A Cold Case

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Double M.O. Triggers a Cold Case Investigation - Rated

When the police see a crime that's unusual, they check their records to see if there are any other similar crimes. When the details match, they often find that the same person was responsible. Career criminals frequently repeat themselves. What's rare, however, is when 15 years separate the two incidents. What does it mean then?

That's the question that Lieutenant Peter Decker faces when the LAPD is offered a large reward for finding the murderer of a well-beloved teacher, Bennett Little (Dr. Ben to many of his students), that occurred 15 years earlier. To make matters a little simpler (or more complicated?), Decker's daughter caught the squeal on the second murder.

From there, the book settles down into a slow-moving police procedural where you have to keep track of all the connections among the various people to make sense of the mystery. Even then, the results may seem a bit speculative until just near the end.

Normally, I like the slow unpeeling of the onion in a police procedural, but this one just didn't do it for me. Several parts of the story didn't ring true, even after thinking about them for a few days after I read the book. The characters who were introduced just for this story didn't always ring true to me either.

If you don't want to take a chance on this book, there's nothing of series significance that happens. So you have the option to skip this one, even if you are a dyed-in-the-wool Faye Kellerman fan.

This book also goes under the title of The Mercedes Coffin.

Careful - Cold Case and Mercedes Coffin are the same book - Rated
Also thought the pace was a bit slow, but an enjoyable read nevertheless.
Careful though, Amazon is offering this book with Mercedes Coffin in a duo, they are the same book with different titles!

Amazing, up to her usual standard - Rated
I loved this book. I'm a big fan and this one doesn't dissapoint.

It is slower than some previous novels but it loses nothing for that, especially after the acton of novels like street dreams.

A lovely story, tightly plotted with an excellent conclusion.

Not the usual quality.. - Rated
Fay Kellermans books are normally very good, exciting, intriguing and enjoyable but unfortunately this one is slow, tedious and plain boring! Having some ex rappers & drug dealers running around, that might have killed some teacher or not..who cares..just nothing to keep one interested or excited..
I hope her next book will be better, this one is just a waste of time & money.