Rating: 
Summary: disappointing - little complexity and few surprises
Review: This was the first book by Jonathan Kellerman that I read, and it will probably be the last. I'm not even sure why I finished the book with the first 200-250 pages being so bad. The last 100-150 were better, and the book might have been better had some of the information at the end been revealed at the beginning. But Kellerman held onto it, wrapping everything up tidily in the last few mini-chapters -- no big surprises, but some background on one of the detectives (who I thought was the most interesting character anyway) that would have been nice to have known up front. Choppy writing with trashy themes and language throughout. Almost entirely dialogue-based with very little narration, so all you know is what the characters are saying to each other. A Cold Heart would make a better late-night made for cable movie than a novel. For serial killer thrillers, I would recommend Mortal Fear by Greg Iles instead.
Rating: 
Summary: A twisted plot but entertaining
Review: Trying to keep track of all the characters and the murders was a chore, but the book was well worth reading. It grabs you from the beginning, loses the reader in details in the middle and ends with a gut-wrenching twist. If you're a Kellerman fan, you won't be disappointed!
Rating: 
Summary: Very average (tired?) 17th entry in Alex Delaware series
Review: We read every Kellerman (even his wife Faye!) novel that comes out, but didn't notice at first that this was another police-helper, psychologist Alex Delaware story. Indeed, detective Petra Conner returns (from "Billy Straight") with a new and quite mysterious partner, and we presumed the unfolding murder plot would be a second entry in that series. Lo and behold, a couple of chapters later, Milo Sturgish (Delaware's buddy) catches a murder weird enough he calls in Alex to help. Alex soon develops the theory that the killing was related to Petra's homicide, along with a few other unsolved cold cases from across the country, and so we're off and running with his 17th outing. The (weak) similarity that the victims were aspiring artists (from various fields of endeavor) on the brink of success added little or no compelling interest or suspense to the goings-on.It seems Kellerman has had difficulty in his last three or four efforts generating the kind of zest present in his earlier works that featured crimes involving children, Alex's true specialty as a professional (as is author Dr. Kellerman in real life). His mooning over lost love Robin is way beyond old, and a new love interest in this one does little to defray that nonsense. The strange actions of Petra's new partner provided almost more mystery than the mystery did -- and we really didn't understand why Milo, a competent cop, was posed as so goofy in this one. Lastly, by the time the pros decided whodunit, we readers had all figured it out. We've heard Kellerman's next outing will feature an entirely new character; that's good news in our judgment. Fine writing skills, never a problem here, are just not enough to carry off more Delaware machinations. We suggest he go back to his original practice and let us all get on with life.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best in great series
Review: When an has-been blues artist is murdered in Los Angeles, the police don't have much to go on--until psychologist Alex Delaware notices a connection to other deaths. Could someone really be killing artists who are on the verge of success? With his long-time partner Milo, police detective Petra Connor, and Petra's new and possibly psychotic partner Eric Stahl, Alex starts looking for clues to a possible serial killer. Psychological profiling serves to narrow the suspect list, but can they act quickly enough to prevent the killer from striking again? Author Jonathan Kellerman has delivered a series of wonderful police/psychologist novels featuring Milo and Alex in the past, but A COLD HEART is not the best of these. The early novels in this series deal extensively with child abuse--a crime that cannot help to tug hard on any reader's emotions. Although a serial killer has the potential for similarly powerful emotional impact, Kellerman doesn't quite milk the material. Many readers may also find the killer's identity a little easy to guess, and the action-packed conclusion to be telegraphed a little too obviously. Being far from the best in this series does not mean that A COLD HEART isn't worth reading. Kellerman is a strong writer who involves the reader, delivers smooth and fascinating insights into humanity, and can be counted on for a clever plot twist.
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