Gun Games by Faye Kellerman

Book Description
Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus are back in this gripping mystery involving a secret cabal of some of Los Angeles’ most wealthy—and vicious—teens .

LAPD lieutenant detective Decker and his wife, Rina, have willingly welcomed fifteen-year-old Gabriel Whitman, the son of a troubled former friend, into their home. While the enigmatic teen seems to be adapting easily, Decker knows only too well the secrets adolescents keep—witnessed by the tragic suicide of another teen, Gregory Hesse, a student at Bell and Wakefield, one of the city’s most exclusive prep schools.

Gregory’s mother, Wendy, refuses to believe her son shot himself and convinces Decker to look deeper. What he finds disturbs him. The gun used in the tragedy was stolen—evidence that propels him to launch a full investigation with his trusted team, Sergeant Marge Dunn and Detective Scott Oliver. But the case becomes darkly complicated by the suicide of another Bell and Wakefield student—a death that leads them to uncover an especially nasty group of rich and privileged students with a predilection for guns and violence. Decker thought he understood kids, yet the closer he and his team get to the truth, the clearer it becomes that he knows very little about them, including his own charge, Gabe. The son of a gangster and an absent parent, the boy has had a life filled with too much free time, too many unexplained absences, and too little adult supervision.

Before it’s over, the case and all its terrifying ramifications will take Decker and his detectives down a dark alley of twisted allegiances and unholy alliances, culminating at a heart-stopping point of no return.

My thoughts
This is the 20th book in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series. But this story focuses more on Gabe, a fifteen year old foster child that the couple has brought into their home. Meanwhile, Decker is asked to investigate the apparent suicide of another youth that the mother doesn’t believe. Neither does Decker and when another youth commits suicide, an investigation ensues.

Dealing with teenage angst and the trials and tribulations of young love is all find and dandy, but not for a police thriller. I wanted to see more of what I have come to expect in this series; the detective work and the family life of Decker. Not into a novel that has whole sections of ‘texting’. But the latter part of the book really gets the juices flowing and makes for a stimulating ending.

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher. I received no compensation for my thoughts.