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jimbowen0306's review against another edition
4.0
"Gone," by Jonathan Kellerman, stars his two main characters, Milo Sturgis, gay detective inspector, and Alex Delaware, straight psychologist. At the start of this book a naive (and slightly dim-witted) pair of wannabe actors stage their own kidnapping to get attention from the world's media (and hopefully some juicy roles). They do this because they are sick of waiting tables, having decamped to Hollywood from the plane states to act.
When, a month after the incident, the girl turns up dead and the guy disappears, Milo Sturgis is called in to solve the case (and goes to his favorite psychologist-cum-side-kick Alex Delaware for advice about their behaviour). The two then work together to solve the case.
The book is a really easy read. It rattles along at a fair old pace. Kellerman really knows how to tell a story, but I got a little irritated by the way he portrays struggling actors. I don't expect them all to be Lawrence Olivier (or even a regular on General Hospital), but I got a little irritated with quite how shallowly they're portrayed. They're presented as "beautiful people" types with little (if any) curiosity about the world around them. I think he could have done better than the cardboard cut out style characterization he achieved for some of this secondary characters.
On an unrelated note, if this is the first book you're thinking about reading by Kellerman, I should warn you that you're going to have to suspend your disbelief pretty quickly. As an example, one of the things I've never understood about the series is quite how Sturgis is allowed to bring Delaware in so regularly. He (Delaware) tends to go at it like a bull in a china shop sometimes, gets himself in hot water a lot and blurs the line between the police and civilians. In real life he wouldn't be allowed to do the things he does with impunity here.
When, a month after the incident, the girl turns up dead and the guy disappears, Milo Sturgis is called in to solve the case (and goes to his favorite psychologist-cum-side-kick Alex Delaware for advice about their behaviour). The two then work together to solve the case.
The book is a really easy read. It rattles along at a fair old pace. Kellerman really knows how to tell a story, but I got a little irritated by the way he portrays struggling actors. I don't expect them all to be Lawrence Olivier (or even a regular on General Hospital), but I got a little irritated with quite how shallowly they're portrayed. They're presented as "beautiful people" types with little (if any) curiosity about the world around them. I think he could have done better than the cardboard cut out style characterization he achieved for some of this secondary characters.
On an unrelated note, if this is the first book you're thinking about reading by Kellerman, I should warn you that you're going to have to suspend your disbelief pretty quickly. As an example, one of the things I've never understood about the series is quite how Sturgis is allowed to bring Delaware in so regularly. He (Delaware) tends to go at it like a bull in a china shop sometimes, gets himself in hot water a lot and blurs the line between the police and civilians. In real life he wouldn't be allowed to do the things he does with impunity here.
richter10's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
emjay24's review against another edition
3.0
i love this series and i love this author, but i didnt love this book. i didnt hate it, it was good..just not great. it took me most of the book to get into it, but when i did, i liked it. more messed up people, as usual. not kellerman's best, but worth the read.
aubreyfrogger's review against another edition
4.0
First off, I am no good at reviews so don't take this as a book-specific review and ignore my opinion ^^
I keep getting into the Alex Delaware series in a random order. Luckily it's fairly easy to read one when you haven't read the others, because the narrator does a good job of keeping you informed about all the regulars.
What I love most about this series is Milo Sturgis. He is such a great character (and the guy that reads for the audiobook does a great voice for Milo - exactly what I expected him to sound like). He's gay, but he also doesn't meet any of the stereotypes. There's nothing wrong with stereotypes in a general sense, but I don't really like reading about the same stock gay characters (even/especially in gay romance!) Like the snappy dresser, the soft/effeminate guy, the incredibly handsome guy. The "sleeps with everyone/can't settle down". In another book I'm reading right now the two gay characters are 1) An effeminate hairdresser (yeah...) and 2) an unnattractive, nerdy mama's boy... kind of a stereotype in its own right (like that whole thing about how "men are gay because they had overattentive mothers and absent fathers).
