Detective Peter Decker of the LAPD is stunned when he gets the report. Someone has shattered the sanctuary of a remote yeshiva community in the California hills with an unimaginable crime. One of the women was brutally raped as she returned from the mikvah, the bathhouse where the cleansing ritual is performed.
The crime was called in by Rina Lazarus, and Decker is relieved to discover that she is a calm and intelligent witness. She is also the only one in the sheltered community willing to speak of this unspeakable violation. As Rina tries to steer Decker through the maze of religious laws the two grow closer. But before they get to the bottom of this horrendous crime, revelations come to light that are so shocking they threaten to come between the hard-nosed cop and the deeply religious woman with whom he has become irrevocably linked.
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"I really liked this book. Read several years ago,kind've read by accident, but, it introduced me to Faye Kellerman (Mrs. Jonathan Kellerman) and to Judaism(Orthodox? )(wigs, ritual bathing,etc). Found it to be really interesting. Have read several more of hers and liked them all."
— Cookiesue9x (4 out of 5 stars)
“Kellerman’s main characters are universally appealing…The Ritual Bath is engaging and informative.”
— Los Angeles Times Book Review“Highly recommended for mystery collections.”
— Library Journal" Loved reading her books. Forgot which one I left off on and really need to pick up the series again. "
— Suzanne, 2/6/2014" Great character development. You feel that you "know" each of them. Good suspense and misdirection. Great read. "
— Reed, 2/4/2014" a phenomenal series featuring peter decker and rina lazurus. "
— Jane, 1/20/2014" Wow, I was so happy to find the Kellermans. I have been reading them since they started writing. They now have one of their sons who is writing too. So the books go on. "
— Cathy, 1/19/2014" Faye writes as well or even better than her husband ---I love the Decker character series---- Kellerman has built this character and keeps him going. "
— J.W., 1/13/2014" This book made me read all her other books "
— Daniel, 1/6/2014" If you like genre detective stories, this is a good one. You get a mystery + a budding romance + a lesson in Jewish orthodoxy, all for the price of one book. "
— Mirka, 1/5/2014" This was the first of Faye Kellerman's books I read. It's a compelling story, characters you can 'live' with, and incentive to enter their world and their lives. "
— Jay, 1/4/2014" This is the first in a series and I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next now. "
— Pauline, 12/29/2013" This series of books is great. They start to sound the same, much the way all series go. Give it a shot, I think you'll find it interesting! "
— Cas, 12/27/2013" Just reread this book and it remains a fascinating and fun read. I love glimpses into other faiths and the conflicts within and also working outside the faith. The mystery of who done it was also fun. A great series to listen to. "
— Luan, 12/25/2013" I found this book very enjoyable...Fast moving, No overle distubinging but told both sides.. I love the way the author found a way for them to get into each others worlds.....VERY GOOD "
— Robin, 12/21/2013" Learned a lot about Jewish rituals in this scary and entertaining murder mystery. Hard to put down. MY first Nook read. "
— Ellen, 12/18/2013" Absorbing read. I'm interested in reading the next one. "
— Angelica-, 12/6/2013" Love the traditional jewish traditions explained in these books "
— Cindy, 12/5/2013" Very interesting and likeable characters and I learned so many things about Jewish traditions. A very nice read. "
— Fangirl, 11/11/2013" I hadn't read anything by Faye Kellerman, but I think after reading this, I'll read more by her. "
— Angie, 10/29/2013" This was another bookclub selection. I think my sister described it best when she said she could picture it as a made for tv movie. If you are into mysteries that are a quick read, you would enjoy this book. "
— Ginger, 10/13/2013" I enjoyed re-reading this one after so many years. I've been reading a recent Peter Decker book and I wanted to go back to the RITUAL BATH, where Peter meets Rina. It's still good. "
— Marleen, 5/22/2013" I kinda figured who the culprit was going to be when he entered the scene, but the story was satisfying all the same. "
— Brandon, 3/18/2013" I really enjoyed this. It is a bit dated now, but I still liked learning about Jewish Orthodox cuture and the story was light and brisk. "
— Carey, 1/8/2013" What a detective work. "
— Owusua, 8/16/2012" Interesting characters. What was good was the focus was less on a glamorous villain with a god complex, and more on ordinary people - cops, victim, support cast. "
— Harini, 4/10/2012" One of her better books. Trying to describe orthodox Jewish concepts to non-Jews is always hard. Ms Kellerman does fairly well with this book. "
— Tasha, 3/2/2012" I enjoyed these "thrillers". Good mystery and also much information about Jewish culture that I found a very interesting addition to the typical detective novel. Somewhat graphic in the descriptions, of violent events. "
— Patti, 2/19/2012" spannend! "
— Marielle, 12/8/2011" I love this whole series. "
— Linda, 9/25/2011" a great mystery book "
— Tamara, 9/17/2011" A good mystery - 1st in her series, and an interesting look into some of the Orthodox Jewish ways of life. "
— Phylliscramer, 7/2/2011" Quick and easy whodunnit mystery. I enjoyed learning more about the jewish religion. I'm definitely adding the 2nd book in the series to my list to-read. "
— Angie, 5/21/2011" Really enjoyed this - far more than I originally thought. I'll look into the entire series by Kellerman. Very well written and nice balance of mystery vs. personal lives of the people involved. "
— Jennifer, 4/9/2011" It took me about three days to read this book and that was surprising. I liked the characters and the way Kellerman wove the story (and apparently the series) around Judism. I will definitely read more of her books. "
— Jamie, 3/21/2011" This my be the first 5 star book that I have listed. Blown away by this book -- the author's style, the amount of information given about Orthodox book, and by the way the author developed the relationship between the widow and the detective. "
— David, 3/6/2011" I like this series. Fun quick read! "
— Lisa, 2/24/2011" Very well done, interesting Orthodox Jews. However, some unbelievable brutality and gore, so I didn't continue with the series. "
— Merry, 2/16/2011" There's a a rape out side the mitva bath and Rina helps to solve it while beginning to fall in love with Peter Decker, a "goy". "
— Merlys, 2/8/2011" Very good book. Hate being left hanging at the end but that's ok. Story kept me turning the pages. Interesting learning a little about Jewish customs.<br/><br/> "
— Sylvia, 1/30/2011" Not really my type of story. "
— Rosalie, 1/29/2011" oooh, I love this series. "
— Jeanne, 1/29/2011Faye Kellerman is the New York Times bestselling author of the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novels, as well as historical thrillers and a short-story anthology. She has won the Macavity Award and has been nominated for a Shamus Award.