Grievous Sin

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable reading
Review: I just finished this book, and enjoyed it as much as I have the earlier Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus books. Kellerman's characters are more substantial than those of many other mystery writers, and I enjoy watching them and their relationships grow over the series.

I strongly disagree with the earlier reviewer who felt that the author was unfair to religious Christians. Only one character in the book fit this description, and by and large she was a sympathetic character - a good nurse, mentor and daughter.

I particularly liked the interwoven relationships of the various characters, and I have to admit that the mystery itself kept me guessing to the end.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Kellerman's books.

Rating:
Summary: Decker pursues kidnapper
Review: Peter and Rina Decker are thrilled at the birth of their daughter, despite the fact that Rina suffers complications and goes through a dangerous period after the birth. Their joy turns to concern when a little baby who is born at the same time, disappears from the nursery. Peter takes this case personally because he knows that it could have been his little daughter Hannah who was kidnapped. One of the nurses is a chief suspect and when a dead body is discovered in a burned car, police feel that it might be the nurse. Homey, domestic scenes of the Deckers and their new baby are interspersed with the cold reality of Peter's pursuit of a kidnapper and murderer. He and his partner discover bits of truth along the way, but the final secrets are hidden up to the very end.

Rating:
Summary: SINS OF THE WRITER
Review: Rina and Peter Decker are back and continue to resemble the Lockhorns in the amount of squabbles they have. This time, Rina gives birth to their daughter, but in doing so, complications force a hysterectomy on her. Decker gets involved in the kidnapping of an newborn infant who is sharing the nursery with his new daughter. Cindy Decker is along with them this time, and decides to play detective, against her father's stern and chauvinistic wishes. Marge Dunn continues her slide into more adamant cynicism, and that's just for starters.
While this one is not one of Kellerman's best, it maintains some interest due to the complexity of the mystery and the discovery of key facts. The character of Tandy stretches the imagination a bit, and her fate at the end, along with nurse Marie Bellson is not one of comfort or resolution.
Still, I find myself initrigued with the series and even with their faults, Rina and Pete are a strong couple.

Rating:
Summary: A wild hunt for a missing baby, with multiple twists & turns
Review: The book gets off to a slow start, Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus have a new baby at the same hospital where a newborn is kidnapped. Cindy, Peter's older daughter, joins in the hunt for the missing baby.

Rina whines throughout the book about having to have a hysterectomy following childbirth. One feels she forgets that she is lucky to be alive. Instead she complains, "I am useless and uterusless". Not the typical strong character you expect from Rina.

The plot is predictable in places, it's obvious early on that a baby will turn up missing from the hospital. But there are still plenty of surprises and the book is still hard to put down.

Cindy is a refreshing new face with lots of energy and she adds a lot to the story. Her teenage daredevil sense of immortality and her thirst for adventure (along with her desire to follow in her cop-dad's footsteps) lead her into much mischief and actually helps solve the crime. Hopefully she will team up with Peter and Rina in future tales.

Rating:
Summary: Kellerman is very good at plotting, but...
Review: the dialogue was very wooden -- almost comic book. The plot involves a newborn who is kidnapped out of the nursery at the same time that a trusted nurse disappears. Is the nurse the kidnapper or a victim of the kidnapper? Detective Decker gets involved because his newborn daughter is in the same nursery, and his teenage daughter has been spending time in the nursery. This is basically a "procedural" showing how Decker and others go about solving the crime/crimes. A lot of colorful characters may be involved, particularly some involved in bodybuilding and the staff at a home for the elderly.

I think the author would do well to learn more about Christianity if she is going to talk about it in her books. I thought her understanding was poor (for example, she talks about the parable of the prodigal son but doesn't seem to understand what the point of this parable was). I also think she doesn't create a credible portrait of Christians. For example, she mentions that Decker's Baptist parents were upset that he had converted to Judaism and abandoned the Savior -- well, that's not the way Baptists talk -- they would probably not refer to Jesus as the Savior, but rather would simply call him "Jesus" or "our Lord." And they would probably use the word "saved" or "salvation" in expressing their concerns, but not the word "savior" -- it just didn't ring true. Kellerman also goes to great lengths to show Judaism in a positive light but makes Christians look like a bunch of half-wits.

Stick to writing mysteries, Ms. Kellerman, and leave Christianity out of your books. I would have liked to learn more about Orthodox Judaism but too little time was spent on this (in my opinion).