Sacred and Profane

Excellent! Second book in series. Peter is studying the Jewish faith with a rabi because Reni will not consider a relationship with him unless he is a practicing Jew. He takes her two sons on a camping trip and one of the boys discovers two skeletons. They find out one of the skeletons is a teenage girl who has disappeared. Peter's search for the killer takes him into the porn world and he finds it hard to balance his work with his religious studies. Very good. One day read. Since I gave Ritual Bath 5 stars, I wanted to give this one 6 because it is better.

Although this book was better than the first one in the series, it still leaves a lot to be desired. In this book, Peter is camping with Rina's two boys when one of the boys comes across two skeletons out in the woods. This leads Peter on a journey into the world of prostitution and pornography in order to find out the identity of the two bodies and the motive behind their murders. The actual mystery part of the book is good, but the developing storyline between Peter and Rina is still quite flat. Although, in the book, their relationship is progressing forward (sometimes very slowly), and Peter is working toward converting to the Jewish faith, I don't think the author does a particularly good job of conveying the feelings that these two supposedly have for each other. This series has a lot of potential, but so far these first two books have left me disappointed.

Much grittier than the first novel in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series, this novel addresses personal depravity and personal spirituality, both of which actively concern the murders at the center of the novel, and the relationship between Decker and Lazarus. Taking place months after the events in `The Ritual Bath', the opening of the novel finds Decker camping with Lazarus' two boys, one of whom stumbles upon two dead bodies. Reluctantly, Decker takes on the case, and what follows is depressing for him and for the reader: teenage prostitution, snuff films, and pyromania, just to name some of the elements. These subjects take a toll on Decker, and threaten both his relationship with Lazarus and his embrace of Judaism. As in the first novel, the characters are well-drawn and realistic; you feel for Decker and Lazarus, especially when Decker becomes self-destructive, hurting everyone around him. The multi-layered plot is much more complex and satisfying than `The Ritual Bath', although the ending will not please romance fans. You'll be left wanting more...which is presumably where the next book will take you.

Sacred and Profane is the second in the Rina Lazarus/Peter Decker Mystery Series. In this installment Peter is camping with Rina's sons when they discover human remains which have been burned. Peter begins an investigation to determine the identity of the remains and ends up in the profane world of porno film-makers. The word "sacred" in the title refers to Peter's study of Judaism which Rina requires of him if their relationship is to progress to marriage. Peter begins to chafe at the restrictions of Rina's Orthodox faith, which leads to a crisis in their relationship. Kellerman, as always, does a skillful job of weaving a murder mystery into the background of Peter and Rina's private life. This talented writer can always be depended on to provide a good read.

LAPD Detective Sergeant Peter Decker first met Rina Lazarus in The Ritual Bath when he was working a rape case at the Yeshiva - a sort of Jewish campus community where Rina has been teaching elementary school. They fell in love, but she is an Orthodox Jew and he is a Gentile, so it can't work, right? Well, they are trying to make it work in this second book of the series and I especially like the conflict between them. I mean, for a guy raised in a relatively loose society to just up and step into the strict regimen of Orthodox Judaism and have everything move smoothly would have been a cop-out of major proportions so I was glad to see the reality of the situation instead.

The book starts on Christmas Eve and Decker is out camping with Rina's two sons, Sam and Jake, when poor Sam finds the charred remains of two skeletal bodies, thus ending their holiday. To add insult to injury, the Foothills Division is short on Homicide detectives at the moment and Decker is given the case. Usually working Juvie and Sex Crimes, he hates Homicide. And this case is gruesome and particularly troublesome for Decker. The bodies have to be identified with dental records and one of them turns out to be a missing teenage girl - the same age as his own daughter, Cindy, as it turns out. The investigation leads Decker deep into the cesspool of perversion, kiddy porn and murder which begins to taint his personal life and increases the tension between himself and Rina.

I was somewhat surprised to see Decker as such a ruthless SOB. He roughs up suspects, harasses wealthy citizens behind his Captain's back, even slaps around a young prostitute. He also gets blind drunk and passes out on Rina's floor. (Kind of amusing, in a sad way). One thing I was curious about - I'd never heard the expression "ripped off" used as a euphemism for killed before. In my world, ripped off means robbed or cheated. Now, whacked is a word I know, but I thought only goombahs used it. (Ha ha) I had to laugh out loud when someone pulled a gun on Decker. The detective slammed the guy against a wall and said something like, "I can't believe you just tried to whack a police officer!"

Anyway, this book is well paced. Whenever I thought, hey, I'll finish this chapter and then go to bed, something too intriguing cropped up and I had to keep reading. The ending is a little sad, but not hopeless. I'll have to keep reading the series to find out what happens next with Decker and Rina and if you get started with these characters, you'll probably have to keep reading too.

This second book in the Decker/Lazarus series opens with Peter attempting to bond with Rina's two sons - Yonkie and Shmueli. Peter takes the two young boys on a camping trip that soons turns into a horrible nightmare as Shmueli stumbles upon two burned corpses. Peter's investigative trail lead us into a world unknown to most of us...A world of "snuff films" depicting sexual acts culminating in onscreen death. This one keeps you on the edge of your seat. Kudos to Ms. Kellerman...a true crime writer. I love the glimpse into Orthodox Judaism!

Peters and Rina's relationship continues to evolve as Peter is transferred back to homicide after he finds the bodies of two girls while camping with Rina's children. Very dark and disturbing, the book deals with underground fantasy/fetish porn in which money can get you anything you want, including murder. The story is very well written and suspenseful until the very end, and the relationship between Peter and Rina is successfully woven into the mystery without being distracting.

or a "Learn Yidish without a teacher "
She's very good...Suspenseful, witty, but little by little she is introducing more and more Yidih or Jewish words, phrases... So much, that it becomes burdensome...
Her characters are very well setted without having to mingle so many foreign words.
When we buy Mistery books..we wish to get Mistery, not a Language learning book.
I have read all her books, but if this goes on, I will stop.
I know this will not ruin Kellerman, and nothing as far from that in my intention...This is just a warning voice... Please, Faye: Keep the Yidish minimal

This is the second book in the Decker/Lazarus series by the writer and it is a most satisfying read. The characters have depth and the story is one of the better mysteries that I have read. Rather than using the rapid and surprise twists of Coben, she relies on a well put together story to carry the day. Layer upon layer adds to the intrigue in this most satisfying story. It is a rapid read that I found to be quite satisfying and better than her more recent works. The characters and their development and believability all add to this satisfying book, which I would strongly recommend to anyone looking for a good mystery to read.

Well, that's not quite accurate, but it's a great teaser for people to read this review.
I read the first book in this series a few years ago and then just sort of put it aside. After finishing this book I'm glad I came back to it.
The mystery angle is nothing special - you can buy quite a few books in the mystery section of any bookstore that are just as good. It's Ms Kellerman's integration of religious Jewish life with the rest of the plot that will draw you in.
In the first novel in this series the life of the Jewish community was integral to the plot - indeed, without that integration there would have been no plot. But you can't do the same thing for each entry in the series, and if this second entry is any indication, Ms Kellerman is going in the right direction. Of necessity she started exploring Peter Decker's and Rina Lazarus' backgrounds in the first book. Those backgrounds are not linked to the mystery in this novel, but they are even more fascinating than the details we learned about in the previous one.
Rabbi Schulman in particular is a great supporting character. He is a very educated man, and not at all pompous about his education - he just wants to help his community and Decker along on the right path.
The conclusion of this aspect of the novel was somewhat surprising but it does open the door for some interesting possibilities in the next book.