Delaware Books

To put it short, this book was terrible. The story was contrived, the ending unbelievable and trite. About halfway through the book, Mr Kellerman discovers the word "sojourn" and uses it about fifty times in the span of three chapters. You know, there is more than one synonym for "trip" or "visit." I read this book ten years ago when I was about fifteen, and still remember it as being the second worst book I've ever read. I'll stick to Atwood, Lansdale, and Palahniuk. Kellerman can stay on the shelf.

I'm intoxicated with Alex Delaware, but this novel with new heroine Petra Connor left me dying for more! Billy Straight, 12, is another character I'd like to see Kellerman follow in more novels. This boy made me at times shake my head at how sad it is for a 12-year-old to be so worldly, and at other times want to wrap my arms around him for the naivite he also displayed. The boy seemed to vacillate between a young boy and a 30-year-old. His genius in hiding out only made Kellerman's genius at characters more prevalent.

The morbid description of violence gave the story more color. The reader believes she knows who the killer is to the very end -- and then is surprised by the real culprit! What a ride!

Kellerman is just a master of characterization. Calling his books "psychological thrillers" is like calling a flying saucer a quarter. Kellerman's expertise goes beyond the average psychological thriller.

When I ran out of light reading, I found BILLY STRAIGHT. BILLY STRAIGHT became my first Jonathan Kellerman novel. I can make several points that would be helpful for those who are seeking a good story.

In some respects, BILLY STRAIGHT is a "Stairway to Heaven" novel. It starts off slow, almost painfully slow, gradually builds up and explodes with action at the end. Over the years, I have learned that some great novels are start painfully slow - a characteristic which can drive me to stop reading. Many times such slow moving storylines evolve into my favorite stories. Thus, I have disciplined myself to read seemingly boring novels in hopes that the progression will change. Such a shift in tempo generally happens with delightful results.

I like a storyline that seduces me to forget my environment. I can get so involved in reading; I forget who I am and what I should be doing. Occasionally, it is nice to forget what I am supposed to be doing. At times, BILLY STRAIGHT offers that level of forgetfulness. Other times, it doesn't.

I like a novel that creates pictures in my mind. Sometimes authors have such a mastery of the written word, they create pictures in my mind which makes the reading experience like watching a movie. Yet, good books are always better than good movies. Good books have more to see! At times, BILLY STRAIGHT offers that picture-creating quality. Other times, it doesn't. It is one of the most uneven novels I have read.

There are numerous better novels. However, BILLY STRAIGHT outnumbers the inferior novels. In the end, BILLY STRAIGHT ain't bad and I don't regret reading it.

BILLY STRAIGHT is a standalone book by Jonathan Kellerman that does not feature his usual hero, Alex Delaware. Although I consider myself a big Kellerman fan, I was pretty disappointed with this effort.

As another reviewer pointed out, BILLY STRAIGHT has an oddly disjointed quality. This novel contains a very large cast of characters, and Kellerman keeps switching the point of view with every chapter. As a result, none of the characters end up being that well developed. Indeed, much of the cast consists of stereotypes and cardboard cut-outs -- the Russian gangster, the adorable kid, the redneck trailer trash, and so on. I also didn't find Petra Conner, the detective heroine, to be that interesting a character either.

This book also has a rather stale, predictable murder plotline, and I was able to predict the killer's identity pretty easily (there is a rather obvious red herring in this book). In the end, I just didn't find this novel to be particularly original or compelling.

Jonathan Kellerman is a good writer, but BILLY STRAIGHT is a stylistic experiment that didn't really work for me. If you've never read Kellerman before, my advice is to read his early Alex Delaware novels like WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, OVER THE EDGE, and SILENT PARTNER. They are far superior to this subpar effort.

I love Kellerman's Alex Delaware series, but this one is not a part of that series. This one features Detective Petra Connor, who is a homicide detective in LA and has worked with Alex and his friend Detective Milo Sturgis in the past. (Alex does make a brief appearance, though).

Petra is an interesting character - she's an artist as well as a detective - and several other detectives are nicely fleshed out as well. It's a cool story about the brutal murder of a TV Star's ex-wife. Twelve year old runaway Billy Straight is the only eye witness to the murder and we follow his fearful flight through the city as well as the police investigation and how wealth and fame obstructs the investigation. It's a twisty plot and, while I had figured out who the killer was by the end (the very end), I wasn't SURE, so it's a bit of a surprise.

