Flesh and Blood

Rating:
Summary: This is getting old
Review: I have read all of the Alex Delaware books, and I must say that I'm pretty disappointed in this one. It is getting really old to believe that Alex Delaware is stupid enough to run around sleuthing in such a bizarre way - following suspects in cars, arranging private meets on the beach, kayaking on the water to get a peek at an estate? Come on! What's interesting about this series is that he is a psychologist, often involved in forensic puzzles and complicated cases. In this book, he's pretty much not working, but we are supposed to believe that he has some type of burning interest in pursuing a case of a girl he only saw twice as a teenager? it's totally improbable... No wonder his girlfriend decides she's had enough - so would anyone if they lived with him. PS - the book is not well edited with several mistakes, and why does he keep saying, "Confidentiality ends with death".... Confidentiality about what? He only saw this girl a couple of times - didn't really even treat her...
Kellerman can definitely develop a tighter, more interesting script - we're tired of the rich and famous and these improbable plots... How come his wife's books get better and his get worse?

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put it Down
Review: Flesh and Blood was my first Kellerman novel. After reading this one, I'll be checking out the other 13 Alex Delaware novels.

I won't rehash the plot again, but this novel starts out quickly and does not slow down. The plot is tightly woven and Kellerman wastes little space on irrelevant details. This is one of the few books that starts off well and only gets better.

After finishing off every James Patterson, John Sandford, and Jeffery Deaver novel, I've been looking for a new author to read. I'm now looking forward to reading the rest of Jonathan Kellerman's novels. If you've read any of the authors I mentioned above, you'll enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: One of the series best!
Review: Lauren Teague is a beautiful, but defiant teenager when her parents bring her to Alex Delaware's office. After only several visit's Lauren decides she does not need Delaware any longer, giving up her visit's to continue on her road to self destruction. Alex is left puzzled with the feeling the young girl wanted to continue her visit's but something was preventing her from doing so, none the less, Alex lets the case go, even getting stiffed for an un-paid bill.

Many years later, Alex happens to attend a bachelor party where up the stage two women are putting on a graphic sex show, to his shock, even though it has been many years, Alex recognizes one of the women to be Lauren Teague. After their chance encounter, Lauren gets in contact with Alex to explain what happened so many years ago, and brings him up to date with what is going on now. After this Lauren never gets in touch with him again.

Now, some more years later, Alex receives a phone call from Lauren's mom asking for his help, it seems Lauren has disappeared...Weeks after the disappearance, Lauren is found dead, shot with her own hand gun.

Now more than ever before, Alex puts his life, as well as his relationship with Robin, on the line, for the search for Lauren's killer will bring him into the seedy world of high priced call girls, drugs, and psychological experimentation.

'Flesh And Blood' is easily the BEST Alex Delaware novel in years. The plot is complex, but stays focused, and just when you think you have figured it out, the twists shock you without being confusing. Fast-paced, and smoothly written, readers will be captivated by the story of sex, and money.

Jonathan Kellerman is the leading author of psychological suspense, and his new novel will not only satisfy his many fans, but win him a slew of new ones.

Sure to be a huge best-seller, 'Flesh And Blood' is a MUST read!

Nick Gonnella

Rating:
Summary: At least I know the character's name
Review: (...)

This Kellerman is one of his best. The story's detail of description allows the reader to live in Alex Delaware's mind,smell the same things, think through the plot twists with him, agonize over whether he could have done more for Lauren Teague.

The cliche of "I couldn't put it down" is certainly true of this mystery and Kellerman has lost nothing of his edge, no matter how many times Alex,Milo, or Robin have appeared over the years.These are people worth knowing.

Rating:
Summary: KELLERMAN AT HIS FINEST - YOU WON'T FORGET THIS ONE!
Review: Alex Delaware chalked up his attempt at helping a young, defiant, angry teenager by the name of Lauren Teague, as a failure when she walked out of his office and out of his professional life. Years later, Teague and Delaware meet at a stag party where Teague appears as the night's entertainment. However, the reunion is brief and short lived when her body turns up in a dumpster. Delaware, the avenging angel in pusuit of justice, is determined to find the person who committed the crime. He becomes so intensely involved in his mission that he risks losing Robin, the love of his life, and Miles, his best friend and co-worker.

Kellerman takes a walk through the wild, seedy side of life where pornography is king and call-girls are nothing more than a replaceable commodity. Kellerman's latest book is jam-packed with suspense from cover to cover. While his previous novel "Dr. Death" may be seen as somewhat of a disappointment to many readers, Kellerman redeems himself in this one. This is, without question, the Kellerman readers have come to know and admire; here we have Kellerman at his finest.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining read
Review: I read most of his Alex Delaware books and this one is one of the best. I always liked this character but his girlfried always got on my nerves and I wish he would dump her already.

