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Gun Games: A Decker/Lazarus Novel (Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus #20)

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 1,885 ratings · 295 reviews

The Hesse suicide strikes a troubling chord in the household of Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus, now that they've taken in Gabe Whitman—the gifted and brilliant fifteen-year-old son of a killer—whose own unexplained comings and goings only remind Decker that he knows almost nothing about the secretive boy living under his roof. But it's a second teen suicide—a young girl...more

ebook, 480 pages

Published January 3rd 2012 by William Morrow (first published January 1st 2011)

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Feb 07, 2013 7nikolas rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gun Games by Faye Kellerman is a book centered around Gabe Whitman, Gabe lives with Detective Decker and his wife Rina. They took him under there wing after his mother fled to india and his father not thinking it was best for him to stay with him, left Gabe with the Deckers. From this point the story takes a split. One side of the story is about Detective Whitman's cause involving a suicide at a local prep school, Bell and Wakefield. The ther side of the story involves Gabe and a girl he meets a...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Siobhan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was frankly disapinted in this novel and decided I had to write about the Lazarus/

This may the worst of her latest novels yet! If I want to read teenage angst and prblems- and I really do not tp be honest. When I was younger and
that age, sure. However, this narrative does NOTHING for people who have followed the Lazarus/Decker family and now its additional teens. What I DO want to know
is how Hannah is and where she is. Yes, I KNOW she is at university and seems to be the goody two shoes she a...more I was frankly disapinted in this novel and decided I had to write about the Lazarus/

This may the worst of her latest novels yet! If I want to read teenage angst and prblems- and I really do not tp be honest. When I was younger and
that age, sure. However, this narrative does NOTHING for people who have followed the Lazarus/Decker family and now its additional teens. What I DO want to know
is how Hannah is and where she is. Yes, I KNOW she is at university and seems to be the goody two shoes she always is but no one is that well behaved and why are there never any major issues
with her? I do not suggest she cannot possibly be a truly wonderful kid but we, the readers, have little notiomn of who she has become as she grows up. Does she debate with her dad about
guys he may not like? He have Cindy a tough time but Hannah Rosie, as is fairly usual actually is truly a Jewish Prncess who can do not wrong. So why do we have to add someone else's teenage angst and
major problems? Plus, his mother has been the excellent mother and now SHE - after obtaining her medical degree and supposedly maturing more than she already had- which was beyomd her years - and has become this
witch for a mother , in the sense she just takes off. No matter what kind of issues she is coping with, this is not Terri at all, at all! If so, why do they not find help for her? She sounds as though SHE needs a psychiatrist or
someone as she engages in activity denied to her as a teenager and med student who was so good all the time. Something is just off with that. ‌In a sensr, she did misbehave b y dating the son
of a mobster so she was not perfect either. Yet with all she had to cope with, she never gave up and now she is giving up on her son or so it seems. Whar gives Dr. K? I do not understand!

What I want to know- as do many of my non Jewish friends of all ages because I am by no means a teenager any more (!!) - is how she manages to live as an Orthodox Jew in her neighbourhood. Yes, it might be easier than where I reside and we constitute 0ne per cent of the population. But there are always issues as we learned when Rina lived in what was referred to by less well informed people as "Jewtown". There are vahue references to Peter the Rabbi by the police and all in good nature comments from people about his wife's great cooking (I really wish Rina would have a role that stands out more and where she defers less to others and actually demponstrates that strength she displayed in the first book. I think it in IN there but she seems not at all the same character and less assertive and even somewhat like a teen herself in how she relates to Peter who is a good guy but has that occupational hazard of being in a position whee people obey his orders and for some reason - and he may not even be aware of this but is it meant to drive readers , especially women who like her, to levels of frustration? Do not sneak around Rina - stand up to him. Debate and argue!

This book is for me the icing on that cake that has lost its original taste, of Rina must define herself as a cook and holding a typical nurturing job, ie teacher. We never even see her in her work or even in lectures at the shul. That would so enhance the novels and really help others understand the kind of Temples we have and what we do and provide a service as well as offer a mystery , the sort which are becoming, alas, cozier by the book!

