Synopses & Reviews
When it comes to writing deftly layered, tightly coiled novels of suspense, #1
New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman reigns supreme as “master of the psychological thriller” (
People). Now, Kellerman has worked his magic again in this chilling new masterpiece.
The anonymous caller has an ominous tone and an unnerving message about something “real dead . . . buried in your marsh.” The eco-volunteer on the other end of the phone thinks it’s a prank, but when a young woman’s body turns up in L.A.’s Bird Marsh preserve no one’s laughing. And when the bones of more victims surface, homicide detective Milo Sturgis realizes the city’s under siege to an insidious killer. Milo’s first move: calling in psychologist Alex Delaware.
The murdered women are prostitutes–except the most recent victim; a brilliant young musician from the East Coast, employed by a wealthy family to tutor a musical prodigy, Selena Bass seems out of place in the marsh’s grim tableau.
Conveniently–perhaps ominously–Selena’s blueblood employers are nowhere to be found, and their estate’ s jittery caretaker raises hackles. But Milo’s instincts and Alex’s insight are too well-honed to settle for easy answers, even given the dark secrets in this troubled man’s past. Their investigation unearths disturbing layers–about victims, potential victims, and suspects alike–plunging even deeper into the murky marsh’s enigmatic depths.
Bizarre details of the crimes suggest a devilish serial killer prowling L.A.’s gritty streets. But when a new murder deviates from the pattern, derailing a possible profile, Alex and Milo must look beyond the suspicion of madness and consider an even more sinister mind at work. Answers don’t come easy, but the darkest of drives and desires may fuel the most devious of foes.
Bones is classic Kellerman–relentlessly peeling back the skin and psyches of its characters and revealing the shadows and sins of the souls beneath. With jolt after jolt of galvanizing suspense, it drives the reader through its twists and turns toward a climax as satisfying as it is shattering.
Review
"As I read Bones, Jonathan Kellerman's 23rd Alex Delaware novel in 23 years, I reflected on where Kellerman fits in the cosmos of best-selling crime writers. He's not as good or serious a writer as Michael Connelly, George Pelecanos or others at the top of the heap, nor is he as deplorable as James Patterson and his imitators. Kellerman belongs somewhere in the middle, not far from John Sandford. I prefer Sandford's books, but both are skillful writers who apply their talents to mass-market entertainment. That means giving us jazzed-up cop novels that often feature dumb jokes, lurid sex, spoiled rich girls, arch dialogue and way too much cute. That's the difference between the best and the rest: The best writers, favoring art over commerce, don't do cute." Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post Book World (read the entire Washington Post Book World review)
Synopsis
In #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author Kellerman's new Alex Delaware novel, the psychologist-sleuth follows a grisly trail of bones to a devious and malevolent killer.
About the Author
COMPULSION
“A genuine page-turner . . . The comfortable banter that has helped make Delaware and Sturgis such durable crime-story heroes is as rapid-fire, keen, and wryly funny as ever, and the mystery they aim to solve is certainly not routine.”
–Booklist
OBSESSION
“Jonathan Kellermans novels are an obsession; once started it is hard to quit.”
–Orlando Sentinel
“The characters are rich, the storys well-plotted and you wont stop reading.”
–Boston Herald
GONE
“The denouement accelerates to breathtaking, heart-pounding speed.”
–Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Sharply written and well-paced.”
–Entertainment Weekly
RAGE
“[An] adrenaline-fueled read.”
–People