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Faye Kellerman is the author of several novels, including THE RITUAL BATH and STREET DREAMS, featuring police detective Peter Decker and his wife Rina Lazarus. Jonathan Kellerman is the author of over a dozen books such as A COLD HEART and THERAPY starring Dr Alex Delaware and police detective Milo Sturgis. Both of these series are popular within their own right, but the Kellermans have never written anything together as a couple. DOUBLE HOMICIDE is their first project featuring original character created by both of them and making their first appearance in this book. This is not a series crossover nor is there any references made to previous works. What readers get are two independent stories with interesting characters where the case is not as simple as it seems. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, a controversial art collector is found savagely beaten to death and few people, if any, are actually mourning his death. Still Life introduces police detectives Daryl Two Moons and Steve Katz who will go through the case not caring if it gets solve. Both of these detectives share a history with the victim feeling that Larry Olafson got what he deserved. Still, being the professionals that they are, the two cops relentlessly pursue the case through people in the art world, few with anything nice to say about the loathsome victim. The ending is a bit predictable, but the story manages to satisfy within the constraints of the small amount of pages given to this plot. The other story, and probably the better of the two, takes us to the sports arena that is Boston. In the Land of the Giants is the story of a case involving the death of a popular college basketball player who gets gunned down at a nightclub. Detectives Dorothy Breton and Michael MacCain see the case as a simple open-and-shut, straightforward case. When the local medical examiner proves otherwise both detectives delve into the realm and culture of college sports and are shocked at what they discover. Some people will go to extreme lengths to turn pro after college where only a handful, if any, are chosen. What the two detectives discover in this high-profile case is that the truth may not always be what they want to hear and they will have to live with the aftermath of this case. The main weakness with DOUBLE HOMICIDE is that the little page count for each of the two novellas stunts the possibility of character development at expense of the plot, particularly the Santa Fe story. The one in the East coast is a bit more ambitious with its characters, especially the portrayal of Detective Breton, a single mother raising two kids with hoop dreams and dealing with a situation at the story's beginning. She is a strong presence in the book and it would be nice if she makes a return in a future work. Fans of one or both of these authors may enjoy the novelty of them working together, aside from each contributing a short story in DIAGNOSIS DEAD. It is doubtful that this book will change anyone's mind regarding how one feels about the work of the author. However, you will get your money's worth with this book.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, November 2004
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