!

I started with Jupiters Bones by accident, then moved on to read The Ritual Bath, which quickly told me that here is a writer who knows her onions when it comes to orthodox Jewry. So many writers about Judaism make cringe-making errors, but Faye knows her stuff. In Milk and Honey Peter Decker is making progress as a "Baal Teshuvah" (a born-again) and his relationship with Rina Lazarus is deepening towards marriage. We care about them and about his partners in the police department. My main gripe with this novel is that I personally could not find it in myself to care that much about the victims of the quadruple murder. The two year old daughter of one of them is well cared for and seems untraumatised. The victims themselves seem a most unpleasant bunch and my feelings (at time of writing having not quite finished the book) are that I could not control my apathy about their demise.

It is in the area of the growing relationship between Peter and Rina, which really makes this particular novel come to life, and also the scenes between the detectives themselves.

I do find Rina's indeterminate attitude towards extra marital sex a bit confusing. If she is supposed to be orthodox, then she would not entertain the idea of sleeping with Peter before marriage. Or maybe this is me being naive. Also orthodox women either cover their hair or don't, generally speaking. Once a woman uncovers her hair in public (and particularly in front of a strange man, as she did in front of Abel Atwater, a man who obviously had the hots for her) she is making a statement of intent, and it isn't usual for her to be hit-and-miss about this very important Jewish law. It's a bit like being "a little bit pregnant". You can't. You either are, or you aren't. So you either cover your hair in public, and in front of men, or you don't. How a woman covers her hair, that is the grey area; some will just use a beret or kerchief, some will wear wigs, some of Hassidic sects will wear wigs with hats on top and shave their own hair completely. Some too, would never show their own hair, even in a woman's only situation. Rina is not consistent and to me (an orthodox Jewess who wears a "sheitel" (wig) but not in front of just women) she doesn't add up.

However, most people would not notice these inconsistencies and the novels are gripping and realistic, and the main characters at least (see above, about the victims) arouse sympathy.

Ruthie Pearlman

If each new installment of this series continues to surpass the one before it, we're gonna need more stars. This is the third entry in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus Series and I thoroughly enjoyed this one on all levels. The first one (The Ritual Bath) was, I thought, a little too heavy on the religion, although, the crime took place at the Yeshiva (Jewish School), so it was understandable. The second one (Sacred and Profane) was better, but still a little in your face with the religious stuff. This one, though, perfectly balances the religion and the mystery/crime plot - there was nothing to distract me.

The reason the religion enters into the series is because Rina is an Orthodox Jew, and very serious about it. Decker now knows that his biological parents were Jewish, but he was raised Baptist by his adoptive parents, so Rina's world is all new to him. He is determined to stick with his studies and convert to Orthodox Judaism - at first, mainly so he can marry Rina, but as he gets into it and learns more, his faith begins to offer some comfort for him in his life as an LAPD Police Detective. (His colleagues have begun calling him "Rabbi," much to his chagrin).

Anyway, this story starts with Decker finding a toddler wandering around alone one night in the middle of a new suburban community where no one will admit to ever having seen the little girl. She is so cute and friendly, that she captivates Decker and the fact that she was found wearing a blood-soaked sleeper makes this a potentially tragic case in the offing. Decker doggedly pursues it - after all, there is nothing for him to go home to, since Rina packed up and moved to New York - and he has no one else to blame, since it was he who suggested they needed breathing room. (But he didn't mean 3000 miles worth!)

While Decker hunts for the girl's parents (hoping to find them alive, but afraid they won't be), he also tries to help out an old Army buddy of his. He and Abel Atwater went through Basic together and then fought side-by-side in Vietnam together. Abe lost a leg (and something else more important to him, as you'll find out later in the book) in the war and has never come to terms with it - he's an embittered man who frequents prostitutes on a regular basis. He's in trouble now because one of those prostitutes has accused him of brutally raping, beating and stabbing her. He denies the whole thing. Decker wants to believe him, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he's not altogether sure the man his friend has become isn't capable. He is determined to find out, though, so he makes some discreet inquiries - something that could very well come back and bite him in the [...] because a police detective isn't supposed to be working for the defense.

So, Decker is balancing all this while trying to get back together with Rina which makes things pretty tense all the way around. Lots of history for Decker in this one - we discover the defining moment of his life in Nam that shaped the man he is today. Even though he's a wee bit too perfect sometimes, Rabbi Schulman is one of my favorite characters (I often wonder if he is based on any one real person), and we see more into his past as well in this one. Good character development. I hope we see more of Atwater in the future - he's a very intriguing character too. There are plenty of tear-jerking moments as well as funny moments (the fight between Decker and Atwater is just hilarious!), so don't miss out on this one. (The background is laid out at the start, so you don't have to read the first two in order to enjoy this one, but why not go ahead and read them too?)

