Hangman

It is only the middle of February and the month is beginning to drag. There are still ten long days left before the calendar turns to March and women's history month. I have a diverse lineup planned but I am still stuck in February waiting for it to mercifully end. With family members fighting off infections, I decided to back track and revisit a series that at this point is like a visit with family. I am up to date with Faye Kellerman's Decker and Lazarus series and am eagerly awaiting the next installment due out at the end of the summer, so I decided to go back and fill myself in with a case I hadn't read yet. As usual, the Lieutenant did not disappoint. <br /><br />Lieutenant Peter Decker is about to turn sixty and at the top of his profession. Unbeknownst to him, his children and colleagues have planned a surprise party for him in honor of his birthday but not before work gets in the way. Decker receives a call from an old acquaintance Teresa McLaughlin who is the wife of hitman and Decker's nemesis the one and only Chris Donatti. Knowing that Donatti would make more than just a cameo appearance in this case had me giddy, but, unfortunately it comes on the heels of him hitting his wife and her fearing for her safety and that of her teenage son Gabriel. Decker agrees to facilitate a meeting between the couple, and all seems to go well until a panicked Gabriel calls the Lieutenant to say that his mother has disappeared. Wanting to stay a step ahead of Donatti, Decker agrees to take the case as well as bringing the teenaged Gabriel Whitman, who happens to be a piano prodigy, into his home. <br /><br />On top of this case, Decker's long time colleagues Dunn and Oliver receive a call about a body found hanging from the rafters at a home site. The young woman appears to have died of asphyxiation, and the detective team takes on what appears to be a complex case. Adrianna Blanc had been a nurse at St Timothy's Hospital. Regarded in her field, she was in the midst of an unraveling relationship, and someone, either the boyfriend or rival, wanted her out of the way. A few days later, another friend of Blanc's is found strangled in her refrigerator, yet Dunn and Oliver keep questioning the same circle of friends and hope for a lead that will help them to crack this case. In most cases I sympathize with the victim, yet this time around the victim lead a raunchy social life amongst a millennial crowd who still drunk as though they were in college. Some of the women degenerated their bodies and enjoyed their double life outside of work. It is up to Dunn, Oliver, and the rest of their stellar detective team to find one of this crowd who was not either drunk or strung out on drugs willing to talk to them about the case, or else find a lead from an unexpected source. <br /><br />Meanwhile the Lieutenant's birthday weekend goes as planned. All of his children gather for the occasion and there is enough food for the entire Los Angeles police department. The various Decker children are all about to experience milestones: Sammy is finishing medical school and about to get married, Hannah is graduating high school and leaving for a year in Israel, and Cindy and Koby are expecting twins. It is in this whirlwind of activity that Peter and Rina agree to take in Gabriel Whitman as their foster child, at a time of their lives when they are looking toward retirement and settling into a quieter life as grandparents. Yet, the Deckers will provide the younger Whitman more stability and a happy home than his parents ever would, so the Lieutenant, at a time when he is blissful at anticipating the arrival of his first grandchildren, defers to his wife and provides a safe home for another teenager. All this means is more Chris Donatti in the future, and, as scary as he is, that is a good thing as he adds spice to this series that is nearing its retirement years. <br /><br />Having read the later books in this series, I know where Peter, Rina, and their children wind up. It is still fun to go back and read the installments that I may have overlooked. Each visit with the Deckers is like visiting old friends and family. I may have mentioned in previous reviews that I share a similar religious lifestyle to the Deckers and believe that we would be friends in real life, yet, for now I am willing to read about them in print form. With all of these life milestones ahead, Kellerman has plenty of material from which to work from in developing future cases. Until the latest installment is published, I am more than happy to fill myself in on older cases in this fast paced series filled with visits from family and friends. <br /><br />3.75 stars

We’ve read every one of the Rina Lazarus / Peter Decker stories to date; and hate to say this was probably our least favorite. The 420 page book sees the first 50 pages set the scene, then the clues ever so painfully and slowly appear for 350 pages, followed by an intense 20-page ending that reveals all with little or no further work on the part of the detectives. Our high school English teacher would never have approved that outline !!<br /><br />As usual, “Hangman”, mostly about a young female nurse hung from the rafters of a house under construction, is predominantly a police procedural with Decker and his two favorite “D’s” Marge and Scott doing all the grunt work. A missing friend is a sub-plot that is barely more than an excuse to have Gabe, the 14-year old son of Chris Donatti, a long-time Decker nemesis from earlier books, come to stay at the Decker’s, with daughter Hannah (gads – we remember when she was just born!) playing big sister as she finishes high school and heads to Israel to go to college. Presuming more books in this set, we suspect we’ll see more of Gabe, temporarily cancelling out the empty nest. <br /><br />Three male suspects and a female colleague of the dead girl play a big role in the mystery, if you can get by all of the bedtime arrangements between these five and (uncharacteristically) the over-the-top amount of raw language throughout. The builder who discovers the body is yet another suspect, and his role remains unclear till very late in the going.<br /><br />We suppose the Kellerman fan club will turn out in droves to add this to their reading list, but we were left wondering whether it’s getting to be time to call this series done. Decker himself celebrates his 60th birthday in the story, which makes taking in a stray non-relative teenager pretty far-fetched. Perhaps his several noises about a pending retirement will be a good thing?<br />

