Flesh and Blood (Alex Delaware, #15) By Jonathan Kellerman

Good Plot, Bad Action...

We've read every Kellerman (both husband AND wife!) book, so eagerly snapped this one up a week ago. We thought the plot was reasonable and interesting, but when Alex Delaware starting running around like an idiot, tailing potential criminals, rescuing their family members from drowning, and posing as a romantic date to get inside information, that's too far-fetched for us. There's a fair amount of tension with his life partner, Robin, over his antics and involvement in a case not even officially assigned by the police; and even Alex's detective buddy Milo joins in getting fed up with our otherwise usually oh so professional psychologist. That's the trouble -- when you've spent years developing a character people love, you can't have that character go out of character. Get that? I wish the Editor had.

Still, not a bad read, just uncharacteristically implausible. Jonathan Kellerman 2.5★s

When psychologist Alex Delaware saw fifteen year old Lauren Teague on the insistence of her parents, he was frustrated by his inability to help her. Two sessions was all she managed before she stopped coming to his practice. Then, ten years later Lauren’s mother had contacted him – she was worried about Lauren; could he help find her as she had gone away without saying anything; without taking anything. She was worried…

When Detective Milo Sturgis contacted Alex to let him know Lauren’s body had been found in a nearby dumpster, Alex was noticeably upset. He wasn’t sure why; his disappointment in himself at not helping her when she was a teen ate at him – he was determined to find her killer and put her to rest.

The investigation uncovered lies and deception, a depth of complicated tracks from the wealthy to the downright destitute. Alex found himself drawn into the lives of university professors and strippers; night club workers and students. With Milo occasionally by Alex’s side, the two of them chased leads; some of which were good, most that were not. Would Lauren’s vicious killer be found?

I normally thoroughly enjoy Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series, but this one was nowhere near his usual high standard. In places it was downright boring I’m afraid – too heavy on the description, not enough action. And with him having seen Lauren twice, years ago then becoming so involved - Alex was out of character and definitely having a bad few weeks in this one.
Jonathan Kellerman I read this book, wearing humble sweat pants, somewhat worn yet comfortable. An old T-Rex t shirt, hunting socks to ward off the fall chill on the floor. I furrowed my brow, squinting into the distance as though the answer to life's mysteries was visible above the hearth, which crackled enthusiastically. I imagined Delaware, black cardigan over tan chinos, pondering this week's murder. His deep set eyes a window to the clues hidden in every character's attire, his pouty mouth clueing us into his uncanny ability to describe in excruciating detail the appearance, mannerisms and minutiae of every other Motherfucking character in the book, extending it's length by exponential exponents. Exponents, which appear in too-tight white denim, under a blue silk t-shirt and black double breasted Italian summer wool. Jonathan Kellerman Sad truth: Had she been just a patient, I probably wouldn't have remembered her.

Flesh and Blood was written by Edgar-award winning writer Jonathan Kellerman. It is book number 15 in the series featuring psychologist/sleuth Dr. Alex Delaware.

Alex Delaware first saw Lauren Teague when she was an angry teenager who was at war with her parents. After a few sessions, just when he gained her trust, Lauren decides to terminate her therapy.
Years later, Lauren's mother asks Alex for help again. Her daughter went missing and she doesn't have any clue about where she could have gone. Dr. Delaware decides to help only to soon find her shot and hog-tied under a load of trash at the bottom of a dumpster. Now she is also homicide detective Milo Sturgis's business.

This one was a slow burn novel. The author took his time to prepare all the most important elements in order to develop the story. And that was good – the novel felt anything but rushed.
On the other hand, there was too much attention to detail. No matter how important or benign a new person or location was, the reader was bombarded with pages and pages of information that, in places, could slow the pace of the story considerably down.
Other than that, JK did a great job. He managed to keep me invested until the very end, the dialogues didn't sound artificial and were even quite funny at times, and there were some cool plot twists I hadn't expected.

