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Mystery (Alex Delaware series, Book 26): A shocking, thrilling psychological crime novel [Paperback] Kellerman, Jonathan

374 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 2011

1994 people are currently reading
4522 people want to read

About the author

Jonathan Kellerman

197 books5,795 followers
Jonathan Kellerman was born in New York City in 1949 and grew up in Los Angeles. He helped work his way through UCLA as an editorial cartoonist, columnist, editor and freelance musician. As a senior, at the age of 22, he won a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for fiction.

Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.

IN 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan's former students, continues to break ground.

Jonathan's first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.

In 1985, Jonathan's first novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman and they have four children.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 871 reviews
Profile Image for Barbara.
1,774 reviews5,294 followers
November 15, 2021


In this 26th book in the 'Alex Delaware' series, the psychologist helps investigate the death of a 'sugar baby.' The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Alex Delaware and his girlfriend Robin go to a bar for drinks and notice what looks like a bodyguard outside the bar and a beautiful blonde inside.



Soon afterwards the blonde is found dead with her face shot off and Alex - a psychologist - helps homicide detective Milo Sturgis investigate.

Turns out the blonde had been the honey of a rich married sugar daddy.



The blonde's bodyguard, the sugar daddy's family, and the agency that pairs sugar daddies and young hotties are all investigated and a lot of unpleasant, arrogant people are interviewed.

Meanwhile Alex is also counseling a terminally ill former prostitute and her young son.



Jonathan Kellerman's villains are usually interesting sociopaths/psychopaths but that's not quite the case in this story. The murderer is finally revealed in a long rather boring scene towards the end and the revelation of the culprit is not particularly believable or satisfying. I don't think the side plot with the sick woman and her son added much to the story either. Not one of Jonathan Kellerman's best books.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
Profile Image for James Thane.
Author 10 books7,069 followers
May 21, 2013
It's a bittersweet evening for Alex Delaware and his Main Squeeze, Robin. For a long time one of their favorite romantic hangs has been at the bar in the aging Fauborg Hotel in Beverly Hills. But the place is closing and on the the bar's last night, Alex and Robin go in for a farewell drink. The occasion is beyond sad and their attention is drawn to an apparent bodyguard outside the hotel and to an attractive young woman who is the only other patron inside the bar. She's dressed in white, wearing an expensive diamond watch, and is apparently waiting for someone who never shows.

Two days later, Alex is working at home when his pal, Lt. Milo Sturgis drops in. As usual, Milo cleans out the refrigerator and he shows Alex photos from his latest homicide. In an amazing coincidence, which is somewhat typical of this series, it turns out that the murder victim is none other than the young woman that Alex had seen in the bar.

Although there is absolutely no reason for a consulting psychologist to be involved in this case, Alex naturally tags along with Milo as he investigates the crime. There are some fairly seedy and kinky characters involved; some of them wealthy, others not. Simply identifying the victim becomes a major challenge.

Milo ultimately gets an anonymous tip that leads them to a website where wealthy Sugar Daddies attempt to make arrangements with Sweet Young Things. The victim was registered with the site and had made a connection with a very wealthy patron.

Alex and Milo will formulate and discard several scenarios that might have led to the crime before hitting upon the solution. It's still fun to watch them work, but after twenty-six books, the series has settled into a pattern that can be a bit frustrating for readers who have been along for the entire ride.

As an example, Milo's rude eating habits are really getting tiresome. Certainly, there ought to be a way of defining the character without having him clean out every refrigerator in sight and spilling half of his meals all over himself. But the hardest thing to come to grips with here is Delaware's role in a lot of these cases.

In the earlier books, which were much better than many of the later ones, Alex served the department as a consulting psychologist, most often dealing with the children who were involved in the homicide cases. In these instances, he had a legitimate reason for being involved. In a lot of the later books, though, he simply tags along as Milo investigates his cases. As in this instance, there's no legitimate reason for Alex to be anywhere near this case, and certainly no real homicide investigator would allow a civilian to play the role that Alex does.