I read these books to hopefully enjoy a police procedural interlaced with some Orthodox Jewish life so that I know I am not alone and to see someone with my religious background engaged in adventure. Instead, the main female character has become more of a stay at home mom , part time teacher though we have no clue how she handles that or even how she teaches and interacts with others at work. There is an inequality here and Rina while involved tends to have to help as an afterthought or by sneaking around like one of the kids. There are enough people in that family to be nvolved in lots of adventures- the guys, Cindy and her new family and of course Hannah who has never for example been involved Cindy like in shootings, school problems or coping with those bullies whpo will always exist and opt to yell at her due to her religion. It happens little where I live but I know I am fortunate and that I also do not hear everything that is said. So, real life would be wonderful to read in these books. Please Dr. Faye, bring back the Rina we all came to know , introduce some of her friends at the Temple - hav e a book perhaos about the Shoah. There are allusions to the losses of the Elias family but the details (not I know all that uncommon) are sketchy. There WAS one where a teen pondered his grandparent but what if Rina's parents see one of the guards from whatever camp they were at or one of their friends does. Very few books incolbing Jewish families discuss what it is like for elderly survivors - hearing German, loud noises, showers, seeing large barking dogs, any kind of selection, train rides...the list is long. We know little about Rina's parents. Why is that? And why is it that Peter just coincidentally meets his biologicaql mom on a visit to not the Borcht belt exactly but the towns not far from it. I know as the granddaughter of a Manhattan physician who helped liberate a camp , himself a Jewish member and though deceaesed now, he never got over that. And my Israeli relatives are more assertive and why is that? There are references to Israel - these are books that can help the discouraging role ascribed to Israel and its leaders lately. Maybe Sammy can meet a Sabra? A kibbutzim Sabra meeting Rina would be one book I would pay EXTRA to read!! Providing we get the real Rina back!

I do like the books and I am glad the Kellermans- all of you are there - but please, less schmaltz and more mentsh. Thanks and keep writing these books.

siobhancohen@gmail.com
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Oct 19, 2012 Dlora rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-action, murder-mystery

I like Fay Kellerman's writing and her creation of Rina and Peter Decker. In this next installment of the series, the Decker's have invited Gabe, a 15-year-old piano prodigy, to live with them because his father is a sociopath and his mother has disappeared (see Hangman for that story.) When a teenager in the community commits suicide, Lieutenant Decker is guilt-tripped into checking into it by the mother who can't believe her son would do that. And so we are introduced into the world of high sc...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Rachel rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have no interest in teen age romance. If I wanted teen romance I would read Twilight. I sure as hell have no interest in a 15 year old's boners nor do I have interest in a 14 year old girl who is so insecure she will put out for no reason even though she is obviously not enjoying it. The poor girl seems to have no sense of self. Can I jerk you off? What about asking him to reciprocate? They do tell girls about orgasms in sex ed. I expected more from a woman who created Rina Lazarus and Cindy D...more

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May 10, 2012 Gloria Feit rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this latest installment of the Decker/Lazarus series, the author attempted to inject a slightly different approach to the formula. It probably will upset some readers, and intrigue others. Some will look at the novel and consider it pornographic, in a sense. Others might see it as sensitivity akin to the current controversy over same sex marriage. Whatever stance, the plot is a stimulating one, with the intersecting of two very different sets of characters.

The story begins with the mother of...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Alison rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really thought Faye Kellerman outdid herself with this story. Although fiction, I'm sure there's a lot of truth to the behind the scenes look into private schools. A good eduction, perhaps. Bullying, absolutely. Cliques, without question. Youth with psychological problems and parents who dismiss the behavior, but of course. Two students commit suicide within weeks of each other. Of course the mystery is why did they do it (one was not known to have mental issues)? Did these two students know e...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Jodi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read

I couldn't wait to read this book. Ever since Chris Donatti walked back into this series, he's had such a magnetic hold on Peter and Rina and his son, musical prodigy Gabe, has been no different. Gabe becomes a major player in this book for two reasons. While he is not a gangster like his father, his father taught him how to keep his head and when he's confronted by gangbanger wannabes with guns in Starbucks, Gabe not only keeps his head but earns their respect. He immediately switches coffee sh...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Susan Johnson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I pick up a Decker/Lazarus book, I expect to find them to be the subject of it. They were barely in this one. First of all, Pete and Rina really took a back seat in this one and the story suffered for it. Second of all, I have about zero interest in reading about a 14 year old girl and a 15 year old boy's love affair. Frankly, some of the scenes were soft core porn and I was very uncomfortable. There is nothing appealing about a boy having sex with a girl that he's unsure of whether she's b...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Theresa rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012

