The Garden of Eden and Other Criminal Delights

Faye Kellerman
Warner Books (2006)
ISBN 0446530395
Reviewed by Lynn O'Connell for Reader Views (10/06)

Crime and mystery tales, short stories and autobiographical essays are all part of this collection of works by Faye Kellerman. In all, the book contains 17 stories. Four stories, making up more than 100 of the book’s 327 pages, feature Kellerman’s husband-and-wife duo, Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, from her full-length novels. And, two of these pieces are published here for the first time. One is the title piece, “The Garden of Eden,” which has Lazarus and detective Decker exploring the death of their next-door neighbor. In the other new work, “Open House,” Decker and police department colleagues investigate the mysterious death of a woman who was killed and left in the closet of a house for sale. Daughter Cindy makes her first appearance in “Bull’s Eye,” as a rookie in the police academy.

Two of the short stories are collaborations between Kellerman and her children. “The Luck of the Draw” is co-written with Kellerman’s two daughters. “Mummy and Jack,” written with son Jesse, is a dark tale reminiscent of Jack the Ripper.

One of my personal favorites in the collection is “Holy Water,” which involves the kidnapping of a Rabbi by a soda company in an effort to discover the secret Coca-Cola formula. “Discards,” featuring Kellerman’s first private detective, Andrea Darling, was another favorite for me. Both tales had some mystery as well as a somewhat light and humorous ending.

The last two works in the book, “Small Miracles” and “Summer of My Womanhood,” are autobiographical essays. “Small Miracles” describes Kellerman’s successful capture of a mugger, while “Summer of My Womanhood” provides a look into her teen years as she worked in her father’s deli.

Other stories include: “The Stalker” and “Bonding,” both very dark tales with somewhat disturbing endings; “The Back Page,” based on the years-old legend about fillings picking up radio transmissions; and, “A Woman of Mystery,” in which Lazarus solves the mystery of a student without memories.

This collection is truly an anthology of works by Kellerman, as it includes stories from numerous genres – not just the crime/mystery stories for which she is best known. The book is also a wonderful way to get to know Kellerman and her writing style.

Each of the stories has a wonderful ending; albeit some are humorous, while others are dark and unsettling. It is amazing to see the range of Kellerman’s writing capabilities all together in one book. Each short story has a very short introduction which I found interesting as I tried to put each vignette into perspective as to Kellerman’s purpose and the timeframe where it fit in her writing career.

Kellerman fans will probably all enjoy this book, particularly those who are eager for another Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novel. (The last one came out in 2005.) However, it is important to realize that this collection is not all crime and murder mysteries; fans should read the book as an opportunity to see a new side to Kellerman. I was truly surprised by some of the writing styles, including the personal essays, in the book. The book is a great read for those first-time readers of Kellerman, who then can decide if they want more.

In all, “The Garden of Eden and Other Criminal Delights” held my attention, and each story was a quick read. Some I liked, and some I didn’t. But, with such a diverse range of genres represented, every reader is likely to find at least a couple of stories that will leave them wanting more writing from Kellerman.

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