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The Mercedes Coffin:
A Decker and Lazarus Book

Faye Kellerman
HarperCollins (2008)
ISBN 9780061227332
Reviewed by Tina Avon for RebeccasReads (9/08)

I have read all of Faye and Jonathan's novels over the years and have, for the most part, always thoroughly enjoyed them.  This most recent book by Faye Kellerman, entitled The Mercedes Coffin, left me both thrilled and confused.  As always, Kellerman brings back the familiar characters that we love so much.  I have come to feel comforted by the presence of Peter Decker; he just projects an air of efficiency and calmness around him and I love reading him.  Of course, the rest of the cast is back again, including Rina Lazarus.

Peter is asked to reopen a fifteen-year old cold case that seems eerily similar to a murder that has just occurred.  The murder victims were both found dead in the trunk of their Mercedes. Peter is under the gun to get this resolved as quickly as possible, because someone with money and power is pulling all the strings.  Speaking of someone with money, I thought that the character of Genoa was a very nice addition to the storyline and she also ended up being a very interesting character.

The storyline speeds along nicely, and I found myself totally involved and zipping right along until I got through about two thirds of the book.  At this point, I felt Kellerman had added so many characters to her storyline that I needed a crib sheet just to follow along. I managed to read through to the satisfying end, but I have to say that I would not be capable of describing all of the characters in this novel, and I would certainly not be able to tell you how each one interacted with the others.

Unfortunately, this novel did get a little bogged down for me towards the end.  This did not remove from the bang-up ending, but did remove some of my enjoyment from the storyline.  I must say that I was thrilled that Rina's presence was kept to a minimum in this novel. Although I love Faye Kellerman's books, I read them because of the Decker character, NOT because of the Lazarus character, which I often find bossy and somewhat irritating.

This is a good thriller; I do not think that Faye Kellerman is incapable of writing a bad one, but be warned that you will need to really focus and concentrate on this one.

 

     

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