The narrative style kind of threw me with this one. The Alex Delaware novels are told in the first person with Alex telling the story - my favorite kind of narrative. This one jumps around from first person POV as Billy to third person limited from different character's POV. It was not particularly difficult to follow, as each chapter has a consistent point of view, but it was a little disconcerting for me and that's the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Oh, that and a cutsie bit at the end I thought the story could easily have done without.

Overall, it's a tense story as poor Billy is pursued by perverts, the killer, the police and anyone out for the reward.

Petra Connor again stars in TWISTED, after BILLY STRAIGHT and a bit part in an Alex Delaware novel, A COLD HEART. She's an interesting character with enough emotional depth and history to draw most readers in. The ensemble cast backing her, including her love interest and a 22-year-old genius that loves working in the murder field, offer a lot of possibilities too. Although the abridged book is a good listen, read by Lindsay Crouse, the emphasis seems to be more on Petra's person life than either of the two murders she's investigating. TWISTED misses the mark on presenting a thrilling whodunit.

Jonathan Kellerman is the bestselling writer of the Alex Delaware novels featuring a child psychologist who consults for the Los Angeles Police Department. He and his bestelling wife Faye have started writing together, and their son Jesse is a rising star in the novel trade.

TWISTED has two mysteries going at one time. Petra is called to the scene of a mass shooting and struggles to put the pieces together as to who the unidentified girl was and why she was killed. In the meantime, her brilliant understudy, a 22-year-old college professor named Isaac Gomez, comes to her with what he believes is a serial killer who's been striking every June 28th. The book takes place in the month of June, so another killing -- if Gomez is correct, and he is -- is right around the corner. The novel's strengths are in the showcasing of Petra and Gomez's personal lives outside of the murder investigation.

However, the novel's weaknesses are the lack of pursuit, to a degree, of the murders. While Petra puts together a fairly good case against the mass murderer who killed the teenagers, the serial killer case seems to come together more as luck and out of left field. There was no opportunity to match wits with the author because you don't get to see all the cards.

Lindsay Crouse reads the audiobook and does a fabulous job of keeping the pacing and the narrative tension in play. She's a reader I'll definitely be looking for more from.

TWISTED will satisfy Kellerman fans, but isn't the best place new readers can discover this author. It would probably be better to read BILLY STRAIGHT or A COLD HEART first. That way you'll see and understand more of Petra's history by the time you pick up TWISTED.

The CD Abridged version:
I have no idea how Lindsay Crouse has won multiple awards...maybe as an actress she is excellent. However this Audio version is dreadful. What a waste of money...I refuse to listen to any more of this drivel....Shame on you Random House, there are so many fabulous actor/'s out there why pick one who is so dull?
This opinion is mine, and if you have enjoyed listening to it I applaud you.

Through the lens of LAPD detective Petra Connor we watch Isaac Gomez, ultra-smart twenty-ish PhD candidate police intern learn about life and love in that clueless but creative way that is typical of twenty year olds. Luckily Isaac is a quick learner, although his active mind and libido land him in some awkward and surprising situation vis-a-vis the older folks he's engaged with. The central mystery is also intriguing - there is plenty of sleuthin' goin' on as well as character development, plus true love pops up in the last pages - a satisfying ending...with a future. Possibly better than Delaware/Sturgis!

Not a very good book on any level. Not horrific, but overall really lame. A whodunit that you could never predict, because there was nothing to predict. It's like the author wrote the book and then when it came time to publish it, chose a character at random that 'did it' and wrote the last 10 pages. So save yourself some time, read the last few pages and make up your own adventure.

I loved this whodunit! It is intricately plotted, has well-fleshed, interesting characters, and presents the reader with enough twists and turns to satisfy any mystery junkie. This well-written, intriguing mystery is sure to satisfy the armchair sleuth.

The book centers on Hollywood homicide detective, Petra Connor. Fans of the author will be familiar with this character, who takes center stage in this book. Even more interesting is Isaac Gomez, a twenty-one year old boy genius from the wrong side of the tracks with political connections who has a crush on Petra. He also has a theory on which he is basing his dissertation for his PHD. having to do with patterns of homicides. With Gomez interning in the Hollywood Homicide Division, lucky Petra pulls the short straw and is assigned what she has perceives to be babysitting duty with Gomez.

When Gomez finds a repetitive pattern in a series of unsolved murders that, at first blush, seem to have little connection to each other, he presents it to Petra, who is initially reluctant to give it credence but is sufficiently intrigued and decides to explore Isaacs's theory. In the meantime, however, she is trying to solve the murders of four teenagers who were seemingly gunned down in cold blood. Unfortunately, the witnesses turn out to be less than helpful. Isaac, to her complete surprise, turns out to be actually helpful as his computer research skills rise to the fore.

