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68th out of 3,451 books
—
7,996 voters
The Ritual Bath (Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus #1)
Detective Peter Decker of the LAPD is stunned when he gets the report.Someone has shattered the sanctuary of a remote yeshiva community in the California hills with an unimaginable crime. One of the women was brutally raped as she returned from the mikvah, the bathhouse where the cleansing ritual is performed.
The crime was called in by Rina Lazarus, and Decker is relieved...more
The crime was called in by Rina Lazarus, and Decker is relieved...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
February 3rd 2004
by Harper Paperbacks
(first published 1986)
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What to do.....
For me, an atheist, I am offended by the obvious purposeful crippling of being human by the rituals of ANY religion. Since the beautiful widow and mother of two boys Rina Lazarus, love interest of the detective Peter Decker, is an Orthodox Jew, I am grinding my teeth even while I am admiring this interesting beach read of a novel.
This is book one - how they meet, so I knew I had to start here. However, I'm uncertain about continuing. Usually I give a series at least three books re...more
For me, an atheist, I am offended by the obvious purposeful crippling of being human by the rituals of ANY religion. Since the beautiful widow and mother of two boys Rina Lazarus, love interest of the detective Peter Decker, is an Orthodox Jew, I am grinding my teeth even while I am admiring this interesting beach read of a novel.
This is book one - how they meet, so I knew I had to start here. However, I'm uncertain about continuing. Usually I give a series at least three books re...more
I had gotten this book (and #2) when a very old copy was being thrown out at the temple library I worked at and it promptly sat on my shelf for two or three years. I can't finish one book without immediately starting another (even if it's only the first couple of pages) and I found myself (late) one night with a finished book and no idea what to read next. So I picked this up and ended up reading almost half of it before going to bed.
The next day and despite working at a bookstore I drove around...more
The next day and despite working at a bookstore I drove around...more
This is my review of all the Rina/Peter Decker series.
Thety can be read in any order, but I recommend reading this one first.
This series I contrast to Faye Kellerman's husband writing by noting that Faye's are more about character development than hardcore procedural details.
I like both, in their place, but probably orefer this series of the two.
Rina is an orthodox Jew who meets Peter during a very painful investigation that clashes strictly practiced Orthodox Judaism with Peter's more prosaic l...more
Thety can be read in any order, but I recommend reading this one first.
This series I contrast to Faye Kellerman's husband writing by noting that Faye's are more about character development than hardcore procedural details.
I like both, in their place, but probably orefer this series of the two.
Rina is an orthodox Jew who meets Peter during a very painful investigation that clashes strictly practiced Orthodox Judaism with Peter's more prosaic l...more
Every so often, I am fortunate enough to stumble upon a series at its beginning. And since books in a series rarely improve as the series wears on, the first book is very often the best. It is there where the characters are still fresh and the author shows a high amount of creativity and originality.
Faye Kellerman has two claims to fame. The first (and most important) is her bestselling mystery series and the two extra-series novels (one a historical mystery and the other a mystical thriller) sh...more
Faye Kellerman has two claims to fame. The first (and most important) is her bestselling mystery series and the two extra-series novels (one a historical mystery and the other a mystical thriller) sh...more
I liked the basic story of this book; the characters were well developed, I thought Rina and Peter both were realistic as were their conflicts with their feelings for each other. The crimes being investigated were a little convoluted to me, but only a little. I don't want to say too much, but there were some coincidences that I found a little too coincidental
I wasn't a big fan of the changing POV, but that's a personal preference, not a flaw of the book. I prefer staying in the heads of the main...more
I wasn't a big fan of the changing POV, but that's a personal preference, not a flaw of the book. I prefer staying in the heads of the main...more
This book had a lot of promise in the beginning and I felt connected, drawn to, and cared about the main characters. One of the reasons I'm feeling much disappointment and sadness is because the author was adept at getting me at least emotionally involved with her characters. I was also excited about reading this book for personal reasons. The novel explores and does a good job of explaining many unknowns about one of the many types of Judaism. The author did this in an interesting and engaging...more
The Ritual Bath is usually categorized as a mystery novel (it even won a prestigious award in this field, the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel in 1987), but is rather a contemporary romance novel in a whodunit environment. (And I am telling so without ever reading a so called main stream 'romance' work of any kind...)
