Walking Shadows audiobook

Walking Shadows is another brilliantly addictive novel in the Decker/Lazarus series from Faye Kellerman- personally I love this dynamic duo who I’ve followed for years since that very first meeting in book one.Each mystery is intriguing and unpredictable, alongside that we have the family life behind the scenes and one of the things that keeps bringing me back to these books is the solid relationship between Pete and Rina, one we can all aspire to.In this instalment Pete finds a body and gets caught up in a 20 year old case, the resolution of which is blurry at best. Caught between two precincts, politics and cover ups seem to be the order of the day.The plotting is clever, the writing as always is wonderful and returning to Decker’s world is always one of the highlights of my year.Completely recommended as a series.

"Old friends, old friends,Sat on their parkbench like bookends..."--Paul SimonAfter so many years of reading and enjoying the books in this series, the words to that song popped into my head as I started this one. I've followed the adventures of Detective Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus, from the time they met, fell in love and married (beginning, if I recall correctly, with The Ritual Bath in 1986). I loved watching their blended family grow and the interactions between Peter and Rina as she guides their Orthodox Jewish household and offers sage advice to him as he works to solve crimes.Given that expectation, then, I was a bit disappointed with this book, in which Rina plays what to me is a very insignificant role. Yes, she offers some coffee and sympathy when he gets bogged down in as-yet-unsolvable details of the case he's working on, but most of what little on-page time she gets is spent making kosher sandwiches. In all honesty, though, I've said the same for all the other books written since the empty-nesters and grandparents moved from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles to Greenbury, New York, a small, upstate college town (I believe this is the fourth). For both Peter and Rina, that move was supposed to put them in a relatively quiet, relaxing world; but bored with doing nothing, Peter joined the local police force, not really expecting much action. Needless to say, no sooner than he signed on, homicides started happening. This one - the body of a badly beaten young man - is discovered by Peter himself. In part because he lived in nearby Hamilton, there's some clamor over territorial rights, and the Hamilton police chief insists that his daughter, Lenora Baccus ("Lennie") be assigned temporarily to assist Decker and his Greenbury team. As sort of an aside, Lennie formerly worked for the Philadelphia police, specifically with Decker's grown daughter Cindy. Coincidence? Of course not; since Lennie has no idea that Peter is Cindy's father, it adds a couple of pages to the book by allowing him to call Cindy to check up on Lennie's performance since he really doesn't fully trust her or the reason her father lent her to Greenbury.Peter doesn't trust her father's motives, either (nor, for that matter, those of most of the police teams of Hamilton or Greenbury). Some of that distrust may be well-earned; early on, the supposedly squeaky clean victim, Brady Neil, turned out to be involved in criminal activities. Then it was learned that his father, Brandon Gratz, is in jail for the murder of two owners of a local jewelry store. That link, in turn, leads to possible connections to members of the Hamilton police, whose detectives - including Lennie's father - were the lead investigators in the jewelry store murders. The trail also leads Peter and Rina to Florida, where they can spend a few paragraphs visiting both their aging mothers (Ida Decker, Peter's mom, is a spry 94).Actually, the story itself is quite engrossing, but there are way, way too many characters to keep straight; about halfway through, I totally gave up trying, figuring things would sort themselves out in the end (which they did, for the most part). But keeping them all straight was made even more difficult because just about everyone in the cast had a name beginning with a "B" - either first or last. Finally, although most of the loose ends are tidied up by the end, there were a couple of stragglers; I can only assume those will become fodder for the plot of a future book (and yes, I'll be among the first in line to get it). That's because even after my kvetching about this one, Peter and Rina still feel like old friends and people with whom I'd love to sit on a park bench and chat. Oy, the stories we could share!

It does not seem possible that every Decker/Lazarus book is better than the previous one and yet, it is. I have read every one of these books and remain enthralled with them. Rina and Peter are an incredible team.

Another excellent addition to the Decker/Lazarus series. Faye Kellerman really does hit the spot each and every time! 🤗

Walking ShadowsBy Faye KellermanWilliam MorrowAugust 28, 2018Hardcover, 367 pp., $27.99ISBN: 978-0-0624-2498-3Reviewed by Theodore FeitAfter 35 years with the LAPD, Peter Decker took his well-earned pension and a supposedly softer job in a small town in upstate New York. So much for wishes. Now two years later and a homicide in each, he now has a third, when residents complain about vandalism, and a body is discovered in the area. This discovery leads Decker (with the help of his wife Rina Lazarus) on a wild chase involving a 20-year-old double murder and a robbery of a jewelry store in a nearby town.Complicating the task of finding the murderer is the fact that Decker needs the cooperation of the police department of the neighboring town, whose chief of police was the one who made his reputation in solving the old case. Another complication is that the persons convicted of the robbery-murder, one of whom is the father of the victim serving a 20-year term, and providing Decker with no help. It’s kind of hard to believe that Walking Shadows is the 25th novel in the series. I guess it has stood the test of time. Like its predecessors, the novel is a police procedural in which Decker logically solves the crime step by step, applying logic and asking questions, lots of questions.Recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for a review copy of Walking Shadows, the twentyfifth novel to feature Lieutenant Pete Decker and his wife Rina Lazarus, set in the fictional New York State town of Greenbury.Out on another call Decker discovers the body of Brady Neil, an apparently quiet man of twenty six with no known enemies. As he investigates further he discovers that Brady’s dad has been in prison for twenty years after being convicted of armed robbery and murder. Does this have anything to do with Brady’s murder or the disappearance of his best friend, Boxer? Certainly there are anomalies in the case.I thoroughly enjoyed Walking Shadows which is a twisted tale of old crimes casting long shadows. It is certainly true, as other reviewers have commented, that the ending is inconclusive and there are some plot lines that start and just peter out (no pun intended) but rather than being disappointed by it I saw it as more of a positive. It is impossible after twenty years to get the full truth and given both the time and staff constraints in modern policing it makes sense to prioritise what they can investigate and prove so I saw the inconclusiveness as realism. I got my reader satisfaction from Decker’s conclusions which seem smart and logical.The plot itself is interesting with many strands, participants and motives so I found it quite a compulsive read and was feverishly turning the pages to see what was coming next. It is full of mayhem and lies so great stuff.Throughout it all Decker, ably assisted by his sidekick Tyler McAdams, investigates relentlessly with his wife Rina providing the calm, smart advice and occasional research to keep him balanced. The banter between McAdams and Decker is lively and, at times, humourous providing some light relief to the strain and tension of the investigation.Walking Shadows is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I love a good Decker/Lazarus novel, and I think this one delivers. This time Decker ends up fighting over territory with the neighboring Hamilton police, and ends up unearthing a decades-old mystery. Solid contribution to the ongoing series. I was bothered by a couple of things -- the somewhat amusing and somewhat bizarre advertisement for the Alex Delaware series which happens in the middle of the book -- I'm not sure how people would miss that the authors are married, but ok. Also, Reena as unpaid researcher and full confidant is becoming a bit problematic to me, given that Decker is so very hard on his people about not sharing details of the case with anyone, under any circumstances. Speaks to the humanity of the police force, but the scene where she's reading a confidential case file over his shoulder in front of his boss and offering her take seems a bit farfetched. Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.

It was a riot unlike any Peter Decker had ever seen before. More than a dozen senior citizens, dressed in their nightwear and robes, had taken to the street furious because seven of their mailboxes had been knocked over, the third time in two months. The police had installed a camera but one of the men had removed it because his wife didn’t like the way it looked. Decker wandered the area to see what clues of adolescent delinquency he could find in the yards and the woods behind the houses. What he found was the body of a twenty-six-year-old male, killed by someone bashing in his head. He had not been killed there. Decker and Rena had moved from Los Angeles to Greenbury; New York, a small, college town. As one character described it, “ “It’s a decent place, but it’s not exceptional. We’re what politicians call God and gun people.” “Nothing wrong with that.” “I don’t know about that, Detective. With God, it’s a round-trip ticket. The Lord destroys, but the Lord also creates. With guns, it’s strictly a one-way fare.” Decker soon learned the victim was Brady Neil, from the neighboring community, Hamilton. Neil had no criminal record, worked full-time, had few friends, and, it turned out, his father was in jail for a gruesome murder twenty years earlier. He was scheduled to be paroled in the near future. Decker began interviewing Neil’s family and co-workers. He lived in the basement of his mother’s home. She didn’t know much about what he did or where he went but he always had a lot of money. The one coworker, Boxer, with whom he was friends, had stopped coming to work at the time Neil disappeared. Since the body was discovered in Greenbury but the victim lived in Hamilton, Decker realized both police departments would have to cooperate. Hamilton Police Chief, Victor Baccus, agreed as long as his daughter Lenora worked with the team. She had recently left a five-year stint with the Philadelphia Police Department and her father wasn’t confident about her ability. He wanted Decker to check her skills and mentor her. No problem. Yet. Tyler McAdams, Decker and Rena’s long-time friend and current co-worker, thought she was planted there to spy on what Decker was learning. Gregg, the son of the jeweler and his wife, was ten years old when his parents were killed. He was the lone witness and identified Neil’s father as the killer. The father and his partner confessed to the robbery but not the murder. Solving the case made Baccus’s career. When Decker tried to interview him, he was unavailable and would not return calls. While trying to find the motive for Neil’s murder, the hunt for Boxer continued and evidence of his fate showed up. It was in Hamilton and the argument about jurisdiction and who should handle the cases began. There are many possible motives and killers in WALKING SHADOWS. Some possibilities are based on recent events. Others go back two decades. The book has it’s humorous moments. In one case, “She gave him some sliced white meat. Sides were coleslaw and coleslaw.” I noticed one inconsistency: In a free moment, Decker called Rena: Hi, I’‘m in the car. Can I call you back in ten minutes?”“It might not work. I have a lull right now, but I don’t want you to talk while you’re driving.”“Everything okay?”“Just a whole lot of nothing...well, that’s not entirely true.” He told her about Boxer and his disappearing act.” For someone who didn’t want her to talk while driving, he still kept her on the phone. There was also a scene where a man with one arm chained to a table crossed his arms. WALKING SHADOWS kept my attention. The characters are realistic and the story moves forward. For Decker/Lazarus fans, Rena plays a small but important role, much different than the ones she played when they lived in Los Angeles

#25 in the Peter Decker / Rina Lazarus mystery series. This 2018 series entry from author Faye Kellerman brings back a favorite series character but Peter's wife Rina has a smaller than usual role, daughter Cindy is limited to a phone call and their other children don't appear at all. Tyler McAdams, Decker's partner since Murder 101 (2014) feels slighted in his role by the appearance of Lennie Baccus and she provides one of the loose threads at the climax of this less than completely satisfying mystery. Author Kellerman's husband Jonathan, also an author, and his fictional creation, Alex Delaware, are recognized in the course of this novel. The bludgeoned body of Brady Neil, a 26-year-old electronics store employee, surprises Peter Decker, a police detective in Greenbury, N.Y., who had started the evening investigating mailbox vandalism. Since the victim lived in the neighboring town of Hamilton, Decker needs to cooperate with the Hamilton police chief, which means reluctantly accepting the assignment of the chief's daughter, Lennie Baccus, to the case. When Decker learns that Neil's father was doing time for a double homicide, he probes whether the bludgeoning was somehow connected with those murders. More murders follow and the web of conspiracy that started 20 years earlier continues to grow.

Great reading, interesting characters, overall a great book. Would love to read more from Faye Kellerman, I'll have to be on the look-out for her books.

I was a huge fan of this series, but ever since Pete and Rina moved away from L.A., the books have gotten less and less interesting. This one's better though. Maybe we're going back up again! I am loathe to quit, so I hope so.

Mind-raveling, thrilling and suspenseful murder mystery. Kellerman did a superb job of creating a story which reopens a twenty year old murder. Linking two stories was brilliant. I was the whole time trying to figure out who the murderer was, where is the missing person, who is the thief, who are the dirty cops and all the conspiracy theories. Decker is a wonderful detective. He truly thinks outside the box and won't quit until he solves the murders. He does brilliant work and I enjoy his time with his wife and his colleagues. I love the behind the scene life of Decker, you get to experience the real life of a detective. Kellerman knows how to tell a story filled with mystery, thrill and suspense. A captivating story that will make you want to read more books from kellerman.

I was enjoying the book until the author started promoting her husband's series which features Alex Delaware. I thought it was incredibly self-serving. Also there were too many characters and much extraneous detail to pump up the word count. The early Peter Decker books were much better. This was disappointing.

I might as well face it. I'm terrible at reading series of books in order. I skipped straight from The Ritual Bath, the first Decker/Lazarus novel, to this 25th and latest installment – mainly because the paperback was available. Meanwhile, I put in a request at the library for Book 2, Sacred and Profane, so I can get back to canon order again.When I previously looked in on Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, he was an LAPD detective, and divorced father of a teenage girl, investigating serial rapes and the occasional murder; she was a fetching young mother of two small boys, a widow who ran a mikvah (ritual bath) at a yeshiva (Orthodox Jewish community). At the end of that book, it wasn't certain that he, a lapsed Baptist, had any chance of winning over her, a very religious Jew. But there was a gleam of hope. Obviously, that hope was realized, because Book 25 finds them married, sorta-halfway retired in the upstate college town of Greenbury, N.Y. Their nest is empty, unless you count a junior detective with the Greenbury P.D. named Tyler McAdams, who has kind of adopted them and takes every opportunity to invite himself over for dinner. Apparently, this arrangement has been going on for a couple of books, because the Deckers have a bit of history in Greenbury by now. In the grand tradition of "trouble finds him," the veteran homicide cop finds himself dealing with one homicide after another in a town that never had that kind of trouble before. This year's crop of murder starts with a young man from the neighboring, mostly blue-collar town of Hamilton turning up with his skull bashed in just over the Greenbury side of the town line. It hardly seems possible that Brady Neil's death could be unconnected to his father's conviction for the murder of a wealthy Hamilton couple – though the dad, Brandon Gratz, is still safely locked up. Twenty years ago, the Hamilton PD seemingly did a good job catching him and his accomplice. Now, the very fact that Decker is looking into the case puts a lot of backs up – and, quite possibly, puts another killer on the warpath. The result is a convulted mystery in which the integrity of an entire police department comes under scrutiny. Multiple people suffer gruesome deaths. A young cop has her grit tested. A bombing, a hostage situation and some close-quarters combat ensue. I don't mean to spoil anything, but the reader should be prepared for the rather unusual possibility that this time, Peter Decker may not get his man. He'll solve the mystery, sure, but like reality, it won't be neat.

