Monster

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing effort from Kellerman
Review: I have read somewhere around 5-6 of Kellerman's previous books and this is easily the least satisfying that I have come across. Perhaps he needs to take some time off and rethink his approach because this book seems to represent either an attempt to consciously change his style of writing or the most perfunctory effort that one can imagine. In the past, I have found Kellerman to be a good and descriptive writer, even if his books often tend to stretch the boundaries of believability as they near the end. Still he offers interesting insights and enough humor to make his tales a good ride. Not here, though. The charcters are unsympathetic, Robin is more 1 dimensional than usual (something I didn't think possible), Milo is a cardboard cutout of himself as well, Delaware sleepwalks through the plot, the writing is skeletal rather than spare, I could go on and on. Whereas Silent Partner was full of plot flaws and bombast, it was at least ambitious and driven by heart, making for a hell of a ride, even if it made as much sense as the Voynich Manuscript. This is just a waste of reading time.

Rating:
Summary: Really disappointed
Review: Monster started out with the potential to be a great listen but it never seemed to get off the ground. Too much dialogue that did not add to the story line or character development. I kept waiting for a surprise or a twist but the only surprise was that there was not one. A whole lot of verbage led up to very little content.

Rating:
Summary: Kellerman at top of his form.
Review: Alex Delaware is helping Det. Milo Sturgis solve two particularly grisly crimes -- a chopped up would-be-actor and a doctor at Starkweather, an institution for the criminally insane. Much of the action takes place at the hospital, and the descriptions and interplay in those scenes are wonderfully written. Mr. Kellerman dedicated this novel to the memory Kenneth Millar, the real name of Ross MacDonald, the creator of Lew Archer. Archer always dealt with family secrets and connections that intertwined through time. Mr. Kellerman followed the same route here with excellent results. I love this Alex Delaware mystery; I hope it's a "Monster" of a success.

Rating:
Summary: PASS ON THIS ONE
Review: An avid Kellerman fan, I was extremely disappointed in this book. Boring and disjointed. Kellerman plants some interesting ideas and fails to follow through on them. I believe an unknown author would never have had this book published--just didn't hang together!

Rating:
Summary: Great Delaware but did JK timewarp?
Review: Once again JK has delivered vintage Delaware. The plot was intriguing and the characters well defined. I was convinced though that this was an old manuscript dusted off and reworked for a current release. There were numerous references that felt like they were written in the mid 80's. In spite of that minor distraction I found myself reading late into the night.

Rating:
Summary: Not one of his best
Review: I'm happy to hear it wasn't just me that thought Monster was not one of Kellerman's better efforts. I am an avid fan of this series and this book left me wondering what happened. I had trouble keeping interested in this plot and that has never happened before. It had very little of the usual drama and twists and turns of an Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis investigation. I hope his next effort is better. I would hate to think that this series has come to an end.

Rating:
Summary: Not one of his best...
Review: I have read all the Alex Delaware novels and usually love them. I had a really hard time getting through this one though. The story picks up near the end but it is rough going to get there. I really enjoyed the Billy Straight novel before this one much more.

Rating:
Summary: Kellerman Slips
Review: The book is predictable and boring at times, but keeps your attention by throwing in some gore and horror. Like a car wreck, you know you shouldn't keep looking but for some reason you do. How DOES Alex Delaware keep that great house in the California hills without doing any full time work? And I'm sick to death of the one-dimensional relationship with live-in Robin -- they are two people who have no more meaningful conversations than their soppy psuedo-intellectual exchanges of about three sentences that precede their lovemaking, which takes place every time they run into one another. Give me a break. Kellerman could write a great book by delving into the characters as they solve a believable case, rather than trying to conjure up a horrifying yet "stretch" of a situation that permits only paper-doll characters.

Rating:
Summary: Page turner -- but predictable
Review: This is my first Kellerman. The book jacket hooked me at the store. I found the book exciting and fast-paced -- after a slow start. I loved the plot twists and the Chinatown-like subplot involving the little town of Treadway. I found the descriptions at the mental hospital evocative and interesting. Only one problem: I figured out the ending fairly early on, and was surprised that Delaware and Milo didn't, too. And I am one of those who virtually never figures out the ending. But even so, I found myself anxiously reading every page, and stealing extra time to do so.

Rating:
Summary: Convoluted & tedious
Review: Reading this book makes me realize how much I prefer J. Kellerman's wife Faye's straight forward direct style of writing. This book, Monster, dragged on & on. It became so convoluted that it was hard to figure out its direction. I liked Billy Straight but this was no where near as well written. Dr. Argent was a difficult character to sympathize with. Her parents breezed in and out of the book too quickly. I did not care for Peake and was amazed that the killer had such an easy time getting in and out of Starkeweather and in & out of trouble. This book was very tedious and unrealistic.