Rating:
Summary: Not a bimbo
Review: A former working girl is dead. She is bright, ambitious, and a student at the time of her death. She was notable for her detachment. Nonetheless, her death evidences the fact that somebody else was in control.

Another blonde, a college student, a person considerably younger than the other girl, Lauren, is missing. Next, a person interviewed by the police in the course of the investigation turns up dead. Alex Delaware and Milo, the police officer, feel considerable chagrin.

The author uses a ficitious lifestyle magazine and the founder of it as one of the storylines in the book. Although the subject of psychology arises since Alex Delaware is a psychologist, as subject matter it is peripheral to the main plot. What is suggested is that persons who pursue dangerous lines of work create chaotic zones around them as more and more people who surrounded Lauren Teague in life die.

Mystery lovers will find this a satisfying yarn. The smooth writing is another reason to enjoy the book.

Rating:
Summary: My first Kellerman book... maybe the last?
Review: As a person who keeps up with the various bestseller lists and recommended books, I had seen Kellerman's name many times. I wanted to see what the hype was all about, so I picked up the Audio CD for Flesh and Blood. The story was intriguing, and I kept listening, but I was happy to be listening to it, instead of reading through the book.

My biggest complaint is that Kellerman seems out of touch with his characters. The most notable example of this is the dialogue between the various characters... the words he chooses to use and the way that they are written in sentence form are unrealistic. Real people do not talk this way! Also, as noted in one of the other reviews, Robin, Dr. Delaware's girlfriend, is a non-entity in the book, appearing at certain junctures, but making no contribution to the story whatsoever.

As stated before, the story is interesting, involving the murder of a young girl, and the web of money, sex, and lies that surround her death. The story was not too predictable either, and that kept me interested. I may give Kellerman another chance... hopefully it will be a little better.

Rating:
Summary: Story great, tired of selfish women
Review: I'll tell you honestly, I love the mystery/psychology side of Kellerman's books, but these selfish women that inhabit the lives of the major characters in all the books, just defy realism. Robin is so self centered, so needy, even with her own business, that it's a major sidetrack from the real story. I wish Kellerman would get over this "woman" thing and find Alex a gal that appreciates all he does. Women are not all like the Robin character. I've noticed that this seems to be the case with all mystery/psych writers. The women are so self centered and egotistical, that they're fighting for the limelight. It really gets disgusting. Most women support their partners. There's no support in a great number of these writers' novels by the "modern day" women. Other than that, the stories are great and I enjoy every one of them.

Rating:
Summary: Just what I wanted for a long flight!
Review: Over the years, I've enjoyed the Alex Delaware novels, in the way that one enjoys hearing of the latest exploits of an eccentric uncle---nothing heavyweight, always entertaining. Preparing for a three week journey with 33 teenagers to the British Isles, including a nine hour flight, I knew just where to look on the bestseller racks, and this is the one I brought.

Any reader of this series will begin to recognize some of the devices Kellerman always employs in his stories--detailed physical descriptions of each character that leave nothing to imagination, the travels throughout LA mentioned by another reviewer, and the backstory and references to events in previous novels in the series. I am convinced that everyone who has read two or more of these novels could, when asked, draw a picture of Detective Milo Sturgis, and regardless of artistic ability, all drawings would be identical.

Despite these eccentricities of writing style, Kellerman again delivers what most of his readers seek, involved convoluted plots based on the patients child psychologist Alex Delaware has treated that ultimately dabble in the human psyche. In this one, a troubled young woman whom he treated briefly as a teen, but who apparently was deeply affected by her short time with him, turns up brutally murdered as a young adult. Detective Milo eventually takes on this case that was first brought to his attention by Alex when she turns up missing. The storyline takes twists and turns alternately between the worlds of the sex industry and experimental psychology, dovetailing the two worlds in a plot twist that Delaware fans will enjoy second guessing. Even being relatively unfamiliar with the personal details of Hugh Hefner's life, I also thought the similarity of Tony Duke was striking, and maybe a bit disappointing. Kellerman certainly could have invented a character that was a bit more original, but really, character is less his forte than plotting, so I forgive him that flaw. I think it is a credit to his plotting that although by this point in time I have read nearly all the Alex Delaware novels, I still needed to be at least two thirds through the book before I'd made most of the inevitable connections that are revealed in the last chapters of the book. After all, isn't that the mark of a good page turner? The ability to engage the reader into trying to figure out the plot before the last page? If that's what you as a reader are seeking, without having to challenge a jet-lagged, travel weary mind too much, look no further.