Faye Kellerman: The Beast (USA 2014)

From the Publisher:
Peter Decker's latest case with the LAPD is the most bizarre of his storied career. When the elderly, eccentric billionaire Hobart Penny is found dead in his apartment, the cops think that his pet Bengal tiger must have turned against him. But as Decker and his colleagues, Detectives Marge Dunn and Scott Oliver, dig into the victim's life, they discover that Penny had all kinds of exotic and kinky tastes. It soon becomes clear that the beast that killed the peculiar inventor is all too human.

Following a trail of clues that leads from a wildlife sanctuary in the San Bernardino Mountains to the wild nightlife of Las Vegas, the LAPD detectives are left juggling too many suspects and too few answers. To crack a case involving the two most primal instincts -- sex and murder -- Decker wrestles with a difficult choice. Should he turn to someone with expert knowledge of both, Chris Donatti, the dangerous man who also happens to be the father of Decker's foster son? As his work and personal life collide, Decker finds himself facing tough questions and wondering if the conflict between family crises and professional duties will be the undoing of his career.

Faye Kellerman: The Beast. A Decker / Lazarus Novel. Harper, ISBN: 9780062121769 (March, 2014), 454 p., $9.99.

Faye Kellerman: Predator (UK 2013)

From the Publisher:
LAPD Detective Peter Decker is about to face a case that will push him to the limit...
Residents in a local building have been complaining of a smell coming from an apartment rented by the eccentric inventor Hobart Penny.

Nearly ninety-years-old, and a hermit for the last 25 years, it is not surprising that the reclusive genius has died without anyone's knowledge. However, as Decker steps inside, it's clear that Penny has died from anything but natural causes...

Penny's children describe their father as a cruel and vindictive man. His second wife knew a man with strange sexual appetites, while the owner of a Californian animal charity speaks only of a kind-hearted old man.

But further searches not only add to the list of suspects, but find evidence of a disturbed, depraved mind. So just who was Hobart Penny? A brilliant inventor, a generous philanthropist or a callous killer?

Faye Kellerman: Predator. The hunter becomes the hunted... A Peter Decker & Rina Lazarus Thriller. Harper, ISBN: 9780007488483 (October, 2013), 442 p., £7.99.

Faye Kellerman: The Beast (USA 2013)

From the Publisher:
The professional and the personal intersect in treacherous ways in this compelling and eerie installment in Faye Kellerman's thrilling New York Times bestselling Decker/Lazarus series

Throughout his years with the LAPD, Peter Decker has handled a number of tough cases and strange killers. But few of his previous assignments compare to his latest case -- the most bizarre of his storied career.

When Hobart Penny is found dead in his apartment, the cops think that his pet cat -- an adult female tiger -- attacked the reclusive elderly billionaire. But it soon becomes clear that the beast that killed the eccentric inventor is all too human. Digging into the victim's life, Decker and his colleagues, Detectives Marge Dunn and Scott Oliver, discover that Penny was an exceptionally peculiar man with exotic tastes, including kinky sex with call girls.

Following a trail of clues that leads from a wildlife sanctuary in the San Bernardino Mountains to the wild nightlife of Las Vegas, the LAPD detectives are left juggling too many suspects and too few answers. To break open a case involving the two most primal instincts -- sex and murder -- Decker wrestles with a difficult choice. Should he turn to a man with expert knowledge of both, Chris Donatti, the dangerous man who also happens to be the father of Decker's foster son, Gabriel Whitman, a boy not without his own problems?

As their work and intimate worlds collide, Decker and his wife, Rina, find themselves facing tough questions. It just might be that family crises and work-related responsibilities prove too much for Decker's career. A confluence of ordeals can stress even the most intact of families. And when all these shocking truths comes out, exactly how well will Decker and Rina cope, and survive?

Faye Kellerman: The Beast. A Decker / Lazarus Novel. William Morrow, ISBN: 9780062121752 (September, 2013), 371 p., $26.99, eBook $9.99.