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Moon Music

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“Fascinating....Fast-paced and dynamic.”
 — Dallas Morning News “Kellerman is taking a big risk here, and I think she pulls it off in fine style.”
— Washington Post With Moon Music , New York Times bestseller Faye Kellerman leaves Los Angeles and heads to stranger “Sin City” Las Vegas, Nevada. Taking a brief hiatus from her mystery series featuring LAPD Homicide Detective Peter Decker and his Orthodox Jewish wife, Rina Lazarus, Kellerman delivers a masterful stand-alone crime novel that crackles with suspense and tantalizes with a touch of the paranormal. The horribly savaged body of a once-beautiful Vegas showgirl is discovered in the desert not far from the world-famous Strip, plunging Detective Sergeant Romulus Poe into the heart of a bizarre, full moon-soaked mystery that could cost him everything he holds dear in life, including his sanity.

512 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 22, 1998

277 people are currently reading
1124 people want to read

About the author

Faye Kellerman

179 books2,021 followers
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.

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5 stars
523 (18%)
4 stars
829 (28%)
3 stars
998 (34%)
2 stars
340 (11%)
1 star
169 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
Profile Image for Jane.
28 reviews
June 1, 2009
I usually enjoy this author but this book was quite ridiculous at the end. If I had known from the start it was a fantasy I probably wouldn't have bothered reading it.
Profile Image for Laurel-Rain.
Author 6 books257 followers
September 3, 2009
This book follows the lives and loves of police detectives, casino bosses, hookers, and medical examiners in Las Vegas, Nevada. Toss in some mystery, murder, and mayhem with some cannibalism and shape-shifting, and Faye Kellerman’s “Moon Music” is a compelling read.

I definitely welcomed the opportunity to check out this book of Kellerman’s that I had missed along the way.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the ending—which I will not divulge for fear of creating a “spoiler”—was how there was still just a hint of mystery that hovered over the characters, especially for one primary character, Romulus Poe. There was a lingering cloud of doubt about the actual events that had transpired.

Suffice it to say, there is plenty of crime scene stuff to satisfy those who enjoy that aspect of solving murders. And the character "Rom” treated us to various theories along the way, even some of which sounded totally “out there” to other detectives on the force.

Add in a little mysticism, set against a historic backdrop of atomic bomb testing sites in the area—all yield interesting twists to this tale of horrific homicides.

Some of Kellerman’s more recent novels, especially those dealing with the rituals of the Jewish faith, are more to my liking. I do not actually enjoy the shape-shifting and cannibalistic aspects of a story, although there are plenty of people out there who do.

So for me, I would give the book four stars…for others, the rating might be higher.



Profile Image for Belinda Vlasbaard.
3,363 reviews101 followers
August 3, 2022
4 stars - English Ebook

In the bleak wasteland of the Nevada desert, not far from the sparkling, 24-hour neon of the world famous Las Vegas Strip, the body of a once-beautiiful showgirl is discovered, horribly mauled and mutilated. It is a horrendous crime, shocking in its brutality, excessive even for a city celebrated for its excess.

Seasoned police veteran and Vegas native Detective Sergeant Romulus Poe has seen his fair share of depravity in this mecca of glitz and vice. But there is something about this unfortunate young woman's death, and in a similar murder that is to follow soon after, that harkens back to an unsolved slaying and so-called suicide a quarter-century ago.

The grim similarities, along with some frightening new possibilities, are leading Poe into a night world of dark shadows best left unilluminated, land pulling the inquisitive policeman toward secrets from a strange and sordid past that could destroy those closest to him, and drag him over the edge.

This page turner from Faye Kellerman took flight right from the beginning! The setting takes place in the glitz, neon lights and glamour of Sin City and the mysterious sandy deserts that surround it.

The novel centers around troubled Detective Romulus Poe and a crazed, animalistic serial killer who uses the wasteland of Sin City as their dumping grounds.

On Detective Poe's mission to stop the blood craving serial killer from claiming another life, you will find yourself drawn deeper into this suspense novels mystique of ancient folklore and depravity.
Profile Image for Jeri.
556 reviews1 follower
October 5, 2010
I put down Faye Kellerman's MOON MUSIC in disappointment. I gave it a lot longer than I should have because I love her Peter Decker series, but this book was dismal. Well, not badly written, but all of the characters are weird, emotionally damaged, and too distant to take any real interest in. I miss the relationships and the character development in her other books. The story itself was also very strange, suspense more than mystery really. Not that I dislike suspense, but it just didn't work for me.
Profile Image for Claire.
Author 5 books15 followers
February 12, 2008
I know this isn't part of Kellerman's "canon," but I was charmed by its quirky weirdness. I think I saw someone's comment saying this book reads as if written by a man, and I'm inclined to agree.

This book was an appealing (if gory) flight of fancy, deftly plotted and executed...nobody's taking home a Pulitzer or a NBA here, but does this book go into my beach bag every year? You bet.