ANYWAY, back to what I was saying about Milo. He's unnattractive by description. I picture him sort of like a bulldog. He eats a lot. Like constantly, it seems like. He's a bit grumpy. But he has a long-term partner (husband? I don't know if this book made their relationship specific... I do recall that they live together) who is a doctor (??) and Milo himself is a cop. It has all the elements of a good and interesting, rounded character. I actually find him more compelling than Alex himself, but I appreciate that the books are from Alex's point of view. I like seeing Milo from an outside perspective.
Basically what this review boils down to is that I appreciate the inclusion of a non-typical, well-rounded and compelling gay male character. I want to see more of these kinds of characters. And I will continue to read Alex Delaware novels to get more of this great cop... and the great thriller/mystery stories included.
So this review didn't have anything to do with the actual story involved, but I will just say that I did enjoy it, and it kept me guessing. I might just not be good at mysteries. But I didn't know who was guilty until Alex and Milo did. And I found some of the details sufficiently creepy. And I loved the ending moment.
I keep getting into the Alex Delaware series in a random order. Luckily it's fairly easy to read one when you haven't read the others, because the narrator does a good job of keeping you informed about all the regulars.
What I love most about this series is Milo Sturgis. He is such a great character (and the guy that reads for the audiobook does a great voice for Milo - exactly what I expected him to sound like). He's gay, but he also doesn't meet any of the stereotypes. There's nothing wrong with stereotypes in a general sense, but I don't really like reading about the same stock gay characters (even/especially in gay romance!) Like the snappy dresser, the soft/effeminate guy, the incredibly handsome guy. The "sleeps with everyone/can't settle down". In another book I'm reading right now the two gay characters are 1) An effeminate hairdresser (yeah...) and 2) an unnattractive, nerdy mama's boy... kind of a stereotype in its own right (like that whole thing about how "men are gay because they had overattentive mothers and absent fathers).
ANYWAY, back to what I was saying about Milo. He's unnattractive by description. I picture him sort of like a bulldog. He eats a lot. Like constantly, it seems like. He's a bit grumpy. But he has a long-term partner (husband? I don't know if this book made their relationship specific... I do recall that they live together) who is a doctor (??) and Milo himself is a cop. It has all the elements of a good and interesting, rounded character. I actually find him more compelling than Alex himself, but I appreciate that the books are from Alex's point of view. I like seeing Milo from an outside perspective.
Basically what this review boils down to is that I appreciate the inclusion of a non-typical, well-rounded and compelling gay male character. I want to see more of these kinds of characters. And I will continue to read Alex Delaware novels to get more of this great cop... and the great thriller/mystery stories included.
So this review didn't have anything to do with the actual story involved, but I will just say that I did enjoy it, and it kept me guessing. I might just not be good at mysteries. But I didn't know who was guilty until Alex and Milo did. And I found some of the details sufficiently creepy. And I loved the ending moment
Spoiler
where they got a new puppy! I was really sad to find out that the previous dog had died because I remember reading the first book where he had sort of adopted Alex.meganoliveri's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a bit of a slow burn but worth it! It’s my first Jonathan Kellerman novel and I’m excited to pick up more of his. Think NCIS but in a book, that’s what this felt like like!
lazwright's review against another edition
2.0
Hmm...not really into the "Dark Delaware", But this storyline was a bit tighter than the last book or two. I enjoy how "observant" Delaware is and there were some nice moments of levity spread throughout.
chava_in_oz's review against another edition
3.0
Not one of the stongest books by kellerman, but enjoyable nonetheless. Not one that's sticking with me or that I would want to read again
bethanyhyde's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
ennime713's review against another edition
4.0
Not to long ago I thought I would not continue to read anything from Jonathan Kellerman. I hadn't liked his previous books very much. But then I did buy another one and to my surprise it was a great read. He is back at the top of his game. I also really like that Robin is back! Yes I'm a sucker for those kind of things LOL. I'm thinking about buying the one that comes out this month in hardcover.