A single phone call disrupts the harmony of Lt. Peter Decker's home. Decker's half-brother just found out his brother-in-law was murdered. The dead man's 15 year-old niece is missing.
A sense of family duty propels Decker to fly to New York with his wife and daughter to offer assistance. His welcome isn't the warmest in the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. This reaction increases Decker's desire to find answers.
The investigation leads the lieutenant to some of New York's seedier elements. Decker confronts Chris Donatti a familiar mob-tied nemesis suspected in the murder and young girl's disappearance.
Stone Kiss follows Peter Decker in his quest to gain respect from a very private religious family so he can bring them justice. Kellerman's story is perfectly paced, making this a very difficult book to put down.
This is not the first novel to feature Decker and cast, but Kellerman provides adequate background information for new inductees. Readers will have no problem following the story. The author also offers smooth translation of Hebrew terms used by the cast.
Several characters stand out in this Kellerman work. Decker's wife, Rina lends support to her husband and emotion to the tale. Deep in the story, there's a riveting scene between Rina and Chris that truly defines the main players in the novel.
Stone Kiss is a suspenseful yarn with a calculating plot. Decker's penetration of a private religious community fuels the unique story line, though the ending is standard and violent. However, Kellerman plans several surprises for readers who should be quite satisfied with this Peter Decker tale.