During the course of this book, Alex will deal with a situation in which a child needs his help, but it has little or nothing to do with the investigation and the reader is left to wonder why Milo doesn't simply attend to his own business.

That isn't to say that this is a bad book. It is entertaining, but for those who yearn for the more compelling and sophisticated cases of Delaware's early career, it's still something of a disappointment.
Profile Image for Deborah Gray.
Author 5 books20 followers
September 3, 2011
It's still an okay read for most murder mysteries. It's just disappointing for an author of his calibre and experience. I expect fussy detail from Kellerman, but the descriptions of people and places went on ad nauseum. It was over the top, mind numbingly boring. Who cares about a minor character's yellow toenails? Especially after a microscopic focus on every other part of his anatomy, when we'll never see him again? Every single detail of every single character we encountered in this book was itemized, massaged, drawn out and described in minute detail. I listened to this book on CD and found my mind wandering many times. Descriptions started to feel like nothing more than filler. Where was the plot? It was wedged, inserted, slipped, filed paper-thin between THE DESCRIPTION!

As if that wasn't enough, the snarky, forced humor felt hackneyed and weirdly homongenous, as if each character (with the exception of the superior and oh-so-restrained Dr Delaware) were all morphing into one another, and at the same time vying for attention and one-upmanship.

I thought Jonathan Kellerman was too consumate a professional to stoop to phoning it in, but apparently I was wrong. I won't give up on him just yet; I've always enjoyed Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, but if the next one is as flimsy and arrogant I will not hesitate to relegate him to the ranks of the former favourites, along with James Patterson and Patricia Cornwell.
Profile Image for Leo.
4,984 reviews627 followers
December 26, 2021
Sometimes a reread is well worth it and I end up enjoying it the next time, however this one didn't quite work me for me this time either. The plot wasn't engaging and I didn't find myself guessing or being too curious on what was going to happened next. More like the usually fast read crime book that reads fast and disappear even faster from my memory
Profile Image for Daniel Audet.
53 reviews161 followers
January 7, 2012
Kellerman is always good for a thrill ride. In this, the 26th installment of his awesome Alex Delaware Series, our hero is after a killer who seems to have a taste for beautiful young women.
A shrink himself, Mr. K gives unique insight to the mind of both the good guys, most notably Delaware who is a shrink himself, and more uniquely, the bad guys. Characteristic of a top 10 writer in this field, thriller fiction, Kellerman's sentence composition, dialogue and arcing work so well it's almost too simple. Simple in the sense that, like say, Patterson, you read along and stay in the action, in 1st person, forgetting that you are a mere mortal reader and feeling and thinking more like our hero. This is the sign of a craftsman.
Mr. K is a master of narration, description and dialogue and the oh-so-smooth blending of the elements that make up a good story.
Where he gets his ideas God only knows - but the ideas work.
I'm at chapter 18 and the pace is quickening, having myself just recovered from a low-key beginning to this book and suddenly blind-sided by the twisted murder of a beautiful young woman. A woman sitting by herself in an upscale and soon-to-close landmark eatery that Delaware and his lovely wife dined at themselves, Delaware and wife notice her but think nothing of it. Then she turns up dead by mutilation and the case falls to Delaware and his partner, a cop, Milo Sturgis. A very twisted tale unfolds, a tale that could only have happen in LA.
You'll find out why as you get sucked into this book from page 1.
Get ready for a twisty ending as the pace picks up. Our guy Alex stays on the case and you won't believe what happens. I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
6,558 reviews237 followers
August 19, 2012
Robin and Alex attend a gathering for Marcel Jabotinsky. Robin and Alex head to the bar for some drinks. While waiting for their drinks a woman dressed in white and sunglasses is sitting at the bar. Robin and Alex think nothing of the woman until Alex is called on his friend, Milo to help with a murder investigation. The victim…the woman in the white dress.

I have not read many of Mr. Kellerman’s Alex Delaware’s books. However you don’t have to read the prior novels as this book reads as a stand alone novel. Having said this, I did not really care where in their relationship Alex and Robin were at. Like for example do I really care that Robin kicked Alex in the leg but not hard enough to hurt him as that is not the relationship they have. What does this have to do with the murder? Nothing.

