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Summary: AN EMOTIONALLY INTENSE READING
Review: Tony Award-winner John Rubinstein has read the audio book versions of each of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels. "Performed" might be a more appropriate word than "read" as his deliveries are riveting. (Need we say that Kellerman, a master of the psychological thriller, writes can't-put-down tales?)There's a diabolical twist in this story as the man some have described as a killer is killed - Dr. Eldon Mate, a proponent of euthanasia, is murdered in the back of his own vehicle, attached to the mechanism he has used to assist others in ending their lives. Of course, the LAPD seeks assistance from Dr. Alex Delaware who has a few qualms of his own regarding the case. Rife with menacing characters and psychological detail, "Dr. Death" is Kellerman at the peak of his authorial prowess. In the case of the audiobook Rubinstein's emotionally intense voice is frosting on this devil's food cake.
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Summary: Avid Mystery Reader from LA
Review: This is one of Kellerman's best books in years. The plot and characters are well crafted; the suspense and plot twists are what loyal Kellerman fans have come to expect of him, but seemed to be missing in some of his books of late. One of the true testimonials of reader loyalty has always been that Kellerman was able to take the protagonist ( Delaware ) and not give the reader any background into him, yet still make him immensely appealing. The best thing about 'Dr. Death' is that Alex Delaware has been finally fleshed out by his creator. We are finally given insight into the character's heritage and motivations. Perhaps Kellerman, as he gets older, is feeling more comfortable with his writing and his character and no longer feels the need for such anonymity. Whatever the reason for the author's revelations, it made the book a far more enjoyable and insightful read. I would heartily recommend it.
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Summary: Dr. Delaware is on the Trail of Dr. Death's Killer
Review: Dr. Eldon Mate is the angel of mercy in Los Angeles, or was, because he's found dead in the back of the van, where he had assisted in the suicides of so many, hooked up to his own "Humanitron machine." And just so the police don't think he took his own life, the killer mutilated the body. Once again Detective Milo Sturges enlists the aid of his old friend Dr. Alex Delaware to consult on a murder case and once again the pair become embroiled in a search for a killer. First off, they ask themselves, who might have had it in for the death doc? Perhaps family members of those he'd assisted into the great beyond. Perhaps the son he'd abandoned as a small child. And to make matters more interesting, Alex is counseling Stacy and Eric Doss, the children of Joanne Doss, one of the death doctor's assisted suicides. Alex is a child psychologist, after all. Will this potential conflict of interest come between Alex and Milo? And did Doctor Death really do in Joanne, or had she been done by her hubby in a copycat killing? As usual Kellerman had me glued to his words as I eagerly read on, dying to see what the next page had in store for me in this intriguing book that kept the suspense high right up until the surprise twist at the end.
Rating: 
Summary: Well plotted and suspenseful
Review: Dr. Eldon Mate, a self-styled Dr. Death, is found brutally murdered. Alex Delaware immediately thinks of Richard Doss, the father of one of Delaware's former patients. It seems that Dr. Death helped Doss' wife commit suicide and Doss hates Dr. Death. But as Delaware and Milo Sturgis dig further small ireggularities start to emerge. Why was Doss' wife found dead in a motel room while all of Dr. Death's other assisted suicides were found in rental vans? Why didn't Dr. Death step forward and claim responsibility for Doss' wife like he did in all of his other assisted suicides? And finally, who is Fusco, the renegade FBI agent who brings details of yet another killer who may have wanted to usurp Dr. Death? Like all Jonathan Kellerman novels this one is well-plotted. Mr. Kellerman knows how to parcel out the clues and he does it honestly. When the murderer is finally revealed you can always go back and see just where it makes sense and how the clues really did point to that particular person, even though they didn't seem to at the time. Kellerman is also good at characterization and to me all of his characters ring true, even the minor ones. I think the only quibble anyone might have is how in real life a psychologist really wouldn't be able to get this involved with a police investigation. But hey, this is fiction. If I can believe a little old lady like Miss Marple can solve mysteries I can certainly go along with Mr. Kellerman. All in all, a good book. Head and shoulders above most of the mysteries being cranked out today. I recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Kellerman's Best Work
Review: The book is a great deal of setup, followed by some boring filler. After reading more than half of the novel, I flipped to the end and still had trouble with understanding the plot. The book lacks passion and the characters are one dimensional. Kellerman has written some wonderful books in the past but this isn't one of them.
