Justice

Just when you think Faye Kellerman's writing is already at its best, she comes up with a brilliant book like "Justice". In this eighth book of the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series, Kellerman concentrates on another character's point of view as much as she does on Decker's. She tells the story of Terry, a hard-working young high school girl whose father and step-mother expect her to keep house, babysit her younger sister, and maintain top grades. She is asked to tutor Chris Whitman, a young man who runs with the popular crowd and happens to be related to an important Mafia figure. She enters a world of lies and intrigue, where the only thing which remains somewhat constant is Chris's obsession with Terry. Despite this, he maintains sexual relations with other girls and treats Terry with the utmost respect. One of his sexual partners is killed, and Decker quickly closes in on Chris as the chief suspect. This book is loaded with twists and turns, and stories within stories. It deals with police politics, race relations, and gangland justice, and is a very satisfying read. Congratulations to Faye Kellerman who outdoes herself on this wonderful and complex book.

I truly enjoyed this novel--actually I listened to the unabridged version on cassettes, and it was exceptional. This book is screaming for a sequel! The characters were riveting, and I long to know what becomes of them. Wouldn't Chris try to see Terry again as he was so obsessed with her? I feel as though I got to know the two main characters, and that Decker was just there to fill in the time when they were not highlighted. Hope to see more!

I agree that a sequel is definitely in order for this book. The characters and story were magnificent, but the ending definitely left you wanting to know more about how Terry and Chris' lives progressed. For the first time while reading the books in this series, I didn't want more about Peter and Rina, I wanted more about the other characters.

I am in total agreement with Steve below. I've read all Faye's books and this is one of my favorites. If you haven't read the series you won't be able to appreciate the creative extension Faye took on this effort. So, start over with Ritual Bath and go through the series. Including Terry's perspective was a new and successful angle for the author. The book was riveting and the characters fascinating. The sexual explicity was perfectly acceptable, and enjoyable; after all, these books aren't written for kids. Faye, give us more!

I have read and will read any of Faye Kellerman's books and I must say that I absolutely loved Justice. This book just exemplifies Ms. Kellerman's tremendous talent. How she was able to write this story from the perspective of more than one person in a manner such that you cared...terrific. One note. I must say that this is the first book in which I found myself actally not fully siding with Pete Decker. In this book, you just get to see him as a hard-as-nails police officer, not necessarily a man with a heart (as he's usually portrayed). This was awkward for me to get used to, but I'm glad for this because it was good to see Decker in a different light.