Peter Decker is studying the Jewish religion in an effort to become the man that Rina Lazarus wants in her life. Meanwhile she is living on the opposite coast from Peter and this is making him very lonely. As he is returning home from work one day, Peter discovers a wandering toddler who has no identification. He takes her under his wing and makes it his mission to find her family. Unfortunately when he does find them, they have been brutally murdered. Rina comes to visit him while he is immersed in investigating these murders. Their relationship deepens and then is threatened by the presence of one Peter's old army buddies who has been accused of rape and assault. Kellerman eventually unravels all of these different sub-plots but only after uncovering some unsavory family secrets. Parts of this book are overly graphic with descriptions of murder victims, and it is not as well-constructed as some of her other novels, but all in all, this is a good read.

"Milk and Honey," the third in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novels, proves to be as good a read as "Day of Atonement," my first venture into Faye Kellerman's excellent mystery/sleuth series. This is a stand-alone novel, and one can easily get to know the cast of characters and their history without having read the prior books. Ms. Kellerman's Decker/Lazarus novels are a terrific change of pace from my usual fiction reading. Although these have their share of violence, gruesomeness and unsavory individuals, the ethnic/cultural aspect of the stories and the sheer humanity of the characters are refreshing.

Peter Decker, a detective with the Los Angeles police, is still courting Rina Lazarus, an Orthodoz Jewish widow and the mother of two small sons. Raised a Baptist, Peter is studying with Rabbi Aaron Schulman to become a Jew, but at times has doubts about the course he has chosen. He and Rina are very much in love. Apart from her beauty, outside and in, Decker is drawn to her total lack of guile. Rina, who in no way wants to pressure him, needs to find out how committed her finance is to their relationship and to becoming an observant religious man. She has taken her boys back east, to visit with her ex in-laws in Brooklyn.

Late one night, thinking of Rina thousands of miles away, Peter is unable to sleep and takes a drive into the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. He finds an adorable toddler wandering around by herself in the early morning hours. After checking with people in the near-by housing complex, he determines the child to be lost or abandoned. When he gets her into the light, Decker discovers she is wearing blood-soaked pajamas and is covered in bee stings. He is concerned that something has happened to the little girl's parent(s) or guardian, since the blood does not seem to be her own. He feels for the bewildered child and is determined to find her family. His partner, Marge Dunn, places their small charge in foster care while they look for the relatives. Their search is relatively short, but what they find will lead them into a long and horrific investigation concerning a family feud turned violent, an overabundance of passion and death. No spoilers here!!

Meanwhile, Abel Atwater. an old buddy from his Vietnam War days appears in need of help. Atwater lost a leg and some of his sanity in the war. Now it appears he has been charged with the rape and mutilation of a prostitute. He swears he is innocent. Peter has some doubts.

The author deftly handles the workings of various intense personal relationships and solving multiple crimes with apparent ease. As with the other Kellerman book I read, her characters are her strength. They are truly three-dimensional and their dialogue is extremely realistic - at times just plain funny, at others quite moving. Her mysteries are solid. No loose threads are left behind. I plan on reading more of this excellent author's work and highly recommend it to others.

JANA

This is a good mystery and page-turner up to the usual high caliber of Faye Kellerman's other books. Los Angeles Police Detective Peter Decker and his orthodox Jewish girlfriend, Rina, again star in a well-written mystery. I recommend this book for any mystery lover and any fan of Faye Kellerman's writing.

I really love Ms. Kellerman's writing and this book didn't let me down in any way. Excellent plot, engaging characters, intense action...this was a great read!

One night police sergeant Peter Denker stumbles on a two-year-old girl. She is covered in blood, but isn't hurt. After a lot of hard work Denker finds the home where the girl lived, but inside he discovers a massacre: four dead bodies, all covered with bees and honey. As if that isn't enough, one of Denkers friends is being accused of rape.

Faye Kellermans third Denker-novel is another pageturner. Filled with daunting descriptions of a family argument that turned into disaster. But also a novel about human emotions and friendship, and how friendship can change.

This book was good, however since Rina's Judaism is such a big part of these mysteries, I feel that Rina and Peter having sex before marriage was out of character (especially for Rina).

She is so strict about dietary laws, her clothing and hair covering, keeping the Sabbath....but she sleeps with Peter before marriage? I can't believe it.

It seems that in many of these books, Rina is more an accessory for Peter (she enhances his character) than a crime solver. I'd like to see Rina more involved with crime solving, like in Prayers for the Dead.