Grievous Sin

While his wife is recovering from birthing complications, Peter Decker of the LAPD (False Prophet, etc.) - along with his partner Marga and his teenage daughter, Cindy, from his first marriage - investigate the kidnapping of baby Rodriguez from the hospital nursery. Two nurses are also missing - one turns up murdered at the bottom of a cliff - and a former staff nurse, a 300-pounder with forged credentials, is now a sleek bodybuilder who hears voices telling her to kill. Decker, Marga, and Cindy toss around possible motives and - thanks to clues provided by the ramblings of an old woman and the confession of a scheming male RN - they piece together the tale of a seriously warped little girl who grew up to confront the woman who bad an affair with her daddy - a woman now so repentant that she swears she is the murderer/kidnapper. Nice family scenes for Jewish convert Decker and his orthodox in-laws, and Cindy is the most appealing - and overeager - teenage detective since Nancy Drew. But Kellerman's plotting still veers into melodrama, undercutting her story's plausibility. (Kirkus Reviews)