The Lost Boys audiobook

I was a devout acolyte of Faye Kellerman’s early Decker and Lazarus books. The Ritual Bath (1986) is, to me, one of the greatest first mysteries ever. In it, Peter Decker, an LAPD detective, encounters the orthodox Jewish Rina Lazarus after a rape and murder at her neighborhood mikvah, or ritual bath. Improbably, the two eventually get married and the series, now 26 books long, is a strong one. The early books were marked by intensity of character discovery, intensity of violence, and Kellerman’s propulsive narrative skill.All these many books later, Peter and Rina have aged into a comfortable old married couple with many children and grandchildren, and Peter has retired from the LAPD and taken on a “retirement” job as a detective in upstate New York. I have found through reading many writers who were almost excessively violent in early books – Karin Slaughter and Val McDermid come to mind – that as the authors age, the violence becomes less extreme. In the cases of all of these talented writers I stuck with the books, because all of them are extremely well written.And what hasn’t changed are the wonder of Kellerman’s main characters. All these years later, I love them as much as I did in my first encounter. Rina is that almost perfect woman who isn’t annoying (unlike say, Susan Silverman in the Robert Parker books). Peter is kind – a kind husband and father, and a kind mentor to his present partner, Tyler McAdams, a recent law school grad who is figuring out his life. Rina and Peter are always worth a visit just on their own.What also hasn’t changed is Kellerman’s sure hand with narrative. She sets up her story with a good hook. A developmentally disabled man, Bertram Telemann, has disappeared from a scheduled field trip set up by the home he lives in. The group had gone into the woods to hike and a head count on the bus home comes up one short.While looking for Bertram, the police come across some older bones, and a cold case comes into play. Ten years ago, three college students had disappeared on a camping trip in the woods and were never heard from again. Sadly, the bones discovered turn out to belong to one of the missing boys, and Peter and his partner begin to unravel the case. Kellerman has such a sure hand she’s able to unspool both stories almost simultaneously, though the story of the boys takes front and center as Decker and his partner reach out to the parents of the missing boys to help them understand what happened.Decker announces a change toward the end of the book that made me think this was a series wrap up, but Kellerman leaves a thread to unravel in a future story at the end of the book. She also lays out a possible new direction for the series. Either way this was a book that flew through my reading fingers far too quickly. It also made me remember and appreciate all the reasons I love this series.

Not one but three plots take place simultaneously in this, the 26th book featuring former LAPD detective Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus. I've followed them from the beginning, right through their not-so-long-ago move from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles to the far more laid-back community of Greenbury in upstate New York. There, missing the challenges of detective work but the day-to-day danger not so much, Decker has joined the local police.The first plot centers on Bertran Lanz, a thirty-something man with social disabilities, who disappears from his local residential group home. The second involves a body that turns up, literally, in a remote woods and appears to be connected to the decade-old disappearance of three college students. The third hits closer to home as Gabriel, Peter and Rina's foster son and a successful classical pianist, returns home to say his on-again, off-again birth mother is in trouble and needs help.Decker and his partner, Tyler McAdams, land the assignment to find the missing man. Soon, it becomes apparent that he had help disappearing - perhaps from a former nurse at the residential facility. That angle takes a strange turn, though, when the nurse seems to have vanished as well, possibly not of her own accord.The case of the dead college student, of course, has long gone cold; but it's a good bet his death was a homicide, so Decker and McAdams begin to unearth clues that might lead investigators to find the other two young men. Readers follow along as the detectives locate and interview parents and others who may have information that will reveal what happened all those years ago.Gabe's situation, for the most part, ends up in Rina's hands. As his foster mother, he trusts her - and she's well acquainted with his wacky birth mother and dangerous (somewhat estranged) father, a mobster who oversees a prostitution empire and is well known for killing people who get in his way. If there's an issue, it's that only one of the three plots comes full circle to a conclusion; the other two are pretty much left swinging in the wind (one more than the other, and no, my lips are sealed). Besides that, a new twist on the future of Rina and Peter's life is introduced - no doubt signaling a new direction for future books. Overall, though, it's another enjoyable entry in a favorite series.

