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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
Not an Alex Delaware mystery, though he is mentioned a few times, this is still a very good psychological thriller.
A rare standalone from an author best known for his long running series featuring child psychologist Alex Delaware, Johnathon Kellerman doesn't stray far from the familiar in The Murderer's Daughter.
Grace Blades is a respected psychotherapist who specialises in treating patients that have experienced extreme trauma. It isn't uncommon for new patients to abandon a session, but Grace is curious when the body of Andrew Toner is found the morning after their first meeting. Tracing his last movements, Grace unwittingly puts herself in the cross-hairs of a ruthless killer.
Andrew Toner, Grace soon discovers, was born Typhon Dagon Roi, the orphaned son of a cult leader, who along with his siblings, Samael and Lilith, spent a brief period in the same foster home as Grace. Targeted by Andrew/Typhon's killer, Grace, intelligent and resourceful, conducts her own investigation, while evading the men targeting her, leading her into a harrowing confrontation with pitiless evil.
The narrative alternates between the present, as Grace searches for for the killer, and the harrowing details of Grace's troubled past.
Grace is an intriguing character. She was five when she witnessed her mother kill her father and then commit suicide, eleven when her foster mother, Ramona, collapsed and died in front of her. An incredibly bright child, she captured the interest of Ramona's brother-in-law, psychology professor Malcolm Bluestone, and his wife Sophia, who later adopted her. Now in her mid thirties, she is independently wealthy, and successful in her field, but she has a dark side that comes to the fore when threatened.
The mystery runs a fairly predictable course, but Grace is a memorable character. Part fast paced thriller, part complex character study, The Murderer's Daughter is a great read for Kellerman fans, and new readers alike.
RATING: 3+ stars (above average). Murder mystery/moderate thriller. Recommended. Would've been 4 stars if not for some personal demerits (below).
Entertaining enough. Main character Grace Blades, a psychologist/genius, is a different sort of protagonist. The story alternates between current events (murder/danger) and Grace's troubled childhood. Alex Delaware gets mentioned briefly a couple of times, but is not active in the story.
Demerits that prevent it from being 4 stars for me:
[may contain MINOR spoilers]
-- too much sitting in cafes doing Internet searches
-- a super-convenient coincidence or two
-- not always believable (but still fun)
-- a character is conveniently mega-rich and trained in self-defense
-- one-sided villain
-- a character made things harder on themselves than necessary (didn't bother to involve police, who play only tiny roles in the story, nor the FBI, and instead put themselves at increasing risk for non-logical reasons).
ALSO CONSIDER: [b:The Chalk Girl|10856198|The Chalk Girl (Kathleen Mallory, #10)|Carol O'Connell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331237667l/10856198._SY75_.jpg|15497929] by Carol O'Connell
Entertaining enough. Main character Grace Blades, a psychologist/genius, is a different sort of protagonist. The story alternates between current events (murder/danger) and Grace's troubled childhood. Alex Delaware gets mentioned briefly a couple of times, but is not active in the story.
Demerits that prevent it from being 4 stars for me:
[may contain MINOR spoilers]
Spoiler
-- too much sitting in cafes doing Internet searches
-- a super-convenient coincidence or two
-- not always believable (but still fun)
-- a character is conveniently mega-rich and trained in self-defense
-- one-sided villain
-- a character made things harder on themselves than necessary (didn't bother to involve police, who play only tiny roles in the story, nor the FBI, and instead put themselves at increasing risk for non-logical reasons).
ALSO CONSIDER: [b:The Chalk Girl|10856198|The Chalk Girl (Kathleen Mallory, #10)|Carol O'Connell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331237667l/10856198._SY75_.jpg|15497929] by Carol O'Connell
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Read other low rated reviews. They tell the story I would tell. This book is not up to Dr. Kellerman's usual high standard.
Loved the concept and the possibilities. Forced myself to finish it--as we travelled home from vacation, using the light of the street lamps to help. I skimmed the last several chapters. I cannot think of a character/protagonist I have disliked more than Grace. Her arrogance, lack of any sort of humanness, and her condescending tone made me angry. I found myself rolling my eyes and shaking my head at the attempt of a male author trying to realistically capture a strong female character.
Good book, but I had periods where I couldn't put it down and periods where I wish I could get to the chapters about her as a kid. For the first half of the book, the youth chapters were fascinating. Then we were privy to TMI about her sexuality and physical self-discovery. The premise of the book was interesting, the book was interesting as a whole, but a little up-and-down depending on the chapter. She was fascinating and flawed, and I wasn't quite sure what the ending was meant to imply about her, but overall a good read.
This one was refreshingly different from other mysteries. The only reason the rating was kicked down was because I wasn’t fond of the ending.
Abrupt.
Abrupt.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes