Customer Reviews

Day of Atonement

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There really isn't a whole lot of suspense in the book. It is almost impossible to not know what is going to happen at the end, though I will not tell you anyway. The book focuses on a disaffected Orthodox Jewish youth who gets mixed up with a psychopath. Although it discusses some of the issues, in general, as to what could cause this young man to act as he does, it really talks more about why the psycho is crazy than why the youth runs away from home.

The ability for the hero of the tome, Peter Decker to find his quarry is beyond belief, even for Hollywood. The guy obviously has the hearing of a canine in being able to tell what street corner the kid is calling from.

There is an interesting and gripping adoption line as well. Decker is adopted, was born Jewish, brought up Baptist, and now married into an ultra-Orthodox family. I have not read the other books in the series, but how he really feels about that could have been better developed as well.

Overall, the book was simple to figure out, but the writing was good enough and close enough to home to me to give it three stars.

This 4th in the series of Decker and Lazarus is weighed down by Kellerman's insistence on focusing once again on Jewish tradition and its place in the newlywed's lives. While Kellerman has entertained in the previous three novels, in spite of this what I consider weakness, this novel is just not exciting. The entire middle is spent interviewing and moaning over Noam's disappearance, and of course, more Jewish lore and tradition that has become redundant and plot-suffocation. Faye needs to adopt more of her husband Jonathan's panache for good plots and a faster pace. This one bogs down and its resolution is unsatisfying. I've obtained her whole series and plan to continue to read, I just hope in the future books, she makes plot, suspense and intrigue more important than the obvious love she has for her family tradition. And hopefully Peter and Rina will start treating each other as adults rather than spoiled children trying to outdo each other.
NOT RECOMMENDED UNLESS YOU'RE INTO THE SERIES.

It is 10:00 pm on a Sunday eveing and I have just finished the last page of "Day of Atonement." I finished the book with a large smile on my face and I said to my wife, "Don't you just love it when you come to the end of an excellent book."

The book was extremely exciting...quite a page turner. We join Peter and Rina in Brooklyn while they are celebrating their honeymoon. They are visiting Rina's ex-in-laws during the holidays of Rosh HaShanah. During the holidays a young man turns up missing and Decker starts the trial to find him.

Unfortunatley, the young man, Noam, has crossed paths with a psychopath who gets immense joys from gutting live fish. Will Decker rescue him in time?

The book is well worth the time spent reading it...you will come away from it with a smile on your face as well. PLUS, get some tissues for the last chapter...it is joyously sad.

This book, kept me reading from start to finish. I only put the book down a few times, to finish some work and the usual living pleasantries. Other than regular life necessities, I couldn't stop reading - read it within 2 days.

If you love the Decker & Rina series, you have to read this book. You cannot skip this read, onto others. It is a continual great, insight into the Rina & Decker characters, perhaps pulling at the heartstrings of those who have been adopted, along with those whom have had to give their child up to adoption.

Kellerman also, does well portraying not just the dark sides of the human conditions, but the repentance of our own kharma. She does well diving into the saddness and lonliness, of what can happen to a naive mind gone ary, exposing & plungging one into the dark twisted emotional psychosis of human nature.

At this point I'm only missing 4 books to complete this series. I'll own them all before long!

Detective Peter Decker and Orthodox Jewish Rina Lazarus have finally tied the knot in this book, but their honeymoon leaves a lot to be desired. They are spending it in Brooklyn with Rina's in-laws. Peter understandably feels uncomfortable in this situation and he is not yet accustomed to all of the Orthodox Jewish customs, despite his months of study. Two plots wind through the book, namely the disappearance of one of his wife's troubled nephew and Peter's discovery of a person from his past.
These subplots wind neatly around one another and, as usual the reader is treated to lots of interesting background about Orthodox Jewish custom. Rina and Peter go through some difficult moments as she wants to help in the investigation and Peter does not want her put in danger. All in all, this is a satisfying read and it makes me look forward to reading the rest of the series.

This is the third book I have read from Kellerman and I have found her to be an average writer. This book is no exception.

Peter (LAPD) & Rina Decker are on their honeymoon in Rina's hometown, so the references to Orthodox Jews are virtually the book on its own. While Peter is grappelling with Judasim and all its words (that for a non-Jew, gets very frustrating at times) he seems to be also be searching for a runaway teenage boy & here is where the story starts to get interesting. The boy (Noam) is his half-nephew who has seemed to have hooked up with another teenage pyscho who likes filleting gay men. So, Peter, has to spend his honeymoon looking for Noam and his friend, Hersh.

Bascially, the entire book is about Peter's search for Noam, Hersh, his r'ship with his wife, her family, his struggle with the religion and his first meeting with his 'real' other.

Unfortunately, Kellerman spends way too long on the Judaism and not enough on the actual story & I had read books from her that don't involve Rina, and they are fantastic!

Overall this is an ok book. If you are looking for great crime fiction, then look towards Michael Connelly or John Sandford but if you are looking for light crime with a heavy dash of religion, then this is the book for you!

What a "Honeymoon", there doesn't seem anything that doesn't happen to the New Mr.& Mrs. Decker. Wonderful fast read, great insight on the Jewish Orthodox community. Peter is confronted by his on heritage & Rina is a true fiesty heroine with a mind of her own. Sadly this book shows no one is immune to the trouble of your society & it touches even the most protected children.

In this series, Faye Kellerman gives us exciting stories, likable protagonists in Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, and an interesting picture of Orthodox Jewish life. The only thing that mars the series is the ugly language employed whenever Decker gets together with his LAPD colleagues. I guess this is in there because it's "realistic," but I for one don't need such realism in my recreational reading. (I've found it's possible to skim over most of this dialogue without losing track of the story.) "Day of Atonement" is my favorite of the series so far. Not only is it a compelling story involving the search for a teenage boy who runs away from his Orthodox community in New York; much of the action takes place away from Los Angeles and thus we are largely spared the unpleasant conversations of the cops.

After reading one Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novel almost by accident, I was immediately hooked on this series. Peter, Rina, and their family and colleagues are characters of depth, endearingly human, honest, and appealing. Every novel in this series is a winner, and I especially liked Day of Atonement. Not only is it an engrossing, gritty, edge-of-the-seat detective novel, it is also a heartfelt story of complex emotional relationships. The setting within the Orthodox Jewish community--still an ongoing mystery to semi-outsider, LAPD detective Peter Decker--seems to the reader much as it does to him: a fascinating, perplexing, comforting, challenging world. This reader--coincidentally the parent of an adult adopted son--was intrigued and deeply touched by the subplot of Peter's struggle to deal emotionally with his own adoption. It is rare to find as compelling a storyteller as Faye Kellerman!

I had been a long-time fan of Jonathan Kellerman before I discovered his wonderful and talented wife, Faye. I read all of her books in order and what a treat. Peter & Rita are just wonderful. The suspense & mystery are there, as well as the terrific character development.

I have read Ms. Kellerman's books from start to present and I cannot begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed not only the storyline, but the developement of her characters. Ms. Kellerman also introduced me to a marvelously different culture.

The way in which her characters evolve is wonderful.

I can only hope for more to come from Ms. Kellerman.

Bravo!!, not only for your latest contribution, but also for your continuity.

I truly enjoy the fact that you do not seem to tire of your continuing characters, but rather enrich them and continue to make them elvolving.

Ms. Kellerman; thank you, thank you, thank you.