I had to give up on this book after chapter 12 and this is only because the chapters are short that I got this far. I was hoping this book would get better and this is another reason why I did not give up until I had made it about a dozen chapters in. There were too many details given about nothing. First there was Robin and Alex going for a drink and then Robin crying for the murdered woman and then Alex sees a friend about his problems, then the clichés. For these reasons, I could not make myself read anymore of this book.
Profile Image for Moira.
Author 47 books16 followers
November 23, 2013
So I was boarding a plane last week and saw that someone had placed this book on top of a trash can right outside the door to the plane. What a brilliant idea--to leave a book for a fellow traveler. And since I like to read Alex Delaware stories and didn't remember reading this one, I took it. It was especially good--replete with old Hollywood references, twins and a twist I didn't see coming. But perhaps my enjoyment was enhanced by getting it the way I did. So if you see a book by the entrance to a plane some day, it might just be from me!
941 reviews5 followers
March 12, 2018
One of the worst Kellerman books. One to be avoided, really.
Profile Image for Miglė.
Author 21 books485 followers
November 12, 2023
Seniai neskaičiau Kellermano, o dabar buvo tikra atgaiva paklausyti šios knygos!

Detektyvo struktūra – klasikinė maždaug 90-ųjų: kažkas nužudo merginą, porininkai (detektyvas ir psichoterapeutas) kapstosi po jos praeitį ir vieną po kito apklausia įvairius jos gyvenime atsiradusius žmones, išlepusius Los Andželo turčius ir jų seksualines fantazijas aptarnaujančios industrijos darbuotojus. Patiko, kad dauguma apklausų – konfliktiškos, o psichologija – truputį kitokia negu jau pagrįsusios šiandieninės klišės.

Knygos įskaitymas toks, kurio paprastai nelabai mėgstu (balsų paploninimas, atodūsiai ir pan), bet čia ne tik neerzino, bet kažkaip daug pridėjo knygos atmosferai. Ypač patiko detektyvui suteiktas akcentas!
Profile Image for Larry Bassett.
1,633 reviews342 followers
January 30, 2014
I am a bit of a novice with Alex Delaware so I am not sure if he and his girlfriend Robin have aged chronologically as the series has moved along. Mystery is the twenty-sixth book and would make them in their late fifties if the years have passed as expected.

A bar they frequent in an old hotel is closing and they turn out to bid it farewell on its last night. The normal staff has already retired evidently and they are served by a young man from a temp agency who is poorly suited for the job in what must have been once a classy establishment. My friend, Ariane, also from ages ago, would have termed the exchanges “a hoot” and I would have to agree. It was the beginning of setting a tone of faded glory and I wondered if Mr. Kellerman hadn’t perhaps faded as well in the decades since he began this series.

I have books that I have started by Raymond Chandler, Cormac McCarthy, and James Jones sitting on my coffee table. It is a snow day. I was supposed to be driving to Michigan on this January day but snow in West Virginia has delayed my travel. I am bored but not ready for the challenge of a good author or work of real literature. Intrigued by the passage of years, I think that a current era Delaware might just be what the doctor ordered. We shall see.

Mystery has some good, concise writing and some fun paragraphs to keep you entertained while you meander through the story.
The sandwich was an architectural masterpiece of pastrami, ham, turkey, coleslaw, white and orange cheese, red and green peppers. But the woman’s aqua frock was spotless, as were her lips. Her eyes were soft, hazel, world-weary. The office was large, bright, unpretentious, set up with a photocopier, a small fridge, and an old gray PC that would’ve brought a sneer to the lips of the Agajanian sisters.
Olga Koznikov looked like a woman who accepted herself at face value and that brought a certain serenity. Only longish nails, French-tipped and glossy as they clawed the sandwich, testified to tension and vanity.

And don’t forget the interesting chit-chat between homicide detectives discussing related cases followed by an amazingly graphic description of a decomposed body. Shop talk for the reading voyeur.
Some kind of carnivore had feasted on the neck, extruding blood vessels and muscle fibers and tendons. The white shirt was shredded, the black tie turned to bloody ribbon. Splintered ribs protruded from a massive exit wound. The rotted sponge of lung and the degraded rubber of heart littered the ravaged chest.

