The Murder Book

In seventeen consecutive bestselling novels, Jonathan Kellerman has \ndistinguished himself as the master of the psychological thriller. Now in \nKellerman's most compelling and powerful novel yet, L.A. psychologist-detective \nAlex Delaware confronts a long-unsolved murder of unspeakable brutality -- an \nice-cold case whose resolution threatens his survival, and that of longtime \nfriend, homicide detective, Milo Sturgis.\n\nThe nightmare begins when Alex receives a strange package in the mail with no return address. Inside is an ornate album filled with gruesome crime scene photos -- a homicide scrapbook entitled The Murder Book. Alex can find no reason for anyone to send him this compendium of death, but when Milo views the book, he is immediately shaken by one of the images: a young woman, tortured, strangled, and dumped near a freeway ramp.\n\nThis was one of Milo's first cases as a rookie homicide cop: a vicious killing that he failed to solve, because just as he and his training partner began to make headway, the department closed them down. Being forced to abandon the young victim tormented Milo. But his fears prevented him from pursuing the truth, and over the years he managed to forget. Or so he thought.\n\nNow, two decades later, someone has chosen to stir up the past. As Alex and Milo set out to uncover what really happened twenty years ago, their every move is followed and their lives are placed in jeopardy. The relentless investigation reaches deep into L.A.'s nerve-centers of power and wealth-past and present. While peeling back layer after layer of ugly secrets, they discover that the murder of one forgotten girl has chilling ramifications that extend far beyond the tragic loss of a single life.\n\nA classic story of good and evil, sacrifice and sin, The Murder Book is a gripping page-turner that illuminates the darkest corridors of the human mind. It is a stunning tour de force.\n\nAbout the Author\nJonathan Kellerman is one of the world's most popular authors. He has brought his expertise as a clinical psychologist to numerous bestselling tales of suspense \n(which have been translated into two dozen languages), including fifteen \nprevious Alex Delaware novels; The Butcher's Theater, a story of serial killing \nin Jerusalem; and Billy Straight, featuring Hollywood homicide detective Petra \nConnor. His most recent novel is Flesh and Blood. He is also the author of \nnumerous essays, short stories, and scientific articles, two children's books, \nand three volumes of psychology, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent \nChildren. Jonathan Kellerman has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards, and \nhas been nominated for a Shamus Award. He and his wife, the novelist Faye \nKellerman, have four children.\n\nEditorial Reviews\n\nThe Barnes & Noble Review\n\nAs the multitudes of Jonathan Kellerman fans already know, his novels are a skillful blending of fast-paced action and adept character development. In his 13th gripping dark crime tale featuring L.A. psychologist Alex Delaware, Kellerman turns in another engaging, cunningly crafted story that will leave you moved and electrified.\n\nAlex receives an intriguing package containing a picture album entitled "The Murder Book," which features dozens of graphic photos of actual homicide cases. When he shows it to longtime friend detective Milo Sturgis, Milo is enticed by one particular photo: that of a girl brutally murdered 20 years earlier. It's a case the young Milo and his then-partner, Pierce Schwinn, failed to solve. After Schwinn was forced into retirement for questionable behavior, Milo was transferred to another squad, and the case went cold. Using some clues from two decades earlier, Alex and Milo immediately set their sights on a family of primary suspects: the wealthy and powerful Cossacks. As Alex finds himself drawn further into a web of madness, he seems unable -- or unwilling -- to stop himself from confronting all that the darkest heart of evil can show him.\n\nA highly readable novel full of absorbing incidents, The Murder Book is another powerful entry in the Alex Delaware canon. Kellerman does an astounding job of fleshing out his characters, especially Milo Sturgis, whom we see as a young police officer trapped in an unfamiliar world of casual murder and decadence. Beautifully constructed, with a narrative voice that mesmerizes with its pace and finesse, The Murder Book is one you can't live without. Tom Piccirilli\n- \n\nNearly perfect Murder\n- Peple\n\nBestseller Kellerman's 16th Alex Delaware novel is a hoot of a whodunit, a classic puzzler to keep the most staid traditionalist gleefully scratching his or her head until the wee hours. It's also a noir of gothic proportions, a descent into a California hell, in which Delaware shares the spotlight with his longtime friend and colleague, Det. Milo Sturgis. When somebody sends Alex a three-ring binder full of grisly police photographs of crime scenes with "The Murder Book" in gold letters on the front cover, Milo is stunned to discover a picture of the mutilated body of Janie Ingalls, a Hollywood High sophomore, whose vicious murder he investigated 20 years before. Milo was just a rookie detective then, partnered with a hard-nosed veteran, Pierce Schwinn. The pair made some progress with the case, but were pulled off it and split up because Schwinn stepped on some big toes. Milo suspects the book has come from Schwinn, an invitation to take up the old case that has haunted them both for years. He and Alex begin to follow a trail that will lead them high up the social ladder and down among the dregs of society. It is a step-by-step, clue-by-clue process beloved of mystery fans, and Kellerman handles it masterfully. By the end there are an awful lot of characters to keep track of, and the biff-boom-bang finale seems too much, but no one's perfect. This may be the best Kellerman in years. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.\n\n- Publishers Weekly\n\nLike Kinsey Millhone, Alex Delaware is up against a long-unresolved case, which just happens to involve politics. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.\n\n- Library Journal\n\nL.A. psychologist Alex Delaware and his longtime friend, Homicide Detective Milo Sturgis, work to solve a compelling, but ice cold, case. Teenager Janie Ingalls was viciously murdered twenty years ago and is depicted in "The Murder Book" that is sent to Delaware anonymously. John Rubinstein convincingly renders the multitude of characters with appropriate accents and helps define the low-life criminals, hard-bitten cops, and powerful family members involved. Rubenstein's considerable vocal talent captures nuances of mood while at the same time moving clue by clue to the case's solution. Masterfully written and read, this is a mystery to savor. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine\n- JUN/JUL 03 - AudioFile