Gun Games (Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus Series #20)

Not up to the others in the series

I have read all of this series and delightedly await each new book. This book is losing me. I am still in the middle of it but waiting for it to get better or be over. As a mother who has parented four teenagers, the dialogue between Gabe and Yasmine feels stilted and unreal to me. Yasmine's character may be more appropriate to how she is being raise-- the sheltering of her family and religious school environment-- than does Gabe's character, which seems simplistic and forced and too adult-like. In particular, his lack of any apparent sadness around his abandonment by his mother hit me as way off the mark. Maybe it will get better as i reach the second half.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Fell Flat

This story focuses on fifteen-year-old Gabe, the Decker's foster son, as the topic revolves around teenage gangs and bullying, and how such things sometimes lead to suicide. With the topic being about teenagers, sex is a part of that and became a central theme in this story which was a distraction for me because it was more explicit than was necessary and made an otherwise good plot less than the standard I've come to expect from Kellerman's series. While the story focuses on Gabe and his new girlfriend, I felt that they didn't talk and act like typical teens, especially 14-year-old Yasmine, and although I know teenage boys think about sex most of the time, it just got to be too much page after page in this story and took away from the important topic of teen bullying and suicide.

I really looked forward to this newest title as a fan of the series but was left disappointed.

I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher but the opinion of it is my own and was not solicited, nor was a positive review required.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Didn't Care For This

I found the "love story" too long, drawn out and "sappy" for one of Faye Kellerman's books. I like the play between Peter and Rina as it seems real...but the Gabe romance was too Danielle Steele for me.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Top notch!

This is the first Faye Kellerman book I've read and I loved it! I went on to see if previous books containedGabe and his parents and found it and read it. I hope Ms Kellerman continues to include Gabe, the pianistic prodigy in future books as I found myself identifying with him in so many ways.
Musically,I identify and know the music pieces mentioned as I performed them. I read some of the reviews and felt that some of the comments were made by individuals with siblings and what they "know" of "only children" is probably hearsay or what has been reflected by the media. I hope the author continues to write with Gabe included and that his musical genius flowers and blossoms including his knowledge of guns and everything he has learned from his father and mother and doesn't want to follow in their footsteps. Also, I'd like to know how his relationship with his half-sister develops. Keep up the good work, Ms. Kellerman. I am a loyal fan(I've read the first three books you've written).

Bullying Plus

In this latest installment of the Decker/Lazarus series, the author attempted to inject a slightly different approach to the formula. It probably will upset some readers, and intrigue others. Some will look at the novel and consider it pornographic, in a sense. Others might see it as sensitivity akin to the current controversy over same sex marriage. Whatever stance, the plot is a stimulating one, with the intersecting of two very different sets of characters.

The story begins with the mother of a high school boy who has committed suicide visiting Peter Decker in an effort to find out why he did it. Although the coroner has ruled it a suicide, Decker is intrigued enough to look into the matter, especially when a second suicide of a pupil from the same school occurs. The novel then continues to look into what appears to be a group of bullying students, combined with the teenage love affair of Gabe Donatti, the 15-year-old piano genius living with Peter and Rina, and an orthodox Persian teenager who attends the school at which Lazarus teaches.

As in the previous novels in the series, the well-written book is full of homespun allusions. Some of the techniques to flavor the teenage atmosphere, like excessive texting, certainly may be off-putting to many readers, but is an apt portrayal of communication for this age group. That said, it is a good read and is recommended.

I'm just wondering why this book is MORE than the paperback vers

I'm just wondering why this book is MORE than the paperback version? There obviously aren't any printing and shipping costs associated, so.....why?

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This story is evenly divided between the perspectives of Lieuten

This story is evenly divided between the perspectives of Lieutenant Decker and fifteen year old Gabe, both personalities come off as pretty relaxed and easy going, until a problem hits, then they are on their toes and fast thinkers. I enjoyed the fact that even at the age of fifteen, Gabe was overall a very intelligent boy, but like most teenage boys the thought of sex drives most of his storyline. I believe that the relationship that slowly builds between Yasmine (14) and Gabe (15) was incredibly romantic. Although the more mature scenes between them I had a hard time picturing her as visually looking "10-12" years old as she is described by the author. The connection they had together from their love of music, piano, opera was a nice pace of story to break up the intense detective work that the lieutenant was going through.
The Lieutenant and his staff are working to figure out how the boy that committed suicide got the gun. This detective work, along with the additional suicide of a girl that attended the same school, starts to trigger more questions. As the deceased teenagers property starts to turn up missing the school and it's students are getting inspected further and further as they try to connect the missing links. There is very clearly a gang of students that stand out and the only question is why is there a "mafia" group at a prestigious high school, and what is their involvement with Guns and drugs.
The story raps up with dangerous activities tumulting in some very dangerous Gun Games. With a combination of sex, drugs, gangs and guns this story reads like a gangster movie.

Loved it..

yes the young love was a bit much at times.. but it was about right hormonal teenagers.. overall I enjoyed the book and the plot was a very good one. Issues that are really going on in many school around the country.

Not my favorite...........

This, to me, was like 2 books shuffled into one and written by 2 different people - Faye Kellerman and an adult (maybe) who thinks they remember being a teen and shuffled together like a deck of cards. Perhaps Gabe and Yasmine were supposed to represent innocence and "the gang" the nasty mean older teens who have lost theirs. I was bored by the page after page of explicit "young love" and found myself reading the first paragraph and the last paragraph in their chapters and skipping the middle. What was with Peter and Rina and their fog in relation to Gabe? They are supposed to be instense family people but I guess it is only with their own blood. He is 15 years old, living in their house, but they have no clue, after 4 children of their own? They couldn't figure out that he is lonely??? Come on. This book could have been written with half the pages. The best part were the last pages. Glad I borrowed it from the Library and didn't pay for it.

Not her best

Really got tired of the details of the teenagers and the f word. I am not offended by it but wonder if Faye feels that to keep young she has to use it to an extreme.

Moe

Loved this and feels like another story on the way

Loved it :)) Awesome book!!!

Another fabulous, wesome "CHRIS/TERRY/GABRIEL DONATTI" sequel. I absolutely loved the book, so much, that I finished it in one day. It is such a tender young love story between Gabe & Yasmine. THANK YOU, MRS. KELLERMAN for bringing it to us & for doing such a good job. I've been an AVID FAN of your books & work & "JUSTICE"(CHRIS/TERRY DONATTI LOVE STORY) is my alltime FAVORITE. Please continue writing abt this family. I' m looking forward on the FOURTH SERIES of this story. I highly RECOMMENDED this book/sequels to all my friends & Faye Kellerman fans. It's worth the money!!!!

Get comfortable before you start reading...

because you won't want to stop when high school students are playing with guns. It is up to Peter Decker and his team of detectives to figure out what's happening before more deaths occur. Even the most recent addition to the Decker household, young Gabe Whitman, faces the wrong end of a gun, something his hit-man father, Chris Donatti, does not appreciate. It isn't that Gabe goes looking for trouble but it finds him and his girlfriend anyway. Will their risky behavior lead them to problems like those of Gabe's parents or will Peter and Rina's influence help Gabe make better decisions?

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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