The 17th novel in the series featuring LAPD Lt. Peter Decker and wife Rina Lazarus is patchy to say the least. Sadly, Faye Kellerman, stilla best selling author, seems to be struggling with plot and innovation in this book. As the title suggests, it’s a cold case, 15 years old, that Decker is asked to solve. There is a lot riding on its resolution because geek-made-good Genoa Greeves is reminded of the unsolved case by reading of a current similar murder. Decker is assigned the case because Greeves promises to donate a hefty sum to the LAPD should they be successful. Of course Decker tries to find a link between the current Eckerling murder, whose body is found in the boot of his Mercedes, and the cold case of 15 years ago, of almost-saint Ben Little. The somewhat clichéd and forced plot ambles along in a familiar though unoriginal form which fans will probably still enjoy. It’s disappointing that the book is touted as a Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novel but all Rina seems to do nowadays is keep house. If you haven’t read any Faye Kellerman books, this is not the one to start with.