On her way home from a ritual bathhouse ('mikvah') a young woman is brutally raped in a small, strict Orthodox Jew community, near Los Angeles. One of her friends, recent...more
On her way home from a ritual bathhouse ('mikvah') a young woman is brutally raped in a small, strict Orthodox Jew community, near Los Angeles. One of her friends, recent...more
Apparently "The Ritual Bath" is the first book in a series. It revolves around a Jewish community and its Mitvah where women go for their ritual cleansing baths. A young woman is raped after she leaves the Mitvah and there the story begins....
Rina, who runs the Mitvah, and Detective Peter Decker are front and center of this story--is Rina really the target of the rapist? Peter develops the "hots" for Rina and during the whole book she plays with Peter's emotions trying to balance her feelings an...more
Rina, who runs the Mitvah, and Detective Peter Decker are front and center of this story--is Rina really the target of the rapist? Peter develops the "hots" for Rina and during the whole book she plays with Peter's emotions trying to balance her feelings an...more
Detective Peter Decker of the LAPD is stunned when he gets the report. Someone has shattered the sanctuary of a remote yeshiva community in the California
hills with an unimaginable crime. One of the women was brutally raped as she returned from the mikvah, the bathhouse where the cleansing ritual is performed.
The crime was called in by Rina Lazarus, and Decker is relieved to discover that she is a calm and intelligent witness. She is also the only one in the
sheltered community willing to speak o...more
hills with an unimaginable crime. One of the women was brutally raped as she returned from the mikvah, the bathhouse where the cleansing ritual is performed.
The crime was called in by Rina Lazarus, and Decker is relieved to discover that she is a calm and intelligent witness. She is also the only one in the
sheltered community willing to speak o...more
This was a pretty decent mystery-- I really liked the characters and enjoyed reading about the mysteries that is the more orthodox Jewish lifestyle as well. That being said, I can now safely say I truly feel sorry for those women.
The mystery itself was good- not spectacular- but solid, more character development the procedure and plot development and definately more 'romancey' then the normal mysters. The police side is good and the general interactions between the police and the orthodox is int...more
The mystery itself was good- not spectacular- but solid, more character development the procedure and plot development and definately more 'romancey' then the normal mysters. The police side is good and the general interactions between the police and the orthodox is int...more
As mystery novels go, this was sort of middle of the road. In my mind the bad guy was easy to figure out early on, and while I kept reading hoping there would be some twist and I would be surprised and wrong, I wasn't surprised and right. It is not the easiest thing to read a book like this knowing the outcome, the whole purpose being the suspense, but it was still an interesting story and I almost think I liked the characters enough to see how their relationship develops as the series goes on....more
I gave this book a four because it's a good book, but wasn't what I was expecting. It was recommended as a mystery, but after reading the first 6 chapters it just didn't read like a mystery. I looked up the tags and it was tagged police procedural, but truthfully I found it lacking in that category also.
It's a wonderful book about the Jewish religion and the society problems they face in everyday living. It's also the beginnings of a love story between Peter and Rina. I found it rather slow unti...more
It's a wonderful book about the Jewish religion and the society problems they face in everyday living. It's also the beginnings of a love story between Peter and Rina. I found it rather slow unti...more
I have so many mixed emotions about this book. The author was recommended to me by several people and I had great anticipation before I even started the book. The genre of detective crime novel peaked my interest, as well as it being set in the back drop of an orthodox Jewish community. It read like a television show (not movie) and unfortunately the language of the criminals and detectives were too realistic for me. I did like one of the main characters - Nina Lazarus, the Jewish woman responsi...more
One of her better books. Trying to describe orthodox Jewish concepts to non-Jews is always hard. Ms Kellerman does fairly well with this book.
this is more of a romance than a mystery novel. I loved listening to the audiobook. The story focuses upon a rape committed in a closeted jewish community living in the outskirts of LA, when a Jewish woman returning home from her ritual bath is raped and left with multiple injuries, and she is discovered by another Jewish woman, a widow with two small boys. This is in the background of a serial rape occurring in the city outskirts. The story then unfolds to show the budding romance between the c...more
This was another bookclub selection. I think my sister described it best when she said she could picture it as a made for tv movie. If you are into mysteries that are a quick read, you would enjoy this book.
