goldmoon's Full Review: Jonathan Kellerman - The Murder Book
I've been a fan of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series since I was in high school. In these novels, Alex is a psychologist who frequently consults for Milo, a homosexual detective with the LAPD. Throughout the books, he's been dating Robin, a woman whom he lives with and who repairs musical instruments. Throughout the last few books, Robin has been getting very frustrated with Alex because he continually puts himself in danger when he helps Milo and she feels like he's not making her or their relationship a priority. The the last novel, Flesh and Blood, Robin finally got fed up with Alex's behavior. The Murder Book picks up where the last one left off with Alex taking Robin on a surprise trip to Paris to try to smooth things over.
The Plot
While in Paris, Robin reveals to Alex that she is going on a tour with a concert so she can fix their instruments and have some time away from him. She ends up leaving Paris before Alex does and things just get worse from there.
Alex is a mess after Robin leaves. He doesn't shower, drinks a lot and generally does nothing. Then, he receives a book in the mail that's full of pictures of dead bodies. He shows it to Milo, who recognizes one of the photos as that of a young woman whose murder he never solved early in his career. This leads Milo and Alex on a quest to find who murdered the woman and why it was covered up. Their investigation leads them to a group of spoiled rich kids who dubbed themselves The King's Men whose connections may go all the way up to the top of the LAPD.
Why I Liked This Book
First, a little background--I didn't especially like the last book in this series, Flesh and Blood. I felt that nothing was added to the character's personalities and that Alex was just putting himself in danger for no particular reason. I was worried that this book would be more of the same, but I was happily surprised.
What I liked most about this book is that we finally get some more insight into Milo's character. In fact, more than half of the book is written from Milo's point of view. We find out about his past, how he got into law enforcement and some other tidbits that help the reader understand this character better. Excellent idea, Mr. Kellerman, to give a slightly sluggish series new life. You know what I'd like to see next time? Robin getting a lot more involved. I know she's played more of a part in past books, but we haven't seen much of her for a while.
I also really liked the mystery. As we chip away layer after layer, the cover-up becomes more elaborate and we become more enthralled. There are a lot of people involved in this long-ago murder and Mr. Kellerman does a great job of delving into situations and personalities while still keeping us on edge.
Why I Didn't Give this Book 5 Stars
There were a couple of small things that bothered me about this book, but they're really small complaints. The first is that the end lost me a little bit. Although we think we have the murder solved, the cover-up goes even higher and I never really understood how that whole thing worked. I think it should have been better explained (or maybe I shouldn't have been watching Hidden Hills while I read the end? Naaahh!)
Another thing that bothered me is that Alex seems really torn up about Robin leaving. He regrets pushing her away and misses her horribly. And yet, while she's gone, he does the exact thing that drove her away in the first place. If he really does miss her and has regrets, shouldn't he be making an attempt to change his behavior? For a pscyhologist, sometimes he acts like a real bonehead. However, I didn't find that this really took away from the book (as a similar situation did in the last one). I just felt that it made me like Alex a smidgen less. It didn't really matter in this book, though, because Milo is the sympathetic character that you need to root for.
I was also a bit confused about how Alex spent his time. Nowhere in the book does he ever see a patient, talk to a patient or really think about a patient. Has he discontinued his practice? Taking a hiatus? I wasn't sure and thought this should have been explained more.
Overall
I thought The Murder Book was a fine addition to the Delaware series and has renewed my interest in Kellerman's work. Well-written, exciting and a great mystery. I recommend it to fans of the Dr. Delaware series. If you haven't read any of the others, you can still get into the mystery, but you'll lose out on a lot of characterization. I would recommend you to start from the beginning of the series. They're worth the time and effort!
In his 17 consecutive best selling novels, Jonathan Kellerman has distinguished himself as the master of the psychological thriller...More at Audible.com
In his most compelling and powerful mystery yet, L.A. psychologist-detective Alex Delaware confronts a long-unsolved murder of unspeakable brutality--...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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