I liked this enough to finish it, and the basic concept was fine, and held my attention. I have two main issues with the book-- okay, three. The first is that two plot lines, a police inquiry and a personal one, combine into one. Not sure how probable that is, and it was a little too tidy for me. Secondly, I never really got how one of the main characters, a fifteen-year-old, came to be in the home of a police officer in an unofficial fostering capacity, when his father is a "bad guy." (Maybe th...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Bill rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Faye Kellerman is a wonderful author who usually has me eating out of her hand from the first page. I usually find myself enjoying learning a bit of Judaic law that she skillfully weaves in with the mystery/suspense themes that are at the heart of her Decker and Lazarus novels. In Gun Games she takes on teen bullying at an elite private school in LA, along with the expected drugs, sex, and guns. Two apparent teen suicides, a relationship between a 15 year-old boy--staying with Peter Decker and R...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Luanne Ollivier rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started reading Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series way back in 1986 when it first started. I haven't kept up with the last three or four books, so I thought I would pick up Gun Games, the 20th entry in this long running series.

Lieutenant Decker is petitioned by a distraught mother to investigate her son's death. It has been ruled a suicide, but she can't accept it. Decker agrees - and finds that her mother's instincts may be right. When another student at the same school als...more

I started reading Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series way back in 1986 when it first started. I haven't kept up with the last three or four books, so I thought I would pick up Gun Games, the 20th entry in this long running series.

Lieutenant Decker is petitioned by a distraught mother to investigate her son's death. It has been ruled a suicide, but she can't accept it. Decker agrees - and finds that her mother's instincts may be right. When another student at the same school also kills themself, a full scale investigation is launched.

Rina and Peter have taken in 15 yr. old Gabe as a foster child. He comes from a troubled background, but is having success as a talented pianist. He runs into a group of teens who are looking for trouble, but escapes unscathed - this time. Gabe also meets a family acquaintance of the Deckers - 14 yr. old Yasmine.

I have always enjoyed the personal interaction between Rina and Peter in this series. Their home life, learning of their Jewish faith, description of food, Rina's gentle nature and Peter's gruff competence. The supporting cops on Decker's team - Marge and Oliver are characters I've enjoyed following as well. Sadly, there is little of this in Gun Games. Rather we are forced to endure endless pages of texting between Gabe and Yasmine. Their undying love for each other. Promise? Poor Gabe's sexual frustration. Gabe's deflowering of Jasmine.Yeah, I know - I felt like I was in a (bad) YA novel.

I found myself skipping pages of italicized texting and moony phone calls to try and get back to Decker and his case - which ended up playing a sad second fiddle to Gabe and his libido. The police work seemed lackluster, only hitting some sort of action at the end, when a list of names and assignments is given (over and over again) in a ten page flurry.

A reference to a previous case involving New Mexico is introduced early in the book, ignored and brought back in the last few pages. It added nothing to the book except as a possible set up for book 21.

I was disappointed with Gun Games - Kellerman jumped the shark on this one. It just might be time for Decker to retire(less)

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Jan 14, 2012 Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

The major plot lines were definitely standard Faye Kellerman; they could have merited four stars had her writing on this one not been so lackluster. I felt like a quarter of the book was text conversations, and a third was teenage sex. I'll be honest; none of the Donetti-centered books are my favorites in the series. But this time, Rina's gentle wit was almost absent, Decker seemed to have lost his spark, and the squadroom wit and fun was noticeably absent. There was hardly even much food talk....more The major plot lines were definitely standard Faye Kellerman; they could have merited four stars had her writing on this one not been so lackluster. I felt like a quarter of the book was text conversations, and a third was teenage sex. I'll be honest; none of the Donetti-centered books are my favorites in the series. But this time, Rina's gentle wit was almost absent, Decker seemed to have lost his spark, and the squadroom wit and fun was noticeably absent. There was hardly even much food talk. ;) It felt so phoned in, it made me wonder if Ms. Kellerman shouldn't move on from this series, much as I love it and profitable as I'm sure it is, and do something that interests her more. I would honestly have considered three stars, though, were it not for the abysmal editing/proofreading errors. I know copy editing is becoming a lost art, but seriously! Errors like "need" for "knead" are simply not acceptable from a major publisher, and I counted at least five such errors (yes, I kept count-that's how bad they were.) In addition, having to read large passages of "txt spk" is bad enough without it being misspelled in ways that lead to stopping to figure out what the author is going for! "Great" was constantly rendered as "g8" (and a few times the egregious "g8t") rather than "gr8" so I kept having to reread passages to consciously sub in "great" for what read as "gate." Ms. Kellerman's lack of knowledge of texting was further apparent in the instances where characters ended a text conversation. One may turn off one's phone or one's ringer for the night; one does not "sign off" a text conversation! "Write what you know" may need to be an adage for her to revisit.

