The Ritual Bath

The First Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus Novel

By: Faye Kellerman

Narrated by: Mitchell Greenberg

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

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 that they threaten to come between the hard-nosed cop and the deeply religious woman with whom he has become irrevocably linked.

©1986 Faye Kellerman (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Phenomenal!" ( Murder Inc.)
A Master of Mystery" ( Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Learned a lot about the Jewish faith...Great story

Would you listen to The Ritual Bath again? Why?

This was a great story. I really didn't know what to expect, but it pulled me into the series in a very enticing manner by teaching me about a community I never actually understood. Even better, I was able to empathize and identify with the subjects as people, not as mere story characters!

What does Mitchell Greenberg bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

I really apprecieated hearing the Jewish pronunciation of the many Yiddish terms in the book. I would likely have not guessed the correct pronunciation if I had simply read a printed book on my own.

Any additional comments?

Try it. You'll like it!

Interesting Juxtaposition of Characters & Tension

Good character development, good pace for detective story although the story is weighted more to the personal lives than actual detective work (think opposite of the Harry Bosh series where most of the book is the detective work and the personal life only touched on). There are no surprises but a well told story. The only detractor which others have also mentions is the music. I don't know what point it is supposed to serve. It detracts from the listening experience rather than enhancing it. Good writing and narration don't need music, especially if it detracts. Luckily the story and narration make up for the poor use of the music.

A Great Read

I couldn't put this I couldn't put this book down. Fantastic characters and a really tantalizing plot!

Good Read

Very enjoyable book. Lively characters, good plot, unusual setting -- an Orthodox Jewish Yeshiva. The book was informative as well as enjoyable. I liked the ending too, it wasn't what I expected. The narrator did an excellent job. Highly recommend this audie.

I have one negative, and it's the same thing I said about "The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao." There is a fair amount of Yiddish and Hebrew in the book. Most of the time I was either familiar with the words or could glean the meaning from context -- I think. For example, Rina calls her son "shmulie." I know this to be a term of endearment used by parent to child. But -- had I not known this, I could just as easily have concluded that this was an affectionate diminutive of the child's name.

Once again I was left with the feeling that I hadn't read the entire book, that fine points of nuance and color had escaped me in the language. And for a book as good as this (or "Oscar") I want every word, every shade of color, every slight hint of nuance.

Do not however, let this deter you from listening to this excellent book. You'll understand the majority of what's said and often it's explained, at one point or another.

Good mystery, unusual setting

Would you try another book from Faye Kellerman and/or Mitchell Greenberg?

Yes, I plan to.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not edge of the seat, but put aside other things to finish listening to story. Very much liked listening to the explanations of the Jewish community and religious rituals portrayed in the book. Characters well-drawn, felt I could envision them very well.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Well, I think it must be very hard to work with so many different characters. He was good at differentiating them. But his reading was still a bit uncomfortable to me here and there. Inflection and word emphasis seemed awkward at times. Overall, okay, though.

Was The Ritual Bath worth the listening time?

Yes. I was happy to see there are a lot more books in the series.

Predictable but enjoyable

I read this book 25 years ago and remember enjoying it then. However to be truthful I really didn't remember anything about it except the characters name sounded familiar. I liked the explanations of the Hasidic Jews and the laws and principles that they lived by and thought it was very well done in terms of explaining all that. And I had to smile at the trite ending.

interesting insight into yeshiva community

Any additional comments?

A lot of information about yeshiva culture. It's clear that the author is not a racist, but still I had trouble listening to the harsh language in this audio. Good story, well read.

Listening is definately better than reading

Any additional comments?

I had purchased the audio book during a random 'special sale' but despite the blurb sounding interesting enough it has still taken me 6 months to get around to listening. What a waste, I could have been through more of the series if I had got stuck into the first book earlier.

Firstly, I don't think I would have enjoyed this even half as much if it hadn't been audio. There is a LOT of jewish words which I would have skipped over in written form and the narrator had brilliant incantonation (hmm, not sure if that is the correct word) which really gave me a feel for the different Jewish characters and how they speak.

My knowledge of Jewdism (?) extends to some basic knowledge of WWII and the portrayal of Kyle from South Park. However, my knowledge of other religions is only marginally better and I am a firm atheist so I was originally a little worried that the religious context of this story would not be to my liking.

I was very pleasantly surprised. The mystery component of the story is made interesting by the very nature of the insular community in which the crimes have occurred but I do admit that I just can't see Decker converting to Orthodox Jew but maybe that is because I certainly can't see the point in all the rules even if you do believe in God. However, given there are over 20 books in the series I guess it must happen eventually. I am glad that the book concentrated more on the crime and solving the crime than the romance between Peter and Rina even if the police procedures were rather lite-on. I don't really like either character that much. Rina to me is an oppressed pious religious woman following archaic laws (my view) because she feels that brings her closer to god or something. I am more of the 'if you enjoy something and it doesn't hurt anyone then there is nothing wrong with' that point of view. Although every now and again she feels frustrated by the constraints of her religion she then feels guilty for those thoughts. Gag! Decker is only a couple of years older than I am and his physical description sounds very unappealing - yep, I am marginally superficial. Gag on the moustache. His attitudes towards women, emotions, gender roles would annoy the hell out of me if I ever met him.

I do find it enjoyable to read books written in the mid-80's; the smoking, the moustaches (I can't stop hearing 80's porn music whenever the 'mo gets mentioned), the lack of smart phones and other IT. Makes me glad I live in the 21st century.

So, despite not really connecting to either lead character I am eager to delve into book 2. Will see how much further I get into the series though as at $12 an audio book I won't keep investing unless I can get some emotional investment in Decker and Rina.

Happy to have found a new series!

I started this series on Book 16 and found the two main characters interesting enough that I wanted to go back to start of their story… luckily, I just happened to enjoy cop-drama part too!

Peter and Rina are a very appealing duo; I enjoyed book 1 and I am continuing on with their story right away with Book 2.

Incredible accents!

This is the first Faye Kellerman novel I have read which features Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, although these books have been recommended by many of my Jewish friends and relatives. After reading "The Ritual Bath," I can say that the story was a bit weak but I am hoping that Kellerman's writing strengthens and I enjoy her subsequent books more. However, despite the story line, Mitchell Greenberg the narrator does an excellent job, particularly with the Hebrew words and the accents of numerous Orthodox Jews who feature in the story. (The accent he gives the rabbi is exctly right on!) Mr. Greenberg also skilfully portrays other classic types who appear in the book: tough street punk; gum-chewing chick; hard-boiled policeman; teenage daughter; and, of course, Detective Peter Decker himself, who he makes VERY likeable. On the basis of Mr. Greenberg's narration alone, I plan to read the next book in Faye Kellerman's series as well as seek out other works that Mr. Greenberg has narrated.