4.7<br /><br />«Decker tem entre mãos duas investigações, por um lado investiga o desaparecimento de Terry após uma conversa no mínimo tensa com o seu companheiro Chris.<br /><br />Como consequência deste desaparecimento surge Gabe, o filho de ambos, catorze anos e com um dote muito especial... E assim de um momento para o outro Decker e Rina vêem-se na eminente possibilidade de ter que acolher Gabe. Mas Decker não consegue deixar de se sentir a sensação que foi manipulado!<br /><br /><br />Por outro lado, Decker e a sua equipa investigam o provável assassinato de Adrianna Blanc, enfermeira, descoberta enforcada numas obras perto do hospital onde trabalhava. À medida que que a investigação avança começam-se a conhecer o circulo de amigos e as complexas e pouco convencionais relações de Adrianna! O que aumenta o número de suspeitos.<br /><br /><br /><br />Não sei como vocês reagem a cheiros, mas posso dizer-vos que há cheiros que de imediato me invocam recordações, me transportam... O cheiro de terra molhada, por exemplo, traz-me a sensação de paz de espirito, relaxamento e conforto conceitos associados a férias em casa dos meus avós. <br /><br /><br />Essa mesma identificação acontece quando leio os livros de Faye Kellerman! Os meus sentidos ficam apurados e não consigo deixar de sentir um aroma caseiro e a sensação de reconhecimento! É um misto retorno às raízes, de conforto, de aconchego, de segurança! É tão bom ler Faye!<br /><br /><br />A história é dinâmica, e gostei do facto de o livro se dividir em duas investigações, porque nos impele sempre (mesmo que inconscientemente) a procurar relação entre as duas. O efeito é que nos desperta mais para a história e para os detalhes levando-nos a procurar pontos de intercepção, e com esta entrega, no final, ficamos com muito mais que uma pequena história. Cria-se aqui uma espécie de comprometimento entre autor e leitor, dar para receber!<br /><br /><br />Existe nos livros da autora, que tive oportunidade de ler, uma componente forte ligada à família. Mas não num sentido restrito ou preso a um conceito tradicional e estereotipado! É a família que Alvin Toffler profetizava na "Terceira Vaga", em que a família era composta por os cônjuges e filhos de casamentos anteriores de ambos além dos próprios, e todos com ligações muito próximas e enraizadas. O conceito intrínseco de família vertido neste livro é muito mais profundo do que qualquer pseudo-convenção da sociedade e trás ao leitor um sentimento de pertença e conforto digno de se dar nota!<br /><br /><br />Quanto às personagens:<br /><br /><br />Não há como não gostar de Rina, a preocupação natural com todos os seus membros. Um coração grande e genuíno que consegue sempre albergar mais um. E a comida que ela faz, meu deus, só de pensar nas refeições narradas deixam-me água na (...)<br /><br />Ler mais em:<br /><a href="http://livrosemarcadores.blogspot.pt/2017/04/opiniao-o-enforcado-de-faye-kellerman.html" rel="nofollow noopener">Opinião: O Enforcado de Faye Kellerman |Livros e Marcadores</a><br />

3,5⭐

It was nice to curl up with old friends, Loo and Rina, and go on one of their adventures. All the kids appeared in the book so that was great, Cindy only made a minor appearance which was good as I find her annoying. <br />This time the Loo has two cases to solve and one is very personal. The cases don't overlap which was a good touch. It didn't make it too cutesy-pie. Both had very intersting solutions and I read rapidly as I didn't want to put it down. <br />The biggest question I have is why Rina puts up with the Loo. He works from the moment he gets up until bedtime. The only time he sees her is for breakfast and when she brings food to the station house. He can't seem to delegate anything. He spent one whole day there as other detectives were searching for jewelry matches. Give it up, Loo, and spend some time with your lovely wife, Rina.

