Typical kellerman but still kinda fun
920026
Once again, Dr. Alex Delaware, the white knight shrink rushes to the rescue. With his trusty cop sidekick,Milo(remember tho, the rule of sidekicks? Spock was cooler than Capt. Kirk and Ilya was cooler than  Napoleon Solo? Well it works here too, Milo is much more intriguing a  character than the blue eyed wishy washy Alex). The two of them are  investigating a grisly murders with years old tie-ins. Who did it? The  thorazined wreck in the William Castle-esque nut house? His cruel  attendants? Or someone from the not so distant past? Your guess is as good  as mine, and Kellerman weaves his usual conspiracy laden story. Robin the  cutesy girl friend is there as well as Spike the even cuter dog. Nice fast  read. thumbs up
1420375
Summary: John Puller's Aunt Betsy dies under mysterious circumstances, so John takes it upon himself to investigate her death. He stumbles upon a human trafficking ring with one seemingly untouchable bad guy at its head.

What Could be Better:
- It's a typical thriller with a wild plot that you will have to suspend disbelief in order to find palatable.
- The characters were fairly stock: the hot female cop who has to fend off the male colleagues, the slightly jaded military cop who goes more for justice over law (Jack Reacher indeed comes to mind but I'd count the similarities as a coincidence.), the strong man who is looking for his enslaved sister, the untouchable super-rich jerk of a bad guy with a heart of stone, the innocent little boy taken captive, etc

Neutral:
- This is neither my favorite nor least favorite of Baldacci's series. I prefer the King and Maxwell series, but it's better than most of the Camel Club books. Probably on same level as Shaw and Katie James books.

What was Good:
- I like that Baldacci was willing to tackle a topic like human trafficking. It's a topic many would like to ignore or forget exists within the US.
- One plot twist caught me by surprise. I'm not terribly perceptive, but I do tend to read/listen to many of these type of stories. Looking back, it was pretty obvious, but still well done.
- Despite all the cliches and stock characters, the story works. The reader/listener can sympathize greatly with the victims and cheer on the team of good guys facing down the evildoers. It's sort of like a comic book in the sense of lots of crazy action and gunfire and inclusion of a brooding hero.

Conclusion: Baldacci delivers a decent thriller that brings to light a heavy topic. Recommended for those who enjoy thrillers and cop-like mysteries.
3847208
Long time readers of the Alex Cross series (or indeed, any Patterson book) know the drill here.  Short, fast paced chapters keep the action moving through the story, but you'll quickly forget what happened once you finish the book.  I liked the idea of getting Cross to leave the country and explore other areas (in this case, Africa).  I don't expect it to be a regular development in future Cross novels though, as having this DC Cop running around Africa stretched believability to the breaking point.

