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The latest mystery out from Faye Kellerman (one half of the best-selling Kellerman
writing couple --- Jonathan is her husband) is a first-class Beach Read.
My reasons?
One, I read so much of it while sitting on the beach that my shoulders burned And with the
sunscreen I wear, I don't burn easily!
Two, I love mysteries in large part because I want to be kept in suspense as long as
possible, but I am usually able to guess the who in whodunits before it's disclosed. In
PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD, I didn't know until Kellerman wanted me to know. It's a thrill when
a book can keep me hanging until the end, as this one did.
The story: A celebrated heart surgeon, Dr. Azor Moses Sparks, opens this book performing
his miracles in the operating room. As a Fundamentalist Christian, he invokes God as the
patient goes under and requests that she pray with him. Her last thoughts: "Grace
felt herself going under. No longer was her health in her hands. It was up to Sparks. It
was up to God. At that moment, they were one and the same."
Next chapter: The police lieutenant receives an urgent call at home to come to the scene
of a crime.
The victim? Dr. Azor Moses Sparks. He's found stabbed and shot in the seat of his car,
parked in the back of a trendy restaurant. Kellerman wittily describes the brutally
murdered body as "An abattoir. Jackson Pollock in shades of red and
brown."
Now the obvious question: Whodunit? The possibilities range far and wide There
are Sparks's six adult children and wife (all of whom inherit a lot of money at his
death), his jealous colleagues in a pharmaceutical deal, and his weekend warrior friends
--- some rough-and-tumble outlaw bikers. This motley crew contains many people with
possible motives, allowing Kellerman to weave dead ends and leads throughout the story,
concealing the final clues until the very end.
PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD is Kellerman's latest installment of her series starring Peter Decker
(a police lieutenant) and his Orthodox Jewish wife, Rina Lazarus. Their honesty and moral
fiber (seriously!) help to separate this book from other mysteries. The level of
thoughtfulness, intelligence and complexity of these characters makes them believable ---
and makes you want to know them. The relationship between husband and wife informs the
plot of the book (she's a long lost friend/lover? of Sparks's priest son) as much as it
shapes the story's moral grounding.
If you're able to figure out who the murderer is earlier than I was --- or even if you're
clueless, too --- I'd love to hear from you. Happy reading!
Most importantly, come ask Faye Kellerman questions when she appears at THE BOOK REPORT
next Wednesday, October 2 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. Pacific. For now, read a little bit more
about her in the Author Guest section.
--- Jennifer Levitsky (BookpgJL), for THE BOOK REPORT
© Copyright 1996-2008, Bookreporter.com. All rights reserved.
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