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ava_123's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
day_dreaming_vampire's review against another edition
2.0
Wow that was a drag of a book. Over describes EVERYTHING. I mean I like to get a picture of how things are supposed to look and feel but 4 pages to describe the "feeling" in a room just bored the hell out of me. Maybe an unpopular opinion but #sorrynotsorry
1 star for the plot, 1 star for the author's effort.
1 star for the plot, 1 star for the author's effort.
luffy79's review against another edition
4.0
It was unbelievable of me never to have heard the household name of Jonathan Kellerman. I read his latest book in the series of Alex Delaware, then I nabbed the first book and compared them.
I thought there was too much doctoring going on. Too many people to be interviewed. But in the course of vigilante duty, our hero Alex hurts the opposition and also gets hurt in return.
I think among all the ex-shrinks whose books I've read, this author's resonates the most with me. Humanism is so important in the way it permeates our routines, that a humanist psychiatrist being a main protagonist is an irony that was not lost on me.
I thought there was too much doctoring going on. Too many people to be interviewed. But in the course of vigilante duty, our hero Alex hurts the opposition and also gets hurt in return.
I think among all the ex-shrinks whose books I've read, this author's resonates the most with me. Humanism is so important in the way it permeates our routines, that a humanist psychiatrist being a main protagonist is an irony that was not lost on me.
paperbackstash's review
3.0
Alex Delaware is an amazing protagonist to follow, and Milo always cracks me up - love the guy. A highly recommended series for anyone into psychology or myteries.
paperbackstash's review against another edition
3.0
It's the first book in the long-running series, showing Alex Delaware just six months after his retirement, his mind scarred from trauma. Trying to get things kickstarted for his old bud, Milo (a homosexual homicide detective), enlists in the aid of the child psychologist for an especially troubling case. After following through with the favor of hypnotizing a small child, Alex finds he can't let go and continues forth with the investigation on his own.
It's a great introduction to the series, giving one a good idea of the main characters at play, yet holding onto the usual awkward stumbles of a first book. It's simply not as engrossing as Kellerman's later stuff, although I dare you to be able to put this one down. It feels like the author is trying to find his footing, testing the waters in different areas to see what should make his main characters tick. One of the more notable standouts of this one was the absence of Milo during most of the investigation. Alex does nearly all the detective work without phone conversations with the big guy, which isn't as preferable. Milo's wit that comes later and the discoveries he feeds Alex (and vice versa) end up working so much better.
The mystery is as usual a complicated one, and Kellerman's typical knack for distracting the reader works its magic. He always includes so many characters it's almost easy to lose track of them, with various red herring trails and pasts always eventually tying in with the present. Here it's on the semi-unrealistic side as the past too conveniently ties in with this cases's answer (does this situation have to do with everything?). Too many people seem to be involved with the main uncovering, but I did enjoy the shocking revelation coaxed out from Milo on the last few pages.
If you're a fan of the series, you definitely should dive in to learn the history of Alex, how he met Milo and Robin, etc. Don't expect quite the same pizazz as other works, but be prepared to have to spare an afternoon or two to read this book with no distractions. If I could find another fault, it would be that the book could use some minor trimming to perhaps speed up the revelation and action. At least all the questions are answered in the end.
It's a great introduction to the series, giving one a good idea of the main characters at play, yet holding onto the usual awkward stumbles of a first book. It's simply not as engrossing as Kellerman's later stuff, although I dare you to be able to put this one down. It feels like the author is trying to find his footing, testing the waters in different areas to see what should make his main characters tick. One of the more notable standouts of this one was the absence of Milo during most of the investigation. Alex does nearly all the detective work without phone conversations with the big guy, which isn't as preferable. Milo's wit that comes later and the discoveries he feeds Alex (and vice versa) end up working so much better.
The mystery is as usual a complicated one, and Kellerman's typical knack for distracting the reader works its magic. He always includes so many characters it's almost easy to lose track of them, with various red herring trails and pasts always eventually tying in with the present. Here it's on the semi-unrealistic side as the past too conveniently ties in with this cases's answer (does this situation have to do with everything?). Too many people seem to be involved with the main uncovering, but I did enjoy the shocking revelation coaxed out from Milo on the last few pages.
