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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book has not aged well. Written in the mid-80s before we had any compassion for gays, children, handicapped people, and those with intellectual disabilities, some of the language was truly cringe-worthy. I didn’t particularly like our hero, Alex, but the detective sidekick was solid. I have read later entries in this series and have liked them better.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia
Very enjoyable... and now I automatically have 28 others to read
dark
fast-paced
Alex Delaware, wealthy and retired child-psychologist, interviews a young girl, the only witness of the perpetrators of a double murder.
I just don't like his writing style (far too much irrelevant description), a not-very-likeable main character, very dated attitudes , too many coincidences, and an implausible ending. From his reviews and ratings here, I'm very much in the minority, though.
I love Milo Sturgis. I like Dr. Alex Delaware. Kellerman is a great genre author, and I will recommend him highly to everyone unless you are a cozy reader or hung up on propriety. Alex breaks the rules in the manner of 1970's TV private eyes who were fighting the good fight, like in 'The Rockford Files' or 'Magnum P. I.' He is a star, someone who can do anything, except walk away from criminality. He makes mistakes, but he is one of those individuals who is very smart, athletic and lucky. Despite his privileged life, earned through endless 24/7 hours of hard work, not simply due to background, he is empathic to the problems of the weak and helpless, very rare for people like him. He is an independently wealthy man, similar to the Golden Age classic British fiction peers who come back from the World Wars scarred by their experience who cannot return to their previous life of leisure but turn to crime fighting. Unlike those titled British detectives, he is a hard working upper middle-class American familiar with the dark corners of society through his profession of child psychologist. He puts his life and hard-earned credentials on the line in order to save victims from powerful people, knowing otherwise the money and social status will allow these bad guys to buy freedom.
I read this one when I was a young kid myself and I loved Alex and Milo. I did not for one second realize the echoes of other marvelous historical mystery writers were in every page of this book until this reading, disguised by American cultural genre writing. Now, I see Batman and Agatha Christie and the X-Men and Ngaio Marsh. Never is privilege put to better use except in genre fiction, and when the writing and characterization is this good, I love it. Obviously, some will not feel as I do, which is pass the popcorn and shut up.
I read this one when I was a young kid myself and I loved Alex and Milo. I did not for one second realize the echoes of other marvelous historical mystery writers were in every page of this book until this reading, disguised by American cultural genre writing. Now, I see Batman and Agatha Christie and the X-Men and Ngaio Marsh. Never is privilege put to better use except in genre fiction, and when the writing and characterization is this good, I love it. Obviously, some will not feel as I do, which is pass the popcorn and shut up.