A Decker/Lazarus Novel (Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus Series Book 18)

As a Kellerman fan, I was a little disappointed with Blindman's Bluff. It wasn't as gripping as some of her previous work, in fact it took me up until page 329 to get into it. There were too many characters and the plot was quite predictable. I guessed who El Patron was early on in the novel. The blindman in the story was more a distraction than anything else, and I felt that his sole role was to give the book it's title. Mind you, he wasn't bluffing so not sure how the title fits. I particularly didn't enjoy the last chapter where all the ends were tied together neatly in a forced unnatural kind of way. Some of her other books had me sitting up all night to finish them, and the fact it took me nearly two and a half weeks to finish this one, says a lot.
If you haven't read her earlier work, you'll probably enjoy this. But there are so many better crime thrillers around these days, and this one doesn't stand out.

After reading "Mercedes Coffin" I thought Faye Kellerman ran out of steam. I have to say I was wrong. I really enjoyed reading this book all the way to the end. At times I could not put it down. I agree with previous critics about Rina's role but appreciate Decker's family life being in the books. I'm a LAPD sergeants wife and I live in the San Fernando Valley. Faye's discription of this part of Los Angeles and it's problems with the gangs is very correct. I hope that readers from outside of LA realize that there are many nice areas in the Valley to live in.
I also appreciate her fair treatment of the Los Angeles Police Department.

I have been reading Faye and Jonathan Kellerman's books since the beginning so I am fairly use to their individual styles of writing.

Blindman's Bluff is the newest by Faye Kellerman. Decker and Rinna are back and so are most of Decker's crew, including Scott and Marge. I like that Kellerman has continuity in her books and I am thrilled that this book focuses mainly on Decker and his investigation of a very strange murder, which took place in a home that sounds as though it could compete with Neverland Ranch.

From the get go, Decker finds himself in the middle of a murdered family - with the exception of one son - still alive but badly wounded. What makes this so spectacular is that the murder husband and wife are rich, rich and that they had a ton of bodyguards taking care of them.

As Decker and his crew are called to investigate, we will find a maze of guilty parties, of people who may be innocent but are not and a family that has more secrets than the Manson family.

I love, love it when Kellerman features her book around Decker. I have always felt that the Rinna character should always be a background character as she always felt a little too "perfect" for me (not to mention high, high maintenance) and fortunately, in Blindman's Bluff, although Rinna is featured, she is NOT the main storyline.

Decker and his crew are wonderful together and we get to see them interact alot in this novel - particularly at the beginning of the story where there is a little bit of dark humour about them all needing maps to get around the gigantic house (I am sorry, but some of these exchanges had me laughing).

The murder itself was a tad confusing at times because there were soooo many characters involved in this storyline. You really had to be focusing on reading this book or you would end up getting lost. But the flip side of this is that I had no clue who the actualy murderer(s?) was/were? and when you get to the end you will end up going "okay".

There is alot of information about gangs and gang members (not to mention tats) in this story and I kind of found that interesting.

However, the big, big piece for me is that Kellerman has kept many of the religious aspects out of her book this time and this is sooooooooooo greatly appreciated by this reviewer. Although I have no problem with incorporating religion and various views in novels, they should NOT dominate the storyline and in many Kellerman books (especially her early ones) this was often, often the case. Not so in this one and I am grateful.

This book is a good read, but it is highly focused on the detective work - there are no huge car chases or other surprises that will make this book move at a quicker pace. If you like procedural looks at an investigation then this is a great book to read.

Overall I enjoyed it.

I have read every Decker/Lazarus Novel and have loved them. This one left me very disappointed. The story line just fell off and left the narrator explaining all the loose endsto the reader. As the reader I was wondering why I bothered reading all the buildup. In the end I lost total interest...the time in a good book when I am usually anxiously turning pages to see what happens next.

On a separate note I wonder why the author used the descriptor "wife beater teeshirt"...it is a highly offensive term and isn't necessary to describe a sleeveless tee shirt.

I won't give up on Faye Kellerman but I sure will look for a return to excellence in her next book.

I just finished listening to BLINDMAN'S BLUFF on CD. I liked, but then I have loved this series for years. I would have liked to see a bit more of Cindy in the book.

I know most of the participants in the murders were rounded up, but did any one wonder if Neptune Brady was in on the murders? Though he was on the fringe of things, I wondered if Mace Kaffey ever confided in him about killing his brother and his brother's wife and sons.

As always I loved Peter, Rina and the gang. Faye has them down pat! ! ! The only character I wasn't crazy about was Grant Kaffey. To my taste, Brett Harriman was written a bit to over dramatic. Oh well, as I say it's fiction.

These are solid mysteries with great characters and well crafted plot twists. While I am not religious, I love learning about Judaism through her writing. I hope Ms. Kellerman continues with this genre. Every time I pick up a new Decker/Lazarus tale, I feel that I am with people that I like and with whom I feel so comfortable. L'Chaim.

I read mystery books one after another. I grabbed this book recently at the store as I remember reading this author in the past. The mystery itself is not too bad, but the list of characters -- both good and bad is endless. I kept wishing I was reading it electronically so I could quickly do a search on a name to remember what the person's part in the story was.

Her style of writing feels like endless chatter at times. I assume she is trying to build character and depth, but it all felt flat to me. By half way through the book I started skimming the stupid conversations between Dexter and Rina. Who cares what they ate for dinner and that Rina likes to bake?

I enjoy most books that are written by Mrs. Kellerman and her husband, they are written well and always hold the reader in

their hands. I enjoy learning of the Jewish rituals and feel these are written with truth, but most of all the mysteries are the best.

I found it quite tedious to read Blindman's Bluff, because I got lost in the large number of characters. I actually had to make a list to be able to keep track of who was who. There are more than fifty names, not counting those of the main characters that always appear in the series. These are far too many names for one book.

Sometimes the names of the characters are also too similar to each other. (For example the forenames of the victims - the family members - all start with the letter G, which is quite confusing.)

So reading Blindman's Bluff was real work rather than pleasure.

mr. and mrs. decker never disappoint.after reading all of their books,i feel as if i know them well.although,i gave this one 5 stars,it is not their best.i would love to read about their lives without a murder.

This is a well crafted mystery. The clues are out there and it is tied together at the end. I enjoyed the working of the Decker team. I do find Rita a bit too perfect for my taste. Especially in this book I found her somewhat annoying.

I have always eagerly awaited new books by Faye Kellerman,and could hardly wait to begin this one. The story moved along quickly at first, but as it developed, I became more and more confused by the myriad of characters. After awhile, their names all ran together and I couldn't keep them straight! So I was a little disappointed. But, I'm not giving up on Ms. Kellerman-----the majority of her books have been wonderful!

Yes it is true what other reviewers have written. There are too many characters to keep track of and lengthy meaningless dialogue you have to filter through. Even so it was an interesting read but the ending was somewhat of a disappointment.