Dr. Azor Moses Sparks is an extremely esteemed heart surgeon, a devout fundamentalist Christian, a cyclist, a friend of biker gangs; a friend to all. Until he is found dead in an alley with his chest ripped open, that is. Where does one go to begin in the investigation of a man who had no enemies? Lt. Peter Decker starts with the man's family, which he discovers is large and filled with strife and unstable characters. He also finds some problems in his own affairs, mostly involving religious beliefs--his own, those of his Orthodox Jewish wife and those of a Roman Catholic priest who plays a prominent role in the multilayered thriller.

From Publishers Weekly
Powerful, assured and absorbing, Kellerman's ninth Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus (Sanctuary; Justice) mystery begins with the brutal murder and mutilation of renowned heart surgeon, researcher and fundamentalist Christian Azor Sparks. LAPD Lieutenant Decker gets the call. He also gets an abundance of suspects. First there is Sparks's large family: his wife, Dolores, and six adult children, including triplets (Paul, Luke and Abram, a Catholic priest), and their assorted spouses. Then there are the victim's surgical and research colleagues and his unlikely biking buddies. Religion and morality are integral to Kellerman's mysteries?built on the bedrock of the Deckers' orthodox Judaism. Here she deftly casts her net around the commanding victim, whose shadow lay equally over family and colleagues, and his son, the theologian Father Abram, whose past connection with Rina may force Decker off the case. Human strengths and frailties, decisions made or not made and mistakes overcome or yet to be reckoned with provide the material that Decker must sift through to find the murderer. As his competent staff (Marge Dunn among them) launch their probes in all directions, they uncover a catalogue of motives that may relate to Sparks's murder and to another that follows. Kellerman succeeds brilliantly in making the search for understanding as compelling as the search for the murderer. 100,000 first printing; audio rights to Brilliance. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Kellerman's latest offering continues the story of Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, an L.A. detective and his beautiful wife. Someone has murdered Azor Sparks, noted heart surgeon, and Peter must discover the motive and the murderer. Was the motive greed, ambition, random violence, or love gone wrong? Was the murderer one of Sparks's colleagues, or one of his family? And what is the connection between Rina and Sparks's son Abram? Kellerman (Justice, Morrow, 1995) offers another handsomely crafted work, full of twists and turns that keep the reader on edge to the last page. Highly recommended for all fiction collections.-?Katherine Holmes, Eckerd College Library, St. Petersburg, FLCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Publishers Weekly
Powerful, assured and absorbing, Kellerman's ninth Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus (Sanctuary, Justice) mystery begins with the brutal murder and mutilation of renowned heart surgeon, researcher and fundamentalist Christian Azor Sparks. LAPD Lieutenant Decker gets the call. He also gets an abundance of suspects.... Religion and morality are integral to Kellerman's mysteries -- built on the bedrock of the Deckers' orthodox Judaism. Here she deftly casts her net around the commanding victim, whose shadow lay equally over family and colleagues, and his son, the theologian Father Abram, whose past connection with Rina may force Decker off the case. Human frailties, decisions made or not made and mistakes overcome or yet to be reckoned with provide the material that Decker must sift through to find the murderer.... Kellerman succeeds brilliantly in making the search for understanding as compelling as the search for the murderer.

The New York Times Book Review, Marilyn Stasio
The author has no trouble tapping into those domestic tensions that can turn ugly and cruel, even murderous.

From Booklist
Kellerman, one of crime fiction's most popular authors, has done it again. Her latest Rina Lazarus/Pete Decker mystery will extend her hot streak. It begins when L.A. cop Pete Decker is called to the scene of a grisly crime where the mutilated body of renowned heart surgeon Azor Sparks has been found. The nonsmoking, churchgoing, family-man doctor, it turns out, wasn't nearly as perfect as he would have had his adoring public believe. He had plenty of enemies, even among his own family members. The case gets personal when Decker finds, to his dismay, that his own wife has had a long and--to Decker--oddly unsettling association with the Sparks family that may impact the case. With his usual painstaking persistence, Decker follows all the leads and finally arrives at the bizarre and shocking truth. Skilled writing, an intriguing plot, and Kellerman's deft and oh-so-subtle exploration of family dynamics make this a winner all round. Headed for big sales? You bet! Buy plenty. Emily Melton

