Victims Mass Market Author: Visit Amazon's Jonathan Kellerman Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0345505727 | Format: EPUB
Victims Mass Market Description
From Booklist
In the latest Alex Delaware novel, solving a series of murders requires putting together a particularly difficult jigsaw puzzle. What do several seemingly unconnected victims have in common? As psychologist Delaware and LAPD detective Milo Sturgis struggle to put the pieces of the puzzle together, the body count keeps growing: a nasty, friendless woman; an accountant; a married couple; a homeless man. Clues are hard to come by, and even when Delaware begins to get a glimpse of the big picture, it’s fuzzy, the killer’s identity hidden, perhaps forever, in the shadows of history. The first Delaware novel, When the Bough Breaks, was published in 1985, but Kellerman has kept the series from devolving into mere formula by finding new variations on the psychological-forensic-thriller format. This one is presented as a procedural, and, as with Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct novels, it’s the step-by-step process of the investigation that keeps us turning the pages. In the long-running Delaware series, this one is in the top tier. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Kellerman’s books have sold more than 40 million copies; he has had three number-one New York Times best-sellers; and his Alex Delaware novels have won both Edgar and Anthony Awards. Now that’s a track record. --David Pitt
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Sophisticated, cleverly plotted and satisfying' -- Sunday Telegraph 'High-octane entertainment' -- The Times 'Exceptionally exciting' -- New York Times 'Ingenious and horrifying' -- The Sunday Times
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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- Series: Alex Delaware (Book 27)
- Mass Market Paperback: 419 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 25, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0345505727
- ISBN-13: 978-0345505729
- Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.4 x 1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
As I have mentioned in previous reviews of Alex Delaware novels, I am a huge fan of Jonathan Kellerman who has been disappointed by the progressive deterioration in the quality of Alex Delaware novels. The nadir was the previous entry Mystery, which had an absurd and unpleasant plot, conventional gore to shock the reader rather than any chills and characters who had become entirely divorced from reality doing predictable shticks--while the author's main concern seems to be keeping alive plot lines from prior books and planned sequels.
I would not have even picked this one up, except it was available on Vine and I retain enough affection or the earlier and non-Delaware books to give it one more try. I am glad I did. From the first line of the book, "This one was different," it promises and delivers a fresh, exciting mystery, and an education to boot.
The basic story is familiar enough, a series of brutal murders with psychotic mutilations calls for a combination of meticulous procedural police work from the bottom up, and brilliant psychological insight from the top down. As in the best novels in this series, Alex and Milo play off each other effortlessly. Important clues are (or seem to be) a man in a heavy shearling coat inappropriate for the weather, some unpleasant interactions the victims had before being killed and details that point faintly to mysterious treatments in a long-closed psychiatric facility. There are some terrific recreations of places in the book, Alex doesn't spend the whole time in mildly-depressed musings next to his koi pond listening to Robin's wood shaving.
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