So, four stars for plot, three for characterization, two for writing, one for the editing. Sorry, Ms. Kellerman, I love most of your Decker series, but if you write another like this, I'll sadly be in no hurry to pick it up. Please, return to your earlier standard of writing (and demand better of your proofreaders!) (less)

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Jan 12, 2012 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gun Games is the 20th mystery written by Faye Kellerman featuring LAPD detective Pete Decker and his wife Rina Lazarus. It is the first one in the series that I have read, and now I must keep my eye out for the other 19 books when I pop into the many bookstores and thrift stores I frequent.

I didn't really get to know that much about Decker and his wife because this book focused on fifteen-year-old Gabriel Whitman, a young man whose father is a mob scion, who among many other illegal activities,...more Gun Games is the 20th mystery written by Faye Kellerman featuring LAPD detective Pete Decker and his wife Rina Lazarus. It is the first one in the series that I have read, and now I must keep my eye out for the other 19 books when I pop into the many bookstores and thrift stores I frequent.

I didn't really get to know that much about Decker and his wife because this book focused on fifteen-year-old Gabriel Whitman, a young man whose father is a mob scion, who among many other illegal activities, runs whorehouses in Nevada. Gabe's mother fled to India leaving her son behind.

Gabe is a musical prodigy and a social loner, living with the Deckers. One day he is harassed at a coffee house by some tough kids with a gun, and he manages to diffuse the situation with his extensive knowledge of guns and his ability to think quickly on his feet.

After that incident, he goes to a different coffeehouse and meets a fourteen-year-old Persian Jewish girl named Yasmine. Yasmine wants to be an opera singer, and she and Gabe bond over their love of music and soon fall in love. They must hide their relationship from her parents, who would never let her date anyone who was not Jewish.

Meanwhile, Lt. Decker and his comrades are investigating two teen suicides at the local private school, the same one that boys who harassed Gabe attend. Although they were labeled suicides, Decker believes that there is more going on, and his team noses around.

Kellerman knows how to write scenes that make your heart pound, but it is her characters, especially young Gabe and Yasmine, whom I found compelling. She really got into the heads of these two teens, and her description of them falling in love really hit their target.

She writes entire sections of their text messages to each other, the preferred manner of communication for today's teens. You could actually feel them falling in love with each other with each text, and Kellerman perfectly captures the all-consuming feelings of first love. The methods of communication may have changed over the years, but teen love is still a heady mix of hormones and emotions.

I liked her characterization of the parents in her novel. The mother of a boy who was believed to have committed suicide was dumbfounded to discover certain things about her son. We all want to believe we know our children, but this book may disabuse you of that comforting feeling.

I recognized many of the parents in the scene at the police station. Some people like to complain about the portrayal of people of faith in media, but Kellerman did an admirable job with her depiction. The churchgoing parents of one troubled girl were the only ones who demanded that their child be held (somewhat) accountable. Decker and his wife regularly attend Jewish services, as does Yasmine's family. Religion is not a dirty word in this novel.

Gun Games successfully combines a cracker-jack mystery, albeit with some convenient coincidences, with a realistic depiction of teen love. (Although we don't want to believe fourteen and fifteen-year-olds have sex, many are. God help us.) If you are the parents of teens, this book will make you sweat.
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Jan 13, 2012 Felicia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read

Review copy from Publisher
Overall Rating 3.25
Story Rating 3.25
Character Rating 3.25

First thought when finished: Why couldn't the whole book be like the last few chapters!

What I Loved: The last 1/4 of the book rocked! It was full of action, suspense, and the characters finally were interesting. There was some cat/mouse action and Chris ended up being my favorite character in the whole book.

What I Liked: I haven't read the rest of the series but this one really stood on it's own. I could tell ther...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book I have read by Kellerman. Her name is synonymous with mystery, thriller, and crime lit. so I had high expectations. So I fault myself mostly for being underwhelmed. The story itself is comprised of two stories. There is Gabe, a fifteen year old child prodigy of questionable background who has been a star in previous Kellerman books. Although he is the most interesting to read about, I felt like I walked into the middle of a movie. It doesn't take long to catch up to the ba...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Naomi Young rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

In this book, Peter Decker is led to investigate apparent suicides at a posh prep school. Because otherwise it would be a very short book, Things Are Not What They Seem and because of the nature of this series, Peter and those he cares for are involved and in grave danger before the novel ends.