The tiredest of tired cliches is "Don't judge a book by its cover," but close behind is "Don't judge a book by its bad press." Read it for yourself and form your own opinion.
922 reviews18 followers
July 20, 2010
This is one of the author's stand-alone novels. Really didn't enjoy it all - in fact, I didn't finish it.

Back Cover Blurb:
Las Vegas. The Babylon of twentieth century America. A city on the edge of a desert, its inhabitants living on the edge of their nerves. Amongst them is Detective Sergeant Romulus Poe, assigned to the murder of a showgirl whose horrifically mauled body, Poe realises, has echoes of a twenty five year old unsolved case.
But the half-forgotten past is soon swamped by present anxieties as Poe discovers that his colleague, Homicide Detective Steve Jensen, had an illicit relationship with the dead woman. And Poe's own relationship with Jensen's wife Alison is fraught with guilt: childhood playmate, teenage lover, adult friend and mainstay, Poe has never disentangled himself from the ties that Alison, afflicted with anorexia and a habitually unfaithful husband, exerts.
Then, as Poe watches Alison's tortured struggles with her body, he begins to wonder whether her obsessive research into what went on in the wastes of the Nevada desert three decades earlier might hold a key to the identity of the frighteningly animalistic murderer still at large....
Profile Image for Robin.
16 reviews9 followers
May 28, 2008
I don't like leaving negative reviews, but I really did not enjoy this. It started out OK but veered off in a bizarre direction that I was not prepared for. And in my opinion, Kellerman really didn't sell the material. Unlikable characters. Awkward writing. Poor pacing. I'm sorry, but I really wouldn't recommend this to anyone, not even Faye Kellerman fans. This is not her best work.
Profile Image for Sheila Myers.
Author 16 books21 followers
April 27, 2016
An interesting plot combining the suspense of a crime novel, a little science fiction, and the ever popular werewolf. I enjoyed "Moon Music" although not as much as Ms Kellerman's Dekker and Lazarus books.
352 reviews
August 14, 2018
Oh this was not easy to get through. I was hopeful since I knew there were fantasy/paranormal elements to it. But I didn’t like it.

The beginning hints at Native American lore. But other than Native American characters, it went in a way different direction. So that was a bummer.

Everyone seemed miserable in this book. Las Vegas is portrayed as a miserable place, the people treat each other miserably, the weather was always miserable. So it was hard to motivate myself to keep reading. I only did so because the damn popsugar reading challenge.

And after being a complete bummer, the book got super strange. At least it picked up the pace.

I’m glad it’s finally over.

#popsugar challenge 2018: A best seller from the year you graduated high school.
Profile Image for Barbara ★.
3,510 reviews286 followers
November 23, 2009
This was a great mystery and has an interesting love triangle. Romulus Poe and Steven Jensen were children together though not friends. Now they work as as partners for the Las Vegas Police Department along with Patti Deluca. Steve is married to Allison who is in love with Romulus and Romulus is in love with her. The love triangle is interesting since Allison is totally nutso and manipulative. At the same time as this family situation is going on, they are investigating a brutal serial killer who eats his victims. YUK! This is not for the faint of heart but a really good story nonetheless. The title indicates its part of the Peter Decker series but it's not. It seems to be a stand-alone novel and a good one. Unfortunately I only listened to the abridged version. I can't imagine how great the entire book must be.
Profile Image for Jen.
288 reviews134 followers
March 22, 2008
Romulus must discover who is brutally killing prostitutes and leaving them in the Las Vegas desert.

This was the first book I read by Faye Kellerman and I have to admit I was disappointed. Almost from the beginning I had reservations - when I learned the main character was Romulus who had a twin brother Remus. I thought, "you have got to be kidding me."

But in the end it was the bizarre nature of the plot that turned me off. To avoid giving away any spoilers, I'll leave it at that.
Profile Image for Karen Jarvis.
354 reviews6 followers
March 2, 2021
What a disappointment. Love the Peter Decker books, but this stand alone book was just weird. Worked it out after about 200 pages and then had to read another 200 pages! Not a crime story, but fantasy:
Profile Image for Lianne.
41 reviews
May 22, 2020
The story and the characters were interesting. What was with that ending though? Very disappointing.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
249 reviews
February 17, 2016
I want to state upfront that I received this novel as a free e-book from the publisher in exchange for completing a survey. I liked parts of it because most of it is a decent thriller but here are the reasons for giving it only 2 stars.
1. It took a few chapters to get the characters straight as sometimes they were referred to by their first names and other times by their last names, but not by both. That caused some confusion until I finally figured out that Rom and Poe were the same person. Same with Steve and Jensen.
2. The first page is like a slap in the face with the swear words and sex references. Not that I don't expect them in a crime thriller, just not so much on the first page.
3. I had the "bad guy" figured out really early which made the scene where the detective finally figured it out somewhat anti-climactic.
4. This is the big thing that led me to the 2 stars: Shape-shifting as a result of being exposed to radiation from the Nuclear Testing Site in Nevada. Really?