Now, I am something of a neophyte with mysteries but this one does seem to be due an extra star for taking us into the thick of the battle. You might be a smart aleck and note, as some reviewers have, that our child psychologist and homicide cop seem to have little or no rationale to be actually working on this case together. But over two decades of sleuthing together does seem to have developed ties that bind and books that sell. Like the book jacket says, “#1 NY Times Bestselling Author” and whom are we to complain?

The book has a Hollywood, double ending but Alex evidently has never managed to make it into a movie series for some reason. Mystery would require some editing to avoid some of the soft porn aspects but Kellerman must be making enough from the books that he is not pouting about missing the movies. But with the proliferation of cable it seems like only a matter of time until there will be a made for TV series of Dr. Delaware.

The wrap up of this story made my head spin and stitching in the child psychologist aspect was forced but this book was mostly enjoyable to read. It falls just short of rating four stars but is better than many three star efforts due to the cleverness of the dialogue. Alex and Milo are a fine pair with a wink to a stocky and svelte duo interplay.
Profile Image for Alex is The Romance Fox.
1,461 reviews1,242 followers
November 13, 2013
Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis Series is one of my favorite series in this genre and I enjoy seeing them work together with the psychological and homicide viewpoints. They certainly have an oddball partnership/friendship – Alex’s ability to look into the criminal mind and Milo’s non-conformist police work is not the only off-beat thing about these books.

It’s also getting to see a different side of L.A…..it’s not only what we see on Entertainment E!!! that shows this glamorous side of the city…yes some of the books do show us that side but the author gives another darker, seedier and rather side of the other LA LA land………..in his words…
I live in a company town where the product is illusion. In the alternate universe ruled by sociopaths who make movies, communication means snappy dialogue, the scalpel trumps genetics, and permanence is mortal sin because it slows down the shoot.
that the beneath the beautiful and glamour, the city is nothing more than photo images1_zps4243bf4b.jpg
Tissue paper city.
I wasn't sure what to expect of Mystery, book #26 in the series…especially that some of the previous books had been a bit of a disappointment to me. But, what a surprise.
From the first line…… I was hooked!!!!
Like a con man on the run, L.A. buries its past.

A lot of reviewers have written about the story plot so I am just going to say that I really enjoyed reading it.

And I love Bella, le French Bulldog  photo french-bulldog-puppy-dog-bulldog-Favimcom-474396_original_zpsd823bee9.jpg– what an adorable dog…well, she’s a special kind of dog!!!!
The characters are totally amazing….some of them had me laughing and smiling at the way they view their lives and what matters the most to them. Its lives where nothing else matters but the image their project…it’s about me, me and more me!!!

This is an insane place, populated by insanity that blows my mind.
It’s a dark mystery filled with lies, deceit, hate and the most unexpected murderer!!!!  photo 4_zpse421f871.jpg
It’s really amazing how, despite the many books in this series, the author still gives us fresh plots and characters that just surprise you every time.
Profile Image for Kate Roman.
Author 39 books57 followers
July 1, 2011
A friend warned me this was "the worst Kellerman they'd ever read", which, after the disappointment of Evidence, concerned me some. However, Deception had a number of redeeming features, so I soldiered bravely on, and despite my friend's dire warnings, I am pleased to say I found Mystery not too bad.

It lacks the sparkle and brilliance of the early Alex years, I admit that, and it has the ever-present Robin -- present, but barely drawn, this time, I found her. Which is interesting, as she always annoys me, but I felt he had a puppet-Robin in the book this time.

As usual, Alex is far more concerned with running about with Milo than with his nuptial concerns, not hidden by Robin's "girl detective" (his words, not mine) number.

However, plotwise and writing-wise, it's a very readable Kellerman, it kept me engaged (up til nearly 2am in fact, although, I admit, that's mainly because it was due back at the library) and I did like that on this occasion, there were three plausible solutions fitted up before the slightly predictable ending.

