The Murder Book

Rating:
Summary: Nice, Solid Kellerman
Review: "The Murder Book" is a lot of fun. It's the kind of book you tote to the beach and read overnight with no regrets.

In this outing, Alex and his significant other, Robin, are, perhaps permanently, on the outs. Alex is batching it, and none too well, when he receives a strange and upsetting book in the mail. It consists of crime-scene photos of grisly murders, and it has come anonymously.

Enter homicide etective Milo Sturgis, Alex's comrade in arms and very good friend. Milo's reaction to the book is beyond what Alex has expected, and precipitates an interesting journey into Milo's past, when he was a rookie cop.

A good, fast-paced mystery, typical Kellerman with its LA geographical references--but fun anyway!

Rating:
Summary: Fresh story line with old favorite characters!
Review: As for Jonathan Kellerman, his Alex Delaware novels are always the ones I prefer. Lately, however, I kept noticing a simliar theme. Delaware seems to get caught, the bad guy spills the beans and the table fortunately turns. Not so in this book. So kudos for creative new endings.
Also, the thing that I loved about this book, was the insight into Milo Sturgis, his past and his mind. No more just a sidekick, providing a little gun power when needed, Sturgis stands alone as Kellerman provides real emotional material to this assistant character.
The mystery and story line, of course, are Kellerman's usual goodness, but personally, I liked the look into Milo's life and the uncertainty going on in Alex's life. Makes me more interested in the next novel coming out than I have ever been before!

Rating:
Summary: Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis..a peach of a pair...
Review: are at it again in this newest and most puzzling in this Kellerman series. 'A Murder Book' is tautly written and well executed by this master of the psychological novel.

After receiving an album of gruesome murder photos in the mail, with no return address, Alex is stumped; but not so Milo. He recognizes one in particular and one which has haunted him because it was swiftly whisked from his hands. And now here it is again. Staring him in the face! He knows the book was meant for him, but why send it to Alex? Milo starts his frenzied search for all the answers and we accompany him through the maze..perhaps a step or two behind at times.

How this one evolves is nothing short of sheer genius. I always think that Kellerman can't get any better and he always proves me wrong.

I especially enjoyed the way Milo has his day in this book. It brings so much of his personality, his presence to bear and shows him to be a worthy partner to Alex and one who can meet any challenge when it is presented. Of course, Alex is along to help his friend and also tries to straighten out his own personal problems which Kellerman skillfully intertwines with the ongoing story.

I do not wish to tell the story as it would spoil the integrity of this novel. It is a wonderful read and Kellerman is at his very, very best. You will enjoy this one.

Rating:
Summary: IT TOOK 1/2 THE BOOK TO GET EXCITING>>>
Review: Since the other reviewers have pretty much given away the plot, I'll focus on other aspects of the novel:
I have read one other Jonathon Kellerman book, and when I started to read this one, long after the first, I recognized the Alex Delaware character and thought --- Oh, no, that boring character. What hooked me was Milo, the 'partner' in detecting the criminal who-dunit. Milo's character was far more interesting, expanded and three dimensional than the Alex Delaware character...and honestly Mr. Kellerman...when are you going to write a series devoted to Milo? Alex Delaware seems to be guided around like a puppet, but Milo's charater has self-direction, exciting follow-up, and things happening to him versus the 'oh feel sorry for me, because my girlfriend left me' Alex's character.
I have to admit that I struggled to stay with this book through the first half, but it did get more interesting and had far more action in the second half of the book. There were way too many guilty 'bad guys' as the murderers and I found myself getting confused in the first part of the book when more and more 'bad guys' were introduced.
The positive things about this book is Mr. Kellerman's descriptions. He can make you feel like you are right there in the room with the characters, breathing and smelling and touching everything before them. Mr. Kellerman does have a wonderful sense of segueing back and forth between time lines and history, and a wonderful sense of dialogue between characters. I felt myself getting tense when Alex Delaware had telephone conversations with his girlfriend who had fled their situation (his girlfriend knows he was a shallow, selfish character, too--I'd have left him also) by taking a traveling rock concert job (still have no clue as to what specifically she did in the concert job), and was definitely feeling the sexual tension crackle between the psychiatrist he talked to about the murder and a possible second victim at dinner.
Anyway, if you can find the book at a reasonable price, and you have read and liked the characters in the previous books, go ahead and get this one. Like the other reviewers state, Mr. Kellerman is getting better at his craft, he just needs to flesh out Alex Deleware into a more exciting and three dimensional character so the other characters in the novel(s) don't steal the show!

Rating:
Summary: Better than other recent releases, but...
Review: Kellerman's Dr. Alex Delaware and Det. Milo Sturgis have been favorite heroes of mine over the past few years. Now, in THE MURDER BOOK, in what many readers may call an "it's about time" moment, Delaware is left on his own when his seemingly long-suffering "significant other" Robin leaves him to travel with a music group on tour. Their relationship seems to be coming to a long-overdue end, and we get to see how truly shallow and pathetic Alex can be.

