Justice (Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus Series #8)

by Faye Kellerman Narrated by Mitchell Greenberg

Overview

The cruel and bizarre slaying of a beautiful teen leads Detective Decker into the dark heart of an exoticsubculture: the seamy, sometimes violent world of Southern California's rootless, affluent youth. But even the confession of a disturbed kid with cold "killer eyes" cannot soothe Decker's inner torment. For he knows in his gut this crime goes much deeper and higher than anyone expects -- and that true justice, brutal and complete, has yet to be done.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The eighth appearance of LAPD homicide detective Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus, will likely increase her constituency as she concentrates more on the case at hand and less on the Jewish law and lore that rises from Rina's Orthodox Jewish background and informs the Decker family life. Chris Whitman, a high-school senior with a hidden past and close ties to his uncle-a powerful Mafia don-has some kinky notions of sexual games. He tries them with his very Catholic and proper (yes, virginal) classmate, Terry, with whom he is obsessed. Trouble begins when Chris's less constrained former girlfriend is found bound and dead in a tawdry hotel the morning after the prom, with evidence suggesting her involvement in a wild night of drugs and sex with multiple partners, including Chris. The youth's confession, coming after Decker discovers photographs that could compromise Terry's reputation, leaves Decker uncomfortable. So does his chief's suggestion that conflicting forensic evidence be given low priority. Decker, fighting some demons of his own, continues investigating even after the case is considered solved, and Uncle Joey, none too happy with Chris or Terry, executes his own brand of revenge. Surprising twists and engaging subplots will keep readers turning the pages to the satisfying conclusion. (Sept.)

Library Journal - Audio

Terry, a bright but troubled teenager, is hired as a tutor by Chris Whitman, a handsome, wealthy, and popular boy in her school. When Chris's date is brutally murdered on prom night, he confesses to the murder. Terry successfully pleads with investigator Peter Decker to reopen the case because neither believes that Chris is guilty. Mitchell Greenberg reads well and captures the characters' various voices and emotions, employing a pace that maintains the excitement. VERDICT Although the print version debuted in 1995, this is recommended for Kellerman fans and mystery/thriller lovers.—Ilka Gordon, Aaron Garber Lib., Cleveland

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170096596
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/17/2012
Series:	Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus Series , #8
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

Pages 7 and 8 of the paper were missing. National news section. Specifically, national crime stories. Decker laid the thin sheets down, his stomach in a tight, wet knot. "Rina, where's the rest of the paper?"

Rina continued to scramble eggs. "It's not all there?"

"No, it's not all there."

"You've checked?"

"Yes, I've checked."

"Maybe Ginger got to it," Rina said casually. "You know how the dog loves newsprint. I think she uses it for a breath freshener -- "

"Rina -- "

"Peter, could you please distract Hannah from the dishwasher and get her seated so I can feed her? And take the plums out of the utensil basket while you're at it."

Decker stared at his wife, got up, and lifted his pajama-clad two-year-old daughter. She was holding a plum in each hand.

"You want a plummer, Daddy?"

"Yes, Hannah Rosie, I'd love a plum."

"You take a bite?" She stuffed the fruit in her father's mouth. As requested, Decker took a bite. Juice spewed out of the overripe plum, wetting his pumpkin-colored mustache, rills of purple running down his chin. He seated his daughter in her booster and wiped his mouth.

"You want a bite, Daddy?"

"No thanks, Hannah -- "

"You want a bite, Daddy?" Hannah said, forcefully.

"No -- "

"You want a bite, Daddy?" Hannah was almost in tears.

"Take another bite, Peter," Rina said. "Eat the whole Plum."

Decker took the plum and consumed it. Hanna offered him the second plum. "Honey, if I eat any more plums, I'll be living in the bathroom."

Rina laughed. "I'll take the plum, Hannah."

"No!" the baby cried out. Her face wasflushed with emotion. "Daddy take the plummer."

Decker took the second piece of fruit. "Why do you keep buying plums?"

"Because she keeps asking for them."

"That doesn't mean you have to buy them."

"As if you can resist her requests? I noticed the other day she was playing with your gold cuff links -- "

"She likes shiny things," Decker interrupted. "I like how you skillfully changed the subject, darlin'. What happened to the newspaper?"

Rina set a dish of eggs in front of Hannah and poured her orange juice. She shrugged helplessly. "What can I tell you?"

Decker felt nauseated. "Bastard struck again."

Rina nodded.

Decker said nothing. But Rina could see his jaw working overtime. She said, "Cindy called this morning. She asked me to hide it from you. I shouldn't have done it. But she sounded so desperate for an ally. She couldn't handle you and her mother's hysteria at the same time. Besides, there's nothing anyone can do -- "

"What do you mean, 'There's nothing anyone can do'?" Decker snapped. "I can do something. I can bring her back home out of that hellhole."

"LA's not a haven from crime -- "

"It's better than New York."

"Not all of New York is like the area around Columbia, Peter."

"Well, that's just fine and dandy except Cindy happens to go to Columbia." Decker got up from the dining-room table and walked into the kitchen, staring out the back window at his acre's worth of ranchland. The riding corral was now a foot-deep mud pit; the stables had been battered from the recent storms. Behind his property line stood the foothills bleeding silt. His house was fine so far, the gunk at least five hundred yards away. But who knew? He had plenty of garbage to deal with here. He didn't need problems three thousand miles away.

"Did you talk to her at all?" Decker asked.

"For a few minutes," Rina answered.

"How's she doing?"

Rina glanced at Hannah. "You want a video, muffin?"

The little girl nodded, licking egg-coated fingers. "Mickey Mouse."

"You've got it." Rina slipped the tape into the VCR, then walked into the kitchen. To her husband, she whispered, "How's she doing? She's shaken up, of course."

"Goddamn police! This is the third one and they don't seem one ounce closer to finding this maniac. What the hell are they doing?"

"That's an odd thing for you to say."

"I know incompetence when I see it."

"So what do you propose to do, Peter? Go out to New York and handle the investigation yourself?"

"I've seriously thought about it. I was in sex crimes for over a decade -- "

"Peter -- "

"Maybe I'll call the principal investigator -- "

"You don't have enough work at home?"

"It's been a slow month."

"Baruch Hashem," Rina said, blessing God.

"Baruch Hashem," Decker repeated. "Besides, this is my daughter we're talking about. I want to make sure everything possible is being done."

"I'm sure they're working overtime. Just like you'd be doing."

"Right. Overtime on doughnuts." Decker grimaced. "I know I'm not being fair. Frankly, I don't care."

Rina sighed. "Peter, why don't you go visit Cindy? I'm sure she'd be thrilled to see her six-foot-four detective father. She and all the other girls in the dorm. But go out as a protective father, not as a cop."

Decker drew his hand across his face. "Son of a bitch! Preying on young girls like that. God, I swear, Rina, if I come face-to-face with that sucker, I'm gonna shoot off his you-know-whats." He looked at his wife. "Was the latest one hurt? Of course she was hurt. I mean, was she beaten or anything?"

"No. Same MO."

The MO. Bastard sneaked up on the girls, brought them down from behind, placed a large paper bag over their heads, and raped them from the back. The victims had described the violation as strong and painful but mercifully fast. Before they could utter boo, the monster had been upon them.

Justice. Copyright © by Faye Kellerman. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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