Added to Petra's already full plate, however, is her worry over her lover and former partner, Detective Eric Stahl, who is part of a homeland security detail currently in the Middle East. The socially immature Isaac to is also suffering his own personal angst, as he wrestles with his burgeoning libido and tries to find his place in the world to which his genius has opened doors, while not losing sight from where he has sprung.

The homicide of the four teenagers is intriguing, but nothing compares to those pattern homicides upon which Isaac has stumbles, as there is, indeed, a serial killer on the loose, and it is up to Petra and Isaac to stop the killer before the killer kills again. This particular serial killer is one of the most intriguing I have ever come across. Although the mystery surrounding the serial killer is very cleverly plotted, it is one that the most discerning of armchair sleuths could solve and have a great time, while doing so.

This book results from a study of several American companies trying to determine the patterns which make them consistently successful. It covers in detail eight timeless common basic principles which make companies great. Highly recommended! If you like this book you will also like "Built To Last" and "From Good To Great".

I bought this CD beleiving it to be the audio version of the book which it is not. It's a recording of a presentation by Tom Peters. The presentation is still useful in that he highlights some of the key findings and his observations of studying US corporations but I still feel I now need to buy the book.

When it's Tom Peters, it's not the content that matters, but the enthusiasm that you gain from it. I highly recommend it. Other books which I love: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and Eightstorm: 8-Step Brainstorming for Innovative Managers.

The beginning of the cd was ok, but then the quality got progressively worse. Do not buy this product.

I believed I would receive an unabridged audio version of the best selling book. This CD seem to be from a lecture. Plus it is copied from a cassette, since it states "turn the tape over." Do not purchase

I liked this book because it had to deal with a lighthouse on Fenwick Island in Delaware during the Civil War in 1861. I don't like the book because Amelia's parents fight a lot like the father is from the north, and the mother is from the south so they have dirrerent opinions, and views. Also I didn't like it because the characters and the setting are not very descriptive; ike the mom, dad, grandpa, and grandmother don't have names or what they look like or how they dress.

I think the worst part is when Inspector Howle talked to Amelia's father and said that she shouldn't be allowed to be an assistant lighthouse keeper because she was to young. Like I said in the first paragraph, when the parents argue is when the book gets sad, and that all she wanted was for their family to be together. Its also kind of sad when her mother wants to leave the island.

The setting is a little island off of Delaware. The characters are Amelia, mom, dad, grandpa, grandmother, and Oda. The conflict is their parents are always fighting. The conflict is Amelia's parents divorce because during the whole book the parents are always fighting. (...)

A Light in the Storm is the story a young teenaged girl, Amelia, and how her family is slowly torn apart. Her personal problems slowly begin to outweigh the importance to her of the Nation's issues, when her mother sides with the Confederacy, and her father's loyalties lie with the Union. A good book, but a bit confusing and difficuly in some parts.

Amelia Martin lives on Fenwick Island with her parents, and her father is assistant lighthouse keeper. Amelia does more than what is usually expected of a lighthouse keeper's daughter, and she is so good at her job that the head of the lighthouses paid a visit to the island just because of her.
But life is hard for Amelia. Her parent's don't get along, and she is stuck between the two sides of the civil war. Her mother is for the south, and her father is for the north.
When Amelia's best friend is called off to war, can Amelia survive the war in her own heart?

This book is really good. If you like stuff about the civil war, this book is for you.
I felt so sorry of Amelia. I mean, her parents' divorce one of her friends' dies and another one goes off to war. But Amelia was strong, and she didn't let her troubles get the best of her. Now that 's what I like in a girl.

This story of life in the border state of Delaware at the first stirrings of the Civil War contains many themes: the importance of human life, feminism, and the difficulty of keeping things together. Amelia's job as a lighthouse worker both helps and hinders the story. The metaphor of lights in lighthouses as those who help keep things together is good, as are some of Amelia's writings about her daily tasks, but others slow down the Civil War part. Well-drawn supporting characters and a likable lead contribute to the enjoyment of this book, but it isn't quite good enough to be worth five stars.

