The Mercedes Coffin: A Decker and Lazarus Book (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Rudy Banks, Primo Ekerling, Ben Little (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In bestseller Kellerman's uneven 17th novel to feature LAPD Lt. Peter Decker and wife Rina Lazarus (after 2007's The Burnt House), Decker must solve a 15-year-old cold case—the murder of saintly Bennett Little, a high school history teacher whose bound body the police found, with three shots in the back of his head, in the trunk of Little's Mercedes. When unscrupulous music producer Primo Ekerling turns up dead in the trunk of his Mercedes, Genoa Greeves, a wealthy computer mogul with fond memories of Little as a teacher, offers the LAPD a seven-figure charitable donation to reopen the case. Early in the reinvestigation, Decker is brought up short when one of the original cops on the case eats his gun just before a scheduled appointment with the lieutenant. Finding a link between Little and Eckerling won't prove easy. Fans may enjoy the interplay among Decker, Rina and their children, but newcomers would be advised to start with an earlier entry in this popular crime series. (Aug.)
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From Booklist

Part of the fun of reading Kellerman’s early Decker-Lazarus mysteries is the infusion of Jewish tradition in the mix. In recent years, however, series entries have given Rina Lazarus, Decker’s lively, clever wife, a decidedly minor role. Although that’s certainly the case here, Kellerman compensates somewhat by writing with her usual zest, and telling the story almost exclusively in dialogue, which not only quickens the pace but also allows readers an intimate glimpse of how the detectives patch together the clues. The body of a music producer stuffed into the trunk of a Mercedes left parked in a remote spot attracts the attention of a millionaire businesswoman, whose favorite teacher, Ben Little, was similarly killed 15 years before. Wondering if the murders are linked, she promises a big payoff to the LAPD if Little’s murder is solved. The pressure’s on Lieutenant Peter Decker, and, of course, everyone he talks to has something to hide—Little’s wife, the gangbanger turned basketball coach, a musician gone crazy, even the cop who investigated Little’s murder. Although Decker never ties up all the loose ends, he eventually answers enough of the questions to put bad guys behind bars, win over Miss Moneybags, please his boss—and satisfy his many fans. --Stephanie Zvirin

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 367 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (August 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061227331
• ISBN-13: 978-0061227332
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #355,676 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to like this book, but I didn't., August 25, 2008

By	Judith C. Oswood (Marshalltown, IA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ...too much talk, minimal action, August 17, 2008

By	police procedural groupie "patricia" (midwest) - See all my reviews

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.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like Visiting With Old Friends, August 13, 2008

By	R. A. Taylor "avid reader" (FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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