Prayers for the Dead

Prayers for the Dead
Faye Kellerman

The ninth book in the hugely popular Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series from New York Times bestselling author Faye KellermanYou never know who is hiding the darkest of secrets…Dr Azor Sparks is a model citizen – a devoted family man, a talented heart surgeon and a pillar of the local church. So when he is brutally murdered in a deserted alley, there is a public outcry.Detective Peter Decker immediately realises though that all is not as it seems in Azor’s life. He has made enemies among his colleagues, a gang of bikers counts him as an associate, and his six children seem intent on tearing each other apart.Most unsettling of all, though, is that Decker uncovers a dark secret shared between one of Azor’s children, now a Catholic priest, and his own wife, Rina. Will he be able to ensure justice is served without hurting those he loves most?

Prayers for the Dead

Faye Kellerman

Copyright (#uac7d1b8e-cb1e-53e8-8ecb-45a71110effc)

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in the United States by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 1996

This ebook edition published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019

Copyright © Faye Kellerman 1996

Cover design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2018

Cover photography © Shutterstock.com (http://Shutterstock.com)

Faye Kellerman asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © March 2019 ISBN: 9780008293550

Version: 2018-12-08

Dedication (#uac7d1b8e-cb1e-53e8-8ecb-45a71110effc)

To Jonathan for a quarter century

of love, laughter, and just plain fun

To Jesse, Rachel, Ilana, and Aliza,

the keys to my heart—

thanks for putting it all in perspective

To Mom, my lifelong friend—love ya, kid

And to Rita—for all the inappropriate giggles

Special thanks to

Dr. Isaac Weiner

Dr. Hillel Laks

Contents

Cover (#u2cb35ec2-8681-5759-84dc-9a2340063df9)

Title Page (#ud7db840e-2677-5492-a967-534585d96276)

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13