Faye Kellerman_Decker & Lazarus 05

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LAPD Detective Peter Decker doesn’t know quite what to make of Lilah Brecht. The beautiful, eccentric spa owner and daughter of a faded Hollywood legend, Lilah was beaten, robbed, and raped in her own home—and claims to have psychic powers that enable her to see even more devastating events looming on the horizon. With his heart and mind on his pregnant young wife, Rina Lazarus, at home, Peter finds it hard to put much credence in the victim’s outrageous claims, or to become too deeply involved with her equally odd brothers and aging film star mom. But when Lilah’s dark visions turn frighteningly real, Decker’s world will be severely rocked—as the “false prophet’s” secrets and obsessions entrap the dedicated policeman . . . and point a killer toward Decker’s own vulnerable family. From Library JournalWith typically creative prose and plotting, Kellerman immerses LAPD Detective Decker ( Sacred and Profane , LJ 6/1/87) in an absorbing post-Rodney King police procedural. Decker, still practicing a rediscovered Judaism and catering to the moods of his pregnant wife, investigates the brutal beating and rape of an elegant spa's owner. Crucial--and engaging--elements in the case soon appear: a retarded stable hand; secretive resort employees; an earthy, manipulative mother; three malicious stepbrother doctors; and valuable stolen memoirs. Full attention to detail and characterization cap a masterful effort. Another great escape. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/92.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus ReviewsWhen LAPD detective Peter Decker arrives at the Valley Canyon Spa Resort, its beautiful owner, Lilah, the daughter of Hollywood legend Davida Eversong, appears to have been beaten and raped, and her mother's jewels and late father's unpublished memoirs are missing from her safe. To thwart Lilah's growing obsession with him, Peter shunts her off on his partner Margie while he concentrates on possible perps, including her three doctor brothers, a slow-witted stablehand, and one of the spa's aerobic instructors. Two deaths later, Peter is convinced that Lilah staged the rape and hid the gems, but then who stole the memoirs, and why? Lilah's ex-husband leads him to a former Eversong employee who knows many family secrets, and Peter uncovers another identity brouhaha. Eventually, with some psychological input from his rabbi and his pregnant wife Rina, Peter sorts through a tangle of viperous relationships to close the case. Histrionic plot, not helped much by Kellerman's B-movie prose. Like Day of Atonement, Milk and Honey, etc., this comes to life only when discussing Judaica, which takes a backseat here to adoption procedures and assorted sexual preferences. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.