From Publishers Weekly
Like the series it inspired, Kellerman's award-winning 1986 debut novel combines police procedure, via hard-boiled LAPD detective Peter Decker, with Judaic rites and rituals courtesy of its heroine Rina Lazarus, an ultra-Orthodox widowed mother of two. Decker and Lazarus are brought together by the brutal rape of a young bride-to-be at the mikvah (a bathhouse used in the purification ritual) that Rina manages in the Hollywood hills. Mitchell Greenberg nicely vocalizes the story from Decker's point of view, with the detective struggling to stick to his sleuthing in spite of his developing feelings for Rina. The novel continually rings true, from explaining various Orthodox beliefs and customs to Decker and his crew's no-nonsense unmasking of the villain. Greenberg moves in and out of the novel's elements smoothly and efficiently. He paces the police work with just the right sense of urgency and frustration; handles the romantic sequences with the proper emotion and without a hint of sentimentality; and breezes through the many Jewish-centric passages with the confidence and clarity of a yeshiva graduate.
An Avon paperback. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
In THE RITUAL BATH, Faye Kellerman introduces Rina Lazarus and Peter Decker, endearing characters who are thrust together when a woman is brutally raped in a Jewish ritual bath for women. While most of the community refuses to speak about the incident, Rina does, and begins to fall for Decker, the detective assigned to the case. Despite their attraction, RinaÕs strict religious beliefs become an apparently insurmountable barrier. Surprisingly, this novel has not appeared on audio until now, but listenersÕ patience is rewarded with this excellent performance by Mitchell Greenberg, who captures the electricity between the pair. GreenbergÕs narration style is well paced, and his use of accents and inflections brings every character to life, making the audiobook as memorable as its printed cousin. D.J.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine