Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
Jupiter's Bones
Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Faye Kellerman
Class/Genre: Mystery Ethnic Police Procedural
Series: Peter Decker / Rina Lazarus # 11
Morrow, Aug 1999, Morrow, $25.00, 375 pp.
Over two decades ago, cosmologists and astrophysicists held Dr. Emil Euler Ganz in very high esteem as one of the leading lights of his field. Ganz finally resurfaces ten years after vanishing. His new name is Father Jupiter and he heads the Order of the Rings of God cult. For the next fifteen years, Jupiter dictatorially led his followers. Though aging and his alcohol-drug related death seems like a suicide, the autopsy reveals the possibility of murder through arsenic poisoning.
Los Angeles Police Department Detective Peter Decker begins an investigation to determine whether foul play actually occurred. However, before he can get deeply into the case, two more of the leaders suddenly die. Law enforcement officials conclude a serial killer is on the loose inside the cult's compound. As the cult's current leader Brother Bob holds police and FBI at bay with the threat of killing everyone, including the children, Decker wonders what to do next to save the lives of the innocent.
The Decker police procedurals are some of the best on the market today. Peter remains a complete character who struggles with an ugly work scenario while trying to be a loving father and husband. The story line nears greatness when it focuses on the police inquiries and their struggle with the cult. The plot bogs down when it turns to a lesson on physics that detours the crisp tale to a near standstill. Overall, Faye Kellerman gives readers an entertaining novel that borders on excellence when the reader skips the lectures on physics.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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