This is the first Dear America book I have read and for the most part I really enjoyed how they give you a glimpse into what it was like to live back then. It brings up interesting issues sometimes only glossed over in the history books and makes it more personal. However, two things bothered me: First was the fact that Amelia's parents got divorced. Not just separated, but actually legally divorced. I know the Civil War tore people apart, but actual divorce was very rare during that time. Also, I didn't feel like it was really the Civil War that tore Amelia's parents apart. They don't really discuss it other than that Amelia's mother does not agree with Lincoln and gets angry whenever the subject is brought up. For a fair portrayal of the time, the book should have done a better job representing her mother as someone to sympathize with as well, instead of that she's always in the wrong.
Secondly, the epilogue at the end was completely upsetting. It talks about her Uncle and his common law wife like it was a common occurance! I'm sorry, but back then, a common law wife, especially to an African American was just not so easily accepted. Also, it states that Amelia and Daniel marry and then separate! Come on! Amelia is the source of light and hope through out this book and then she separates from her husband too, for no better reason than he wanted to move west??! Besides once again setting up this kind of relationship as normal for that time period, it completely undercuts and the sincerety and strength of Amelia and Daniel's relationship as set up in the diary.
This book has some great points and wonderful characters but it is ruined by the end.

While I haven't read many of Jonathan Kellerman's novels featuring Dr. Alex Delaware (a child psychologist who does consulting for the local police, and often ends up playing detective), this one is best.

The title, which I understand, after reading the book, might be a mistake, as it suggests themes that are not in the book. The book starts with Dr. Delaware being asked to evaluate two little girls, whose father is incarcerated for killing their mother, as the father wants visitation with his daughters, while the deceased mother's family opposes the idea. Then, he begins receiving very strange threats, including a tape of screaming and someone chanting about "bad love." As Delaware, and his police-liaison and friend, Milo Sturgis, investigate, they begin to uncover connections between an increasing number of unsolved murders, with a seminar, years earlier, being the connecting thread. And, the investigation indicates that Delaware is on the killer's hit-list.

The characters are well-rounded, the plot is complex, there are some genuine surprises, and, unlike Mr. Kellerman's "The Clinic," I did not feel that Delaware and Sturgis had suddenly come up with a few new, and crucial facts, right at the end, that enabled them to solve it. Jonathan Kellerman does go too far, in my opinion, in describing everyone and everything, in great detail, thus slowing down the pace, but the story, in "Bad Love," overcomes this.

I believe this book was written in 94, well thank God Kellerman has come a long way since then. I can't say I would or wouldn't recommend the book. It definitely wasn't great, it drolled on, much too detailed. Why in Gods name do I need to know that there were polka dots on the mans tie? Word fill - thats all it was- to make a fatter book I suppose - its a publication thing - word count and so on. Or he had a great idea for the book and had to have filler, cuz the general idea without it was too small for a grand novel. It was a good idea for a story, just way too drawn out, too much filler and crap mentioned that didn't have anything to do with the story or how it played out. I had it pegged who did what and why, so it was sort of predictable, but still good enough.
Kellerman has defintly come along way from this. If this is your first Kellerman read, don't bother 'til later, after you've read others. Enjoy some of the others and you'll see how great Kellerman really is. Billy Straight and Monster were awesome. If you did read this as your first and only Kellerman and then gave up on him - don't - keep going. Its worth it.

enjoy
heidi, avid reader
poe to patterson
iwannabaduck@yahoo.com

A friend of mine gave me Bad Love to read when I spent the night at his house and was looking for a book. I started it, and took it home with me. After almost finishing it, I called him and said I really didn't like it, at which point he started laughing and told me both he and his wife thought it was horrible, and they gave it to me as a gag! They couldn't beleive I got as far as I did.

I like fiction, and even meaningless pop-fiction like Patterson, Stephen King, Grisham, etc., so I'm not a literary elitist. Bad Love is without a doubt the worst work I have ever read. I am shocked that people have given this garbage 5 stars. It's poorly written, has a bad plot, and....you know what....its not even worth going on. I am only writing to warn others. Avoid at all costs. You would be better off shaving your head with a cheese grater than putting yourself through Bad Love.

I was actually disappointed with this book. I judged the book by the cover and I liked the overall appeal of the cover and the headlines, but as I read it went into so much detail that I would forget what I was reading. It took me about a good month to finish it but it wasnt worth reading 500-600 pages... lost count. But it was not worth waiting getting to the 30th chapter to wrap it up and get to the point. For me, there wasnt much suspense. Overall it kept me occupied and now I'm starting a new book.

I really enjoyed this one. Dr. Alex Delaware - child psychologist/police
consultant - is in real peril and it's possible even his pal Detective
Milo Sturgis can't help him this time.

