Publication Date: Available Now from Harper Collins
Source: A little gift from a friend.
It has been almost a year since Greenbury’s last murder. Detective Peter Decker has enjoyed the slower pace of his new job with the upstate police department. Then he receives a phone call from his captain. A male body has been found in the local woods. It appears to be a suicide – single shot to the head, gun by his side – but until the coroner makes the final determination, Decker and his partner Tyler McAdams must treat the scene as a suspicious crime.
Way way back now, more years than I care to think about, I picked up a copy of a novel called “The Ritual Bath” and was introduced to Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. I’ve grown up with them pretty much, we are now on book 23 and despite that fact this series just keeps going strong and I have never once been disappointed. Definitely one of my favourite series, here is hoping that our couple have a good few more years in them.
Over the course of the 23 books and counting, we have seen Decker and Lazarus come together, form a family, add to that family all whilst becoming embroiled in murder and mayhem, this is just as much a family drama as it is a crime series. Think The Waltons only less saccharine and with more dead bodies….
Faye Kellerman writes beautifully – the entirety of this body of work is simply amazing – creating an authentic and highly absorbing set of stories that are all extremely addictive – not only in the mystery elements which are always intelligently done and unpredictable – but also in the background and growth of the characters you come to know and love. Peter and Rina have grown with the series – they age appropriately, they face everyday problems, the religious background and themes work magnificently within the narrative (and often create a starting point for the individual case) so the core of each tale is steady and perfectly paced.
The author has an intuitive way of injecting new life into the ongoing drama every now and then – characters from previous novels often hang around, some permanently, adding to the whole and keeping things fresh, giving the reader new focus (and often huge amounts of book love – Chris Donatti, wait until you meet him)
Recently, with this book and the last, she has shaken things up again – moving Peter and Rina to pastures new and setting off a whole new set of life events for them. Into the mix in “Murder 101” came Tyler McAdams, a new partner for Peter in his policework and fast becoming a favourite for me – although he polarised opinion I’m firmly on the side of more Tyler all the time. Luckily for me it’s looking like I might get my wish…
So here we are at the latest adventure then – The Theory of Death. A student who may or may not have killed himself starts things off – and as Peter and Tyler enter the academic world once again, they will have their work cut out for them as they sort through a myriad of issues. Luckily as usual, Rina is around to ground things and keep them on the straight and narrow.
I loved this one it has to be said – I found the mathematics theory portions of the tale completely fascinating even though I understood not one darn word of it despite the excellent explanations. Once again Faye Kellerman throws a lot of intriguing and well drawn characters into the mix, gives us a complex and riveting puzzle to solve (and I’m not just talking about the maths here) and keeps you guessing to the very last page. I was enthralled from start to finish. I always am.
Overall this whole series comes highly recommended from me – you can read any of them, but for me to read in order is to go on a wonderful literary journey, after a few books reading one will be like coming home. For that reason hey, start at the start and work your way towards today – I can almost guarantee that once started you will devour each and every one then be tapping your fingers waiting for more. Which is what I’m doing right now.
Find out more here: http://fayekellerman.net/
Purchase Information: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Theory-Death-Decker-Lazarus-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B00Y7KGUQC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Not visited with this family yet? Start here….
Sergeant Decker is called to investigate a rape charge in an isolated Orthodox Jewish Community. Rina Lazarus, a young widow who found the victim, guides Decker through her suspicious community as all the signs point to the rapist’s first crime not being their last.
Need to read in order? Fantastic Fiction can help…
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/faye-kellerman/
Happy Reading Folks!