In short, if you're a Delaware fan, it's a nice visit with the boys: if not, skip it and pick one of the early ones to meet-and-greet Kellerman's Dynamic Duo.

I keep getting the feeling K's tiring of them; it's a great shame, because I feel like they still have stories to tell us. Stories that Kellerman is missing!!
Profile Image for Ahtims.
1,673 reviews124 followers
September 25, 2017
Was a mediocre attempt compared with many other Alex Delaware novels.
Alex and Robin watch a beautiful and gracious lady with British accent being stood up at a restaurant. They also encounter a body guard/ thug with a gun outside waiting. The very next day, Sergeant Milo Sturgis shows them pics of the very same girl dead and sprawled out with guns shot wounds. They set out to ID her and seek out her killer (s).
And they encounter many strange persons and hidden secrets on the way.

The initial half was quite captivating, but the story soon slid into boredom and mayhem.
Overall, a readable book, but nothing to gawp about.
Profile Image for Nette.
635 reviews70 followers
April 9, 2011
As usual: a fun, twisty plot, but ridiculous dialogue straight out of a bad 1950s movie. A few examples: the ex-madame explains why she's got lung cancer: "Cleaned-and-sobered-up for seven years but kept dating Tommy Tobacco." The detective is impressed by the price of some property: "Twenty-four million bazoongas!" The psychologist describes the victim: "The whole Pygmalion bit, down to the accent. Talk about My Spare Lady." If Big Boy Kellerman doesn't break this habit, it's gonna be curtains for me and him! Curtains, I tells ya!
Profile Image for Anne G. Kasaba.
1,915 reviews9 followers
November 11, 2023
I usually enjoy this authors books but this is one of the best that I have read. Give it a try!
Profile Image for Chris.
1,863 reviews
November 15, 2014
THIS SUMMARY/REVIEW WAS COPIED FROM OTHER SOURCES AND IS USED ONLY AS A REMINDER OF WHAT THE BOOK WAS ABOUT FOR MY PERSONAL INTEREST. ANY PERSONAL NOTATIONS ARE FOR MY RECOLLECTION ONLY


Alex Delaware and his partner, Robin Castagna, are having a melancholy evening at one of their favorite places, the bar at the Fauborg Hotel in Beverly Hills. The hotel is slated to be demolished and this is the last night there will be service at the bar. Most of the furniture is gone, the lightbulbs have been removed from all but a few of the wall lights, and the only member of the staff on duty is the long-time bartender who knows just how his regular customers like their drinks.

Alex and Robin aren’t the only patrons that evening. There is a very glamorous woman sitting at a table nearby. She is dressed completely in white, including the scarf around her head. On her feet are backless silver shoes. She is smoking, using an ivory cigarette holder, channeling Audrey Hepburn in Robin’s opinion. When they leave, they notice that the burly man who had been outside is no longer there. They had decided that he was the bodyguard of the woman in white but she is still in the bar. The duo had supplied a few moments of interesting observation to distract Alex and Robin from the depressing reality that some things, like the bar, continue past their prime.

A few days later, Milo Sturgis, a lieutenant with the homicide division of the Los Angeles police, arrives, as he frequently does, just as the coffee is ready. Milo had been called out at 4:00 am when the body of a young woman was found in the mountains. There appeared to be two killers involved because two weapons were used. Both guns were aimed at her face. There is no identification. Milo shows Alex a picture of the victim. Alex knows that the clothing could only belong to the woman he and Robin had seen at the bar.

When the police realize that the man who was presumed to be a bodyguard has also disappeared, there seems no reason not to assume that the murder of the woman and the disappearance of the man are connected. The man is Steven Muhrman and his mother says she saw him with a woman who looked like the victim, a woman whose name was Mystery.

An anonymous tip is called into the police, pointing them in the direction of an on-line service in which “daddies” are matched up with “sweeties”. Mystery was matched with a billionaire daddy who pre-deceased her, removing one suspect in the murder of the young woman who still has no name.