I am really glad that I got this for free. I would have hated to have paid good money for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Iona.
199 reviews
September 5, 2014
Disappointing. There is nothing to make this a thriller, and it the last quarter of the book is absolute fantasy with no depth or end. Of the characters, all of whom are damaged and egotistical, I only had empathy with one Emma - who actually is a distraction to the story and not a key player. I was not able to engage with the others. The author presented a Las Vegas that was unappealing - not just because she was showing a dark side but because none of the characters shone through.
The detectives were so dysfunctional and dishonest - they should have been sacked! And this made the story even more frustrating.
Along with the fact that the 'who' was identified early in to the novel, in such an obvious way that it could not been ignored by the police officers - even more frustration.
Apologies for the harsh review, but I can not recommend this...
Profile Image for Rena Sherwood.
Author 2 books49 followers
August 13, 2016
I've read a lot of Faye Kellermans (believe it or leave it) and they tend to blur in my memory -- except for this book. I think this is her best. There is an unusual flavor with riveting characters not in other Faye Kellerman books -- including a set of Native American twins that apparently are mutants. It's too bad that this was not turned into a series.


Also, my Mom thinks this is a five star book. Now why is that a recommendation? Because she suffers from several chronic pain conditions and crippled. However, she can still read. Moon Music helped take her mind of of her worries and pain. For that alone, I owe Faye Kellerman a huge

Profile Image for Beth Brekke.
169 reviews35 followers
July 31, 2018
I was offered a book by Jonathan Kellerman, so to be fair, I also picked up a book by his wife. I couldn't wait to read it every night--not because it was good but because I couldn't wait to get it over with and move on to something better! Horrible sentence structure and huge over use of the phrase "A beat" ground on my nerves. You knew who the killer was by the second chapter and the suggestion of her supernatural powers made me really dislike the book. I felt like the author had a story idea and then just really had no idea where to go with it and started throwing in crap. 1 or 2 characters and some historical information (I didn't fact check) got it to 2 stars. (I didn't care much for her husband's book, either)
Profile Image for Sharon.
322 reviews6 followers
August 9, 2014
It was...okay. Kind of hard to get through at points and I wasn't really happy with the way that it wrapped up. Like, not really at all. Maybe it'll come together better if I reread it, but I'm not really driven to do so. The characters were interesting but there was no one particularly engaging and, for me at least, the mystery wasn't much of one. Anyway, I'd say it was worth one read through at least.
Profile Image for Sarah.
136 reviews9 followers
May 11, 2008
I really hated this book.

it is set in las Vegas and has a lot of mormon references. She obviously did NO research on Mormons or culture or beliefs when she wrote this.

An interesting story, interesting plot, but all in all a terrible book. her very worst. Thank goodness I have read enough of her books to realize she was having a bad writing day. I do not recommend this book.
2 reviews
August 18, 2009
I like all of the books Faye Kellerman has written with the characters Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus but this one not so much. I really didn't like the people in the book and even though I couldn't have imagined the bizarre ending, I had figured out who the killers were way before I got there. Not my favorite.
7 reviews2 followers
August 5, 2016
I wouldn't have started reading if this if I knew what was coming at the end of the story. The characters were off-putting and just plain weird, for the most part. Plus, having lived in Las Vegas my entire adult life and growing up in the Mormon church, I couldn't help but notice several errors made by the author. I don't recommend this book.
11 reviews
Read
May 13, 2015
As one of the reviews put it - it was a "departure" from her Decker/Lazarus books. Too far, just as I couldn't read Patterson's Angel-series. A good detective work doesn't need the supernatural to be mysterious. I know the reader is supposed to suspend their imagination, but this was beyond the breaking point for me. Too bad, I did relish the backdrop of Vegas and the test site.
Author 2 books3 followers
December 30, 2014
I usually enjoy this author, but if I didn't know better, I'd say this was written by an amateur. Many POV issues, and at one point a character changed from Pete to Joe and back again in the space of three pages. Time lines were often off. The writing was repetitive and it beats me why the reader needs a description of what every character is wearing when it adds nothing to the story.
13 reviews
August 5, 2011
It was horrible. Mostly mediocre throughout, then the supernatural could-see-it-coming-a-mile-away "twist" at the end was just AWFUL. Horrendous. Why do I keep reading this woman? (Because I'm compulsive, once I read a couple of an author's books I read them all. Shame on me.)
Profile Image for Emily.
952 reviews56 followers
January 12, 2013
Interesting book, well written, with many twists. However, the premise in the final 1/4 of the book is so far-fetched, she kind of lost me. Don't want to say more as I don't want to spoil this book for anyone, but if you aren't into a heavy dose of fantasy, you might feel the same.
Profile Image for Mary Ann.
11 reviews
August 3, 2012
A real change of pace for Faye Kellerman. The plot is rather morbid and a bit on the depressing side.
Profile Image for Doug.
512 reviews
June 7, 2018
This is one of the earlier books by Faye Kellerman not part of the Peter Decker series. The story is based in Las Vegas and has several twists to it trying to figure out who the killer really is.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews

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