“Prayers for the Dead”   

                   By Faye Kellerman

2011 Book Review #66

Book List Review

 The ninth Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mystery, an investigation into the murder of a heart surgeon, is "powerful, assured and absorbing".

It begins when L.A. cop Pete Decker is called to the scene of a grisly crime where the mutilated body of renowned heart surgeon, Azor Sparks, has been found. The nonsmoking, churchgoing, family-man doctor, it turns out, wasn't nearly as perfect as he would have had his adoring public believe.

He had plenty of enemies, even among his own family members. The case gets personal when Decker finds, to his dismay, that his own wife has had a long and--to Decker--oddly unsettling association with the Sparks family that may impact the case.  With his usual painstaking persistence, Decker follows all the leads and finally arrives at the bizarre and shocking truth.

Skilled writing, an intriguing plot, and Kellerman's deft and oh-so-subtle exploration of family dynamics make this a winner all round. 

My Thoughts:  I agree with the reviewer.  I love the Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus characters in Faye Kellerman’s books!