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Review: The Hunt by Faye Kellerman

Title: The Hunt
Author: Faye Kellerman
Year published: 2022
Category: Adult fiction (thriller)
Pages: 496 pages
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Location: (my 2022 Google Reading map)USA (NV, NY) and Israel

SummaryPeter and his partner, Detective Tyler McAdams, are thrown into an unsolved case and propelled into action when a body is found in the very woods where a man previously went missing in upstate New York.

But that’s not the only crisis that Peter has to deal with.

Teresa McLaughlin, the biological mother of Peter and his wife Rina’s foster son, Gabe, has fled to Los Angeles with her two children in tow, hoping to avoid a court injunction amid a messy divorce. But LA is no escape from her problems—she is found by ruthless men and beaten mercilessly. When she wakes, barely conscious, Teresa discovers that both of her children are gone and frantically calls Gabe for help.

With his mother on the verge of death, Gabe contacts Peter and Rina, as well as his biological father, the notorious Christopher Donatti, a former hit man from a known criminal family who’s now a millionaire in Nevada. By bringing Donatti into the fray, Gabe, Peter, and Rina know they have made a deal with the devil—but they may not be able to recover the kids without him.

As these unlikely allies rally to find the kidnappers before things end tragically, they race headlong toward an explosive confrontation from which no one will emerge unscathed...

Review: I have enjoyed every single one of Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus novels so was really sad when I read the dedication and discovered that this is the last one. Knowing that this was the final installment of the series of 27 novels (!) Kellerman brought together all the main characters that she has introduced over the years and wrapped up their storylines in a satisfactory way.

I enjoyed being reminded of Peter and Rina's extended family, their jobs, and personalities. Telling a parallel story with Chris Donatti and his side of their (very) extended circle was also well done. I hate Donatti; he is cruel and misogynistic and there were many times I wanted something bad to happen to him. However, he serves a really good purpose in these novels and shows how and why women stay with someone like him. He brings out the seedy side of things while Decker balances him out as the always good (but not perfect) guy.

It was also cool that Kellerman continued the mystery that took place in her previous novel; I think that's the first time that she has done that. As that novel ended I was surprised that Decker had an unsolved case and I liked that it was wrapped up in this final novel. 

Challenges for which this counts:
  • Literary Escapes--Nevada and Israel


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