It starts with a package in the mail - a very disturbing cassette tape
that sets Alex on edge. But then, it becomes apparent that he's being
stalked and with therapists dropping like flies, Alex is afraid he may
be next on the list! It's a real twisty-turny plot that kept me reading,
but there are so many names, I couldn't keep everyone straight. Alex and
his girlfriend Robin are really put through the ringer by this stalker
as the little harassing escapades get more and more intense - more and
more violent - more and more deadly.

There's a new addition to the cast - an adorable little stray dog named
Rover/Spike/Barry ... Love that dog! Hope he stays around. And it's
interesting to see just how well connected Milo is - he has friends
everywhere.

I very much enjoyed Coming into the Country (though it rambles in places), so I looked forward to listening to The Founding Fish on morning walks. What a disappointment. The audio version is read by McPhee, who unfortunately does not have a pleasant voice. The book tells one heroic fishing story after another--only I just don't get what's heroic about killing fish. I've got to stop.

Gift for my husband, who is fascinated. He loves the book!

I've read plenty of McPhee, and liked it, but this was my favorite. Two reasons: 1) as a vertebrate biologist, I find fish even more interesting than rocks, canoes, and archdruids. 2) I used to live a half mile from the Delaware River, where much of the action of this book occurs.
McPhee mixes biology, history, personal (fishing) experience, and even cooking to create a synergy that's greater as a whole than the sum of its parts. I loved it. As always, the writing is crisp, clear, and crafted and the research is both broad and deep. McPhee's stuff is always about details, so people who want a breezy overview don't like him--their loss.

I can't help but shake my head in wonder at some of the negative reviews of this book here on Amazon. First, it seems ridiculous to criticize a BOOK for the way it's read aloud on the audio version. Second, anyone who can use the phrases "poorly worded" and "John McPhee" in the same sentence is, it seems to me, nuts. Finally, those who criticize the "preachy animal-rights" stuff (about 5 pages of the whole book) are clearly doing so only because they disagree with what they seem to think he concludes; McPhee gives his opinions on some controversial topics, and he backs them up with his reasons...this is not "preaching." I believe these critics fail a reading comprehension test anyway. McPhee is thoughtful and open-minded on the subject, and, unlike these critics, he tells you the sources of his research. He is well aware of the apparent contradiction between enjoyment of "playing" a fighting fish and admitting that fish feel pain...it's all right there in the book. In the end, McPhee is unwilling to give up his favorite pastime but concludes that it is less cruel to kill and eat his catch than to release a damaged animal to die slowly when out of his sight. If you're going to argue with that, you're going to have to provide your own sources and detail your own thought processes...McPhee does.

Anyway. In MY opinion, a great piece of nonfiction. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

This book is a classic about the American Shad. It covers fishing for shad, it''s biology, it's life cycle; just about everything about shad is in the book. Exciting to read and very informative. It's only deficiency is that it is not indexed- Joe Zaientz, Haddam Shad Museum.

I've never fished & have never wanted to. Who knew I could get so interested in finding out more & more about shad? But I enjoy John McPhee so much I'd probably pay good money to read what he has to say about watching paint dry.

This was my first Kellerman novel, recommended highly by a co-worker. Was not at all impressed, I thought it was a ridiculous outcome.
Used to reading Ludlum and Connelly - this book pales in comparison. Have been told to try Self Defense or Devil's Waltz. I'm skeptical after this one, but I'll give a try.

As usual, Jonathan Kellerman writes a suspenseful yet compellingly human story. The way he weaves the story line of Alex Delaware and his personal interactions with other characters is always believable. A great read.

I loved Jonathan Kellerman's debut novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, but I was somewhat disappointed by this second entry in the Alex Delaware series.

BLOOD TEST starts well enough, but I thought the plot wasn't particularly realistic. Kellerman creates an interesting mystery here, but doesn't do a very good job resolving it. There are a lot of big revelations at the end of his novel, but I found most of them over-the-top, lurid and rather silly. This book also contains a divorce subplot that ends rather abruptly, without any sense of closure provided for the reader.

This book is readable, and I do enjoy Kellerman's prose style. So I give this book a mild recommendation. But I'd recommend other novels in the Delaware series over this one, including WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS and SILENT PARTNER.

Dr. Delaware gets thrown into a case concerning a sick little boy. He is kidnapped and Alex must help to get him back in the hospital. This book was different, which is what kept me reading. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I didn't. There are a lot of characters so make sure you pay attention. I would forget who was who at times. It was a twisted ending and well worth the read!