We know pretty much after the first third of the book who the villains are; the suspense is in discovering the extent of their wrongdoing and wondering whether the police will be able to apprehend them be...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Amy Lignor rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this new release from one of the literary world’s best authors, Lieutenant Decker is back. This time the interesting mystery focuses around the young man named Gabe that Decker and his wife, Rina, have taken into their home.

Gabe is a good, solid kid. He has received early acceptance to Harvard, and has also gotten accepted at Julliard. Gabe’s greatest passion is the piano and he is beyond skilled, looking forward to a future of fame and fortune. He does have various issues however, such as t...more In this new release from one of the literary world’s best authors, Lieutenant Decker is back. This time the interesting mystery focuses around the young man named Gabe that Decker and his wife, Rina, have taken into their home.

Gabe is a good, solid kid. He has received early acceptance to Harvard, and has also gotten accepted at Julliard. Gabe’s greatest passion is the piano and he is beyond skilled, looking forward to a future of fame and fortune. He does have various issues however, such as the fact that his father owns whorehouses in Nevada and his mother disappeared to India, where she now lives with her new husband and child. She contacts Gabe every once in a while on the internet, but the boy is still finding it hard to deal with the fact that he was abandoned by his parents.

At the beginning of this novel, Gabe is faced with a gang of teens who seem to like playing “the big men on campus.” Gabe doesn’t know this group; he is home schooled, whereas this gang attends the ultra-expensive private school, Bell and Wakefield. After a well-acted ‘escape’ from these people, Gabe makes sure to get far away from the supposed leader who carries a gun, and doesn’t seem afraid to use it.

Very soon it comes to Decker’s attention that a young man has committed suicide who actually attended B & W, but his Mom arrives at the station to let Decker know that this was no suicide. Attempting to calm the parent down, Decker soon discovers that there are some very big issues when it comes to this child’s death; issues that stem from the concept of bullying - a new way of causing pain and embarrassment to the weaker teens called, “crowding.” When another B & W student ends up dead, Decker believes that these so-called suicides are, indeed, very real murders.

As Decker investigates, Gabe runs into a young woman at the coffee shop one morning. Her name is Yasmine, she is Persian, and her family is very strict. In fact, if they find out that Yasmine and Gabe have begun a relationship, she could be in far more trouble than she thinks. As Yasmine and Gabe grow closer they become a target of the ‘B & W Mafia,’ and Decker must uncover this group of would-be killers that are being well-protected by the school because of the amount of money they possess.

As with all Kellerman’s books based on Decker, this is yet another offering that is fast-paced and fun to read, with an incredibly in-depth look at today’s - very frightening - teenage world.

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Dec 17, 2011 Kelly Hager rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The police generally don't investigate suicides, but after Gregory Hesse's mother insists that her son would never have killed himself, Peter Decker decides to look into it a little. All signs still point to suicide (as opposed to murder or an accidental shooting) but then, a few weeks later, another student at the same school kills herself. The police can't find a connection, but then both of the dead teens have their laptops stolen from their respective homes. Meanwhile, Gabe is still living w...more The police generally don't investigate suicides, but after Gregory Hesse's mother insists that her son would never have killed himself, Peter Decker decides to look into it a little. All signs still point to suicide (as opposed to murder or an accidental shooting) but then, a few weeks later, another student at the same school kills herself. The police can't find a connection, but then both of the dead teens have their laptops stolen from their respective homes. Meanwhile, Gabe is still living with the Deckers and is doing fairly well, despite the general angst of being dumped on strangers by his parents. And then he meets Yasmine, who's a year younger than he is. They fall for each other very quickly, despite having to sneak around (She's Persian and Jewish and her parents would not approve of her dating a boy who is neither of those things.)

I wasn't a fan of the Gabriel/Yasmine story (Yasmine is every awful teenage girl, ever, and while yes, she's young, still. Plus, it felt a little icky because he's an old 15 and she's a young 14. A very, VERY young 14. Apparently she could pass for 12) but I loved the suicide/potential homicide? story.

Obviously, nobody wants to admit that their child would commit suicide, but I I really respect Wendy Hesse (Gregory's mom) for being such an advocate for her son. The immediate reaction from most people would be to sort of roll their eyes and be like, "Sure, lady. Sure your son didn't kill himself," but she wouldn't let herself be pushed aside. (Well, in that first meeting; she did sort of lose the courage of her conviction later. But even so.)

And, of course, it's always lovely to spend time with Peter and Rina. In this book, Hannah's off in Israel and the boys are back East (I miss them!) but we did get to see Cindy and her new family. I think that's really my favorite part of this series. After so many years, the characters feel like old friends. The reunion was very nice (even though I just read Hangman, so it's not like I had a huge gap between books). I also love their commitment to their faith and through these books, I have learned so much about Jewish culture. (Really, I think I just love everything about the Deckers.)