If you're a fan of the series, you definitely should dive in to learn the history of Alex, how he met Milo and Robin, etc. Don't expect quite the same pizazz as other works, but be prepared to have to spare an afternoon or two to read this book with no distractions. If I could find another fault, it would be that the book could use some minor trimming to perhaps speed up the revelation and action. At least all the questions are answered in the end.
thosedarkpages's review against another edition
4.0
One of my many purchases in a secondhand bookshop; a purchase of a book by an author I hadn't even heard of. Now I'm really not sure why he seemed to have slipped under the radar all this time!
Fantastic writing style. Character development was on point. The story itself covers a number of dark + perverted subjects; there's also graphic violence. As someone who regularly reads this sort of genre/books containing disturbing subject matters, none of it fazed me. In fact, I was impressed with how well it was all put across + portrayed. My only slight issue is with the amount of characters involved; I did get a bit muddled with who everyone was, how they were relevant/connected, but that may well just be my dodgy brain.
Fantastic writing style. Character development was on point. The story itself covers a number of dark + perverted subjects; there's also graphic violence. As someone who regularly reads this sort of genre/books containing disturbing subject matters, none of it fazed me. In fact, I was impressed with how well it was all put across + portrayed. My only slight issue is with the amount of characters involved; I did get a bit muddled with who everyone was, how they were relevant/connected, but that may well just be my dodgy brain.
dom1976's review against another edition
4.0
First book in the Alex Delaware and it was a good beginning. The story was well written and the relationship between Alex and Milo is intersting. Good book.
vailynst's review against another edition
3.0
Notes:
Good intro to a new character & setup a series. This was almost a 4 star book for me. However, parts were drawn out in a way that made the story feel elongated in an odd manner. It could have been trimmed a little and turned out to be a more suspenseful novel.
Great characters! The case? Eh. The way the case was shown was a bit too dry.
Good intro to a new character & setup a series. This was almost a 4 star book for me. However, parts were drawn out in a way that made the story feel elongated in an odd manner. It could have been trimmed a little and turned out to be a more suspenseful novel.
Great characters! The case? Eh. The way the case was shown was a bit too dry.
em_beddedinbooks's review against another edition
4.0
it was a thrillin' thriller. Remember having read this book many years ago, but when I started again, there was not even a vestige of memory. Thoroughly enjoyed the initial 3/4 of the book, last 50 pages were not that good, as is usual in my case whenever I read a mystery/thriller. The tension builds up, builds up and then goes flat. This is the first of the Alex Delaware series. Alex is a 32 year old jaded child psychologist who is in a deep funk and has retired to enjoy a life of solitude, when his detective friend Milo drags him into a case involving murder of a psychiatrist and his current girl friend, the perps of which were supposedly witnessed by a seven year old girl, who's not divulging anything. His role is to psychoanalyse and hypnotize the girl and get to the bottom of the truth. He starts reluctantly but is soon pulled into the cycle of events, and finally almost single handedly solves the case. There are surprising twists towards the end. All in all a very good book.
boreal_girl's review against another edition
2.0
This author/series came recommended to me, and of course, I needed to start at Book 1 (audiobook). The premise appealed to me, child psychologist, pulled into solving murder. No doubt the topic that this book covers was ahead of the curve in the time that it was written in the mid-80’s. It is certainly a time capsule of the rule of the straight white male, filled with racial stereotypes (he/she appeared . . . but was intelligent), and is a little too campy to be noir. From the point of view of a psychologist protagonist (mirroring the author), the language describing children with disabilities was particularly jarring and unwelcome. The protagonist is smug, pretensious, and lacks self-awareness regarding his own sociopathy, lying and manipulating his way through an unlikely investigation. On review of more recent publications of this series, it seems to have some loyal fans. Does the protagonist evolve over time? I don’t know that I’ll find out. I don’t think this series is for me.