False Prophet

Plot

From Library Journal
With typically creative prose and plotting, Kellerman immerses LAPD Detective Decker ( Sacred and Profane , LJ 6/1/87) in an absorbing post-Rodney King police procedural. Decker, still practicing a rediscovered Judaism and catering to the moods of his pregnant wife, investigates the brutal beating and rape of an elegant spa's owner. Crucial--and engaging--elements in the case soon appear: a retarded stable hand; secretive resort employees; an earthy, manipulative mother; three malicious stepbrother doctors; and valuable stolen memoirs. Full attention to detail and characterization cap a masterful effort. Another great escape. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/92.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
When LAPD detective Peter Decker arrives at the Valley Canyon Spa Resort, its beautiful owner, Lilah, the daughter of Hollywood legend Davida Eversong, appears to have been beaten and raped, and her mother's jewels and late father's unpublished memoirs are missing from her safe. To thwart Lilah's growing obsession with him, Peter shunts her off on his partner Margie while he concentrates on possible perps, including her three doctor brothers, a slow-witted stablehand, and one of the spa's aerobic instructors. Two deaths later, Peter is convinced that Lilah staged the rape and hid the gems, but then who stole the memoirs, and why? Lilah's ex-husband leads him to a former Eversong employee who knows many family secrets, and Peter uncovers another identity brouhaha. Eventually, with some psychological input from his rabbi and his pregnant wife Rina, Peter sorts through a tangle of viperous relationships to close the case. Histrionic plot, not helped much by Kellerman's B-movie prose. Like Day of Atonement, Milk and Honey, etc., this comes to life only when discussing Judaica, which takes a backseat here to adoption procedures and assorted sexual preferences.