This is one of my favorite series. Highly recommended.
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Aug 19, 2012 Linda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

Even though Gun Games is billed as a Decker/Lazarus novel they make infrequent appearances during much of the action. The main focus is on Gabriel Whitman, the musical prodigy son of Chris Donatti (a troubled character from previous novels). Decker/Lazarus are unofficial foster parents for the fifteen year old but seem to be oddly oblivious to his day-to-day existence. The reader is given a look at the often horrendous aspects of teenage life. Teen bullying, suicide, drugs, sexual identity, guns...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Marleen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Blood Games is the UK title of Faye Kellerman’s 20th book in the Decker/Lazarus series. In the US, this book is published under the title “Gun Games”, which, in my view is more appropriate, because indeed at the center of this mystery novel are the guns that end up in the wrong hands. The story starts with the news of a tragic suicide of a teen, Gregory Hesse, a student at Bell and Wakefield, one of the city’s most exclusive prep schools. When six weeks later another student, Myra Gelb, also att...more Blood Games is the UK title of Faye Kellerman’s 20th book in the Decker/Lazarus series. In the US, this book is published under the title “Gun Games”, which, in my view is more appropriate, because indeed at the center of this mystery novel are the guns that end up in the wrong hands. The story starts with the news of a tragic suicide of a teen, Gregory Hesse, a student at Bell and Wakefield, one of the city’s most exclusive prep schools. When six weeks later another student, Myra Gelb, also attending Bell and Wakefield shoots herself in the head, Decker and his team are trying desperately to find out if there’s a link between these two suicides.
It’s only towards the last chapters that the action really kicks off as the young Gabe Whitman, 15 years old, gifted pianist, and a major character in this story as he’s temporary living with the Deckers, accidently encounters the rich, bullying and gun-dealing B&W students, and it all finally falls into place for Decker’s investigation. A few of these über-vicious students were present during one of the tragic deaths. I can’t tell you how elated I felt when they were apprehended and tried; those pampered kids who have no conscience, no scruples. It pains me to know that there are teenagers out there without any moral compass.
Admittedly this is not the best Decker/Lazarus book, but it was entertaining enough. I’ve loved and enjoyed the Decker books for so long, I’m probably biased. I wasn’t too keen on the Gabe & Yasmine angle. Too much star-crossed young lovers for me. I have to say I absolutely like Gabe because he’s so different from his father, Chris Donatti, a bad guy that Decker has chased during his previous investigations. I like the fact that Decker and Donatti have come to tolerate, moderately respect each other these days, as Gabe’s well being is at heart of both men’s motivation.
In the end, I may agree with some other readers that Faye Kellerman has somewhat gone mushy and has lost her magic touch as she’s not delivering the great thrilling plots she used to.
Still, I remain a fan. (less)

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Mar 15, 2012 Elaine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-series

This was the worst book by Faye Kellerman. Ever. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Is the book about Decker and Rina anymore or really about Gabriel Whitman? You know a series has run its course when it starts relying on superfluous characters to flesh out a story. This was below Kellerman's talents as an author and to see this plot developed in a book in conjunction with characters I have loved since I was in college is tasteless and demeaning to fans of the series and to Ms. Kell...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Dee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-read, books-i-own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I won this book as a Goodreads First Read. Initially I was going to give this book only one star. For the first 2/3 of the book I found the poor writing to be distracting and made the story seem as though it just dragged on and on. The writing is just clunky. There are sentences, and even whole paragraphs, that sinply don't seem to fit; as though the author wanted to tell the reader something but was unsure how to smoothly and subtly get acroos. The dialog is almost painful to read. It seems for...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Brad rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

I am just going through the motions reading the Kellermans. Hoping for a day when the characters and stories are exciting once again. Sadly, that was not the case in Gun Games. And I am expecting more of the same in Jonathan Kellerman's Mystery, the next book I am reading. I think it is time the Kellermans ditch their stale characters and come up with some new ones. Forget about Decker, Rina, Alex and Milo.

On to my thoughts on this novel.

SPOILER ALERT

Here are my problems with the book.

After fi...more I am just going through the motions reading the Kellermans. Hoping for a day when the characters and stories are exciting once again. Sadly, that was not the case in Gun Games. And I am expecting more of the same in Jonathan Kellerman's Mystery, the next book I am reading. I think it is time the Kellermans ditch their stale characters and come up with some new ones. Forget about Decker, Rina, Alex and Milo.