Alex is also contacted by a former patient who had inhabited the shadow world until she gave birth to a son. Now the boy is six, and she is dying. She pulls Alex back into his real profession, child psychologist.Told almost exclusively from the point of view of Alex Delaware, this story begins with a night out at a hotel/nightclub on its last night before the wrecking ball demolishes it. For old time sake, Alex and his wife Robin go to the nightclub and find that none of the bar tenders or waiters they know are there, just temporary staff. Nothing is the same. Also, a stunning girl in white with a diamond studded watch awaits a date that doesn't arrive while they are there. They speculate about who she is and who her apparent body guard outside the door is. They never dreamed that when they woke up, the girl would be dead and friend and detective Milo Sturgis would involve Alex in the case.

********************

Profile Image for Mary Chrapliwy.
179 reviews24 followers
June 22, 2012
I admit, I've never read a Jonathan Kellerman novel before, so I didn't have a huge interest in reading this book. Unlike some other authors, whose characters I already know and will slog through dull first pages for, I didn't have that with Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis. I lacked that past history and interest, When the book didn't grab me right away, I put it down... repeatedly. If you have already read any part of this series, you'll have the patience required to get to the meat of the story, where the reward of an excellent mystery awaits.

Told almost exclusively from the point of view of Alex Delaware, this story begins with a night out at a hotel/nightclub on its last night before the wrecking ball demolishes it. For old time sake, Alex and his wife Robin go to the nightclub and find that none of the bar tenders or waiters they know are there, just temporary staff. Nothing is the same. Also, a stunning girl in white with a diamond studded watch awaits a date that doesn't arrive while they are there. They speculate about who she is and who her apparent body guard outside the door is. They never dreamed that when they woke up, the girl would be dead and friend and detective Milo Sturgis would involve Alex in the case.

The early part of this book did drag a bit and the main characters did seem a bit pompous in the beginning, but overall, this ended up being a really good mystery story. I never guessed who done it. Kellerman keeps you guessing until you turn the last page. When I finished the book, I read the preview to the next one and now I'm looking forward to reading more Kellerman.
Profile Image for Lukasz Pruski.
973 reviews141 followers
December 31, 2013
What a depressing way to end my book year! "Mystery" by Jonathan Kellerman is the 115th book I read and reviewed in 2013. My "brain off" mini-marathon of Kellerman's works included "Twisted" (quite good, three stars), disappointing "Deception" (two stars), and outright weak "Mystery". No mystery about my star rating.

A luxury hotel in Beverly Hills goes out of business. Good Doctor Delaware and Robin go there for cocktails on the closing night. They are intrigued by one of the restaurant's guests - a beautiful, elegant, and mysterious woman. The next day, the woman is found murdered. The Fabulously Brilliant Doctor and his sidekick, Lt. Sturgis, solve the case, which involves Hollywood madams, sex for sale in a luxury escort agency, family secrets, and a very rare physiological phenomenon.

In addition to the implausible plot of tabloid type, the novel is quite un-Kellerman in the low quality of writing. The two climactic chapters that provide the denouement read like a bad parody of a bad novel. I had to force myself to finish reading. The novel has as much in common with decent mystery as the Kardashians with real people. One of my New Year's resolutions is to be Kellerman-free for the whole year.

One and a half stars.
Profile Image for Sharon.
Author 38 books397 followers
February 3, 2011
Jonathan Kellerman's latest Alex Delaware novel, "Mystery," plumbs the depths of internet dating, identity theft and even the so-called "CSI effect."

Delaware and his wife, Robin, first see a mysterious woman in white while they are dining out at Fauborg, a soon-to-be-torn-down restaurant. Within 48 hours, she is found murdered. Through various circumstances, Delaware and his intrepid detective friend Milo Sturgis learn that the woman is a member of an internet dating site, SukRose. Her handle? "Mystery."

Sturgis and Delaware plunge into the world of cybercrime from several perspectives: behind the scenes looks at dating sites, identity theft and more. The structure of the book is not just that of an outstanding whodunnit (which it is -- the twist at the end surprised me so much that I had to go back to the moment where it was actually revealed in a roundabout way and re-read). It is also a look at life on the so-called Information Highway and perhaps even a cautionary tale about being careful to whom you reveal yourself.