Having started reading the Peter Decker series at book 5, I was really interested to make my way back to book one and find out how it all began. Although quite short by comparison to the further titles in the series, this is a great book. It really sets the scene for what it ultimately a love story between the cynical homicide detective (Peter) and the sweet (much younger) Jewish widow (Rina). Yet it is also a gripping page turner, as Rina is stalked by a crazed rapist, who is terrorising the sm...more
I've read other Faye Kellerman books and in general enjoyed them. After reading "Stalker" that deals with Decker's daughter Cindy, I thought it would be good to start at the beginning of the series. In particular, I wanted to find out why Peter Decker, a Christian, had converted to Judaism. Was it just to win the beautiful Rina Lazarus or what? The question is partially answered in "The Ritual Bath" and I believe will be completed in the second book in the series "Sacred and Profane."
"The Ritual...more
"The Ritual...more
This is the 1st book in the series and it is the 1st book I have read by Faye Kellerman. The story begins with Rina Lazurus, a devote Jewish woman, calling in a rape. Peter Decker, the head cop, called in on the case is also looking for the foothills rapist. The book was very educational to me. I learned quite a bit about the differences within the Jewish religion. The characters were very realistic, especially the religious and emotional conflict between the main characters. What I especially l...more
The first of a series. This is such an interesting series! It really has a twist no other author is exploring, namely the complex and misunderstood world of orthodox Jews. Peter Decker starts the series as a detective who falls in love with an orthodox jewish woman. As the story progresses, so does their relationship, until finally he must decide to what lengths he is willing to go to be with her.
This is not a love story, though. It is, first and foremost, a mystery novel. The crimes are graphi...more
This is not a love story, though. It is, first and foremost, a mystery novel. The crimes are graphi...more
Faye Kellerman's debut of the Peter Decker/Rina Lazerus series has stood the test of time well, despite being a product of the mid to late 1980s.
References to the 1980s and cassette tapes aside, Kellerman crafts a solid mystery while elevating the book by making it instructive of the Orthodox Jewish subculture that surrounds a certain kind of Yeshiva school.
Balancing her portrayals of good and bad cops, good and bad Jewish folk and good and bad non-Jews keeps the book appealing. I was disappoint...more
References to the 1980s and cassette tapes aside, Kellerman crafts a solid mystery while elevating the book by making it instructive of the Orthodox Jewish subculture that surrounds a certain kind of Yeshiva school.
Balancing her portrayals of good and bad cops, good and bad Jewish folk and good and bad non-Jews keeps the book appealing. I was disappoint...more
Faye Kellerman has created a mystery series based on two very original and likeable characters, Rina Lazarus and Peter Decker. The first book in the series is titled THE RITUAL BATH which introduces the characters to each other when there is a murder in the Jewish women’s bathhouse where Rina works. Police detective Peter is sent to investigate. This initial book begins the journey through their love, their lives, their marriage, and their children. It also includes religious traditions and phil...more
This first book about a rape that occurs just outside the mikvah (A Jewish rital bath) in a small orthodox community shows how the relationship between Peter and Rina begins to develop while cleverly solving the crime. It deals more with issues of religion than the rest of the series. I found this quite enlightening being a very secular jew living in a community that is becoming quite orthodox.
I don't want to give away any of the story as many reviewers do so I'll just advise you to read this bo...more
I don't want to give away any of the story as many reviewers do so I'll just advise you to read this bo...more
I'm very torn about how to rate and review The Ritual Bath. What usually pushes me to rate a book is how well it is written.
In that respect, I will go with 4-stars, because this book is very well written. What I find unusual is the amount of Orthodox Jewish life represented in what I thought would be a mainstream book. To someone unfamiliar with Orthodox Judaism, that may be a huge turn off.