On to my thoughts on this novel.

SPOILER ALERT

Here are my problems with the book.

After finishing, my first thought was that ultimately the mystery got solved not because of detecting but rather because of an encounter between the B & W mafia and Gabe and Yasmine. The detectives were just poking around and then got lucky when this incident happened, allowing them to fill in the clues.

Rina hardly made an appearance, Decker hardly did any detecting. He is a manager now and it is not really interesting when the main character doesn't work the case.

Part of the case remain unresolved. We never found out why Myra Gelb killed herself. Or if we did I was not paying attention.

The ending of the novel was obvious. There was no doubt in my mind that Chris Donatti would somehow take care of Dylan outside of the law.

All the scenes with Yasmine and Gabe felt so cheesy and forced. Basically I felt it was like insert horny teenagers who shouldn't be together here. Tough to read especially since their storyline makes up half the novel.

In conclusion, I am sure I could spend a lot more time critiquing or complaining but in the end I will just say that I am saddened by the steady decline of the Rina/Decker franchise. It is not that I do not mind serial characters, it just sometimes authors need to change things up. One author who continually does it right and keeps my interest is Michael Connelly. Bosch is still a great character. But, Connelly breaks things up with a novel outside of the Bosch franchise every so often. Novels featuring Haller or Mcevoy are just as good as the Bosch novels. And Michael Connelly wrote one of my all time favorite thriller novels. Connelly is a perfect example of how to keep things fresh and exciting, how to change things up but maintaining standards. It is time for the Kellermans to shake up their franchises.(less)

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May 06, 2012 Helen McKenna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having been a fan of the Peter Decker series since the very first book, there have been some titles I have enjoyed more than others. While this was still a good read and I had no trouble finishing it, I wouldn't say it was one of my favourites. There are two reasons for that - one is that Decker was hardly in the story. I enjoy reading about his skill as a detective, so it's really disappointing when he had almost nothing to do with the investigation. Secondly there is almost nothing about his f...more Having been a fan of the Peter Decker series since the very first book, there have been some titles I have enjoyed more than others. While this was still a good read and I had no trouble finishing it, I wouldn't say it was one of my favourites. There are two reasons for that - one is that Decker was hardly in the story. I enjoy reading about his skill as a detective, so it's really disappointing when he had almost nothing to do with the investigation. Secondly there is almost nothing about his family. Once again, one of the reasons I've enjoyed this series over the years is because of the way Peter's family has been folded into the storylines. Rina and Cindy had about two lines each and the other children Sammy, Jake and Hannah were barely mentioned (in fact Jake wasn't mentioned at all). This is actually something that has happened over the course of the past few books and I think they have suffered because of it.

The other reason I didn't enjoy this book as much as I might is because the main character (Gabe) was the son of Chris Donatti (Whitman). I have to admit Chris Donatti has always annoyed me right from his first appearance in Justice (about the 3rd of 4th Decker book). In fact I thought there were many elements of this story (with the main theme being depraved and privileged high school students) that were similar to Justice (just updated by about 20 years). In mentioning that, I think that some of the things relating to the storyline were almost a little too cliched - are private school in the US really full of psychopathic kids who have access to guns/porn/drugs?

Like some of the other reviewers I thought the texting scenes were too long and the sex scenes very graphic (and a bit creepy considering they related to a 14 and 15 year old who had just met). Also I was a bit puzzled why after reading a certain action scene through Gabe's eyes it was also relayed to Marge (in dialogue) in the same detail.

In saying all that though, Blood Games was still an enjoyable read and had the usual fast pace, suspense and action that you associate with a Faye Kellerman novel and is well worth a read.(less)

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Jul 08, 2012 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love this series. Chris Donatti is an interesting character, but his son is slightly less so. Still, its hard to find ways to keep Rina and Peter fresh. I found the mystery with the high school students interesting with a slight surprise, but lacking that awesome "snap" of some of the previous novels. This was basically a teen love story. I missed the previous novel, but I'll definitely rectify that soon.

I hope Kellerman goes back to the Rina/Peter dynamic. There's almost no tension between t...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Adrian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads-giveaway-books

I won this book from the GoodReads First Reads giveaway.
I was really looking forward to reading this book and it did not disappoint. It was well written and I loved the plot. I really can't think of anything bad to say about this book.

Edited to add:
It wasn't until after I wrote my review and was reading over some of the other reviews that I learned this book is the 20th book of a series. Wow. So I read this book without any expectations based on the other 19 books. I will definitely check out s...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Joan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: wholeheartedly!