A nice visit with old friendsOnce a homicide detective, always a homicide detective. Even in the small, upstate New York college town, Decker keeps being entangled in complex murder investigations. He discusses cases with his wife, and listens to what she says.Lost Boys is about a cold case and a missing persons case that are apparently unconnected. As Decker pursues the answers, he still has an interesting life swirling around him. At almost 70 years old, he has grandchildren and a zest for adventure. So he sets out to buy an old house in Israel, a fixer-upper he plans to do himself. Meanwhile the biological mother of his foster son, a renowned pianist, is embroiled in a nasty divorce and custody battle for the half-siblings of his foster son. In earlier books, he was always fixing up a ranch he owned in Los Angeles, so we know he knows how to do it, but he also knows all that could go wrong. After he thinks both his cases are over and done with, he heads for Israel with his wife to buy the house, but it is soon clear none of these matters are really settled. I don’t think Decker will ever retire, even though he did it once and looks like he’s thinking about it again. Start with Book One where Decker meets Rina, widowed with two sons. See if you think he’ll retire.

Loved this book. The characters are so real. You’re drawn into the story and mystery. Had a hard time putting it down.

I have read all the books in this series and I like how the author has the characters maturing into new stages of their lives. There were actual several mysteries to solve and a new mystery started which will probably be in the next book in the series.

** spoiler alert ** When Bertram Telemann, a mentally challenged man, goes missing form a diner in Greenbury, a search ensues to find the man. But he's vanished without a trace. As the case into a missing persons case, Detective Peter Decker and his partner Tyler McAdams are brought in to investigate. But the more Decker learns about the case and Bertram, the more he realizes that nothing is as it seems, and that Bertram hasn't just lost his way or wasn't even kidnapped- could the man have planned his disappearance? And then a nurse who worked at the home Bertram resigned in, goes missing as well, and a pool of blood is found in her house, while Bertram's girlfriend, Kathrine, is also missing, seemingly by her own volition. But things get even more complicated for Peter when a body is found in the wounds while looking for Bertram, a body that relates to a cold case from ten years ago- three students who went camping and then completely disappeared. Peter and Tyler reopen the case when the body is identified as one of the missing students, and they find themselves deal with yet another complicated case. And if that's not enough, Peter and Rina's foster son is summoned to New-York by his biological mother, Theresa- who abandoned him to the Deckers 10 years ago- with her two children in tow, having fled from her Indian husband, who's deep in depth from his gambling habits, and to pay at least half of debt, he agreed to marry his 11 year daughter to a 60+ old man. But is she really telling the truth, or does she have a hidden agenda?It's too bad this novel had to end, because it was absolutely awesome. It was well worth the 3 year wait for this novel, and as always, it's always great to spend time with the Deckers and their clan. It's amazing how Decker and Rina continue to develop and grow, even now, as Decker is nearing his 70's birthday (and maybe even retirement?!). But it's something I've already come to expect from Kellerman, and she usually does so perfectly, and that's character development. Her characters never stand still and always evolve; Always three dimensional and never lifeless and doll. It was also great to get reacquainted with Theresa, who, as always, manages to find herself in some sort of trouble, one way or another. She has definitely has changed since "Justice", but she still seems to attract problems to herself. (And I really do hope she's okay- guess we'll find out in the next installment). And it seems that Chris has also changed- still the hard man, but it wasn't a surprise to realize that at the end, as much as he was angry and resentful towards Theresa, deep down, he still loves her (though I know his motivations aren't pure. They can never be pure). The plot itself- the missing case and the cold case- were gripping. It was fast paced, and while it was mostly police procedural- never dull or boring- but exciting. The tension is build quietly, like a crescendo, build up and intensifies up until the very satisfying end. I did, however, expected a bit more from the Bertram case, but it did seem to reach its logical conclusion. I really do hope we won't have long for the next Decker/Lazarus installment. "The Lost Boys" us not the best of the series, but it's definitely one of the best, and it proves, once again, why Faye Kellerman is such a popular and talented author. If you're a long-time fan of her and this series, you in for one fun, fast-paced, thrilling ride. Don't miss out!

