I read The Ritual Bath a few years ago and, because of Faye Kellerman’s talent for writing detective fiction, next I read Sacred and Profane and then Milk and Honey . . . then I stopped reading this author. Why? The reason was Rina Lazarus! By the end of the third book I have to admit that I had developed an intense dislike for this person.
I remember discussing The Ritual Bath with a friend. She said: ‘Why are you getting so worked up? This Rina person isn’t real! It’s only a story!’ But surely this reaction is the measure of ‘a good book’? And surely it is to Faye Kellerman’s credit that she can create a character with the power to elicit such a strong reaction from the reader? (Me!) However, I suspect that the intended reaction from the reader was not dislike.
I do have sympathy for Rina’s situation – a young widow with two children – and I appreciate the fact that she works hard in her home and in the Orthodox Jewish community. I acknowledge that she finds herself in a dilemma when she sets eyes on Peter Decker. What I question is the way she deals with the situation and above all I question her attitude towards Peter – I think she treats him unfairly.
Poor Peter is understandably confused and frustrated by the mixed messages from Rina. She insists she has religious values and cannot contemplate a relationship but then drags him out of the police station and feeds him lunch in the park. When Peter asks why – she could have given the information on the phone – she replies she was ‘just trying to be nice’. I was not a bit surprised that the outcome of all this was . . . a relationship!
Thanks, saraw, for giving me the opportunity to read The Ritual Bath a second time. As I said earlier, it is an excellent detective story. I realised that I was approaching the book with preconceived ideas and I was prepared to give Rina a second chance. However, to use an American term, ‘she blew it’ . . . and I haven’t changed my mind!
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Re: EYES DOWN JULY REVIEW - THE RITUAL BATH Faye Kellerman
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