For several years, I have eagerly awaited the latest edition of Faye Kellerman’s Peter and Rina Decker novels. Since my shelves are limited, and I always want to keep the books, I have to wait longer than many readers, for I wait until the books are out in paperback. Less than a month ago, Walking Shadows was released in paperback, and I got it the day it dropped. As soon as I finished what I was reading at the time, I devoured Kellerman’s new book. I loved it. Kellerman is adept at police procedure, and her descriptions of suspenseful moments, food, clothes, and landscapes are spot on. A few years back, she moved Peter and Rina to a small Eastern US town, and I must admit I miss LA and the familiar characters of the series. In the last few books, she has developed new regular characters, while involving others of the older characters briefly. And that helps to stave off the longings for the LA based tales. This one involves a jewelry heist, a few murders, an explosion, and an extremely suspenseful takedown. Along the way, Kellerman ties up the major loose ends while leaving a couple dangling. I suspect she already is planning how to weave those dangling loose ends into her next book. I began reading the novels because I loved the Jewish content. Peter and Rina are still Jewish, of course, and are still observant Jews, but it has been a long time since their being Jewish figured prominently in the plots of the later novels. I wish for that, but if I can’t have it, I wish the next book will feature the new character of Lennie Baccus, for I found her to be intriguing and complex.

Four stars. When Faye Kellerman delivers, she does it in spades. This was a truly riveting read- from the complex and rich murder mystery, to the fantastic cast of characters- Peter, Rina, Tyler, Lennie.... and hey, even Cindy made an appearance! Yay! Kellerman does what she does best- creates an intriguing web of mystery that pulls you in and never let's up, and she upped the ante the further the book progresses. And of course, dialogues and interactions between characters are great- especially between Decker and Tyler- their banter is hilarious at times. Also liked Lennie a lot, and I hope, if there are any more Decker mysteries in the future (which I sincerely hope there are), that she'll make an appearance once more. She's a character with great potential. Also, we need more Cindy!The plot itself, as stated before, is complex, but very intriguing, and very edge-of-your-seat. I really loved how the mystery started at one point- then opened up a can of worms so insidious, and then ends up at a totally different point (yet, still related to the first point). And sure, many of the twists were predictable, but Kellerman's writing really encourages you to build the puzzle in your head and solve it. Four stars. A highly enjoyable read, recommended to both fans and newcomers!

Walking Shadows is the most recent installment in Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker/Rita Lazarus series. I had not read a Faye Kellerman novel in a number of years, and I found this a good mystery, with many interesting characters and plot twists. Kellerman hasn't lost her writing touch.From the Publisher: Detective Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus, risk life and limb to solve a pair of brutal murders that may be tied to a crime from more than twenty years ago in this intense and addictive mystery from New York Times bestselling author Faye Kellerman.On a quiet suburban street in upstate Greenbury, New York, the brutally beaten body of a young man is discovered in the woods adjacent to an empty vacation home. Twenty-six-year-old Brady Neil a resident of the neighboring town of Hamilton, had no criminal record, few friends, worked full-time, and attended community college. But as Detective Peter Decker learns, the clean-cut kid is linked to the criminal world. When Brady was a baby, his father, Brandon Gratz, was convicted of robbing and killing the owners of a local jewelry store. While Gratz and his partner, Kyle Masterson, admitted to the robbery, they swore they left the owners, Glen and Lydia Levine, very much alive.The experienced detective knows there’s more to this homicide case than the records show. As he digs into Gratz’s past, Decker begins to suspect that the son’s murder may be connected to the father’s sins. Before he can put together the pieces, Decker finds out that one of Brady Neil’s friends, Joseph Boch—aka Boxer—has gone missing. Heading to Boch’s house with his temporary new partner, Hamilton PD cop Lenora Baccus, they discover a bloodbath.Who would savagely kill two innocent men—and why? Finding the answers will require all of Decker’s skill and knowledge, the help of his fellow Greenbury detectives, Tyler McAdams and Kevin Butterfield, and information gleaned from his wife Rina’s behind the scenes investigation to put all the pieces of this deadly puzzle together . . . and see justice done.