I have read almost all of the Decker/Lazarus mysteries and I have loved them. This book was no exception. Given that I know the background of the Decker family, the addition of Chris was not new for me. The mystery of the apparent suicide of a teenage boy, his mother's skepticism, and the connection to the private school (and its teachers and students) he attended is detailed with good twists and a great outcome--as others have said, the last part of the book is fantastic.
What did surprise me is...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Laura de Leon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, review-copy, to-blog

I've been a fan of this series for many, many years. As sometimes happens with long-running series, I've lost track of it a bit. When I started reading this book, I was surprised at all that has happened since I last visited Peter Decker, Rina Lazarus and family. I checked and saw that I've missed two books, which I need to go back and fill in.

I'm impressed at how Faye Kellerman keeps shifting the focus of the series to keep it fresh,while still remaining true to the characters. There's only so...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Jerry rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

We’re long-time fans of Faye K., and recall well her last Decker outing which featured the arrival of Gabe Donatti to their house as an unofficial foster kid filling an otherwise empty nest. In this latest entry in the set (#20), two-thirds of the novel are about 15-year old Gabe’s love affair with 14-year-old Yasmine, a Persian Jew who must keep the romance a secret since Gabe is not Jewish. Meanwhile, at an exclusive private high school, a youth’s suicide followed six weeks later by another su...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Traci Haley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, audiobooks, mystery-suspense, series-books

Another pretty good installment in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series! I'll admit, had you asked me halfway through this book if I liked it, I might have answered "no". I really did NOT know where the Gabe/Yasmin storyline was going and I found myself pretty uncomfortable reading sex scenes between a 14 and 15 year old. But in the end, it turned out there actually *was* a reason for concentrating on Gabe's character and I actually found the relationship between Gabe and Yasmin slightly sweet,...more

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About Faye Kellerman

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 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 of American, THE RITUAL BATH introduced readers to Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, termed by People Magazine "Hands down, the most refreshing mystery couple around." The New York Times enthused, "This couple's domestic affairs have the haimish warmth of reality, unlike the formulaic lives of so many other genre detectives."

There are well over twenty million copies of Faye Kellerman's novels in print internationally. The Decker/Lazarus thrillers include SACRED AND PROFANE; MILK AND HONEY; DAY OF ATONEMENT; FALSE PROPHET; GRIEVOUS SIN; SANCTUARY; as well as her New York Times Bestsellers, JUSTICE, PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD - listed by the LA Times as one of the best crime novel of 2001; SERPENT'S TOOTH; JUPITER'S BONES, THE FORGOTTEN, STONE KISS, STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS, THE BURNT HOUSE, THE MERCEDES COFFIN and BLINDMAN'S BLUFF. . The novels, STALKER and STREET DREAMS, introduced Kellerman's newest protagonist, Police Officer Cindy Decker. In addition to her crime series, Kellerman is also the author of New York Time's bestseller MOON MUSIC, a suspense horror novel set in Las Vegas featuring Detective Romulus Poe, as well as an historical novel of intrigue set in Elizabethan England, THE QUALITY OF MERCY. She has also co-authored the New York Times Bestseller DOUBLE HOMICIDE, with her husband and partner in crime, Jonathan Kellerman. She has also written a young adult novel, PRISM, with her daughter, Aliza Kellerman

Faye Kellerman's highly praised short stories and reviews have been anthologized in numerous collections including two volumes of the notable SISTERS IN CRIME SERIES, Sara Paretsky's, A WOMAN'S EYE; THE FIRST ANNUAL YEAR'S FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES; THE THIRD ANNUAL BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR; WOMEN OF MYSTERY AND DEADLY ALLIES 11. Her personally annotated collection of her award winning stories, THE GARDEN OF EDEN and OTHER CRIMINAL DELIGHTS, was published in August of 2006. H
Her other hobbies include gardening, sewing and jogging if her back doesn't give out. She is the proud mother of four children, and her eldest son, Jesse, has just published his fourth novel, THE EXECUTOR, from Putnam. She lives in Los Angeles and Santa Fe with her husband, Jonathan, their youngest child, and their French Bulldog, Hugo.(less)

More about Faye Kellerman...

Books by Faye Kellerman

The Ritual Bath (Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus, #1)

Milk and Honey (Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus, #3)

Hangman (Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus, #19)

Sanctuary (Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus, #7)

Sacred and Profane (Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus, #2)

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Gun Games: A Decker/Lazarus Novel (Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus #20)

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