No. 22), Compulsion (Alex Delaware

The Delaware series seems to be follwing a pattern of one OK book followed by one stinker. This is a stinker. The plot is convoluted and all over the map (literally) until the author finally decides to end the suffering with a bolt out of the blue. Delaware solves the case with a burst of intuition that is totally unbelievable. It was so contrived and unlikely. One pet peeve is the author decides to perpetuate the canard of the crazy homeless Vietnam vet being representative of the breed. As with most of these "vets" (see Stolen Valor for details) the character probably wasn't a vet at all but he uses words like "up-country" and "doc" for a medic so of course in Delaware's eyes he must be legit. What a maroon!

This sounds like an episode of NCIS and maybe Criminal minds. JK is a excellent writer but how long he keep re-hashing the same old stories and throwing it out here? Time for some new characters, and some creative story lines, and something we cannot find by watching television.

CD/abridged/Thriller: I'm giving the story three star, but I'm giving John Rubinstein five for his narration. In the abridged version, I felt that the story was really lacking and empty. Finding the killer was unrewarding and his motives, though never really understood anti-climatic. Milo is wonderful as always, but that has more to do with John Rubinstein's narration. It's worth a listen to for only John Rubinstein's narration. I'm a little bias and think John Rubinstein is the best narrator I've ever heard.

As always a Kellerman adventure makes for easy reading. The continuity of characters; Milo; the loner food loving detective, Dr. Alex Deleware; the self-sufficient child psychologist, and his illusionary house mate Robin. While I enjoy the characters they have begun to be part of a formula the author uses to weave his plots sub-plots and themes. This was a rather mindless encounter with Kellerman's characters as Alex and Milo pursue a killer driving fancy cars and enough money to burn that the character has the means to always be one step ahead of the law. Good fiction has some connection to reality and these characters have the personalities that give them the readers attention. In Compulsion, the crime was solved through a series of coincidental encounters, dis-jointed relationships, and a series of crimes that are connected through the fictional license of the author. The relationship between Alex and Milo makes the journey worth the read. Kellerman's knowledge of the psychology helps to give the reader some interesting thoughts about the minds of the characters. The formula seems to work. Some obvious police investigative angles are untouched, but thats why we call it fiction.

I thought the plot was weak and plodding. This was my first Delaware book and I found him puzzling. I mean, he kinda just hangs around with this detective, like a dilettante. Meanwhile, the plot lacked intensity. The whole book was mostly Delaware and Milo talking to this person then this person then this person then that person.....and finally they catch the bad guy. Very little action. I found the plot barely believeable. The characters were interesting and the writing was crisp, but when I got to the end of the book I wondered why I bothered reading it.

Psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware and Los Angeles Police Department detective Milo Sturgis have collaborated on several cases before (see THE MURDER BOOK, RAGE and GONE). They are currently working together on several homicides that seem to have no link except that the culprit apparently obsessively enjoys driving luxurious black cars and there are no obvious motives for what seems like random assaults on women.

Still the few early clues lead Alex and Milo into several directions in the greater LA area and surprisingly to a cold case disappearance of a child in New York City sixteen years ago. As they begin to find the key tie that binds the homicides and leads to the serial killer's motive, Alex and Robin are back together, but both wonder how long this time.

COMPULSION is a typical Dr. Delaware police procedural anchored by likable recurring characters working a strong investigative thriller. The story line focuses on what is justice as Alex and Milo slowly find and follow clues. Fans of the series will appreciate the latest tale as the killer's OBSESSION becomes gradually understandable to readers and to Alex, who learns some life lessons applicable to his relationship with Robin.

Harriet Klausner

I have always loved Kellerman's books and especially have most always enjoyed Alex Delaware stories. But this one was very difficult for me to follow. Too many plots, too many characters. I just got too confused. For me, it wasn't flowing correctly and I didn't really enjoy most of it. I thought for sure it would be another great book and was surprised that I didn't like it that much. Parts were "ok" but others were----well, a disappointment.
I hope the next one is better.

This is definitely a five star book, but then this is Jonathan Kellerman we're talking about, right? I loved the pace, the weird but interesting characters, and the horror that is couched in mundane details of life and superb description.

Jonathan Kellerman's one of the old hands of detective fiction these days. He's written more than two dozen novels with his main character, Dr. Alex Delaware, as the main protagonist, and he's done a bunch of other books also. He just keeps chugging along, writing these books with considerable skill, and while they're not the very cream of the mystery crop, they're actually quite good. He's got dialog, pacing, and plotting down to a science, and the story here is interesting. Some of the minor characters in the back of the plot are very amusing.

This time around, Alex's friend, Lt. Milo Sturgis of the LAPD, has a difficult case. His protégé, Sean Binchy, has been called to investigate a strange incident involving a Bentley that's been taken on a joyride, and wound up with a bloodstain in it. Binchy senses that there might be more to it than that, and wants to investigate. When Milo does follow through, a murky outline of a killer emerges: a would-be bad Samaritan who helps people by killing off those in their way, and who drives large luxury cars and wears odd disguises. Milo, and Alex, must search for this elusive killer, Alex going as far as New York City to try and find information on the killer.

This is one of Kellerman's better books in recent years, and I enjoyed it a great deal. Recommended for fans, and anyone else who likes mysteries.

Enjoyed the wit and dialog of the characters. Visual imagery of LA captured if not actual places. Some far fetched connections in the plot but forgivable as the pace kept things interesting. Most of the characters likable and villains diabolical. Hard to put down even though it was fantasy. Fun read!

I was profoundly disappointed. The characters are tired, the plot is just silly, and worst of all, there is very little mystery in this novel. The whole car angle was pointless, too many marginal characters and no believable connections between them. Also, it's time to either involve Robin or retire her entirely. I have read every Kellerman novel, and this is by far the weakest. Very, very disappointing.

Things are never like they seem. Especially in a Jonathan Kellerman's novel. I enjoyed this one a little more than some others, but as usual lost track of some characters. Good read with a feel-good ending.

As usual, this latest installation of the Alex Delaware novels co-starring stalwart Detective Milo Sturgis, is a page turner from beginning to end.

Making the streets of Los Angeles come alive with his description of the ordinary denziens, we watch Delaware and Sturgis pull together all of the pieces of the mysterious killer without a face.

Great summer read.

Love Alex Delaware and this novel was classic Delaware. If you are a reader of the series then you will be glad that you read it! If you are new to the series start at the beginning of the series so that you can appreciate the characters more.

I would have liked to have seen more in depth character presentation. I didnt feel as connected to the characters as I have in previous novels. I did feel more of a connection to Detective Milo Sturgis but I would have liked to have heard the characters thoughts more clearly.

I have read all Jonathan Kellerman books, and always enjoyed them, this time I lost interest completely and finished it skiping a lot of pages as I did not care the book at all. What happened to to Dr. Delaware character? What happened with his psychologist skills? Why was he doing Milo's work? Why is the book so boring? I already bought the Kellerman's latest book: Bones and I am really hoping not having another dissapointment.

We've read every single Alex Delaware novel, so are big fans, well-informed about this series. What started out great - the child psychologist by profession who consults with the police; specifically Milo Sturgis, a gay, very interesting, and persistent homicide cop; on murders where the police feel they need a consultant's help - has resolved into little more than two detective buddies, one paid, the other an amateur hardly more skillful than we at surfing the web, chasing clues until typical procedure dissolves into dénouement. Alex joins Milo seemingly whenever he wants (presumably being paid at premium consultants' rates), often as little more than a pastime, not because his skills are pertinent, which is pretty far-fetched in terms of the state of most public budgets! His relationship with live-in girlfriend Robin, always an on-again, off-again, "affair", barely gets a nod herein, with a silly custom musical instrument buyer paying too much attention to her a lame attempt at stalker suspense, resolved equally poorly in our opinion. Meanwhile, the excuse for the plot, a serious of murders involving luxury autos, barely holds our attention, and while we plodded along to see whodunit, we hardly cared by the time we got there.

To us, the series has run its course. While Milo per se is one of the more interesting police characters to come along over the last couple of decades, and while the original premise of Delaware's involvement was novel, there's virtually nothing left to excite or entertain us. It seems to us we're at that deadly state of an author not knowing what to do or where to go except to the bank, as he churns out contract-fulfilling installments of mediocrity. Sorry `bout that!

I've never read an Alex Delaware Novel before, but the jacket sounded interesting. Frankly, I don't understand how anyone could have published this book. It is the worst book I've read in a very long time, maybe ever.

Over-stylized and descriptive to the point of being annoying, the book was pointless. It had a ridiculous, boring plot with no suspense at all. It was like a bad homework assignment; I just wanted to get it over with.

I have to wonder if this is another example of a writer using another writer to fulfill a publishing commitment. This practice of the publishing industry should be stopped and is completely unfair to the buyers of this garbage.

The dialogue between Alex and Milo was snappy, but way overdone. Other than that the book was hard to get into and get through. I have read every one of Kellerman's Delaware novels, and have loved them all; but this was by far the least interesting. I am also very sure he will rebound on his next one ...... At least I hope so!!!???

I have been a follower for years, since the beginning, and look forward with enthusiasm to each new book, buying it in hardcover as soon as it comes out, so I was very disappointed in this contribution, on many levels.

The basic plot line was great, but the true strength, the relationship between the characters, was totally missing, especially considering that Alex and Robin are newly back together. There should have been some angst about that.

While the identity of the bad guy was somewhat surprising, it was almost as though Kellerman needed another mortgage payment, and was churning out "stuff".

I have been a big fan of Johnathan Kellerman, especially the Alex Delaware series. I love his vivid and descriptive writing style. For this book he left that style at home (or should I say in the word processor). The basic story line is OK, not as good as most of the others, but the robust and fluid writing of his past novels is just gone. It's like an editor came along and just erased it. I'll certainly read his next effort but if it is as poor as this one it will be my last one. I big disappointment.

Kellerman's Character Alex Delaware is awesome, I can't put the book down until I have read the entire book, so I wait until Friday night and start reading until Saturday... When I read it is like a movie for me, everything else goes away,,, great book

I have enjoyed all of Jonathan Kellerman's novel, particularly the ones featuring his Alex Delaware character. Unfortunately, this latest effort stretches the reader's imagination with some particularly convoluted plot logic. We are expected to accept the fact that an internet search for crimes committed with the perpetrator using a large black luxury car should readily yield a common denominator who is then found and brought to justice. No matter that years and continents have separated the victims and the circumstances. I've had many comfortable hours with Jonathan Kellerman's characters and I've been able to excuse most of the plot excesses in the past, but I'm afraid this one is just too much of a stretch.

Book is well written and intriguing. I love that you don't always know what the next turn is going to be but that following it is relatively simple. The people are well described, even though I have read all the Alex Delaware books, I don't think you need that to get a feel for the characters.

Would this book even have been published if it had been Kellerman's first entry in his "Prey" series rather than, what, his 18th? In this latest title, the author's characters were thinly drawn, the story lines confusing, and the dialog rather mundane. I just didn't care about his characters, or the cars! Maybe Kellerman is trading on his reputation hoping his loyal fans (like me) will buy the book based on his past performance. I checked out the book from my library hoping to enjoy a great read, but instead, I got a by-the-numbers formula. (and I don't mean a Formula One).

Honathan Kellerman is quite simply one of the best mystery writers living today. I also love his wife's books, Faye Kellerman. What a couple of great writers. I would anything either of them write.

Honathan Kellerman is quite simply one of the best mystery writers living today. I also love his wife's books, Faye Kellerman. What a couple of great writers. I would anything either of them write.

Compulsion does follow along the same lines as all the Alex Delaware novels but, that's why we enjoy reading them right? I thought the book had a great flow that really kept me reading into the wee hours of the night. I think it had a good twist at the end, and really enjoy Milo's character, I think he gets better in every book.

I have read every book Kellerman has written. This one fell a bit short from all his others. There were many more characters than usual, with three seperate stories going on at the same time, with little to no intersection. The ending fell flat. Having said that, I am still a huge fan and will ready anything he puts out.

Although not great literature by any stretch of one's imagination, and not Kellerman's bet effort, I liked this book, when eventually the author tied the various threads together. The end was really good, and left me rather pleased that I had read it.

ONce again he spins a novel about psychologists crucial role in medical care. It seems the doctors would not know what to do unless they page the psychologist. Mr. Kellerman is a psychologist by trade and has delusions of grandeur regarding this role. And, please have someone with medical knowledge proofread your work. Glaring errors!

Compulsion: An Alex Delaware Novel (Alex Delaware Novels) I loved this newest offering from Jonathan Kellerman. I have not enjoyed some of his more recent books (Rage and Gone), but in Compulsion, he seems to be writing like he used to. I thought it was a compelling plot and I love the character of Alex Delaware.