I love these books. This is the second in the Alex Delaware series, but I haven't read them in order and I've already read a half dozen or so. I love Alex, but sometimes he's so infuriating! He's completely incapable of minding his own business and he seems to think he's indestructible. Poor Milo tries to reign him in, but it's a losing battle. Alex walks - or skulks - right into these things knowing full well that if he's caught, he's dead, but he does it anyway without bothering to wait for professional help. If you're going to walk into a dangerous situation, bring the big burly guy with the gun along with you! Still, it's exciting, and, of course, there'd be no story if Alex was cautious.

Psychologist Alex Delaware gets involved in this situation because his old boss, Dr. Raoul Melendez-Lynch, calls him in to help with a particularly sad case. Five year old Woody Swope has a cancer that was caught early enough it could be completely cured, but his backwoods family are refusing treatment and the gruff head of the Oncology Department is losing his cool. Alex agrees and meets with the bright young boy, but before he can meet with the family, Woody is spiritied away and they have all disappeared.

Alex goes digging. At first because he is genuinely concerned for the boy, but also because he hates to leave something unfinished. His girlfriend Robin is away in Japan, so he has nothing better to do anyway, and when someone tries to kill him, it becomes personal. His pal, LAPD detective Milo Sturgis, is away in Washington, DC, so Alex has a flimsy excuse for going it alone, but you know he would have gone snooping alone anyway even if Milo was around. Once again, he almost gets himself killed. You'd think he would have learned after spending months with his jaw wired shut last time, but the man has an insatiable curiosity and a penchant for breaking and entering. (Have to wonder why he isn't arrested himself for that).

It's a pretty dark and twisted tale of cults and drugs and rare fruits and I couldn't put it down till I'd read the last page. I only wish Milo had been around more.

One thing I'm kind of curious about - just how is it that Alex can recognize such substances as Mexican heroin, raw opium and hashish when he sees it? I mean, that wasn't taught at my grad school. Then again - UCLA in the 70's ... Yeah, maybe it's not so unusual after all.

The copyright date on this Alex Delaware novel is 1987. I had not realized the series was that old ~~ or Dr Delaware, for that matter.

Even then, at the beginning of the series, the writing is fluent and well thought out. The plot is carefully planned, with a lot of interesting ideas to ponder as you follow the story.

Something that interests me: I really enjoy Kellerman's work, but in the last couple additions to the Dr D series, I have been able to spot the Bad Guy the moment he appears on the scene. I can't put my finger on what it is, but there is something that tips me off right away. (You can probably tell I have read a lot of Kellerman's books. They're all good!)

However, Over the Edge kept me guessing right up to the end, with extra unexpected surprises. As I have suggested in another review, maybe the author, like the villains he writes so vividly about, falls into patterns that give him away.

Never mind all that, just read and enjoy!

Psychologist Alex Delaware participated in a study of teenagers with extemely high IQs. One of the participants in the study, Jamey Cadmus, began to show psychotic symptoms during the study and Alex was dismayed that he could not help Jamey and, in fact, might have caused him some harm. Five years later, James places a late-night call to Alex which sounds like a cry for help. Jamey's disjointed and bizarre ramblings are difficult to untangle, but Alex decides he must try to help the young man. In doing so, he becomes involved in a court case which will have serious ramifications for Jamey's future.

Jonathan Kellerman uses his background as a psychologist to spin a creative and complex story. Jamey is a fascinating character, at once sympathetic yet terrifying in his actions. Author Kellerman at times uses too many psychological and pharmacological terms for the typical lay person, but despite this, the book is an engrossing read.

When I start getting antsy, I automatically go to the back of the book and read the last few chapters. If I can easily connect the dots from what I've read from the beginning to what I read at the end, I put aside the book and move on.

This book not only had a surprise ending, but I wanted to know how the characters progressed to get there. I found myself reading forward and skipping back to the end multiple times to try to understand how it got there. I wasn't even able to skip a single page because the plot was so in depth and the events unfolding were so intriguing.

In general, I do like Jonathan Kellerman for that reason - most of his books make me want to read it from beginning to end. I find myself learning more about the characters and understandng Alex and Milo and Robin a little bit more each time. While many "series" books tend to get repetitive, I feel that most of Kellerman's books (and indeed this one) is unique and intriguing.

For the most part, I enjoyed OVER THE EDGE. It's a very effective psychological thriller about a young man who may or may not have committed a horrible series of murders. It works well as a whodunit, and Kellerman knows how to keep the suspense alive in his stories.

