The Forgotten is a book about the Holocaust and what parents will do to get their children to pass the standardized tests in order to get into the best colleges. The story was believable. The settings and characters were all believable. The forgotten was the heroes of the Holocaust who would risk their lives to help people in camps where Jewish people were murdered. In order to learn how the Holocaust and standardized tests are linked in this book, one has to read the book. Four stars were awarded to this book. ( )

Rina Lazarus ist wie vor den Kopf geschlagen, als sie erfährt, dass ein infamer Anschlag auf die kleine Synagoge, zu der sie und ihre Familie gehören, verübt wurde. Die Wände sind mit antijüdischen Parolen beschmiert, der Boden ist mit rassistischen Pamphleten übersät, die kostbaren Bücher sind zerfleddert und beschmutzt. Peter Decker, Rinas Mann und Kommissar bei der Polizei von Los Angeles, nimmt routiniert die Ermittlungen auf. Vergehen wie dieses gehören zu seinem Alltag. Schnell kommt er denn auch Ernesto Golding, einem jungen Mann aus wohlhabendem Elternhaus, auf die Spur, der sich nach kurzem Widerstand zur Tat bekennt. Als Motiv nennt Ernesto das Entsetzen über seinen jüdischen Großvater, der angeblich ein Nazi gewesen sein soll. Ernestos Freundin Lisa freilich sät in Decker starke Zweifel an dieser Version des Geschehens. Als Ernesto einige Zeit später einem Mordanschlag zum Opfer fällt, muss Peter Decker erkennen, dass ihn der Fall weit mehr betrifft, als er bislang wahr haben wollte. Denn sein eigener Stiefsohn Jacob scheint tief verstrickt in ein Netz zwielichtiger Machenschaften. Und sein Leben ist in Gefahr... (Klappentext)

Solid entry in an excellent series. A Jewish school is vandalized and the unlikely perp caught. One of Rina's boys becomes a key conduit into a college admissions ring that moves prep school boys into the best colleges.
The bodies(5) pile up before the Decker and his team sort it out. ( )

4.5 hours abridged. I found this book in a second -hand store. Narrated by Boutsikaris, Dennis, this is a story of a modern Jewish mother, Rina whose modest place of worship has been desecrated with anti-Semitic graffiti. Her husband, Lt. Peter Decker is on the case. The suspects end up missing or dead and the trail takes curves and has dead ends. .......The characters are well developed and very relatable. Because the version I had was abridged, I got lost with some of the dective co-hort names. It seemed like there were too many of them or I just missed information because of the abridgement. I listened to it two times because I enjoyed the narrator so much. I love a good narrator!! If you see his name on another story, you won't be disappointed. I could not find this book in ANY of the book searches. I entered my informaion by hand. ( )

This is the 13th of the Decker/Lazarus series and I have enjoyed each one. I have learnt a lot about the Jewish faith and have loved watching Peter and Rina's relationship grow.

Back Cover Blurb:
A place of worship is vandalised, daubed swastikas testifying to a hatred that, for a time at least, defies understanding.
But the Deckers, Rina and her detective husband Peter, soon realise the violence done to their synagogue can be traced to one deeply disturbed adolescent, Ernesto Golding. Born into privilege but obsessed by the past, he is eventually charged, his case closed. But Peter Decker still worries that others were involved. And six months later Ernesto is found murdered.
Suddenly Decker and his family are plunged into a ghastly world, of damaged youth, ruthless parents, and of secrets, their roots in the horrors of the last generation, that seem to demand ultimate retribution.... ( )