** spoiler alert ** I still have a tendency to forget that these characters aren't real. After 26 books I feel as though I know them intimately and I really like them. Peter is still a detective in Greenbury, NY. His first case is that of a missing at-risk adult. Bertram Telemann went missing while on a field trip from the Loving Care Home. There is no trace of him anywhere and the case becomes a missing persons case. During the course of the investigation remains of a body is found, partially buried, about 10 years old. Suddenly Peter and his sidekick, Tyler McAdams, are hip deep in a cold-case involving 3 missing college students 10 years earlier. To complicate matters, Decker's foster son Gabe has come home to ask Rina for help. His mother is in New York with his half-siblings, and wants to meet with him. He doesn't want to go alone. Decker is concerned that she is going to dump the two little kids on them and they are too old to be raising a young family. Gabe suspects something similar, he just doesn't know why. He has never quite forgiven his mother for dumping him with the Deckers even if it was the best possible thing that could have happened to him. As Decker begins to close in on the solution in the cold case, a resolution of sorts to the missing persons case, and answers in the case of Gabe's mother, he also starts to reevaluate what he wants to be doing with his life. He and Rina purchase some property in Jerusalem. A real fixer-upper, which Decker plans on fixing up. I suspect the next book may be set in Jerusalem. You really can't take the detective out of the man. I thoroughly enjoyed this and only wish there had been more time to visit with all the children and grandchildren!

4.5 Stars I haven't read this author or this series in years sod I jumped at the chance to read this ARC. I remembered how much I loved the earlier books in this series. With this book, I swear I'm going to re-read the ones I own and buy the rest!It is nice to see an author who has written 26 books in a series show that her characters age. So with this book, Peter is (I think) 70. His character has slowed down, but that doesn't mean the mysteries have become less complicated. I was amazed at how much went on in this book. It was more footwork and questioning and less action, but that is okay with me.This book deals with one ten-year-old killing, one missing person case, and an issue with Peter and Rina's foster son and his mother.I thought for sure that this would be the last book in this series, for reasons I won't go into because they would be spoilers. But the last few pages make me think this is not so, and this book actually ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Because I've been away from this series for so long, this may be the norm for Ms.Kellerman now.I really enjoyed this book, and as I said at the beginning of this review, I am now going to take the time to read the books I have and buy and read the ones I don't have.

This entry in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series has Peter and his partner Tyler working a couple of different cases. One involved a missing young man with some unspecified mental disability who disappeared from an outing with his residence cohort. The other is a cold case involving 3 young men who went missing during a camping trip outside of town ten years ago. It has been reopened because one set of bones has been found and is subsequently identified as one of the three. The two cases keep Peter and Tyler busy traveling and interviewing people involved with both cases. There is a third thread involving Gabe, Peter and Rina's foster son, whose errant mother is back looking for favors from Gabe, who she left with Peter and Rina when he was 14. Each of the two mysteries were interesting, but the ending was a little abrupt. Still, I do like this series. One amusing note was when someone recommends the Jonathan Kellerman mystery series to Peter. Jonathan Kellerman is, of course, Faye's husband.

Kept me reading! I’d give it 3-1/2 stars. Not quite as good as some of her other books.Three separate storylines-cold case, missing persons case, and their foster sons family drama… only one was resolved… then a surprise decision seemed to come out of nowhere. Makes me wonder what’ll happen with the next book. I was worried this could be the last one but the cliffhanger ending gives me hope…A couple of things bothered me— a comment about an all female college accepting those born female or “chose” to be female. That didn’t seem very thoughtful. Trans doesn’t seem to be a choice-maybe surgery is a choice but gender identity not so much. An offhand comment about COVID and a maga hat seemed thrown in after the fact to make it more timely. Stuck out for me!I’ll let reading the series for sure. Can’t wait to see what happens with the decision and travel!

All mystery writers take note, this is Kellerman's 26th book in this series and not once has Rina and Peter Decker saved the world from destruction, kept a Pope, President or other world leaders (or multiple leaders at the same time) from being killed.I love this series because the stories are small - solving a murder, a kidnapping, a disappearance while we enjoy our heroes' lives and get to better know their family and friends. Tolstoy's 'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." does not resonate with me. The Deckers are happy in their own way and I enjoy the slice of their unique happiness I see. (Just like Louise Penny's Armand Gamache and family are basically happy in their own way.) Well done angst may resonate with me, but I like people who have made satisfying lives.Kellerman keeps the series moving with changes of jobs/venues, passage of time and other realities we all experience.A one or two day read but an effort that I totally enjoyed.

I love this series, especially the relationship between Peter and Tyler as the old and new detectives along with Peter, Rina, and their family. Interesting this time how a missing person case leads to a ten year old case. A very different ending with all the cliffhangers, hope the next part to this follows quickly!

My first 2021 published book and it was a good one. Love this series and good to see all my favorite characters back, their relationships growing and the family dynamic still there in the Decker/Lazarus extended household. A double mystery with a recently missing man and a cold case of 3 lost college students. Well paced and enjoyable.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed reading this and thought the cases were interesting, but marked down because of the cliff-hanger ending.