OVER THE EDGE does suffer from many of the flaws that characterize Kellerman's work. The storyline is not particularly realistic, and is very complex and convoluted (Kellerman takes 50 pages to explain it at the end). This novel also contains a lot of pages of technical jargon, including some rather incomprehensible discussions about how certain drugs affect the limbic system of the brain. While I'm impressed by the depth of Kellerman's research, I think he dumps way too much of it in his novels, leading me to skip over quite a number of paragraphs.

Still, I really enjoy Kellerman's writing style, and I found OVER THE EDGE quite engaging for the most part. While it isn't as good as WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, I think this is definitely one of the better Alex Delaware novels that I've read.

This is the third Alex Delaware novel written by Jonathan Kellerman, but
it's the second one I've read. The first one I read was a much more
recent novel (Therapy) and was kind of slow going at first, but this one
had me hooked on page one! Alex Delaware is an intriguing character and
it makes a nice twist to have a crime novel told by someone more on the
fringe of the investigation. Delaware is a Psychologist who sometimes
does consulting for the police department. His good friend Milo Sturgis
is a homicide detective, so Delaware is often drawn into complicated and
grisly cases.

This book starts with a phone call in the wee hours which turns out to
be a crisis call from a former patient. James Cadmus had been a child
genius, but now has evidently gone off the deep end. When he is found
with two mutilated bodies and the bloody knife in his hand, it seems
obvious he's a homicidal maniac. But Delaware isn't so sure. It's a
wickedly tangled web, but Delaware finds help in some unexpected places
and the truth slowly becomes clear. Great stuff.

I love the dynamic between Alex and his friend Milo. Poor Milo has a new
captain who doesn't like him, so he's going through hell at work at the
moment and that leads to the bottle and trouble at home too. But you'll
just have to read the book to find out how that turns out.

And now I must go read all the other volumes in this series. There are
TWENTY of them! ARGH!

This was a terriffic book - which highlights the confusion and craziness of the borderline personality.
Truly Alex, at times seemed borderline -
When treating a borderline personality, this is indeed how you feel - crazy.
Kellerman took us into the borderline's world - the confusion of reality/unreality, identity shifts, fragmented world and fragmented childhood.
Kellerman was brave to take on a storyline like this - combining borderline, at times what seemed like multiple personality (because of the three disturbed twins), the world of treatment and psychotherapy, as well as the fallout - as it affected others in the borderlines' worlds.

This was quite a feat!
Yes, at times it was confusing - and that's how working with borderlines is.
I had to reread parts of the book with a few of the twists and turns.
Great book!

Jonathan Kellerman is a fine writer with a very compelling sense of style. This book, like all of his Alex Delaware books, was fun to read and I recommend it overall.

However, I found the storyline of this book to be incredibly complicated and ultimately quite implausable. Indeed, the last 100 pages of the book are solely devoted to explaining the incredibly convoluted plot! What I like about Kellerman is that his stories are pretty realistic -- but SILENT PARTNER is about as believable as the plotline of a daytime soap opera.

This novel also features quite a bit of sex. Alex Delaware is a good looking man, but is it necessary for four separate women to make a sexual pass at him? He politely turns all of them down, but how believable is that? Even James Bond doesn't get that many opportunites in the course of one book.

Overall, I give this book a mild recommendation. Don't make this your first Delaware novel, you should instead read WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, which I found far superior.

I have read all of the Alex Delaware books and am eagerly awaiting his next, it made me want more of this interesting character! I have since read all his fiction novels, and love them all, but still think "Silent Partner" the best. So many odd twists and turns, not even the best arm chair detective can anticipate the plot. It held my attention from first word to the last, and I hated to see it end. It was the book that hooked me on Jonathan Kellerman novels. The type of book you can read in one sitting.

This one is scary! The climax is scarier than that of Bad Love - and
that one is SCARY! Even though Alex ... well, I don't want to give
anything away, so I'll just leave it at that. Alex sure does get himself
into spooky situations. And he can't keep his mouth shut! Who would have
thought Alex would be such as smartalec?

In this one Alex and Robin are seperated and she's off finding herself
or something. In his boredom and despair, he agrees to attend a faculty
party celebrating the appointment of a new department head. Alex and his
friend Larry attend just to make snide remarks about Paul Kruse, the man
of honor. At the party, Alex spots an old flame and that's when all the
trouble starts.

Sharon corners him and all his conflicting emotions flood to the
surface. She says she is not doing so well and wants to get together
with him - just to talk. He agrees, but later, he regrets it and calls
to cancel, leaves a message on her machine. The next day, she is dead -
an apparent suicide - and Alex blames himself. He flashes back to their
relationship in Grad School - which is pretty darned steamy - and then
starts digging - into her past as well as into his own soul and what he
finds isn't all that pretty.