In the meantime, there arrives in Alex's mail a collection of crime scene photographs, "The Murder Book" of the title, a puzzle that leads him to contact his friend Milo. The LAPD detective's reaction to the book is one that Alex doesn't expect and it appears that a can of worms has been opened that will carry both the detective and the psychologist back in time and up through the highest echelon of the police department ranks.

I found the story engaging and quick to read, with a very satisfying conclusion. However, the almost chapter-by-chapter switch between first-person and third-person narrative quickly became annoying and distracting. I felt that the author had cheated by using this artifice. One of the limitations an author accepts when he chooses to base his main character around a first-person point of view is that sometimes that main character can't see or know about events until he's been there or been told about them. But, in this case, I felt that the author took a short-cut by switching to third-person perspective to delve deeper into Milo's life away from Alex. It filled pages, but felt, somehow, "not right".

I would still recommend the book and think all of Kellerman's fans will find it enjoyable and one of the better stories to come from the author.

Rating:
Summary: Psychological Thriller
Review: Kellerman's psychologist-detective, Alex Deleware, is lured into a high-staked game of chess when a "murder book" containing statistical information and old photographs from homicide cases arrives at his front door. The book is meant for his best friend, homicide detective Milo Sturgis, but Deleware can't help but get involved in this imbroglio of secrets that all point back to a 20 year-old case that Sturgis never solved. A murdered girl no one cared about is suddenly at the heart of a major cover up that seems to involve everyone from LA's elite to junkies hiding out in the slums.

The Murder Book is an excellent detective story on many levels. Kellerman succeeded in writing a series novel that can stand alone. Faithful readers of the Deleware series will recognize all the things they love about the character and the pick up the subtle references to the past, yet readers new to the series won't feel as if they're missing a thing. The character development is complete and the plot is intriguing. Additionally, Kellerman is able to deftly weave back and forth between events 20 years ago and today as well as between characters without losing his audience. He shows his skill as a writer.

Rating:
Summary: Depths and Shadows, Taking Genre fiction to new heights
Review: As a long time reader of Kellerman, I turned to this book with great excitement. The thing that excites me about Kellerman's work is not his realism nor his knowledge of police procedure. Surely, his wife Faye seems to have that more than he. What excites me about Kellerman is his ability to delve into the human psyche through the vehicle of the crime fiction genre.

Kellerman always seems to reach me at a deeper level than the ordinary whodunit. I don't read his fiction to find how who is the killer. I read his fiction to catch up with the main characters. I relate well to Alex Delaware and his struggles. I also love the relationship that he and Milo share. I was particularly happy to see Milo take center stage this time and deal with what it means to be a gay man in a very masculine business. While, at times, Kellerman's plots may sore beyond the feasible, his characterizations never fail to hit the mark. Long live Alex and Milo. PS. I miss Spike.

Rating:
Summary: Another Solid Thriller
Review: I love Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels, and THE MURDER BOOK doesn't disappoint. Kellerman knows that in a series, the ongoing lives of the characters is just as important, if not more important, than the main plot. Alex's relationship with Robin is on the rocks, and I turned the pages to find out what would happen with them as well as to learn about the murder book.

Another good read along these lines is NIGHTMARE by Steven Harper. It puts a serial killer in a very different setting, and you care about the characters just like you do with the Alex Delaware novels. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Continues to Excell
Review: Jonathan Kellerman continues to crank out novels that are considered on the top rung when it comes to deeply-layered, well-constructed psychological thrillers.

In MURDER BOOK he educates us about detective Milo Sturgis, the best friend of Alex Delaware. It's like finally getting to know the "second fiddle" and discovering he's a Stradivarius, capable of making music every bit as melodious and captivating as "first chair" Delaware.

Kellerman takes us back to Milo's early years on the force when he was struggling with his sexuality. He was partnered with a crass, lazy, chemically dependent detective who appeared to not care about his job and left Milo to do the scut work. The vehicle Kellerman uses to return to Milo's past is a murder book of unsolved crimes including the rape and murder of 6 y.o. Janice Ingalls.

The bulk of the story is Milo's recollection of the crime and tracking down clues, interviewing witnesses and getting their perceptions of the past. Milo and Alex work at solving the crime and in the process uncover the past of some very important people including the current Chief of Police.

By revealing the personal histories of the characters who populate his novels, Kellerman gives his characters depth and personality making his stories realistic and entertaining. By learning about each character, Kellerman's thrillers are developing the quality of a series, carrying over threads of interest from one novel to the next. Add THE MURDER BOOK to the mosaic of inventive, well-written novels by one of the best. It is Highly Recommended!

Rating:
Summary: First time Kellerman reader
Review: This is the first Kellerman book I have read, and I will definately read more! I found it to be fast paced for the most part, although some of the political cat and mouse did drag a bit. There were so many names to keep track of between the Kings Men and the LAPD, etc.. Great book, overall - didn't want it to end just yet!