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Summary: Quick, Stylish, and Fun
Review: It's embarrassing to admit, but I had never read a Kellerman novel before, either Kaye OR Jonathan. So I had very little expectation level when a friend at work begged me to read this book. I found it well-written, fun to read, riveting, and intelligent--albeit a tad confusing (I kept having to look back to make sure the suspects were who I remembered they were). I read it in a couple of days, and came away intent on reading the next in Kellerman's Alex Delaware series. Therefore, I was very surprised to see that this offering only earned an overall three-star rating from other reviewers. Yes, it's fast-paced, and therefore, the relationships Alex has with his wife Robin and even his friend Milo seem superficial, but that did not bother me overmuch. Some of the characters were fairly improbable, but these days, all I have to do is turn on Court TV to see the same types. Having read so many, many books in this genre, some of them real stinkers, I think that's a low rating. But, as admitted above, I have not read any OTHER Kellermans, so compared with himself, he may not have done his best work here. I'll know when I read more of his work--and I definitely want to read more.
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Summary: A good thing gone sour
Review: Eldon Mate, the Dr. Death who sends weary travelers on their way out of life with the help of a few injections, is found trussed up and dead in the back of his own euthanasia van. It's up to psychologist Alex Delaware and his buddy, LAPD gay cop Milo, to find out who took it upon themselves to put Dr. Death out of his pain. While I try to be a moderately enthusiastic fan of the Alex Delaware series, DR. DEATH did nothing to encourage me. The prose was dry, the plot lagging, the characters forced. Kellerman seemed to feel the need to have Alex come up with a million possible scenerios for who could have done the killing, then go about disproving them all. Alex and Milo end up working at cross purposes part of the time (frankly, any time Milo is pulled from this series it suffers greatly), and Robin (Alex's longtime girlfriend) failed to make up for the lack. Yes, there is an interesting subplot that serves to nicely complicate things and I did enjoy the parts where Alex conducts actual sessions with patients (although I can't quite figure out what he accomplishes), but there are far too many detailed descriptions of Los Angeles locale and far too many of Alex's diced thoughts for me to truly enjoy this book. Which brings me to my last point: I've read this book twice, once in book form, once on tape. Normally I enjoy stories much more on tape, but in this case John Rubinstein's narration only serves to make the plot even slower and Alex's thought processes even more annoying. I can understand the difficulty of maintaining a series like this -- fans want a certain thing, but if you give it to them over and over they complain of boredom. Still, I can't help hoping that the sort of boredom inspired by DR. DEATH is not so much a result of continuing a series as of failing to live up to it. All of us fans will inevitably read this book -- we're fans, after all. But I'd rather reread OVER THE EDGE any day.
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Summary: My introduction to this author
Review: Having had Jonathan Kellerman recommended highly to me, I gave him a try with this book. Without reviewing the plot, I'll admit it moves quickly, despite extraneous information on virtually every page. I could have done without Dr. Delaware's sexual unions with his wife, for example, and without his detailed word maps of Los Angeles streets. These are minor flaws. The major flaw is that there is not one single character here that a reader can like or find entertaining. The victim, the cops, Dr. Delaware himself, the young woman Dr. Delaware is counseling, her nasty brother, her nasty father, etc. The novel left a rather bitter aftertaste, as if I had eaten something that was on the verge of being spoiled and vaguely poisonous. Would I read another by Kellerman? Perhaps--just to see if this is the norm or if Dr. Mate's death (see matar in a Spanish dictionary) brought out the worst in people.
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Summary: MURDER W/MUTILATION WORTH 3-1/2 to 4 stars.
Review: There are enough characters in this book for 2 novels. Add aliasand AKAs and you need a score card. The story was not a spellbinder so I laid the book aside too often and thereby lost thethread of the story. Milo Sturgiswas barely in the picture as AlexDelaware kept working out different theories of the killer'sID and motive. Some people want to die and hire a doctor death tohelp them out of their miseries;but no one wants his body carved into pieces with hate. A lot ofsuspects have to be eliminated andthe killer brought to justice. I'mnot sure who did what with theexception of one father killing the man who mutilated his daughter. Alex keeps changing hissuspects like he changes socks with the exception of one family in particular. Turns out they wereinnocent after all, just needed his services as a psychologist.Then Here Comes De Judge! She wasguilty of something and very angryat a neighbor who tutored thedaughter in math.Suddenly Alex develops the insightin the last few pages that has been eluding him for over 300 pagsand the secrets are out, as far asconfidentality will permit. Ah,yes, the psychology of it all.Read it and judge for yourself ifDr. Death is up to Kellerman'susual notch on the pole.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Dr. Death by Johathan Kellerman was a tremendous disappointment for me. It is the last Kellelrman I will read and I am just thankful I did not purchase the book. I am really tired of his distortion of Los Angeles...some of the simpler folks that read his books might take the info as fact when it is not. I think he should be ashamed of himsefl, but he sells so I guess thats not a possibility, too bad. I am downtown most every weekend enjoying the music center, the new Cathedral, extending out to the beaches and the valleys.
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