Kellerman, Faye (1952-…), is an American author of detective fiction who created the husband-and-wife team of Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. Decker is a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. Rina Lazarus is his beautiful Orthodox Jewish wife. Kellerman’s novels are known for their literate dialogue, absorbing plots, fully rounded characters, and realistic portrayal of life in Los Angeles and the Jewish community in New York City where Rina was raised. Jonathan Kellerman, Faye’s husband, is also a best-selling author of detective fiction.
Faye Marilyn Marder was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on July 31, 1952. She married Jonathan Kellerman in 1972. She graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1974 and earned a degree in dentistry there in 1978. Kellerman introduced Decker and Lazarus in her award-winning first novel, The Ritual Bath (1986). They were married in a later book. Kellerman continued the series with Sacred and Profane (1987), Milk and Honey (1990), Day of Atonement (1991), False Prophet (1992), Grievous Sin (1993), Sanctuary (1994), Justice (1995), Prayers for the Dead (1996), Serpent’s Tooth (1997), Jupiter’s Bones (1999), Stalker (2000), The Forgotten (2001), Stone Kiss (2002), The Burnt House (2007), and Blindman’s Bluff (2009). Cindy Decker, her daughter, is featured in Stalker (2000) and Street Dreams (2003). Kellerman featured detective Romulus Poe in her novel Moon Music (1998). Kellerman has contributed short stories to many mystery anthologies and has also written two historical novels, The Quality of Mercy (1989) and Straight into Darkness (2005). She collaborated with her husband on two pairs of short mystery novels published as Double Homicide (2004) and Capital Crimes (2006). A collection of her short stories and essays was published as The Garden of Eden and Other Criminal Delights (2006).