I gave the book 3 stars, because while it was an enjoyable read, it doesn't do anything to break the Alex Cross mold.  This is the 14th book in the ongoing series, and not much has changed.  Some of that is good (interesting villains, faced paced reading, etc.), but some of that is starting to wear thin (the main characters haven't changed all that much over the last 7 years).
2676135
Sometimes Kellerman is a wee tad too liberal for me, but it's not like some authors who make thw whole story about their liberal beliefs. Good mysteries, good writing.
1974932
I always enjoy Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware and this was no exception. I like the way Delaware and Milo work their way through the cases. This story was evenly paced, no big surprises, no big heroic rescues at the last minute. Just a good solid story with some twists and turns.
520247
I always look forward to a new book in Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware mystery series, but this one just didn't have the pace or suspense of previous efforts. It was okay (three stars) just not at the level that I have come to expect.
518797
There are too many really good books out there to waste time on something like this.  There is a fine line between edgy and outre' and Jesse Kellerman has crossed it.
2089186
In his new novel, the second published in 2003, author Jonathan Kellerman starts fresh and creates an enigmatic plot surrounding a brutal serial killer. Kellerman is familiar to many mystery buffs for his psychologist hero, Alex Delaware, who works as a police consultant in a 17-book series. He's tried different threads before, most notably in 1988. Kellerman's strong ties to Judaism sometimes shine through in his novels, but are not featured, as is the case in wife Faye Kellerman's writings. Religious faith does not play a role in this newest book, but Kellerman keeps it rooted in something he knows much about, psychology.
Jeremy Carrier is a hospital psychologist. He's still trying to find his way back into the life he once led, after his girlfriend, nurse Jocelyn Banks, has been brutally murdered. While stumbling through his days, he is befriended by well-known Dr. Arthur Chess, a pathologist old enough to have retired from the hospital, who is sort of an emeritus on hospital committees. Jeremy's initially puzzled by Chess' interest in him.
Chess is Jeremy's entree into a secret society of oldsters who are all stars in their own professions, and retired. It takes most of the book for Jeremy to determine what ties them together in "conspiracy" and how he fits it the scheme of things.
When Chess goes traveling, a series of enigmatic clues to other murders, similar to Jocelyn's, begin to disturb Jeremy's days. He can't help but wonder what role Chess plays in the mystery. In a parallel plot, Jeremy meets an interesting new love in resident Angela Rios. Between his relationship with her, and his willingness to be drawn into the murder mystery, Jeremy finds himself putting his own life on the line. In addition to an engrossing plot, Kellerman has created a young practitioner with feeling towards his patients and signifcant skill in making a difference.
Some Kellerman-like touches (Carrier drives an old Nova; shades of Delaware's vintage Cadillac! Carrier, instead of being enlisted by police detectives to help solve the murders, is actually a viable suspect, but ends up assisting the police.)are present, and you have a nice, tight tale of homicide with a surprise villain and the possiblity of a new series. In particular, the colorful members of the "Conspiracy Club" could be utilized in future books.
It seems as though, judging from other reviews, that many of Kellerman's loyalists disagree with my rating.
Most probably it is because they just wanted another instalment in Delaware's continuing saga, since the last three books in the series ("Flesh and Blood", the excellent "The Murder Book" and "A Cold Heart") have revived the series from the total drek that Kellerman created in books 10-14. I think many readers gave up on him during that spate. By contrast, I'm intrigued by the fact that he's given the reader a viable alternative to his older series, and hope he continues to revisit Jeremy Carrier in future work.
Nice work!
260846
OK so it's police fantasy.  It keeps the reader involved with the twists and turns.  Keep it up Mr. Kellerman.
4906097
I am a big fan of Jonathan Kellerman but this book was an exception.  I think he should stay with detective Sturgis.
3631659
I always like these psychological thrillers (with the psychologist and detective colleagues) written by Kellerman.  The story was well-constructed, and I enjoyed the revelations later in the novel.  When I was about 3/4 of the way through the reading, some characters that were added became hard to keep straight, but the main characters were well-developed.  After finishing the book, I realized my idea of the actual crime and perpetrators was a little vague, so I had to think back over some later chapters to get clearer on the revealed motive.  I was satisfied with the ending, and I was into the story.  I enjoy the author's writing style with the short sentences for suspense. There weren't many commas, but I assume that's a purposeful editing choice for style and readability rather than a lack of grammar awareness.  Kellerman's novels flow very well. The dialog between Alex Delaware and Milo is always entertaining and paints a vivid picture of who these characters are as well as serving to fill the reader in on the procedural aspects of the case.  Dr. Delaware is ethical and sensitive, yet he must be into danger and adventure.  That is fine with me.
3597683
Summer reading exercise as it moves very quickly.  I find other earlier works by Kellerman much more psychologically interesting, dare I say terrorizing, to read.  Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis remain a good pairing, but this not Kellerman's best in my opinion.
4064828
Simon Kernick's books are reliable page turners.  They hook you in quickly and have you flicking the pages until late in the night.  This one is no exception, and the fact that I gave it only three stars doesn't mean that it's not relentlessly readable - it is!  However it's not one of the strongest plots that Kernick has delivered, relying too much on coincidences and the reader's willingness to overlook logic as the body count mounts.  And while the protagonists are very likeable, their behaviour stretches credibility too far.

The plot focuses on Matt Barron, recovering from a car accident which has given him amnesia.  His sister is looking after him and has hired both a nurse and a psychiatrist to help him recover his memories.  However he has a nagging suspicion that things aren't what they appear to be and when two very nasty killers turn up one day, he finds himself on the run for his life, while at the same time desperate to make sense of the vague memories that he has and find out why so many people are after him.

Like all of Kernick's books, some familiar characters will make an appearance along the way, including Tina Boyd and DCI Mike Bolt.  As we will also learn, Matt Barron has himself been a major character in a previous book (if you don't want to know which it was because that would constitute a spoiler, stop reading this review now - but if you do want to know, it's the eigthth Simon Kernick book, with the number ten in the title).
2249673
I love the interaction between Alex And Milo.  They play off each other and Kellerman gives enough detail without becoming too deep.  This was a very entertaining story and what is always interesting is how Milo and Alex find the pieces of what seems to be a huge puzzle.  There was nothing that I did not like about the book.  I love authors who have characters they keep for their books.  You get to know them like family.
123421
I've read a lot of Jonathan Kellerman and this one was like a lot of the others..he and his friend Milo crack another murder case. He is back with Robin, but I find her characterization to be a bit unrealistic. Everything she does it perfect...making musical instruments, cooking, grilling, taking care of the dog...I liked it better when their relationship had a little pizzazz...
1926779
this was a mystery, pure and simple. something is found, now it's story must be told. kellerman maybe not at his absolute best, but still a good read.
569167
I'm a big fan of Jonathan Kellerman and have read all of his books.  The plot of this one is a bit too familiar.  Psychologist help police solve brutal killings.  And there's even a Robin-esque woman by this side, but not too involved in the murderish goings on.
I hope he brings back Milo and Alex -- why try to remake the original characters, when they are already done so well.