Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #1], (The Ritual Bath) [hc, Arbor House, 1986] 978-0877957713 [pb, Headline Feature, 1996] 978-0747255918
United States · Fiction author
Faye Kellerman
Faye Kellerman (born 1952, St. Louis, MO) - In her novels, particularly the long-running Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series, Jewishness is an essential narrative engine that provides cultural depth, drives character development, and offers a unique perspective on the mystery genre. The role of Jewishness is characterized by several key elements:
Integration of Religious Observance: Unlike many procedurals, Kellerman’s work portrays Orthodox Jewish life as a lived daily reality. Characters frequently observe Shabbat, keep kosher, and participate in community rituals like the mikveh (ritual bath), which often serves as a setting for plot developments.
Dual Perspectives on Faith: The series explores Judaism through two distinct lenses:
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- Rina Lazarus: Represents deep-rooted tradition as a born-Orthodox woman.
- Peter Decker: A detective raised as a Baptist who discovers his Jewish biological heritage and eventually converts, providing a “convert’s eye view” that helps explain Jewish concepts to readers.
A “Kosher Hybridity”: Scholars describe her work as a form of “kosher hybridity,” where the tropes of the American police procedural (order, justice, violence) are synthesized with Jewish ethical values and communal concerns.
Setting as Character: Many novels take place in specialized Jewish environments, such as yeshivas (religious schools), Hasidic communities, or Israel. These settings often present unique jurisdictional or cultural challenges for the investigators.
Humanizing the Community: Kellerman uses her fiction to make Orthodox Jewry accessible and respectful to a mainstream audience, intentionally avoiding stereotypes while exploring complex internal conflicts, such as the tension between religious law and secular justice.
Historical and Mythical Exploration: Beyond the contemporary Decker/Lazarus series, Kellerman has explored Jewishness in historical contexts, such as The Quality of Mercy, which features a secret Jew in Elizabethan England and reimagines the origins of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.
Kellerman, herself an Orthodox Jew, views this integration as a natural outgrowth of her personal identity rather than a political statement, aiming to entertain while providing an authentic look at Jewish life. [Google/AI]
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #2], (Sacred and Profane) [hc, Arbor House, 1987] 978-0877958871 [pb, Ballantine Books, 1994] 978-9999980562
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #3], (Milk and Honey) [hc, Wlliam Morrow, 1990] 978-0688086039 [mass mkt pb, Fawcett, 1991] 978-0449147283
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #4], (Day of Atonement) [hc, Willaim Morrow, 1991] 978-0688086046 [pb, Headline Feature, 1991] 978-0747234319
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #5], (False Prophet) [hc, Willaim Morrow, 1992] 978-0688105532 [pb, Fawcett, 1993] 978-0449148983
Kellerman, Faye [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #6] (Grievous Sin: A Gripping Suspense Thriller of Murder, Fear, and Justice in a Hospital Where a Newborn Vanishes) [hc, Willaim Morrow, 1993] 978-0688105549 [pb, Headline Feature, 1993] 978-0747241188
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #7], (Sanctuary) [hc, William Morrow, 1994] 978-0688046125 [pb, Headline Feature, 1995] 978-0747247029
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #8], (Justice: A Dark Crime Thriller of Murder, Conspiracy, and Corruption in Affluent Southern California) [hc, William Morrow, 1995] 978-0688046132 [pb, Headline Feature, 1996] 978-0747249498
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #9], (Prayers for the Dead: A Crime Thriller Where Homicide Detective Investigation Reveals Family Secrets That Complicate the Hunt for Justice) [hc, William Morrow, 1996] 978-0688143671 [pb, Headline Book Publishing, 1997] 978-9999983372
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #10], (Serpent’s Tooth) [hc, Willaim Morrow, 1997] 978-0688143688 [pb, Headline Feature, 1998] 978-0747252306
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #11], (Jupiter’s Bones: A Dark LAPD Thriller Where Lieutenant Peter Decker Investigates a Cult’s Deadly Secrets and Missing Child) [hc, William Morrow, 1999] 978-0688156121 [pb. Feature, 2000] 978-0747259220
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #12], (Stalker) [hc, William Morrow, 2000] 978-0688156138 [pb, Avon, 2001] 978-0380818549
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #13], (The Forgotten) [hc, William Morrow, 2001] 978-0688156145 [pb, Avon, 2001] 978-0380730841