Highly recommended.

(Review based on uncorrected advance proof.)
Profile Image for michelle.
73 reviews8 followers
August 21, 2011
So, as expected this book wasn't great. It was readable, yes, but I found myself getting more and more irritated by Delaware's underlying snark. Perhaps it is that of Kellerman showing through? I was quickly over the portrayal of anyone who is willing to sleep with other people for money as being vacuous, manipulative and flat-out stupid.

The obvious arrogance of Delaware got to me more in this as well. He is The Greatest Doctor Ever and all others should be grateful for his opinion of them. Urg.

The ending felt hurried, slapped on at the last minute. The storyline with the former madam and her son was unnecessary, and the characters involved in the online companion site were overblown.

Will I read future books in the series? Probably. Out of pure habit. What can I say, he's yet to reach the Cornwell level of unreadability.
Profile Image for David Highton.
3,741 reviews32 followers
January 15, 2023
Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis pursue the case of a murdered young girl who by coincidence Delaware and his partner had seen earlier in the evening of her death
123 reviews14 followers
March 30, 2011

Alex Delaware and his partner, Robin Castagna, are having a melancholy evening at one of their favorite places, the bar at the Fauborg Hotel in Beverly Hills. The hotel is slated to be demolished and this is the last night there will be service at the bar. Most of the furniture is gone, the lightbulbs have been removed from all but a few of the wall lights, and the only member of the staff on duty is the long-time bartender who knows just how his regular customers like their drinks.

Alex and Robin aren’t the only patrons that evening. There is a very glamorous woman sitting at a table nearby. She is dressed completely in white, including the scarf around her head. On her feet are backless silver shoes. She is smoking, using an ivory cigarette holder, channeling Audrey Hepburn in Robin’s opinion. When they leave, they notice that the burly man who had been outside is no longer there. They had decided that he was the bodyguard of the woman in white but she is still in the bar. The duo had supplied a few moments of interesting observation to distract Alex and Robin from the depressing reality that some things, like the bar, continue past their prime.

A few days later, Milo Sturgis, a lieutenant with the homicide division of the Los Angeles police, arrives, as he frequently does, just as the coffee is ready. Milo had been called out at 4:00 am when the body of a young woman was found in the mountains. There appeared to be two killers involved because two weapons were used. Both guns were aimed at her face. There is no identification. Milo shows Alex a picture of the victim. Alex knows that the clothing could only belong to the woman he and Robin had seen at the bar.

When the police realize that the man who was presumed to be a bodyguard has also disappeared, there seems no reason not to assume that the murder of the woman and the disappearance of the man are connected. The man is Steven Muhrman and his mother says she saw him with a woman who looked like the victim, a woman whose name was Mystery.

An anonymous tip is called into the police, pointing them in the direction of an on-line service in which “daddies” are matched up with “sweeties”. Mystery was matched with a billionaire daddy who pre-deceased her, removing one suspect in the murder of the young woman who still has no name.

Alex is also contacted by a former patient who had inhabited the shadow world until she gave birth to a son. Now the boy is six, and she is dying. She pulls Alex back into his real profession, child psychologist.

Are the Kellerman books formulaic? Absolutely. Does that detract from the stories? No, the formula serves the story. Alex always gets pulled into a case that has been handed over to Milo because of the impossibility of its successful resolution. Alex and Milo always solve the puzzle. No one seems to notice that in the real world, someone like Alex wouldn’t be participating in interviews in such a way that people assume he is also a detective. Kellerman has established that Alex made a sizeable fortune in real estate; it must have provided Alex with a very soft nest because he seems not to have to charge people for the work he does.

