Rating: 
Summary: You can wait for paperback!
Review: Not Kellerman at her best. As a big Peter-Rina fan, I found this novel a huge disappointment. The plot dosn't flow as smoothly as her other novels, but seems to jump from subplot to subplot in a jerky disconnected manner. Too much of the time is spent discussing Newtonian physics and Einstien's relativity. A terrible disappointment and definitely not worth the wait!
Rating: 
Summary: Peter's Back but Where is Rina?
Review: It was great to see Peter Decker again but we only caught glimspes of Rina in this book. The book was good but its obvious that something's missing. Is it possible that Kellerman's heart just isn't with this series anymore?
Rating: 
Summary: too much cosmology and death and not enough rina lazarus
Review: after being totally disgusted and disapointed in "moon music". i eagerly looked forward to a new peter decker and rina lazarus novel. but, alas, once again, disapointment and total disgust awaited me. poor rina, this time she is either cooking, upset peter isn't home, or is home and working or leaving the table upset-get the picture? remember how great she was in"the ritual bath"? etc. of course the police work and peter's interaction with his colleagues is still first rate, and he is truly a fully developed character. now on to the awful pages devoted to chicken slaughter, finding dead bodies etc. just too much- i was starting to feel sick to my stomach and by the end i was really upset, and sorry i had bought the book. don't even know if i will try again with anything else new that comes out by this author.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome back Decker and Lazarus...characters who were missed
Review: Once again Faye Kellerman has brought to life her characters of Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. And once again we are not disappointed!! By combining the mysteries of cult life and the problems of family life, Kellerman creates one of her finest efforts to date. I especially like the "cameo" of husband Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware in dealing with the aftermath of the cult experience. One aspect I have come to appreciate is her development of family issues, thereby illustrating that her characters are more than "just cops." I would recommend this book for readers who may be interested in a variety of fiction...cults, mystery, romance,...as this seems to have it all. I even recommend them to my students as a series of interesting novels which may also enlighten them regarding the Jewish faith.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: My one beef with Faye Kellerman has been that Rina gets little to do other than moan about Peter not being home. She's not completely involved in this story, but it's a great one, full of bizarre cult members and plot twists. I couldn't put it down!
Rating:
Summary: terrific as usual
Review: Over two decades ago, cosmologists and astrophysicists held Dr. Emil Euler Ganz in very high esteem as one of the leading lights of his field. Ganz finally resurfaces ten years after vanishing. His new name is Father Jupiter and he heads the Order of the Rings of God cult. For the next fifteen years, Jupiter dictatorially led his followers. Though aging and his alcohol-drug related death seems like a suicide, the autopsy reveals the possibility of murder through arsenic poisoning.Los Angeles Police Department Detective Peter Decker begins an investigation to determine whether foul play actually occurred. However, before he can get deeply into the case, two more of the leaders suddenly die. Law enforcement officials conclude a serial killer is on the loose inside the cult's compound. As the cult's current leader Brother Bob holds police and FBI at bay with the threat of killing everyone, including the children, Decker wonders what to do next to save the lives of the innocent. The Decker police procedurals are some of the best on the market today. Peter remains a complete character who struggles with an ugly work scenario while trying to be a loving father and husband. The story line nears greatness when it focuses on the police inquiries and their struggle with the cult. The plot bogs down when it turns to a lesson on physics that detours the crisp tale to a near standstill. Overall, Faye Kellerman gives readers an entertaining novel that borders on excellence when the reader skips the lectures on physics. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: WRITER'S ARTHRITIS?
Review: After her last two books, I expected much more than JUPITER'S BONES delivers. While the book focuses on one of those Jonestown cults, Kellerman wastes no time in assuming that anything outside the Jewish realm is fair game to the typical barbs and jokes. While in this case, the barbs are justified, Kellerman's continued use of religious stereotypes and obvious religious prejudice, I still think Kellerman should focus more on her mysteries than her religious predilections.
