The Ritual Bath: The First Decker/Lazarus Novel (Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus Book 1)

Great introduction to the main characters in what will become the lives/family Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. Rich Jewish traditions with explanations that blend seamlessly into the storyline. Not sure at some points in the story whether I enjoyed the education of Jewish customs or the investigation of the assaults on the closed community.

This was a great book and had interesting cultural and religious themes along with the crime story. The author made the characters come to life.

NO SPOILER ALERTS HERE. THIS IS A REVIEW, NOT A SYNOPSIS.The Ritual Bath, a mikvah, is used by orthodox Jews to ritually cleanse their bodies and souls. It is performed by immersing one's entire body into a pool of running (as opposed to stagnant) water and chanting prayers.That hardly seems to be a place where danger lurks, yet, Kellerman uses the locale to introduce the reader to many of the features of her writing. First, she employs Hebrew words, foreign to most of us. These seamlessly explain customs, holidays, and rituals. To her credit, they don't interfere with the dialogue that she skillfully writes. Second, her protagonists can seemingly never have a relationship. Rina is a modern orthodox Jew. Peter is a gentile Los Angeles police detective. Third, the author turns an implausible idea into reality. (No plot giveaways here. (Read and enjoy it for yourself.) Next, being set in L.A., an enormous metropolitan area, allows us to accept the diversity of cultures within the plot. Last, Kellerman's use of opposites creates the right amount of tension between her protagonists.Some mystery writers, such as Lee Child, write page-turners that are impossible to put down. While Kellerman's plot turns, it lacks this edgy excitement throughout the book. The dénouement, however, is well done. She has more than one potential antagonist for us and the ending is surprising.The portrayal of the main female character, Rina Lazarus, is strong. The author has given her a firm voice. We can picture her, she rings true. It is Peter Decker, the male protagonist, who is not fully developed. He is somewhat like the TV detective Peter Falk played on the Columbo series decades ago. At face value he is a less dimensional personality than Rina. But, like that TV detective, there is more to Peter than we initially see.As a first in a lengthy series, The Ritual Bath is a good introduction for the reader. We learn about the characters. Who they are, what their value systems and beliefs are, and how they meet. This back story is essential in understanding their motivations. If you like serial writing and enjoy the familiarity of characters and settings, this story is a good place to start.

"The Ritual Bath," Faye Kellerman's debut novel introducing the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series won the 1987 Mcavity Award for Best First Mystery.Detective Peter Decker is called to investigate a vicious rape in a remote Orthodox Jewish Community in the California hills outside of Los Angeles. One of the women was brutally attacked as she walked home from the mikvah, the bathhouse where the cleansing ritual is performed. Rina Lazarus, the lovely young widow who discovered the victim, acts as an intermediary between Decker and the yeshiva, (a Jewish religious seminary), students and their families who are suspicious of outsiders.Decker is also working on a case involving a brutal serial rapist with a foot fetish, who operates in an area near the yeshiva. It is a possibility that this psychopath, called the Foothill rapist, is the attacker. Or the perpetrator(s) could be a gang of teen thugs who have been responsible for anti-Semitic vandalism and violence in the past. And then there are suspects who are members of the religious community itself. From the first, it is clear that further assaults of a similar nature are more than likely to occur. The next incident, on the yeshiva grounds, is a horrific murder. As evidence accumulates, it appears that Rina is the psychopath's primary target.Rina is a beautiful woman both outside and in. The mother of two young sons, she lost her husband, a brilliant seminary scholar, at a very young age. She is now in her late twenties and maintains the mikvah, as well as teaches mathematics, to support herself and her boys. She has not had much contact with men since her husband's untimely death, and although she and Decker are very much drawn to each other from the first, she refuses to involve herself with a man who is not an Orthodox Jew. Rina had a secular upbringing and chose to become an observant Jewess when she married.The author deftly handles the workings of various intense personal relationships and crime solving with apparent ease. As with the other Kellerman books I read, her characters are her strength. They are truly three-dimensional and their dialogue is extremely realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, the humanity of the characters, and details of the Orthodox Jewish customs and lifestyle.Her mysteries are solid. No loose threads are left behind. I plan to read more of this excellent author's work and highly recommend it to others.JANA

It took a bit to get into the jewish nature of the story I found it a really good read and intend read the series book by book,

I have read a lot of Peter and Rina stories and it was really interesting to finally discover how they first met. It was a well written book with lots of interesting surprises. Thank you Faye for these addictive tales that I can't put down.

Read like an American police TV show from the 80's - hardly surprising given the book's vintage. I hope the next few in the series are more engaging.

This was a book that held my interest until the very last page. Like all Faye Kellerman novels, I have no hesitation in recommending it.

Always loved FAY Kellerman books. So instructive and full of Jewish faith. This book was exciting, nerve wracking, and an excellent reading. Highly recommended.