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Alex Delaware #22
Compulsion
Once again, the depths of the criminal mind and the darkest side of a glittering city fuel #1 New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman’s brilliant storytelling. And no one conducts a more harrowing and suspenseful manhunt than the modern Sherlock Holmes of the psyche, Dr. Alex Delaware.
A tipsy young woman seeking aid on a desolate highway disappears into the inky black night. A retired schoolteacher is stabbed to death in broad daylight. Two women are butchered after closing time in a small-town beauty parlor. These and other bizarre acts of cruelty and psychopathology are linked only by the killer’s use of luxury vehicles and a baffling lack of motive. The ultimate whodunits, these crimes demand the attention of LAPD detective Milo Sturgis and his collaborator on the crime beat, psychologist Alex Delaware.
What begins with a solitary bloodstain in a stolen sedan quickly spirals outward in odd and unexpected directions, leading Delaware and Sturgis from the well-heeled center of L.A. society to its desperate edges; across the paths of commodities brokers and transvestite hookers; and as far away as New York City, where the search thaws out a long-cold case and exposes a grotesque homicidal crusade. The killer proves to be a fleeting shape-shifter, defying identification, leaving behind dazed witnesses and death–and compelling Alex and Milo to confront the true face of murderous madness.
A tipsy young woman seeking aid on a desolate highway disappears into the inky black night. A retired schoolteacher is stabbed to death in broad daylight. Two women are butchered after closing time in a small-town beauty parlor. These and other bizarre acts of cruelty and psychopathology are linked only by the killer’s use of luxury vehicles and a baffling lack of motive. The ultimate whodunits, these crimes demand the attention of LAPD detective Milo Sturgis and his collaborator on the crime beat, psychologist Alex Delaware.
What begins with a solitary bloodstain in a stolen sedan quickly spirals outward in odd and unexpected directions, leading Delaware and Sturgis from the well-heeled center of L.A. society to its desperate edges; across the paths of commodities brokers and transvestite hookers; and as far away as New York City, where the search thaws out a long-cold case and exposes a grotesque homicidal crusade. The killer proves to be a fleeting shape-shifter, defying identification, leaving behind dazed witnesses and death–and compelling Alex and Milo to confront the true face of murderous madness.
496 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 2008
1072 people are currently reading
3404 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Kellerman
306 books5,741 followersJonathan 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.
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 680 reviews
October 11, 2024
Unfortunately not a great Delaware read! Hate when characters become omnicient to save the author time--- it's just deadly dull in a mystery.
Alex "surmised" so much about the psychopath that I was thinking if he'd pick a few numbers, I should buy a lotto ticket... Despite this dull entry, I still love Milo, Blanche and company.
(reviewed 7/16/11)
Alex "surmised" so much about the psychopath that I was thinking if he'd pick a few numbers, I should buy a lotto ticket... Despite this dull entry, I still love Milo, Blanche and company.
(reviewed 7/16/11)
October 29, 2017
Another quite readable psychological adventure with Dr. Delaware and Milo. Enough turns and twists to keep the pages turning, but not enough to create the edge of prior books in this series.
July 25, 2010
Mediocre outing -- even JK seems tired of our buddy Alex!
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!
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!
May 21, 2020
Alex Delaware & Milo Sturges book No. 22: A missing person case and a straight forward murder case maybe related? Alex and Milo may have inadvertently stumbled on a serial killer that's been plying his trade for decades… undiscovered! Good read, one of the better books I have read in this series. 6 out of 12
April 14, 2008
If you like Kellerman's other books, you will probably like this one. I actually liked it more than some of the other ones. Sometimes, I find Alex Delaware's psychological insights a little too obscure and feel they muddy the picture. This time, he was a little more reigned in, and I found this book to be much more readable as a result. It still contains all of the elements we love--Milo, Robin, and Alex's cute new dog. The only drawback was that the two mysteries in this book got tied up a little too neatly and easily. However, both stories were compelling and enjoyable.
October 1, 2009
I have always enjoyed the Alex Delaware series. I find the two main characters--Alex and Milo--very interesting. I also find the many plot twists in the books interesting and suspenseful. Some people see thru these twists and see things coming--I seldom can figure a mystery out.
The way the two seperate cases are handled in this books and the twists and turns Alex and Milo enouncted where attempting to solve the crimes I found very, very interesting.
Admittedly, this is not a book that will stay in my memory in sharp detail. There is nothing unusual in it; it is a standard Alex Delaware mystery, and Kellerman I find up to his usual standards.
So, as many of my books get, it gets a solid, three stars---an plesant, gripping mystery to pass a copule evenings with.
The way the two seperate cases are handled in this books and the twists and turns Alex and Milo enouncted where attempting to solve the crimes I found very, very interesting.
Admittedly, this is not a book that will stay in my memory in sharp detail. There is nothing unusual in it; it is a standard Alex Delaware mystery, and Kellerman I find up to his usual standards.
So, as many of my books get, it gets a solid, three stars---an plesant, gripping mystery to pass a copule evenings with.
December 1, 2019
Simply said, another enjoyable read and audio version of this Alex Delaware book nr. 22. I’d say this book is more a 3-rating than a 4-rating. No real compelling characters that jumped at me (except for Milo of course). The plot was interesting admittedly, in the sense that we haven’t seen a transvestite murderer crossing paths with Milo & Alex before. But for me, here, there was just a bit too much violence for no reason at all.
Thankfully there's the quality reading by John Rubinstein, who can give voice to such a variety of characters with accuracy and gusto. His unique talent of giving voice to such a range of people is truly amazing and immensely entertaining, believe me, it's so worth the listen. This narrator deserves a 5-star rating.
Thankfully there's the quality reading by John Rubinstein, who can give voice to such a variety of characters with accuracy and gusto. His unique talent of giving voice to such a range of people is truly amazing and immensely entertaining, believe me, it's so worth the listen. This narrator deserves a 5-star rating.
May 14, 2008
I love Dr. Delaware, and I'm glad he's back with Robin the Mandolin Maker, but I think Dr. Kellerman might have phoned this one in just a little bit. It's still worth reading because it's Alex Delaware (well and Milo) but this one was not the most stellar. If you are reading this, Dr. Kellerman, I'm sorry. I feel like a traitor for dissing your book with only three stars. It's just that I have higher standards for you, sir, than for some of your colleagues...now turn off the internet and get back to work on your next story. Yours, I buy in hardback.
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August 31, 2017I had a hard time to read this book... it just didn't seem to hold my interest.
May 13, 2009
OKAY YES I AM A NITPICKER BUT JESUS.
"I was a double major at U. New Mexico."
THAT IS A LINE SPOKEN BY A SUPPOSED NM NATIVE. AT FIRST I TOTALLY COULD NOT PARSE WTF HE MEANT AND THOUGHT KELLERMAN WAS MAKING UP A UNIVERSITY. It's called UNM! Jesus Christ. Yeah yeah it is a TINY fucking detail but it did not just throw me out of the story, I nearly threw the book against the WALL. Writers are supposed to be careful with language! Words are how you get inside someone else's head -- as Stephen King said IIRC, the closest thing we have to telepathy. To knowing how other people think and feel and see. If we don't take care how the fuck can we pass on anything? If the details aren't right how can any of us know anything, any fact or placename or thing about another living soul? It all becomes gibberish.
Also I don't think UNM has anything like a Criminal Justice "major." There's the Department of Criminal Justice at New Mexico State University, which I think is what he means. NOT THAT ANYONE CARES. BECAUSE IT'S NEW MEXICO. But I bet he thought that wouldn't work, because it's an Aggie school.
....Yes, I know it comes off as weird or obsesso when I get so incensed over details. But it's like the time in a writing workshop (IN New Mexico!) (yes, picture me in a grad school writing workshop. Or not, if your tolerance for horror is low) when someone wrote about Iowa City as a small conservative farming town. It was a passing detail in the story -- not even a place where one of the characters was from -- but still, I fumed, because the compact between reader and writer is essentially one of trust: you read my book, you let me put my words in your head, and I will take you somewhere -- it may be somewhere exciting, somewhere dull, somewhere absolutely wonderful, but I am your guide and I show you the way. But of course it's not as one-way as that; the reader joins in, to some extent, picturing people and places and details. The closest analogue I know to it is music -- the scores's the printed page, the reader is the musician, and the book itself, the living experience of reading, is like the music, made only when the notes (words) are being read, only lasting as long as each reading but there to return to, every time. And if there's something jarring, no matter how small, the effect is -- as the musicians say -- a clinker. Too many wrong notes, sour chords, and I'm not going to read your book. If you get wrong details that I do know, no matter how small, how can I trust you telling me stuff I don't know anything about? How can I want to be one of your characters or look through their eyes? Sure, all viewpoints are subjective and everything is partial and distorted in the end, it's a fallen fucken world, we're all Kantians. But that doesn't excuse not getting it right. Orwell's Winston Smith says, The best books are those which tell us what we know already -- reaffirming our knowledge, a firm place to rest on. The worst books are the ones we read and realize have no affinity to reality whatsoever.
So, UNM. Sheesh.
ETA Also, the main suspect is a (SPOILER). Great, now this is turning into L&O:SVU.
"I was a double major at U. New Mexico."
THAT IS A LINE SPOKEN BY A SUPPOSED NM NATIVE. AT FIRST I TOTALLY COULD NOT PARSE WTF HE MEANT AND THOUGHT KELLERMAN WAS MAKING UP A UNIVERSITY. It's called UNM! Jesus Christ. Yeah yeah it is a TINY fucking detail but it did not just throw me out of the story, I nearly threw the book against the WALL. Writers are supposed to be careful with language! Words are how you get inside someone else's head -- as Stephen King said IIRC, the closest thing we have to telepathy. To knowing how other people think and feel and see. If we don't take care how the fuck can we pass on anything? If the details aren't right how can any of us know anything, any fact or placename or thing about another living soul? It all becomes gibberish.
Also I don't think UNM has anything like a Criminal Justice "major." There's the Department of Criminal Justice at New Mexico State University, which I think is what he means. NOT THAT ANYONE CARES. BECAUSE IT'S NEW MEXICO. But I bet he thought that wouldn't work, because it's an Aggie school.
....Yes, I know it comes off as weird or obsesso when I get so incensed over details. But it's like the time in a writing workshop (IN New Mexico!) (yes, picture me in a grad school writing workshop. Or not, if your tolerance for horror is low) when someone wrote about Iowa City as a small conservative farming town. It was a passing detail in the story -- not even a place where one of the characters was from -- but still, I fumed, because the compact between reader and writer is essentially one of trust: you read my book, you let me put my words in your head, and I will take you somewhere -- it may be somewhere exciting, somewhere dull, somewhere absolutely wonderful, but I am your guide and I show you the way. But of course it's not as one-way as that; the reader joins in, to some extent, picturing people and places and details. The closest analogue I know to it is music -- the scores's the printed page, the reader is the musician, and the book itself, the living experience of reading, is like the music, made only when the notes (words) are being read, only lasting as long as each reading but there to return to, every time. And if there's something jarring, no matter how small, the effect is -- as the musicians say -- a clinker. Too many wrong notes, sour chords, and I'm not going to read your book. If you get wrong details that I do know, no matter how small, how can I trust you telling me stuff I don't know anything about? How can I want to be one of your characters or look through their eyes? Sure, all viewpoints are subjective and everything is partial and distorted in the end, it's a fallen fucken world, we're all Kantians. But that doesn't excuse not getting it right. Orwell's Winston Smith says, The best books are those which tell us what we know already -- reaffirming our knowledge, a firm place to rest on. The worst books are the ones we read and realize have no affinity to reality whatsoever.
So, UNM. Sheesh.
ETA Also, the main suspect is a (SPOILER). Great, now this is turning into L&O:SVU.
December 3, 2011
I love Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels. They are chilling, deadly and suspenseful every time! But why is it that the victims are always sexy young party girls who just want to enjoy themselves?
Of course, I do understand that you can't have a serial killer without a victim, just like you can't have a dragon without a damsel in distress. But in most other genres, whether suspense, mystery, or medieval romance, the damsel is usually portrayed sympathetically, as a nice person.
For some reason, Jonathan Kellerman always makes his damsels seem no good, nasty, spoiled, selfish and weak. What has this fellow got against women, anyway? Alfred Hitchcock created the shower scene in PSYCHO, true. But in many of his movies, like THE LADY VANISHES and JAMAICA INN, the heroine is just as brave and intrepid as the hero.
I really liked Kat, the party girl in the first chapter. Yet I knew right away that she only had three pages to live. And I knew she'd be depicted as a mindless tramp. Exactly what is Jonathan Kellerman's problem with women? Why can't he create victims people can like?
Of course, I do understand that you can't have a serial killer without a victim, just like you can't have a dragon without a damsel in distress. But in most other genres, whether suspense, mystery, or medieval romance, the damsel is usually portrayed sympathetically, as a nice person.
For some reason, Jonathan Kellerman always makes his damsels seem no good, nasty, spoiled, selfish and weak. What has this fellow got against women, anyway? Alfred Hitchcock created the shower scene in PSYCHO, true. But in many of his movies, like THE LADY VANISHES and JAMAICA INN, the heroine is just as brave and intrepid as the hero.
I really liked Kat, the party girl in the first chapter. Yet I knew right away that she only had three pages to live. And I knew she'd be depicted as a mindless tramp. Exactly what is Jonathan Kellerman's problem with women? Why can't he create victims people can like?
October 28, 2008
I got really tired of the goofy similes and metaphors. For example:
"His spiky (hair) do fit him like lipstick fits a goldfish." page 194-195
I never noticed this about Kellerman's writing before, which makes me think that he was trying something new. He needs to work on some subtlety.
Other than that, excellent book, as usual.
My favorite quote (and a reminder of why to be patient with my nieces and nephews), from page 281:
"Good was Antoine's age at the time of the disappearance. You see a fifteen-year-old capable of something like that?"
"They're not myelinated."
"Who what?"
"Myelin," I said. "It's a substance that coats nerve cells and plays a role in logical processing. Teens don't have as much as adults. Some folks think that's a good reason not to execute young criminals."
"At what age does it turn normal?"
"Differs from person to person. Sometimes not till middle age."
"His spiky (hair) do fit him like lipstick fits a goldfish." page 194-195
I never noticed this about Kellerman's writing before, which makes me think that he was trying something new. He needs to work on some subtlety.
Other than that, excellent book, as usual.
My favorite quote (and a reminder of why to be patient with my nieces and nephews), from page 281:
"Good was Antoine's age at the time of the disappearance. You see a fifteen-year-old capable of something like that?"
"They're not myelinated."
"Who what?"
"Myelin," I said. "It's a substance that coats nerve cells and plays a role in logical processing. Teens don't have as much as adults. Some folks think that's a good reason not to execute young criminals."
"At what age does it turn normal?"
"Differs from person to person. Sometimes not till middle age."
May 4, 2008
It has been a while since I have read or listened to a Jonathan Kellerman book. His regular charachers have become pretty predictable and this story dragged a bit - at least on CD. If you don't have a "history" with Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, the 2 main characters, and also with his lesser regulars, some of the subtleties are easy to miss. This book doesn't give you much background development of the characters - there seems to be an assumption that you have read some of the earlier books. I enjoyed the book much more than my husband, who was new to the series, did. I think he would have rated it even lower than I did.
October 14, 2008
This was a very well-written book - a little leaner and sleeker than some of the other Alex Delaware books - and a real pager turner. The killer was also a very interesting character. My only complaint was that it seemed a bit predictable in the end and a little slow to close. Still, as always, an interesting romp into the mind of a truly deranged killer.
December 10, 2020
2...Am I the only one hating how Delaware has become a crystal ball lately? No detective or psychological work needed, he just knows...The case was good, the detecting...no so much...
September 2, 2017
There has never been an Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis book that I have not thoroughly enjoyed. This one was no exception. Couple of surprises in two of the story lines. A terrific read.
January 26, 2025
I quit.
Boy, what a slow story.
Tested my patience. I started skipping paragraphs, then pages then stopped reading this book.
Boy, what a slow story.
Tested my patience. I started skipping paragraphs, then pages then stopped reading this book.
June 18, 2008
Alex Delaware is back in Jonathan Kellerman's newest novel, Compulsion. He and Milo are hot on the case again. This time they are trying to solve a mystery that starts with a stolen Bentley...a stolen Bentley with blood on the seat. However, there is no body and no suspects. Their detecting starts to uncover strange clues that take Alex all the way to New York City.
That's the main storyline of the plot. However, for some reason, Kellerman includes two very minor subplots. First, there is a death row inmate in Texas claiming to have killed a young man in California whose murder has remained unsolved for sixteen years. Milo is assigned the task of investigating whether his accusations are true or just an attempt to put off his death sentence. This storyline doesn't intersect with the first storyline except for the fact that Milo is investigating both of the cases. Kellerman would switch back to this case every once in awhile and I would have to remember who these characters were.
An even smaller subplot dealt with Robin and a contract she received to make four instruments for a dot com millionaire. This subplot was so insignificant I can only surmise that Kellerman was reaching for a way to include Robin in the book. It was almost as if he wrote the book without her and then said, "whoops, I forgot Robin; where can I squeeze her in?"
Both of the subplots made the novel a bit awkward overall. I think it would have been a much stronger book had Kellerman simply focused on the main plot and forgot the other two subplots.
As always, I LOVED Milo. His sarcasm is absolutely wonderful. I love how he will respond when Alex throws a theory out. Milo makes the theory sound incredibly off the wall. Some of his quips would make great newspaper headlines.
Petra Conner was not in this novel. She was out of the country on vacation. She was missed.
That's the main storyline of the plot. However, for some reason, Kellerman includes two very minor subplots. First, there is a death row inmate in Texas claiming to have killed a young man in California whose murder has remained unsolved for sixteen years. Milo is assigned the task of investigating whether his accusations are true or just an attempt to put off his death sentence. This storyline doesn't intersect with the first storyline except for the fact that Milo is investigating both of the cases. Kellerman would switch back to this case every once in awhile and I would have to remember who these characters were.
An even smaller subplot dealt with Robin and a contract she received to make four instruments for a dot com millionaire. This subplot was so insignificant I can only surmise that Kellerman was reaching for a way to include Robin in the book. It was almost as if he wrote the book without her and then said, "whoops, I forgot Robin; where can I squeeze her in?"
Both of the subplots made the novel a bit awkward overall. I think it would have been a much stronger book had Kellerman simply focused on the main plot and forgot the other two subplots.
As always, I LOVED Milo. His sarcasm is absolutely wonderful. I love how he will respond when Alex throws a theory out. Milo makes the theory sound incredibly off the wall. Some of his quips would make great newspaper headlines.
Petra Conner was not in this novel. She was out of the country on vacation. She was missed.
September 22, 2020
This book starts off fast...a young woman is having a drink with a couple girlfriends at a night club in West Los Angeles. Her two girlfriends meet two guys and leave with them. The young woman, now alone in the night club, decides to drown her sorrows with 5 long island ice teas. Then, she decides to drive home and runs out of gas and her cell phone is dead because she forgot to charge it. Before she starts to cry, a Rolls Royce Phantom pulls up next to her car and she thinks I'm saved. She gets in the car and almost immediately falls asleep because she's had too much to drink and she's relieved that a nice old woman from England is going to help her. As you can guess, getting in the expensive car with the old English woman is a bad move...not everything is as it seems. Now, you're on page 10 of this book. This book has many plot twists that I won't give away....this book is a must read for any Jonathan Kellerman fan. Happy Reading... =)
April 10, 2024
I didn’t like it at all. Read it because it was a book club choice. It was very confusing to me with so many characters and the many alias names. Just couldn’t keep track. The author is well l known. It’s not my genre of book but if you’re into crime novels you might like it.
November 7, 2024
A little disappointed in this storyline- it seems to just keep going and going…Murder, transvestites, brokers and twist after turns with an anticlimactic ending. 🥲This author is better than this read…
April 26, 2021
I lost track a little of who was who, but a good story and an interesting ending.
December 15, 2021
Truthfully this deserves 3 stars, but because of the crime, graphicness (not super graphic but for this series it is) and how much it disturbs me, I can’t bring myself to give it 3 stars.
March 8, 2022
Multiple murders this time with no real connection until they are.
November 27, 2023
Good main story line. Not sure why the secondary story line was needed, was annoying to jump to that, and then end the book with it....
August 29, 2024
Compulsion is…compelling!
The sheer consistency of the series almost makes you think of AI. Except AI can’t do surprises lol? JK - A+
The sheer consistency of the series almost makes you think of AI. Except AI can’t do surprises lol? JK - A+
February 12, 2020
Compulsion was somewhat far fetched for an Alex Delaware story but that made it more interesting and so I enjoyed it more than the last one. This is about a criminal who is a master of disguises, who never makes a single mistake and there are no apparent witnesses or obvious motives. I was pleased that Milo and Alex were onto the bad guy fairly quickly and the discovery of this character felt fairly natural.
July 13, 2021
3.5 stars. Typical Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis thriller, lots of intrigue with a satisfying ending.
August 14, 2022
The main plot was OK but lumbered a bit, the second plot hung in the background and was a bit unsubstantial. Not the best in the series, only 3 stars this time
Displaying 1 - 30 of 680 reviews