In short, kind of bloated, but still a wild ride. Jonathan Kellerman Well, one and a half stars, because I finished it, but really ... it was rubbish. The main character spends his time cooking up ludicrous theories on the basis of no evidence, which, no matter how far-fetched, turn out to be true. I started actually laughing at the fact that in every scene, Kellerman describes in meticulous, adjective-laden detail what the characters are wearing. What's with that? It would have been half the length if he'd cut that out. Once or twice, OK. But every freaking time?? It's a thriller, and it actually managed to be dull a lot of the time. I didn't even care who did it (and the true baddie wasn't introduced till very late on anyway).

Admittedly I don't normally read thrillers -- I got this from a BookCrossing virtual bookbox where you pick books based on their first sentences. But I liked his son's The Brutal Art (another BookCrossing first sentence find, oddly enough) a lot better than this. Jonathan Kellerman

Lauren Teague is a beautiful, defiant, borderline delinquent teenager when her parents bring her to Dr. Alex Delaware's office. Lauren angrily resists Alex's help----and the psychologist is forced to chalk Lauren up as one of the inevitable failures of his profession. Years later, when Alex and Lauren come face-to-face in a shocking encounter, both doctor and patient are stricken with shame. But the ultimate horror takes place when, soon after, Lauren's brutalized corpse is found dumped in an alley. Alex disregards the advice of his trusted friend, LAPD detective Milo Sturgis, and jeopardizes his relationship with longtime lover, Robin Castagna, in order to pursue Lauren's killer. As he investigates his young patient's troubled past, Alex enters the shadowy worlds of fringe psychological experimentation and the sex industry----and then into mortal danger, when lust and big money collide in an unforgiving Los Angeles. Flesh and Blood (Alex Delaware, #15)

Who doesn't like Alex Delaware? Alex is inquisitive or is it nosy? I don't know but it makes for a great story. I didn't figure out who the bad guy was and couldn't figure out how the murders were related so I really like the book. The one downfall was it was a bit too long for me.

Milo, the homosexual cop is always fun to read about. I picture him as Grizzly Adam with marshmallows inside. Robin, Alex's girlfriend, is the most stable person in the book. Calm, logical, loving and seems to hold Alex to reality.

I guess the moral of this story is if you are going to be a hooker, you are bound to run into some trouble. Who would have thought? Jonathan Kellerman The combination of narrator John Rubinstein and the story-telling of Jonathan Kellerman are truly and irrevocably everything I enjoy about the Delaware books - and it's too bad I've come to the realization I've nearly read and listened to all of them in that tandem. Sure, there are remaining Alex Delaware books, but they are not narrated by Rubinstein, and so they loose all attraction for me. I mean that with all my heart.
Here again in Flesh and Bone, there's some brilliant characterization that bring to life this sad story of Lauren Teague, a young woman that Alex Delaware counseled very briefly when she was a teenager. The news of her disappearance and consequent death affects Alex more than he cares to, but he can't help it, he needs to find out the truth, much to his own peril. I also felt sad, thinking about the millions of young women who think that beauty (and their body) is a commodity to trade to get higher up, whether it's their own choice or not. Sad, sad world of superficial living, like we see too often.
Overall, a solid 4-star read. Jonathan Kellerman One of Alex Delaware's former patients turns up dead, and he gets involved although his counseling relationship with her had been brief and ten years ago. In the intervening years, he had run into her once when he attending a bachelor party and she was the stripper, and his sleuthing has him follow leads that show how vulnerable and misguided young women can get sucked into prostitution and porn movies. Delaware risks his relationships with his friend Milo and girl friend Robin as he investigates the case on his own. Jonathan Kellerman This is among the least enjoyable of the Deleware novels. It was part of what I'd call the mid-series slump for author Kellerman. Jonathan Kellerman I read and enjoyed this when it was first published somewhere around 2001.

Enjoyed the re-read just as much. Jonathan Kellerman

review Flesh and Blood (Alex Delaware, #15)