At the start, Milo and Rick are off on a fishing trip and Milo's
description of this trip is pretty darned funny. Alex gets his friend
involved in all the mess, though, and then goes off on his own, leaving
poor Milo out in the cold. I hope he makes it up to Milo in the next
book.

Another book I couldn't put down - another sleepless night - I should
charge the author for my sleep deprivation therapy.

i enjoy the kellerman novels, but this one was a slight disappointment. a bit meandering, a little overwritten, several flashbacks, and with the most exciting interpersonal dynamics and scenes involving the antagonists being revealed, barely, in retrospective conversation. and finally, are they twins?, triplets?, multiple personalities?, borderlines verging on psychotic?, on and on and on. who knows? after 450 pages, one doesn't much care. with a *who's on first??* narrative that was not very enjoyable, but kind of irritating. what little psychological suspense there is, is eclipsed by the extended series of closing scenes. i hope the next one is tighter. by the way, the length of the novel, for a mystery was not a problem at all, it was a content issue.

Alex Delaware does it again! Jonathan Kellerman writes amazing mysteries and I love his Alex Delaware series. Highly recommend reading!

Kellerman's character Alex Delaware once again captures the psychological mystery lover's reading mind. I have read most of Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus detective novels and have now discovered Alex Delaware. I am trying to read the novels in a series to follow the personal history of the characters as well which Kellerman does so masterfully. It is a good read for the crime detective lover!

What a great book. Kept me buried in it till I was finished. The ending really was exciting. I love Jonathan Kellerman books. He makes you feel like you are right there watching almost like tv but reading instead.

I stumbled onto Jonathan Kellerman peripherally, since I enjoy his wife's novels. Although I have read Private Eyes out of order of the Alex Delaware series, I didn't have any trouble accepting it as a stand-alone novel, nor did I feel there was something missing by not having read the earlier novels.

The book had a bit of the feel of an adventure or mystery computer game, where you just keep going back and forth to non-player characters to get new information, go complete a little side quest to unlock more information, and then go back to the same NPCs to get different conversations. However, the characters were an interesting and varied bunch of suspicious and neurotic people. During my reading of the book, there wasn't a single person other than Dr. Delaware himself who didn't come under suspicion, however briefly.

Alex Delaware is contacted by Melissa Dickinson, a patient he hasn't seen in nine years. She is now graduating high school and wants to go off to Harvard, but she's worried about her severely agoraphobic mother and needs Delaware's advice. When Melissa's mother turns up missing, Delaware, as Melissa's therapist, joins the investigation to find her. Any more twists and turns and surprise sub-plots, and I'd suggest that Kellerman should open his own pretzel factory, but it made for fascinating reading and I enjoyed it immensely. I'll look for more Delaware stories by Mr. Kellerman.

This one starts with Dr. Alex Delaware getting a call from a young woman he treated years ago. Eleven years ago, Melissa Dickenson was a bright, precocious 7 year old girl afraid of everything - a result of growing up with a severely agoraphobic mother. Her mother Gina had been a beautiful actress when a heinous attack left her permanently disfigured and scared of the world - she hasn't left her house since. Little Melissa had to grow up fast to help care for her mother, but she grew up in a loving home none-the-less. Now, nine years after leaving treatment, she's a beautiful young woman herself, about to embark on her own life's adventure, except her mother's attacker is out of prison and back in town. She is desperate for help and Alex can't say no.

Detective Milo Sturgis is about half way through a six month suspension from the LAPD and he's going stir crazy. That's why he really can't resist when his pal Alex pleads for assistance. The free-lancing detective work is good for Milo - he makes some good contacts and gets to flex his deductive muscles, gets to step on some PD toes (always fun). But Gina vanishes and as Milo and Alex dig, they discover a trail of other disappearances as well as several possible deaths. Everyone has a possible motive and yet, no one has a possible motive - it's a real mystery.

Linda, the school principal, is back in Texas caring for her ailing father, leaving Alex to fend for himself. He reconnects with Robin - as friends - will they get back together? And the fish get some action too! Another great book with plenty of Milo this time. There's a scene in which Alex kind of ticks off Milo. The big guy gets genuinely angry and Alex is surprised to find himself scared. After all these years, he is actually afraid of his good friend - comments that he now knows how a suspect feels. Yeah, and of course Alex walks into a dangerous situation - again - almost gets himself killed - again. The climax is a bit of a surprise, though - bet you won't figure it out.