Monster

Rating:
Summary: ENGROSSING! RIVETING!
Review: I have been an avid Jon Kellerman fan since 1986 when I first read, "When the Bough Breaks." This book delivers a neat punch with its myriad of twists and subplots. Kellerman is a master at his craft, a gifted mystery writer and his characters are all given full, realistic descriptions. His dialogs remain impeccable and he certainly knows how to keep his readers on the edge of their seats. The description of the central character, a mentally ill man called "Monster" because he is accused of committing a heinous murder is very vivid. Monster has been committed to an institution and the author literally takes his readers into that terrifying place that houses the dangerous mentally ill. Despite his obvious mental illness, Monster is an interesting character and one who will remain in the memory of most readers. This book is excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Passable but disappointing
Review: Kellermans books have gradually declined and Monster is no exception. As serial killer books go its not very interesting. Too much formula, the characters are plug ins and the ending is very predictable.

Rating:
Summary: Not one of Kellerman's best
Review: I was excited about beginning a new Alex Delaware novel and was, on the whole, disappointed with this effort. Monster is definitely not one of Jonathan Kellerman's best. The plot is implausible, to say the least. It was very easy to figure out whodunit early on in the book. It seemed as if the Alex and his policeman friend, Milo, were either working with closed minds or with blinders on. I hope the next Delaware novel is back up to snuff.

Rating:
Summary: As an airplane book, it does the trick
Review: Kellerman doesn't neglect the elements that made his book such a success, but neither does he manage to weave those elements together into something more than reasonably entertaining.

In _Monster_, Dr. Delaware helps Milo Sturgis put together a series of obviously connected but seemingly random murders to catch a dangerous killer. They begin in a hospital for the criminally insane and have to navigate a long series of red herrings to finally come to a solution.

The parts in the hospital are really fascinating, and carry that Delaware flavor I like best-- the part where I feel like he has a real job whose knowledge he's able to leverage. The rest of the plot, however, is incredibly convoluted and relies on some rather overdone tricks to bring the book to a close.

Rating:
Summary: Well-written psychological thriller
Review: Dr. Delaware, serves as a psychiatric consultant to the police department. He and Detective Milo Sturgis set out to solve the crime of a psychologist who worked at a hospital for the criminally insane. The head of the facility tells them that the Dr. was safe when she was there--it was in the outside world that she met her untimely end. The victim had been working with Ardis Peake, a young man who had brutally murdered his own mother and another family many years ago. Her interest in him was spurred by dark family secrets in her own past, which are uncovered as the plot proceeds. More murders occur which bear a grisly resemblance to the Dr.'s murder and which are eerily foretold in the psychotic mutterings of Peake. There are many twists and turns until the final solution is revealed. Kellerman writes of the inmates with stark realism, but also with a great amount of understanding. An interesting book!

Rating:
Summary: Engaging yet Circuitous
Review: There are certain elements you can always count on in a Delaware mystery. The fantastic chemistry between the curmudgeonly Detective Milo Sturgis and the optimistic Delaware is none better in this book.

Unfortunately, this isn't enough to hold a story together that brings the reader on a long journey to seemingly nowhere. Eventually the dots do get connected, but by the time we arrive, we look back with puzzlement and ask ourselves 'Was all this really necessary?'

I actually enjoyed the book's subplots and almost wished Kellerman separated them out into different novels. The asylum angle could have been an interesting mystery, if Peake was indeed spouting prophecy and somehow murdering people from inside his padded cell. In the same vein, a book on the secret life of Dr. Argent would have been an interesting journey into the psyche of this quixotic woman.

Instead we have a real patchwork of plots which, to Kellerman's credit, does somehow get sewn together in the end.

It has it's highlights, but this latest Delaware edition is really for the diehard fan.

Rating:
Summary: "Monsters are such interesting people..."
Review: Once again, Jonathan Kellerman gives us an excellent and thrilling Alex Delaware novel, complete with Milo and Robin. Most of Mr. Delaware's novels have focused in some way on children, but "Monster" is a fully grown novel.

The plot is intricate without being confusing, the action is swift, and the character development is first-rate.

After the dreadful "Billy Straight" was released last year (without Alex and Milo, except in a strained cameo), I was worried that Mr. Kellerman had lost his touch... With "Monster", the author has returned to true form.

Rating:
Summary: Suspensful and Entertaining
Review: I have read many of Kellerman's books. Some I have really enjoyed but others didn't do a lot for me. This book, however, was vastly enjoyable. I work in criminal justice and I have a degree in psychology (emphasis on abnormal psychology), so a novel involving police procedures and psychological abnormalities seemed right up my alley. I was not disappointed. Kellerman's regulars, Alex Davenport and Milo Sturgis, are at their best, trying to solve an old murder and at the same time unlock the mind of a profoundly disturbed inmate at a mental facility. Sturgis is still one of my favorite law enforcement characters, at once dry and acerbic but entirely likable. Davenport is smoother, but the two play off each other very effectively. There were moments when I actually laughed out loud (drawing odd looks from my husband). At times the story becomes somewhat predictable, but it is completely entertaining nonetheless. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good suspensful read with plenty of humor and some very memorable characters.

Rating:
Summary: Intricate
Review: this was a great book with many twist and turns. i thought it was a very original plot that kept you guessing who the villian was till the last page of the book.

however, i must warn you to pay careful attention to everything you have read. as the book draws to its conclusion, the author starting throwing many curveballs at the reader. at times, the plot gets very muddled; but still very original

Rating:
Summary: Alex Is Back!
Review: Dr. Alex Delaware is finally back in fine form. After three disappointments in this fine series, with THE WEB being the distinct low point, we find Alex and Milo in the dark heart of southern California in a fascinating modern mystery. This one is particularly reminescent of Ross MacDonald. This one is a fantastic read -- it is good to see Kellerman back in top form.