Rating: 
Summary: Fast moving again.
Review: The style of A Cold Heart brought back memories of Billy Straight which was the book that got me hooked on Jonathan Kellerman. I last read The Murder Book and was disappointed with its plodding style but not with this one. The sharp, quick action moves along at good clip and yet still adds descriptions which create vivid pictures in the mind. This story brings together all the characters in the other books and weaves them around a case which is solved by their cooperative work. I finished it in two sittings and was sorry it was over. This is my idea of a good read. I am glad there is a new love interest for Delaware finally. The on again, off again business with Robin was getting very boring. I look forward now to what ever comes next. Thanks, Mr. Kellerman for a good story, well told.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but...
Review: I'll be honest - I read this almost non-stop. Kellerman writes really well. And I love the idea (almost plot) in this story. But it could have been better. The characters are well developed, but it was too easy to know where the story was going before it got there. And its great that the Dr. found a new love but I wish it was just more interesting. Maybe bland is a good word. I really didn't care about his relationship nor did I care about what his girlfriend was doing. Granted, she was necessary for the end of the book, but we knew that before Kellerman did. The characters around Delaware are now more interesting than he is; maybe we will see books about them soon?A great read for the beach - fast, easy, and it will hold your interest. As far as the Delaware series goes, not one of the better ones.
Rating:
Summary: a cold heart
Review: the usual good book by kellerman but i would like to see robin back as delewares girlfriend, dont like the new one. too many characters in this book. would like to see det. petra and her new partner in a separate book, and would also like to see a little more focus on milo and rick. bring back robin!
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.
Rating:
Summary: An Alex Delaware novel -- what else do you need to know?
Review: Jonathan Kellerman has written yet another page-turner mystery thriller centered around psychologist Alexander Delaware. As usual, Kellerman vividly draws the cast of supporting characters and, as might be expected from an author who is also a psychologist himself, his depictions of \ interactions between the characters abound with rich detail. In the present novel, 'A Cold Heart', musicians and artists are being murdered, but are the possible connections between the crimes only illusions of coincidence or is a serial killer at work? Kellerman has taken pains over the past several years to ensure that this series of novels do not merely travel along in a comfortable rut. In 'Billy Straight' Kellerman abandoned his usual first person narrative through the eyes of Delaware to use a third person voice to tell his story from the perspectives of his title character, a runaway boy, and of Petra Connor, a police detective. In that novel, Delaware was relegated to a minor role. More recently in 'The Murder Book' Kellerman mixed his usual first person Delaware narrative with a third person voice from the viewpoint of Milo Sturgis, Delaware's police detective friend. The author extends this technique in his latest novel, this time blending Delaware's narrative with third person chapters primarily centered on Petra Connor, but occasionally switching to a broader viewpoint to depict other activities. Sporadically, the reader may become confused as to exactly who knows what at any given time, since there are multiple, overlapping investigations in progress, but eventually matters clarify on the way to a dramatic climax. There is another carryover from recent novels, too. Delaware's relationship with his longtime live-in lover, Robin Castagna, has become increasingly strained and in 'A Cold Heart' this storyline is carried forward against a crime background that this time affects Robin directly, through her connections to the music world. I enthusiastically recommend this novel to confirmed fans of Kellerman's Delaware novels, but because of plot elements that continue and develop through the series, I suggest readers new to Kellerman start with earlier books in the series and work their way forward.
Rating:
Summary: Kellerman has produced another winner!
Review: One of the most intriguing and attractive elements of Jonathan Kellerman's novels concerning psychologist Alex Delaware is Kellerman's willingness to change --- dramatically --- the elements of his characters' lives. While Kellerman's latest novel, A COLD HEART, begins somewhat violently, the mystery behind a series of murders occurring apparently at random is balanced nicely by the interplay between Delaware, his gradually burgeoning relationship with Allison Gwynn and his resolution of his feelings toward Robin Castagna, his ex-lover. It's hard to overemphasize how important this is, or how masterfully Kellerman accomplishes it. Leave out the potentially explosive chemistry of the relationships and what would be left is an unrelentingly grim novel about a mysterious serial killer; focus too much on the relationships and one risks wandering involuntarily into ripped bodice territory. Kellerman makes the story of one as interesting as the other and very neatly brings them together at the denouement. A COLD HEART begins with the murder of Baby Boy Lee, a legendary blues guitarist with a cult following who is attempting to make a final grab at larger fame and fortune, when he is mysteriously murdered during a cigarette break while playing a gig. When an up-and-coming painter and a promising concert pianist are also murdered shortly thereafter, it appears as if someone is marking performance artists for death. The victims however appear to otherwise be unrelated and, when the unsolved prior murders of a punk rock singer and a ballet dancer also seem to be related, the motive and the individual behind the murders become even more mysterious. Delaware, along with police detective Milo Sturgis and Sturgis's colleague Petra Connor, approach the investigation from different angles, all working gradually toward the same goal, with Delaware and Connor working through their own personal problems as well. No one is more surprised than Delaware, however, when he discovers that the solution to the investigation lies with him, personally. The result is a chase that ends, if not at Delaware's front door, somewhere close to it. Yet, A COLD HEART is ultimately hijacked by the introduction of a new character. Petra Connor is assigned a new partner, an enigmatic question mark named Eric Stahl. Stahl appears to be lacking emotion, warmth and personality, but as the reader begins to learn through bits and pieces sparingly fed by Kellerman, there is far, far more to Stahl than would otherwise be indicated. The truth is far more interesting --- and tragic --- than one would suspect. Stahl plays an important part in the ultimate resolution of A COLD HEART and it would not be surprising at all if he should someday be the leading protagonist in another of Kellerman's volumes. He is too strong and too interesting a character to continue to play a secondary role. Kellerman demonstrates in A COLD HEART that he is unafraid to bring changes and growth to his characters and in fact seems to relish the challenges that such changes bring to his work. In A COLD HEART he has wisely made Delaware more involved in the action and less of a mere observer. This is a pattern that hopefully will continue in future Delaware novels, even as the characters continue to change and grow. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating:
Summary: An exciting entry in the Delaware series.
