I admit, I've never read a Jonathan Kellerman novel before, so I didn't have a huge interest in reading this book. Unlike some other authors, whose characters I already know and will slog through dull first pages for, I didn't have that with Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis. I lacked that past history and interest, When the book didn't grab me right away, I put it down... repeatedly. If you have already read any part of this series, you'll have the patience required to get to the meat of the story, where the reward of an excellent mystery awaits.
Told almost exclusively from the point of view of Alex Delaware, this story begins with a night out at a hotel/nightclub on its last night before the wrecking ball demolishes it. For old time sake, Alex and his wife Robin go to the nightclub and find that none of the bar tenders or waiters they know are there, just temporary staff. Nothing is the same. Also, a stunning girl in white with a diamond studded watch awaits a date that doesn't arrive while they are there. They speculate about who she is and who her apparent body guard outside the door is. They never dreamed that when they woke up, the girl would be dead and friend and detective Milo Sturgis would involve Alex in the case.
The early part of this book did drag a bit and the main characters did seem a bit pompous in the beginning, but overall, this ended up being a really good mystery story. I never guessed who done it. Kellerman keeps you guessing until you turn the last page. When I finished the book, I read the preview to the next one and now I'm looking forward to reading more Kellerman.
Told almost exclusively from the point of view of Alex Delaware, this story begins with a night out at a hotel/nightclub on its last night before the wrecking ball demolishes it. For old time sake, Alex and his wife Robin go to the nightclub and find that none of the bar tenders or waiters they know are there, just temporary staff. Nothing is the same. Also, a stunning girl in white with a diamond studded watch awaits a date that doesn't arrive while they are there. They speculate about who she is and who her apparent body guard outside the door is. They never dreamed that when they woke up, the girl would be dead and friend and detective Milo Sturgis would involve Alex in the case.
The early part of this book did drag a bit and the main characters did seem a bit pompous in the beginning, but overall, this ended up being a really good mystery story. I never guessed who done it. Kellerman keeps you guessing until you turn the last page. When I finished the book, I read the preview to the next one and now I'm looking forward to reading more Kellerman.
Alex Delaware and his lover discover that one of their favorite watering holes is closing and decide to stop for one last drink. They notice a stunning woman, who seems to be channeling a movie star but who looks sad and alone. Robin notices a hulking body guard outside the bar but he does not seem to be connected to anyone inside. Two days later Detective Milo Sturgis asks Alex for help in identifying a beautiful murder victim. Alex is shocked to recognize her as the woman from the bar but trying to find out who she is and why she was killed proves more difficult. As the two men struggle to solve the case they find themselves dealing with people who have many sordid secrets who will do anything to keep them hidden until they find the discover the shocking reason for the crime. Previous books in this series have had interesting psychological motivations for many of the crimes but this one does not. As much as i normally like the series I felt that Kellerman was phoning it in on this one. It's not a bad book just not the best in the series.