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #14], (Stone Kiss) [hc, Grand Central Publishing, 2002] 978-0446530385 [pb, Headline Book Publishing, 2003] 978-0747265382
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #15], (Street Dreams) [hc, Warner Books, 2003] 978-0446531313 [pb, Headline Book Publishing, 2004] 978-0747265351
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #16], (The Burnt House) [hc, William Morrow, 2007] 978-0061227325 [pb, HarperCollins, 2008] 978-0007243228
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #17], (The Mercedes Coffin: A Dark LAPD Thriller Where Past and Present Collide in a Deadly Cold Case Conspiracy/aka Cold Case) [hc, William Morrow, 2008] 978-0061227332 [pb, William Morrow, 2008] 978-0061685972
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #18], (Blindman’s Bluff) [hc, William Morrow, 2009] 978-0061702327 [pb, Harper Collins, 2009] 978-0007295630
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #19], (Hangman: A Stunning Crime Thriller of Brutal Murder and a Dangerous Sociopath) [hc, William Morrow, 2010] 978-0061702563 [pb, Harper Collins, 2011] 978-0007384402
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #20], (Gun Games/aka Blood Games [hc, William Morrow, 2012] 978-0062064325 [pb, Harper, 2012] 978-0007424498
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #21], (The Beast: An LAPD Detective Thriller Where Bizarre Murder and Family Crisis Collide/aka Predator) [hc, William Morrow, 2013] 978-0062121752 [pb, Harper, 2013] 978-0007488483
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #22], (Murder 101: A Gripping Decker and Lazarus Police Procedural – Veteran LAPD Detective and Rookie Hunt a Ruthless Killer) [hc, William Morrow, 2014] 978-0062270184 [pb, HarperCollins, 2014] 978-0007517671
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #23], (The Theory of Death [hc, William Morrow, [2015] 978-0062270214 [pb, Harper, 2016] 978-0007517718
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #24], (Bone Box: A Detective Mystery Thriller About Decades-Old Murders and a Hidden Serial Killer [hc, William Morrow, 2017] 978-0062424969 [pb, HarperCollins, 2017] 978-0008148867
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #25], (Walking Shadows: A Gripping Decker & Lazarus Thriller – A Brutal Murder Uncovers Decades of Small Town Secrets) [hc, William Morrow, 2018] 978-0062424983 [pb, HarperCollins, 2019] 978-0008148911
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #26], (The Lost Boys:A Chilling Decker/Lazarus Crime Thriller – Small Town Homicide and Dark Mysteries) [hc, William Morrow, 2021] 978-0062910455 [pb, HarperCollins, 2021] 978-0008327507
Kellerman, Faye, [Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus #27], (The Hunt) [hc, William Morrow, 2022] 978-0062910493 [pb, HarperCollins, 2023] 978-0008327552
Kellerman, Faye, (The Garden of Eden and Other Criminal Delights) [hc, Grand Central Publishing, 2006] 978-0446530392 [pb, Headline, 2007] 978-0747265368 [Fourteen short crime tales feature the partnership of Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus and including three previously unpublished works, as well as two essays drawn from the author’s personal life]
Kellerman, Faye, (Quality of Mercy: A Jewish Woman’s Forbidden Romance with Shakespeare in Elizabethan England) [hc, William Morrow, 1989] 978-1557100276 [pb, Fawcett, 1990] 978-0449218921
Kellerman, Faye, (Straight into Darkness) [hc, Grand Central Publishing, 2005] 978-0446530408 [pb, Headline Book Publishing, 2006] 978-0755331291 [murder mystery set in 1929 Weimar Germany and illustrating the threats and discrimination to which German Jews were by then already subject.
[Note: Faye Kellerman’s husband, Jonathan Kellerman (born 1949), is the author of the 41-volume (as of 2026) Dr. Alex Delaware series. Alex is presented as having been born Jewish, he shows some occasional awareness of Jewish history and anti-Semitism, and seems comfortable in Jewish settings. But otherwise – virtually nothing. Jewishness seems to play no role in his personal or professional life, and he was therefore not included in this bibliography. The emphasis in the series is on his role as a psychologist.
Jonathan and Faye’s son, Jesse Kellerman (born 1978), is also a mystery author [joining the family business?], in whose novels Jewish motifs are not prominent. The exceptions are two books co-authored by Jonathan and Jesse (see below), in which contemporary crime procedurals are combined with ancient Jewish folklore, mysticism and biblical tales, references to the Holocaust, and Hebrew terminology. The main character, Detective Jacob Lev, is a fallen-away Orthodox Jew and a rabbi’s son, providing a direct link to a scholarly Jewish world. His internal conflict and investigations are driven by his heritage and knowledge of Jewish lore. Father and son have in addition co-authored a 6-volume (as of 2026) mystery series in which Jewish themes do not play a role.] [Amazon and Google/AI