A child psychologist in his pre-mystery writing days, Kellerman knows dysfunctional families and he peoples his books with characters whose level of dysfunction would be crippling in the real world. MYSTERY is Kellerman’s twenty-sixth Alex Delaware mystery. I have read all of them, some more than once. They are books that I read from cover to cover in one session. Kellerman writes what many people want to read. Any descriptions of psychopathy or violence are in service to the story. He doesn’t dwell on the dark side; he just lets readers peek into lives they wouldn’t want from a safe distance
Profile Image for Steven Belanger.
Author 6 books26 followers
May 1, 2011
I've read every Kellerman, even his nonfiction stuff, like Savage Spawn, and I have to say that his Alex Delaware series now is suffering from the series disease--nothing new to say; no new ways to say it. I figured out the ending in advance here, as I have with many of his lately, unless the denouement purposely came out of left field. Every now and then a series writer will strike gold with a late addition to his series, as Robert Parker did with his second April Kyle book, but Mystery is not one of those for Kellerman. In fact, it hits home more as a depressing look at the bimbos who have to sell themselves in every way possible in L.A., and those who mind it (the victim) and those who don't (the two women at the end). The victim, it was said, was beautiful, radiant and gorgeous, sexy even when sad, but then she got her face blown off, literally, and later we learn that she did everything it's possible to do with a body. And one woman, at the very end, is elated when she tells her friend that she spent time with BOTH of their Sugar Daddies, and the other woman is aghast that she was not invited. It's a Mystery why I read these anymore, but I'll read the next one, and the one after that. At least it's a quick read, as I read the whole thing in one night, maybe 3 to 3 1/2 hours. But that just shows you how predictable the writing was, as well. It's sounding more and more pugnacious and judgmental, too, but I suppose they always were. Still waiting for the gold nugget late in this series.
Profile Image for A Swirl Girl.
253 reviews3 followers
February 26, 2016
This book is a 4. Really loving the Alex Delaware series! I especially like the fact that I don't have to read them in order.

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say (and the time to type it), here's the breakdown of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
Profile Image for Suzanne.
327 reviews
November 21, 2016
In this entry into the Kellerman "Alex Delaware" series, the book starts with Alex and Robin going out for an evening to a bar in an old hotel that is being demolished but holds memories for them. While there, they are people watching and note a beautiful young girl sitting in a booth, obviously waiting on someone. They had also noted a man outside who looked like a protector type, earbud and all. As fate would have it this people watching leads to Alex' involvement with his friend and police lieutenant, Milo Sturgis. Alex also begins counseling a young boy whose mother is dying of cancer. These two plots converge loosely.

I am giving the book three stars because of how the crimes were solved. Because this involves the denouement, I am not going to go into detail but I was left hanging. Alex' involvement toward the end defied my belief.
Profile Image for Amy.
361 reviews94 followers
May 30, 2011
I wish Kellerman would get out a map of Kansas and realize that there are towns in Kansas besides Lawrence. Several times, he has given characters a one-line, thrown out background in Lawrence. It seems lazy on his part...like he's taking a cheap shortcut in characterization. I'm not quite sure why I would expect more...it's just slightly annoying.

Other than that, this was a pretty typical mystery solved by Alex and Milo...they don't really change, which is pretty comfortable and easy to read. I'm kind of glad that I'm almost caught up with the series, because they're getting a little bit boring. I'd like to see more of Petra.
Profile Image for Nancy.
1,703 reviews53 followers
April 12, 2017
This book was indeed a mystery to me-I remember practically nothing about it. The plot is thin, it revolves around a young woman found dead, that as coincidence would have it, Alex and Robin observed while they were out for drinks the night before. That's the only connection tying Alex to the mystery of who she is when Milo asks for his "expertise" in helping solve the case. At the end, there is a woman who loves guns, but everything in the middle has vanished from my mind. Get your own case Alex!
Profile Image for Natashya KitchenPuppies.
438 reviews25 followers
March 29, 2011
This was the first Jonathan Kellerman book I have read, although he has tons. He is a bestselling author, many times over, and a Doctor of Psychology. His education and background give a fascinating and exciting edge to his style of mystery writing.
This particular book is a buddy crime solving murder mystery. Alex Delaware (psychologist) and Milo (cop) pursue a the baffling murder of a mysterious young lady, rife with intrigue and old fashioned Hollywood seduction and trickery.
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