Kellerman hooks the reader from page one, as she quickly but effectively zeroes in on the thoughts of selected individuals eating at a trendy Los Angeles restaurant while weaving in the dawning horror that tragedy is imminent. No one notices the young man in the green jacket who is watching the restaurant's patrons until he pulls out a gun and the lead begins to fly.

Lieutenant Peter Decker is called to the grisly scene as thirteen people lie dead and 32 more are injured. The case seems straightforward. The gunman, who committed suicide after he was done with the carnage, was a disgruntled former restaurant employee who had been fired for arguing with a customer. Just another tragic example of a lone individual "going postal"..or was it? As Decker and his team begin investigating, they find some inconsistencies and evidence that more than one gun was fired. Decker starts to wonder if the unfortunate restaurant customers were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, or if one of them was a target of premeditated murder.

As Decker pursues his theories, he questions a well-connected and angry individual, and soon finds himself accused of police brutality and sexual harassment. His career may be on the line, but Decker is determined to prove that the murder was more than it seemed.

In the midst of the case, Decker has to deal with a lot of personal issues. His young adult daughter from his first marriage makes a career decision that Decker can't support. His wife Rina is suffering from depression as a result of the death of a close friend. Rina's two sons want the family to move closer to their Orthodox Jewish community so they don't feel so isolated. And Rina has the well-intentioned but dubious idea of inviting his Christian parents to their kosher Jewish home for Thanksgiving.

These personal touches are the hallmark of this series, and they help engage the reader with a set of characters worth caring about. Decker's team are also three-dimensional cops who are willing to put their careers on the line for their well-respected "Loo" Decker.

One of the novel's mysteries is solved fairly quickly, as Decker zeroes in on the originator of the murder plot. The suspense derives from figuring out how the Lieutenant will find enough evidence to tie the individual to the crime and identify the accomplice who may have been the second shooter. Decker's wife, daughter and step-son try to support him and even hatch their own plots to advance the case. Those mystery readers looking for a modern woman in Rina may be disappointed. She's smart and strong, but she is a traditional Orthodox Jew. It is her job to care for the home and children. Decker, who has converted to Judaism, is the acknowledged head of the household although that doesn't mean she doesn't argue with him or score a few victories in her own quiet way.

I read the first four or five Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus books, and then lost track of the couple. Now that I've read Serpent's Tooth, I plan to go back and fill in the episodes that I've missed. I don't think it is necessary to read the books in order, but if you're unfamiliar with the series you've got nine strong mysteries to consider for your reading pleasure.

--Susan Scribner