A Cold Heart

One plot twist and not much at that. Murder followed by singly focusing on one suspect with little apparent reason. Plot really pretty poor. Turns out not to have been that guy but pretty much only other possibility. Ending obvious from middle of book. Not so much a page turner as a glad to be done with. Easy read but only slightly better than nothing

Even for insightful, brilliant Alex Delaware connecting the first two murders is a stretch. An old bluesman is stabbed in the alley behind a small nightclub. A young artist is bludgeoned in the restroom of a gallery spotlighting her art. The connection is so tenuous, it sounds like Alex has a psychic on his payroll.
"Cold Heart" is highly readable. A first-time Kellerman reader would probably be impressed enough to purchase more Alex Delaware novels. For those of us who are long time fans, it is another outing that lacks the punch and logic of his earlier works. The tired subplot of his rocky romance with Robin (now they are on the outs) is almost a joke. Alex has found a new lady Allison who is so awesomely mature and perfect, she brings to mind Robert Parker and Spencer's super-irritating Susan.
Wait for this one to come out in paperback.
-sweetmolly-

I've bought and read Kellerman's whole Alex Delaware series, but this is one I truly regret spending the money on. Maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I totally resent the first-person/third-person switch--especially to this extent. It gives off the odor of a trashy, lazy effort.
This story came to a screeching halt every time it switched into third. I liked Petra Connor in Billy Straight, but her partner was disgusting. I realize that was the point, but I nearly didn't care enough to finish the book. The plot moved very slowly, very standard stuff.
Much as I like the series, I think I'll borrow the next one from the library before buying outright. I'd like to see Kellerman recapture the depth and emotion of Silent Partner.

LAPD Homicide detective Milo Sturgis involves his friend, criminal psychologist Dr.Alex Delaware inwhat seems to be a case of serial murders where artists and musicians are killed, with their bodies carefully arranged after death to suggest that the killer is deliberately the fact to boast to police.Alex and Milo fear that they've come across a new kind of celebrity killer, one who sets out to kill artists and musicians who have either become successful or who are on the brink of financial success.It's a very fast paced story, one of those which becomes a quick read because it's virtually impossible to put down.

Good plot and interesting characters. Lots of plot twists trying to determine who the serial killer was in the book. Like the Alex Delaware character a lot. It will be interesting to see if the new girl friend survives through another book.

I always enjoy reading an Alex Delaware book but the author made a huge mistake breaking Alex and Robin up (I thought that even with all their trials and tribulations they were much better together than this new relationship) If he had to get rid of Robin, at least let Alex have partial custody of Spike!!! He was one of the main reasons I was so fond of these books. His descriptions of his comical French bulldog face and personality were wonderful. I loved Spike and Milo's love/hate relationship.
Aside from that, I liked the book - good story line that held my interest right til the end.

I am always delighted to discover a new Alex Delaware novel on the book stands, and I almost always buy it the moment I see it. What I find so wonderful about this series is that it always seems fresh, as if I am reading Kellerman for the first time. While the plots are strong and move along well, what intrigues me most are the relationships among the characters. I like Alex for his quick wit and for his compassion for victims, but I love his human failings, too. The wonderful thing is that Delaware's inherent goodness may be jarred, but is never overcome by the violence he sees in his work with Sturgis.

The Alex Delaware series is great. I really enjoy all the Kellerman books, but since I discovered this series, I have pursued every book in the series that I can find. The stories are well-written, character development is excellent, and the plot sufficient to surprise everyone!

Petra Connor returns in this Alex Delaware novel, this time helping Milo and Alex track a serial killer who murders artists on the rise. Although it didn't take long to figure out who the serial killer was, this is an interesting read. The first person/third person switches throughout the book are distracting. Alex and Robin have split, and Alex's new girlfriend does not seem to have much depth. As in the last few novels by Kellerman, the book reads "depressing". I'd like to see a happier Alex, more relaxed Alex, not so arrogant Alex. Would love to see more of Petra. She's a great character.

Another clever, convoluted,un-put-downable entry in the Alex Delaware series. Jonathan Kellerman justs keeps putting out some of my favorite reads of all time. I just love his descriptions - of characters and Los Angeles, which I suppose is a character in itself. Another thing I always look forward to is his descriptions of peoples homes. You know as certain as the sun rises that if someone lives in a dump (or dresses badly , is not as thin and toned as a ballet dancer,or God forbid ,wears "cheap jewelry") that they are going to be of low-class dubious character! I liked Petra's involvement in this case, but her new partner, Eric Stahl - what an obvious head case! I wonder that Alex Delaware didn't seem to pick up on this at all, brilliant psychologist that he is. Of course, he was spending much of his time gettin' it on with his new honey and trying to forget the old one. Good luck, doc. I also thought what a hoot it would be if Eric Stahl would, in his endeavors, run across that other well known literary character living in L.A., created by author Robert Crais - namely, Joe Pike. What a pair they would make, wouldn't they? The mind simply boggles.