<b>4 Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus Stars<br>* * * * <i>2010 Before Goodreads- On Sale $1.99 Now</i><br>Before Goodreads and Romance Reading in my life...The Kellermans were the bomb. I started with Jonathan Kellerman and when his wife starting writing, I was thrilled to see a woman doing thrillers, etc. </b><br><br>I have read her books about this team and can't remember much about this one...but when I saw it was on sale, it brought back my excitement to see Faye Kellerman's name on a book. <br><br><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/7006959.Hangman__Peter_Decker_Rina_Lazarus___19_" title="Hangman (Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus, #19) by Faye Kellerman" rel="noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401760734l/7006959._SY75_.jpg" alt="Hangman (Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus, #19) by Faye Kellerman" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a> <b>Hangman (Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus, #19)<br><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/586118271">https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...</a><br><br><strong>For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways</strong><br><div> <br><a href="http://starangelsreviews.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"><img alt=" photo banner_zpsb3ab83a0.jpg" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1407612151i/10746470._SX540_.jpg" width="400" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"></a> </div></b>

Faye Kellerman to me is pretty hit and miss. I will pick up one of her books when I know that I won't have much time to concentrate fully on a non-fiction (my preference.) This was a true MISS. Four and five stars -- really folks? It was slowwwwwwww and boring. The details are often irrelevant and trivial (i.e. who cares what Marge is wearing. Faye tells us repeatedly anyway. It doesn't move the plot forward to include those words. It's padding. As is her repeated reference to her claustrophobia) There is much repetition and virtually no action or suspense. To make matters worse the grammar is abyssmal, the typos abound, verb tenses fly all over willy nilly without logic, and please - who "graduates medical school?" They graduate FROM medical school. She AND the copy editors should be embarrassed. A spell check does not substitute for reading the manuscript.<br />The Donatti story line started out with a bang in previous books and this is its wimper.<br />Don't waste your money.

O detective Peter Decker foi, há 15 anos, encarregado do caso de Chris Whitman, um jovem que esteve preso depois de confessar ter assassinado a sua namorada, para proteger a colega de turma Terry McLaughlin. Após a verdade ter sido reposta, Chris foi libertado e casou-se com Terry, que se encontrava gr��vida dele. Agora, Terry voltou e pede um favor a Decker, com quem sempre manteve contacto. Mas a situação complica-se quando, quer Terry quer Chris, desaparecem e deixam o seu filho Gabe, de 14 anos, sozinho. Peter Decker e a sua esposa Rina acabam por acolher Gabe em sua casa, enquanto o inspector investiga o desaparecimento de Terry.<br />Entretanto a jovem enfermeira Adrianna Blanc é encontrada assassinada e Decker e a sua equipa descobrem que, apesar de ser uma boa profissional também gostava de se divertir "à grande". Deste modo, Decker tem que conciliar os dois casos.<br />Foi um livro que me manteve sempre agarrada e que mistura um horrível assassinato com o desaparecimento de uma outra personagem. Com personagens muito bem desenvolvidas e que se tornam bem credíveis, com uma narrativa com muitas reviravoltas e que nos leva a virar páginas atrás de páginas, sem darmos pelo tempo passar.<br />Para além de irmos acompanhando os dois casos de Decker, conhecemos também a sua família e posso dizer que esta interacção familiar foi outro ponto positivo, e que nos permite conhecer melhor as personagens.<br />Gosto de livros assim. Histórias e personagens que poderiam ser reais e foi isso que aconteceu com este livro. Apesar de ter achado a solução do caso de Adrianna um pouquinho rebuscada demais, a verdade é que todo o processo de investigação me pareceu muito credível.<br />Para quem gosta de thrillers e investigações criminais, este livro é uma boa aposta.<br />

It says much for a series author when the reader forgets that the characters aren't real. When I read the flap and learned this was a Chris Donatti novel, I had to think back to when Decker first met him. (Justice) and I mentally reviewed Decker's resume to determine where he was stationed. I was aghast to learn that Hannah was going off to college. I remember when she was born. Scary that these characters are so real, so believable. This was a terrific novel that intertwined a gruesome murder with a missing person, Terry McLaughlin, Chris's wife. She leaves behind a 14 year old son who has no one to turn to except Peter Decker, the one man Terry trusted. Decker turns 60 in this book and was looking forward to retirement. Gabe's unexpected presence is a twist for him. For his part, Gabe isn't a normal 14 year old. He's a piano prodigy and he knows he grew up in absolute disfunctionality. He doesn't want to be a burden but he craves the normality of the Decker household and while he isn't looking for new parents, he appreciates their stability. It's a very complicated series of threads that turned into a fast-paced read.

This book was picked for one of my book clubs.<br />This book was just ok for me. Too many storylines (two to three to be exact) and they didn't relate to each other in the end. The book was too long (400 pages).<br />I actually liked the characters but over all didn't like all the different storylines. ?<br />