Cindy Decker

Cindy Decker Kutiel is a fictional character in a series of mystery novels by Faye Kellerman. The novels in the series include The Ritual Bath (1986), 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) and Street Dreams (2004). Cindy is the daughter of protagonist Los Angeles police lieutenant Peter Decker, by his first marriage. While Cindy and her mother Jan are Jewish, they are not as religiously observant as Peter's second wife Rina Lazarus, which calls for minor adjustments in the earliest books. Cindy, a teenager in the earliest books, takes on a more active role in solving crimes in later novels. In Grievous Sin, Cindy helps care for her infant half-sister Hannah Decker, after her stepmother has a difficult childbirth, and helps investigate the disappearance of another infant from the hospital ward where Hannah is being cared for. Later, Cindy follows her father into the police force. Her actions endanger her life in Stalker. In Street Dreams, Cindy investigates the case of an abandoned infant and dates and eventually marries an Ethiopian Jew, Yaakov Kutiel.