The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman

Who doesn’t like a mysterious crime?  Especially one filled with intrigue, suspense and served up with a little romance on the side.  That is what “The Ritual Bath” by Faye Kellerman has to offer.  This is the first book of the Decker/Lazarus series. The story takes place in a yeshiva community in the California hills in Los Angeles. The people of this small, remote community keep to themselves; however their peace is disturbed by a violent rape. Detective Decker is sent to solve this case. While doing so, he meets Rina Lazarus, the witness and a religious widow with two small boys.  Soon after, Decker is called up to the same location for a murder.  The witness again is Ms. Lazarus.  Soon, both Decker and Rina find themselves in a precarious relationship, as Rina’s religion prohibits her from involvement with Decker.

Faye Kellerman is a prolific author, well-known for her crime novels. This series alone has nineteen dealing with Detective Decker and his cases, while telling his further involvement with Rina and her sons. This is the first of Kellerman’s books that I read.  She obviously did her share of researching, which I admired greatly.  I found her type of writing easy to read, and the book hard to put down.  I enjoyed the story line and look forward to continuing with the series.