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Hangman: A Decker/Lazarus Novel Review

This book was super - with two possibly parallel plots, Decker is at his best in juggling the various caseloads and side characters at the department, each with their own quirks and habits. That's not the only "reunion" as this entire book is filled with characters we have of late seen much too little.

One disappearance, one murder, are they connected or not - and if not, then we've got two cases to solve.

We get a larger glimpse than we have recently at the Decker home life, because one of the plots results in the Deckers taking a stray teen into their household, who is a few years younger than Hannah (who is 18! Where did the years go?).

The new character, Gabe is, along with his parents, fascinating, and without giving too much away I suspect we'll see seeing more of him down the line. I very much enjoyed Gabe sharing his view of the Deckers, their life, and Hannah's school, by mental comparisons to his own. His dry observations probably echo some of those for whom the Deckers are now familiar strangers, rather than "just like my own family."

Hannah's, "You think we're normal, well let me tell you," had me rollicking. It was hopefully intentionally funny. :) (I'm pretty sure it was.) Not to mention shows how well Hannah has turned out, and what an astute observer of human nature she has become.

Kellerman is always good, and this is one of her best.

My question about my own early dementia - two of the characters are from Decker's past. I don't remember a book with the characters, am I being forgetful (in which case I need to reread it) or is this merely a technique, referring to an older case to which we, the readers, were not then privy.

Hangman: A Decker/Lazarus Novel Feature

ISBN13: 9780061702563
Condition: New
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Hangman: A Decker/Lazarus Novel Overview

Murder, a missing woman, and a sociopath from the past sweep Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus into a labyrinth of mystery and danger in this electrifying new tale of suspense from New York Times bestselling author Faye Kellerman. . . .

Fifteen years ago, high school senior Chris Whitman went to jail for murdering his girlfriend, Cheryl Diggs. Propelled by a misguided sense of chivalry, he confessed, determined to save another classmate, the beautiful and vulnerable Terry McLaughlin, from having to testify at his trial. When the truth came out, Chris was released from prison, married Terry—pregnant with his child—and changed his last name to Donatti. He also became a professional killer.

Peter Decker was the detective on the case, and over the years, he and Terry kept in touch. Now his friend is in L.A. and asking for a favor. Though Decker knows full well that getting involved will bring Terry's sociopathic husband back into his life, the obsessive and duty-bound LAPD lieutenant reluctantly agrees. The favor soon becomes complicated when Terry goes missing and Donatti disappears, leaving their fourteen-year-old son, Gabe, with no one to turn to except Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus.

But Peter's search for Terry must share center stage with a gruesome murder. Adrianna Blanc, a neonatal nurse at St. Timothy's Hospital, had signed off her night shift at eight a.m. Six hours later, a foreman supervising the construction of a house in a nearby suburb discovered her body swinging from the rafters, a cable wire around her neck. Her car was found where she had parked it the night before, with no signs of foul play.

A dedicated and conscientious professional, Adrianna had a circle of close friends. Yet as Decker and his able team soon learn, the young woman also had her share of detractors. A party-hearty girl, she enjoyed booze, kinky sex, and revenge-cheating on her boyfriend, Garth Hammerling, another nurse at St. Tim's. Suspicions heat up when Decker and his team find that one of Adrianna's last phone calls was a provocative and disturbing message to her vacationing boyfriend—who himself has vanished without a trace. Was Adrianna's death something personal because of her carefree lifestyle? Or was this unusually cruel and very dramatic murder the first signs of a serial killer? With lives hanging in the balance, Decker and his colleagues, Sergeant Marge Dunn and Detective Scott Oliver, need to find answers and fast.

As if juggling two investigations weren't enough for the lieutenant (not to mention turning sixty!), things are becoming even more dangerous with his precarious home life. Ever the concerned parent, Decker wants to look after Terry's son, Gabe. Yet who will protect his own family? Because if there's one thing he knows for sure, with a sociopath like Donatti on the loose, no one is ever really safe.

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Customer Reviews

Awesome - Cherie -
Reading now, book is great. However, all her books are great. Haven't read one I didn't like.

I thought it was one of her best - D. Janz - Chicago, IL
This is one of my favorites of a great series. I love that Chris Donatti is back in the picture and the series is set up for him to remain so for awhile now. Only complaint is that Decker "guessed" the reason for Terry's disappearance WAY too easily.

Bridget's Review - bridget3420 - KY
This is the first book of this series that I have read. I'm definitely going to check out the other 18. I really enjoyed Faye's writing and the plot. If you like James Patterson, I think you'll like Faye.

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Monday, August 30, 2010