Reviews

Billy Straight by Jonathan Kellerman

ladyreading365's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

skii16_'s review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

wondrwhy's review against another edition

4.0

Good book, I liked how the author toys with the reader making you think it's all so obvious, they twisting it. Then, thinking you've figured it out, twists it again, then wrapping it all together. Nicely written.

sophia_gottschalk's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

mryjne's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

4.0

kkbe's review against another edition

4.0

This may just be the novel that propelled me, on some subconscious level, to write the kind of books I write.

Kellerman's main character, 12 y/o Billy, is a child in peril and that's putting it mildly. Billy's home life is a nightmare: he flees with his life, only to find himself haunted by his past, and hunted in his present. Billy watched a man brutally murder somebody, and now that man is after him. . .

Talk about a thriller--Billy Straight is that and more. I loved Billy, I swear he felt like a real kid and I cared about him and feared for him as he navigated the dark underbelly of LA...oh lord. This kid--if anything happened to him I wasn't going to take it well, tell you that right now.

I give this really exciting, well-written novel four out of five stars because of the other main character: Petra Conner, the LAPD homicide detective trying to stop a killer and save a kid. My problem with Petra? She wasn't Billy Straight. Honestly, I love that kid so much I wish the whole novel had been his story, from his POV.

Lesson learned by this author? If you want a kid in peril to tell his own story, you may just have to write that book yourself.

bougainvillea's review against another edition

1.0

Ok, I am giving up. I don't think there's anything that could make me go back to this book. It's not badly written and the story seems interesting, but I just cannot stay with it.

imklb's review against another edition

3.0

While I believe it was stretched out way too long, I did enjoy it. There were definitely parts that I felt didn't need to be there...or at least not stretched into full chapters. It did get a bit confusing at times with the way it jumped with each chapter, but nothing that I couldn't handle. It was my first Jonathan Kellerman book and I would definitely say that I will look to read his others.

felinehex's review against another edition

3.0

I'd read it before, but .... it was slow starting. each chapter was from different view point. Eventually, it got interesting and went faster. Surprised at the end!

wietse111's review against another edition

4.0

Kellerman boek, maar geen Alex Delaware. Duurde even om er in te komen, maar toen ik er eenmaal was een goed boek. Een aantal toch wel verrassende momenten, de hoofdpersoon was sterk (voor een detective). De tussenstukjes over Billy op straat waren iets minder standaard, maar eigenlijk best wel leuk. Prima detective!