In Ms. Kellerman's favor, she continues to develop her supporting characters, particularly Tom Webster, who is becoming one of my favorite characters as he is smart, witty, and intensely human. Marge's character gets more attention, and although her actions regarding Vega are just too Pollyannish, she remains an enigmatic figure. Why does she have trouble in her relationships? Hmmm..the focus on Sammy and Jacob's problems is a nice touch, but they don't seem like real teenagers at all in Kellerman's hands. They always do the right thing and when they start wandering away from their religious background, Rina harnesses them back in, not all that convincingly either.
Kellerman has remarkably good skills in her writing; this one's too formulaic to be one of her best, but it has moments of real brilliance.
Rating:
Summary: Peter deals with a religious cult
Review: Police Lieutenant Peter Decker is called in on the death of a charismatic leader of a religious cult called the Order of the Rings. The deceased was a well-known astophysicist named Emil Ganz who had disappeared and then surfaced as Father Jupiter, the leader of the cult. His death is reported to the police by his daughter, Europa, who is not involved with the cult but who had followed her father's footsteps into his occupation. When Decker and the LAPD try to investigate the death, Jupiter's four lieutenants try to stonewall their efforts. Soon there is another death, and some disappearances from the compound where the cult lives. Decker and his cohorts are horrified as they uncover the secrets of the Order of the Rings. Peter's longtime partner Marge plays a pivotal role in an exciting rescue attempt at the end of the book where the action really peaks. Peter also discovers some long-hidden secrets about his stepsons, but as usual, his homelife takes second place to his professional one. This is another good entry to the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus Series from the gifted writer, Faye Kellerman.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but..
Review: I was a fan of Faye Kellerman's husband, Jonathan, and I decided to give her a try. "Serpent's Tooth" was the first one I read. Then I started at the beginning of the Rina Lazarus/Peter Decker novels and read them all. "Jupiter's Bones" was definitely my favorite. It was enthralling. The storyline intrigues you from the start and then leads you into the web of the story. The climax was so exciting, I thought I was going to have a heart attack! The religious aspects of the story are very interesting, even to those that don't practice Orthodox Judaism. Contrary to what some might think, books like these that include the same characters in multiple novels don't all have to be read to understand the storyline. (Ms. Kellerman does an excellent job of explaining past events, so the reader knows what has happened.) I recommend all of Faye (and Jonathan!) Kellerman's novels. :-)
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy & Reality - There is plenty of both
Review: The story line of this book was too weak and far-fetched to enthrall me, as it should have. With several of the main characters having names such as Jupiter, Andromeda, Pluto, and Venus it was hard to believe. OK, these people belonged to a powerful, evil, cult, which required them to forget their pasts and isolate themselves from the real world. One way to do this was to adopt astrological names. Even so, when the leader of the cult was formerly a top scientist in the USA and renowned around the world for his advances in scientific research, it was hard to accept the circumstances, which lead him to set up this loony group. Apparently vanishing from the face of the earth for 15 years, but actually dropping out of society, and living in a home for the insane with his wife's financial aid gave him that opportunity. He emerges with a new name and a group of devoted followers living in a Fort Knox like building and compound. But it would appear that not all of his followers are that devoted. The story opens with his death under mysterious circumstances. Appearing on the surface to be an everyday suicide after imbibing a bottle of vodka and swallowing a few tablets, there is a strong suspicion that foul play was involved. Now the story line developed around our hero, Lieutenant Peter Decker, ("Loo"), provided a firm grounding with reality throughout the long book. He tries his hardest to cope with days on end at work, without sleep, under the glare of the media and the pressure from his police and political bosses, whilst maintaining a loving marriage. This struggle, of trying to be normal and sane and responsible for his headstrong adolescent kids was more than realistic. A mixed marriage to a strictly Jewish widow coming with a ready-made family of teens is reality itself. So, as the plot develops, the suicide/murder leads into a series of worsening events. The cult members not only won't co-operate with police investigations, they actively hamper them. The murders and violence escalate. However, for me, it was too fantasy like to be plausible and the tension that was clearly supposed to be developing just didn't happen. If you enjoy science fiction and fantasy this book is for you, but in my judgement two stars is the best I can offer.
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