A portion of the story hit me on a personal level, in an irritating way - that included an "all too conven...more
In that respect, I will go with 4-stars, because this book is very well written. What I find unusual is the amount of Orthodox Jewish life represented in what I thought would be a mainstream book. To someone unfamiliar with Orthodox Judaism, that may be a huge turn off.
A portion of the story hit me on a personal level, in an irritating way - that included an "all too conven...more
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I am a little lost at how to describe my feeling towards "The Ritual Bath" by Faye Kellerman. To be honest, I can't even say with certainty if I liked it (and to the same hand, if I disliked it).
For me, it's a middle-of-the-road crime thriller. I found the Judaic slant off-putting as instead of becoming an interesting twist, it became so dominant in parts that it distracted from the story.
Although only three stars (and a shaky three at that) and not being overly impressed with the first in the s...more
For me, it's a middle-of-the-road crime thriller. I found the Judaic slant off-putting as instead of becoming an interesting twist, it became so dominant in parts that it distracted from the story.
Although only three stars (and a shaky three at that) and not being overly impressed with the first in the s...more
After having listened to a number of Faye Kellerman's Rina/Decker mysteries, it was nice to find out how they met. This is the first in the series. Peter is called out to a strictly religious Jewish neighborhood to investigate a rape. He meets Rina who turns out to be the actual target of the rapist. The two are attracted to each other, but Peter's religion (not a strictly observant Jew) gets in the way of their dating. During the course of the book, there is a murder (solved) and the capture of...more
Again getting an older book, this is the first of the Peter Decker Rina Lazarus series where we find the two just meeting when Decker responds to a rape at the Jewish settelment where Rina lives and teaches. The settelment is plagued by vandalism and members are accosted by youth gangs while out shopping. Decker is working on the rape case and also on a seiral rapist case, but he is taken with Rina who is also attracted but is hindered by here orthodoxy from connecting with a non Jew despite her...more
Unfortunately i was not able to finish this book. It wasn't because the book was badly written, or that the plot was bad. It was because Rina is an extremely religious woman who indoctrinates her children. Having been subjected to religious indoctrination myself, especially in religious (indoctrination) school it brought back to many bad memories. I would not recommend this book to people who were also subjected to religious indoctrination. Other than that it is a good book and i woud recommend...more
Jun 16, 2010
Marcia
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery,
read-on-kindle
This is the first book in a mystery series starring LAPD Detective Peter Decker and his romantic interest, Orthodox Jewish widow Rina Lazarus. I absolutely loved this book. Peter and Rina are both well developed, as is the description of life in a yeshiva. The plot (involving rape and murder in a place where Rina and other women feel most safe) is disturbing, but the chemistry between Peter and Rina is light and natural in the most dark and unnatural of circumstances. Highly recommended, and I'm...more
I'm always happy when the first book in a series is good because then I'm excited to start reading the next book in the series. So on to the next one for sure.
I like Peter and Rina. Peter is not really so hard-boiled, but he's tough, yet caring, and he's a good detective to boot. Rina is a younger woman, perhaps even too innocent in her thinking, and that gets her into some trouble.
The author mixes a lot of Jewish culture and historical tidbits in for the reader, and that's great. I love learnin...more
I like Peter and Rina. Peter is not really so hard-boiled, but he's tough, yet caring, and he's a good detective to boot. Rina is a younger woman, perhaps even too innocent in her thinking, and that gets her into some trouble.
The author mixes a lot of Jewish culture and historical tidbits in for the reader, and that's great. I love learnin...more
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Faye Kellerman was born in St. Louis, Missouri and grew up in Sherman Oaks, California. She earned a BA in mathematics and a doctorate in dentistry at UCLA., and conducted research in oral biology. Kellerman's groundbreaking first novel, THE RITUAL BATH, was published in 1986 to wide critical and commercial acclaim. The winner of the Macavity Award for the Best First Novel from the Mystery Readers...more
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Mar 09, 2012 10:05pm