As it is published, I purchase, save, and reread each Kellerman.
It's fiction; it's his vision/talent/genius. But the serial murder schtick was carried too far. The plot became cluttered. The writing is always stimulating; Alex and Milo are engrossing characters. But why write out Robin? Allison's positive reinforcement to Alex must comfort him but she's too much a clone; I find her boring. Robin was an interesting and worthy partner with Alex and Milo. Please, J.K., figure a way to bring her back as Alex's love interest

this one seemed slower and almost boring compared to all the other books of Kellerman's I have been reading for many, many years. can't put my finger on it exactly, other that it seemed more verbose than usuan and the chapters dragged on. Ending was good and wrapped up the book in its entirety.

This's one of my favorites! Has all the characters we enjoy: Detective Milo Sturgis, Dr.Alex Delaware and Detective Petra Connor. Well written and keeps you on your toes guessing what will come next.

What the heck happened to the ending?! We get so much detail in every chapter of the book, yet the coup de grace occurs off page? Lame. It's as if Kellerman suddenly realized he had another appointment and needed to wrap this baby up IMMEDIATELY. Disappointing ending, but overall a decent read.

I really enjoyed this book, especially listening on tape. The reader was excellent as well. So glad Alex has finally found someone that understands his work and has parted from Robin. His new love seems more like a realistically portrayed woman character than Robin ever did. Great story, pretty spooky whodunit!

As usualy Johnathan Kellerman works his magic with his hereos Alex Deleware and Milo. This novel was a little harder to follow than most but it still was an excellent read. I brought the large type hard bound novel and I could not believe the editing mistakes throughout the book. There were so many mis-spellings that even a dummy like me found them distracting. This is not the authors fault but the publisher. I spite of all this I recommend the book.

Trying to keep track of all the characters and the murders was a chore, but the book was well worth reading. It grabs you from the beginning, loses the reader in details in the middle and ends with a gut-wrenching twist. If you're a Kellerman fan, you won't be disappointed!

Kellerman's descriptive talents are incredible. Every character, landscape, building and room is a picture in your mind's eye. Add that to his mastery of psychology and his talent for twist and you have a novel that you just don't want to put down.

I have read all of Jonathan Kellerman's books and this one is the most boring of the bunch. He takes forever to get to the point. His characters are bland and I don't care anymore about his love interest with Robin, which takes up half of the book. He needs to get on with his life. The mystery part and conclusion take up the last 5 chapters and even that is no mystery and not even exciting. I just wanted the book to end and it seemed like it never would. The book just kept driving around Hollywood and stopping at bars and street signs. I feel like I could drive in Hollywood according to J. Kellerman's directions. Too predictable.

I have read all the Kellerman books. The early ones, though they would be very dated now should you read them, were the best. I keep hoping for a return to form, but all we get book after book is boring formulaic writing.
The pathetic thing, not observed in any of the 29 reviews I read here, is that Kellerman has now decided to inject some splenetic racism into his work.
For no reason, except as supposed background to the new character introduced, Kellerman obliquely plays up to the Zionist lobby with anti-Arab slander. This is trivial in some instances, such as describing the murderer as having a beard like Yassar Arafat. But it also portrays Saudis, with the collusion of the American government, as white slave traders capturing innocent blonde American girls. The cousin of a member of the Saudi royal family also is characterised as murdering an innocent American family by driving into them at a shopping mall.
This 'product placement' for the Zionist lobby has nothing to do with the book, and imagine the outcry if an author had similarly so gratuitously slandered Jews or Afro-Americans.
Otherwise, the prose in this book conforms to Kellerman's write-by-numbers style of recent years.
At times, one wonders if he is not a master of irony. That is, is he just writing so poorly and making his characters so lame as a very very subtle form of characterisation. Does he for example have Allison order an Irish coffee as an aperitif in order to signal to the reader that she is socially inadequate?
Alas, it is impossible to believe in this level of art coming from the hack typing, not writing, Kellerman evinces overall.
The funniest thing in the book is how Kellerman seems so unaware of how the literary criticisms he applies to the murderer really function as damning indictments of his own authorial inadequacy.

I am sooo sick of Jonathan Kellerman and Alex Delaware. YES, he always describes Robin's hair as looking like grapes and YES he always goes on about how good looking and rich Alex is. I think both the author and the character are elitist and racist. And boring. And the plots are getting more and more preposterous.