From Kirkus Reviews
For a man who often seemed to be presenting himself as God, Dr. Azor Moses Sparks met an unusually ignominious end, shot and slashed to death in the car parked in the alley behind Tracadero's restaurant. Now, everywhere Lt. Peter Decker looks, he finds riddles about the discrepancy between the gifted heart surgeon's exalted reputation and the reality of his life. Why does his large family--his wife, four sons, and two daughters- -seem more shocked than grief-stricken at the news of his death? Why did Sparks spend his weekends riding with a motorcycle gang headed by toughs named Grease Pit and Sidewinder? Why did the outspoken fundamentalist keep flamboyantly gay Dr. Reginald Decameron on his staff at New Christian Hospital? Why were the latest reports on Curedon, the anti-rejection medicine Sparks had pioneered for transplant patients, seem suddenly so much more encouraging than previous trials, and why did Decameron swipe the Curedon data from Sparks's fax? And--since Decker's own family won't be spared from the maelstrom of Sparks's murder--what's the connection between Sparks's enigmatic son Abram, who turned his back on his father's fundamentalism to become a Catholic priest, and Decker's wife Rina Lazarus? Plotting as sumptuously as P.D. James, Kellerman (Justice, 1995, etc.) uses the fashionable issues of homosexuality, religious differences, and medical ethics to reach the tormented humanity at the core of the all-too-well-named Sparks family. (First printing of 100,000) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


"Brilliant and stunning...fast-paced and well written...Kellerman proves once again that she is a master storyteller. It's a real gem."


"No one working in the crime genre is better."


"Powerful, assured and absorbing...Kellerman succeeds brilliantly in making the search for understanding as compelling as the search for the murderer."


"Her best work. It would be a sin to miss it."


"First-rate...fascinating...an unusually well-written detective story."

Book Description
The brutal murder of Dr. Azor Sparks in an alley behind a restaurant is greeted with public outrage and a demand for swift, sure justice. But the investigation into the well-known surgeon's death is raising too many questions and providing too few answers for homicide detective Lieutenant Peter Decker.Why, for example, would the family of a man so beloved respond to his slaying with more surprise than grief? And what linked a celebrated doctor with strict fundamentalist beliefs to a gang of outlaw bikers? But the most unsettling connection of all is the one that ties the tormented Sparks family to Peter Decker's own -- and the secrets shared by a renegade Catholic priest...and Decker's wife, Rina Lazarus.

From the Publisher
10 1.5-hour cassettes

About the Author
Faye Kellerman introduced L.A. cop Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus, to the mystery world fifteen years ago. Since then she has published twelve Decker/Lazarus novels, the most recent being the New York Times bestseller Stalker. She is also the author of Moon Music, a contemporary thriller set in Las Vegas, and The Quality of Mercy, a historical novel of Elizabethan England. Kellerman lives in California with her husband, noted author Jonathan Kellerman, and their four children, three dogs, and fish too numerous to count.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The brutal murder of celebrated heart surgeon Azor Sparks brings with it shock, public outrage, and a demand for answers. Immediately, Lieutenant Peter Decker and his crack team of homicide detectives begin working overtime to unravel the mystery. But the deeper they probe, the more murky the case grows. Sparks's wife and six adult children stand to inherit a sizable fortune. Vicious backbiting among jealous colleagues raises questions about the dead surgeon's pharmaceutical research. Outlaw bikers with their own agenda suddenly show up at Sparks's funeral. And Decker's investigation is further complicated by the resurrection of old secrets from his wife's past.

FROM THE CRITICS

Lorenzo Carcattera

Her best work. It would be a sin to miss it.

Baltimore Sun

No one working in the crime genre is better.

Los Angeles Times Book Review

First-rate...fascinating...an unusually well-written detective story.

Baltimore Sun

No one working in the crime genre is better.

Chatanooga Free Press

Brilliant and stunning...fast-paced and well written...Kellerman proves once again that she is a master storyteller. It's a real gem. Read all 11 "From The Critics" >

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING