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A review of Flesh and Blood

by Jonathan Kellerman

One of Kellerman's psychological thrillers with Alex Delaware.

Reviewed by: Catherine McNair
About Catherine McNair

Flesh and Blood Alex Delaware is child psychologist, living in Los Angeles with his partner, Robin Castagna. He occasionally becomes involved with criminal cases as a consultant to the local police department, in particular with his long time friend and detective, Milo Sturgis. Mr. Kellerman has written a series of novels that feature Alex's courage and expertise in solving crimes, which also showcase his own knowledge of psychology and criminal minds.

In this novel, Alex is asked to look into the disappearance of a former patient, from many years before. Lauren Teague was Alex's patient as a teenager. She was less than cooperative, and her therapy didn't last long. Many years later, Alex accidentally ran into her at a bachelor party, an embarrassing encounter for them both. As the story begins, Lauren's mother asks Alex to help her find her daughter, who has suddenly disappeared. As he discovers more and more about Lauren's life, he again becomes dangerously involved with not one, but two murders and learns much more than he ever wanted to know about unethical psychological experimentation and research.

Even after Lauren's body is found, Alex remains curious about why she was killed. Milo warns him to back off and his long time partner, Robin, has become increasingly unhappy with his involvement with crimes, causing her to worry about his safety enough to want to end their relationship. Despite Milo's warnings and the fact that he stands to lose Robin, he continues on.

I like Alex's tenacity and his insight into the human mind. I like his compassion for others, and his passion for Robin. He is a wonderful character to get to know, and often reminds me of Travis McGee from John D. MacDonald's novels.

I have always enjoyed mystery and suspense novels, but adding the psychological aspect to a story is irresistible to me. When I enter a bookstore, the New Fiction section is always my first stop. Jonathan Kellerman is one of the names I look for every time!

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Flesh and Blood

Copyright © by Catherine McNair, 2002

Reviewed by Catherine McNair:
-- Four to Score - by Janet Evanovich
-- Cold Tea on a Hot Day - by Curtiss Ann Matlock
-- Flesh and Blood - by Jonathan Kellerman
-- The Shelters of Stone - by Jean M. Auel
-- Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls - by Mary Pipher, Ph.D.
-- The Summons - by John Grisham









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