Monday, November 3, 2008

Bones - Johnathan Kellerman

One of the best pairings in detective/suspense novels returns in the 23nd (!) novel in this series from Jonathan Kellerman.

Psychologist and police consultant Alex Delaware and LA police Lieutenant Milo Sturgis are back together to solve one of their darkest cases yet.

A young volunteer at a marsh sanctuary receives an anonymous call telling him to look for something dead in the marsh. The call is dismissed as a prank. That changes when a young woman's body is found - in plain view. A search dog discovers three more bodies, submerged in the marsh. These women are all prostitutes, but the first body found is that of a piano teacher. Are they connected? Is the marsh the dumping ground of a serial killer? Will he kill again? Can they find him before he does? Milo and Alex's investigation leads to unexpected places.

Lots of plot twists and turns will keep you turning pages. The banter between Milo and Alex is always witty and entertaining. A new character is introduced, Moses, a young rookie Homicide detective. I found him to be an engaging addition and hope he returns in future books. In the past Alex's girlfriend Robin played a more significant role. She seems to have been relegated to deciding dinner selections. Milo's boyfriend Rick is another character I'd like to see more of. Kellerman is a clinical psychologist and his character's insight and dialogue have the ring of authenticity.

Jonathan Kellerman is on my list of favourite authors and I was not disappointed with Bones. My only disappointment was finishing it too quickly! I'll be waiting for #24!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't believe I've never read any of his work. I'll have to put something of his on my wish list. Of course, I'll want to start with the first book in the series.

Darlene said...

Luanne, I've got this one on my nightstand. I'm going to star your review and head back once I've read it.

Luanne said...

Great Dar I'll be watching for your review! Have you read others in the series?

Jeanne said...

I've read all the others in the series, too, and haven't gotten tired of it. I got a little bogged down about the time that Alex and Robin split up (and there was so much description of the french bulldog) but overall, it's a series that hasn't palled, and that's quite a feat. Do you also read Fay Kellerman? She has a similarly long-lived series with a fictional detective who has a family backstory.

Luanne said...

Yes, all except the last one - Mercedes Coffine. How abut their son Jesse - have you read his?