Review: Alex Delaware is called to investigate a series of bizarre murders that linked together. Washed-up guitarist Baby Boy Lee is found stabbed to death outside of a local club. Alex doesn't know what to make of the stabbing, but knows this wasn't just a random killing. The body was carefully placed, arranged if you will, and Alex wants answers for Baby Boy was a friend of Alex's long-time, but now ex-girlfriend Robin. Investigating the case is Petra Connor, and with the help of Alex and his partner/friend LAPD detective Milo Sturgis, Petra is confident they will catch the killer, until another body turns up... In another part of town another body is found, this time it's that of Julie Kipper, a talented, divorced artist on the verge of her big break. At the opening of her first show, Julie is found murdered. There is no motive, and only one clue...the body was arranged in a sick manner, that resembling the body of Baby Boy. Petra, Milo and Alex must work carefully and quickly as the body count rises, but catching this killer will be no easy task, as he stays one step ahead, taunting the police with his bloody "art" work, and to make matters worse Petra has been given a new partner, one that hides secrets of his own. 'A Cold Heart' is another solid entry in the Alex Delaware series. Fans know what to expect in these mysteries; fast pace, careful plotting, genuine characters and thick suspense, and this novel contains all the elements that have made the previous entries in the series bestsellers. Jonathan Kellerman continues to churn out original, quality thrillers. For many years his Delaware series has been the setting standards in the psychological suspense arena, and this latest entry is further proof the series is stronger than ever, and with Kellerman's expert plotting, here to stay. Fans of the series are sure to devour this in a few sittings. Expect to see 'A Cold Heart' at the top of the charts. Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: His Best In Ten Years
Review: A COLD HEART is the best Alex Delaware novel in the last ten years. This time Alex and his cop pal Milo are tracking down a serial killer who stalks and kills young promising artists. The mystery is fair, the subplots are necessary to the action, the transitions of different characters are cleaner, and Alex is demonstrating some long-needed maturity.
The ending is abrupt, but not overly so. Kellerman has been this curt at the end before. All of the exposition necessary is there -- no plot threads are left hanging.
The major criticism I have is with the detective character Eric Stein. He's an Army vet who has joined LAPD, and he's a poster boy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but somehow LAPD can't see it, his partner Petra Conner can't see it, Vietnam vet Milo can't see it, even Dr. Delaware the trained shrink can't see it. Your heo is a psychologist, you figure he ought to recognize classic symptoms when presented.
Rating:
Summary: You Can Never Go Wrong with Jonathan Kellerman
Review: Baby Boy Lee is a blues great on the verge of a comeback when he's found murdered outside of a jazz club. Detective Petra Conner and her Joe Friday like partner Eric Stahl are assigned to the case, but because Baby Boy was a client of Alex Deleware's one time squeeze, Deleware gets involved. Then Julie Kipper, an artist on the verge of her own comeback, is found murdered as well and because of family connections, Alex's buddy, Homicide Detective Milo Sturgis is assigned to the case. Now Alex has a connection to both cases and Mr. Kellerman's novel is off and running as they figure out that they have a serial killer on their hands.
This is number seventeen in the Alex Deleware series and I loved it. I particularly liked Petra Conners' new partner, Eric Stahl, and look forward to reading more about him in future Kellerman offerings. I also liked the way Dr. Deleware seemed to take the lead in the investigation. This is a good solid addition to the series and in my opinion can be read as a stand alone. Just a super, fine good book as far as I'm concerned. But then you can never go wrong with Jonathan Kellerman, everybody knows that.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Whodunnit !
Review: Someone is murdering people involved in the art and music world. The first known victim is a blues singer by the name of Baby Boy Lee. Petra Connor (from the novel Billy Straight) is assigned to this case. However, after the next killing, that of an artist trying to make a come back, Milo Sturgis calls Alex Delaware into the case. Milo and Alex are puzzled over the motive to these crimes. As they proceed through their investigation, a young "zine" writer becomes a top suspect. Is he killing them out of jealousy? Or, is he even the killer?
What is different about this Kellerman novel is the shift in narration from chapter to chapter (one chapter Alex is narrator, another Petra, and so on....) I found Petra's new partner Eric Stahl very mysterious and intriquing.This is a good novel by Jonathan Kellerman. It's not one of my favorites, however it kept me interested, and I found the ending quite satisfying.
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