Customer Reviews

The Mercedes Coffin (Decker and Lazarus, No. 19)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I have been a long-time fan of Faye Kellerman. Peter and Rina and their family have been familiar characters for many years through many books. This one started out with a compelling mystery--two men were killed 15 years apart in a very similar manner. Both of them were found dead in the trunks of their Mercedes automobiles. Peter Decker tries to solve the two murders. About half-way through the book, the endless talking of the characters starts. The detectives were working very hard trying to come up with viable suspects who had a motive to kill both men. There were so many names to discuss--where they went to school, how they knew the murdered men, where they were when the crimes were comitted, what they were doing now, etc. For the last half of the book, that's all they did--discuss. I was so glad to see the end of the book, that I'm not sure I could even tell you how these different characters were involved. To quote the book, the author said on page 331, "That was detective work: hours of mind-numbing tedium followed by that compensatory, glory-hallelujah, once-in-a-blue-moon, shot-in-the-veins adrenaline rush." I never got beyond the mind-numbing tedium.

This is the first Faye Kellerman that I have been able to put down.
This is the first time that, upon picking it up, I cannot find the spot
where I stopped reading - it's all talk, all the time.
She needs a Milo. That would spark things. I miss the family connection,
the dynamics at home that inspire Peter Decker, and I miss Rina's considerable (Torah driven) insights into various investigations. It's just, somehow, heartbreakingly, flat and uninspired.
I love Faye's novels as much as Jonathan's, and anxiously await publication. His keep me up all night on arrival. This one, hers, is a true soporific. And a "Milo" would lighten up all that talking, keeping things in perspective.
More disturbing to me, having watched Scott Oliver through ALL the books, I had the feeling he was "a kid", mentored by Marge, relegated to the scut work - now he's apparently a grandfather?? When did that happen? Feels as if I missed half a dozen volumes in the middle somewhere, but I did not.
Never mind, Faye Kellerman's fans will love it unconditionally. I am quite likely the only disappointed reader out here.

The Mercedes Coffin by Faye Kellerman is the seventeenth Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus mystery. Having read most of the preceding mysteries, this is like visiting with old friends and very enjoyable.

Peter Decker is asked to investigate a fifteen year old murder that is now a cold case, that of a very popular guidance counselor from a Los Angeles school who was found in the trunk of his Mercedes shot in the back of the head execution style. Interest in the case has been raised because someone else has been murdered in the same fashion and found in the trunk of their Mercedes.

Faye Kellerman always writes a well plotted, interesting mystery and The Mercedes Coffin is no exception. I enjoy reading about the Decker and Lazarus family as much as I enjoy the mystery. The only fault I found with this book is that Rina Lazarus did not play as important a role in this book as she has in others I've read. But that said, I enjoyed The Mercedes Coffin very much and it kept me turning pages until the end. Highly recommended to mystery lovers

I'm a fan of Fay Kellerman. I've totally enjoyed her Decker Lazarus books in the past. This one should have come with a map. A real big map. This story grabs you from the beginning, the first third meets and greats the characters. BUT, there are TOO many characters, (sometimes referred to by their first names and sometimes their last that I had trouble keeping them straight) so many plots discussed over and over that I really can't even begin to explain the plot. I wanted to like this book, however I just wanted it to end. Tear out the middle third and you might enjoy it!

I have loved all of the Faye Kellerman books--except this one. The characters were flat and the plot even flatter. It's as if she had to put this one out in a hurry. It took me 8 days to read it--I kept waiting for the plot to get interesting--it never did.

this book is boring, i had to skip to the end because it seemed there was so much filler. do not recommend.

I have read all of Faye Kellerman's books. This is the first one that I found boring. I thought that it was way too complicated and couldn't follow the characters and plot. I missed the family connections and traditions that were in her other books.
I thought the novel was too drawn out and had to push myself to finish it.
I was very disappointed.

Sorry to have to be negative. But I have read everything that Faye Kellerman has ever written and she is allowed
to have her off days. This book finishes it for me. I couldn't keep track of all the characters. The family life of Rina and Decker was not flushed out as I used to enjoy (forget the picnic basket contents). It wasn't worth the effort this time and I am beyond disappointed. Seems she is writing to the new generation and I am certainly and happily not one of them. Could not recommend this book. I wonder did she really write it or was it a surrogate???

disappointing....The best that can be said is I read a library copy so all I wasted was my time. The beginning was great and then the book deteriorated into a complete bomb, with discussion after discussion that couldn't have been more tedious and boring. So much so, that I really didn't care about anything, anyone, skipping those discussions lost me nothing, and the ending was simply too, too boring, incomplete, dull, need I go on....

Sorry about this review as I have read the entire Decker series very happily over the years....will definitely give second thoughts after this one about what I'll do with the next title....The supreme irony here for me is that I long ago stopped reading her husband's books for a very similar reason..Oh well....there are enough really good writers out there that we have many other choices...

First and foremost I have to say that I am a big fan of the authors. I have followed this series forever. I was so excited to see a new novel with this cast.

The reality of it is that the only enjoyable part of this book was kind of catching up with the cast.

The whole story dragged and was so confusing with the million and one characters. I found that the story was slow to develop and many times I had to re-read a section just to wrap my mind around the cast of characters. There were just too many names being thrown around. Essentially I would say there were too many threads being pulled on at once. I didn't enjoy the book at all and although I am an avid reader it was like pulling teeth to get myself to finish reading it.

Hopefully she can do better in the next installment.