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Alex Delaware #32
Heartbreak Hotel
Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis investigate the death of Alex’s most mysterious patient to date in the sensational new thriller from the master of suspense, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman.
At nearly one hundred years old, Thalia Mars is a far cry from the patients that child psychologist Alex Delaware normally treats. But the charming, witty woman convinces Alex to meet with her in a suite at the Aventura, a luxury hotel with a checkered history.
What Thalia wants from Alex are answers to unsettling questions—about guilt, patterns of criminal behavior, victim selection. When Alex asks the reason for her morbid fascination, Thalia promises to tell all during their next session. But when he shows up the following morning, he is met with silence: Thalia is dead in her room.
When questions arise about how Thalia perished, Alex and homicide detective Milo Sturgis must peel back the layers of a fascinating but elusive woman’s life and embark on one of the most baffling investigations either of them has ever experienced. For Thalia Mars is a victim like no other, an enigma who harbored nearly a century of secrets and whose life and death draw those around her into a vortex of violence.
At nearly one hundred years old, Thalia Mars is a far cry from the patients that child psychologist Alex Delaware normally treats. But the charming, witty woman convinces Alex to meet with her in a suite at the Aventura, a luxury hotel with a checkered history.
What Thalia wants from Alex are answers to unsettling questions—about guilt, patterns of criminal behavior, victim selection. When Alex asks the reason for her morbid fascination, Thalia promises to tell all during their next session. But when he shows up the following morning, he is met with silence: Thalia is dead in her room.
When questions arise about how Thalia perished, Alex and homicide detective Milo Sturgis must peel back the layers of a fascinating but elusive woman’s life and embark on one of the most baffling investigations either of them has ever experienced. For Thalia Mars is a victim like no other, an enigma who harbored nearly a century of secrets and whose life and death draw those around her into a vortex of violence.
Unknown Binding
First published February 14, 2017
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About the author
Jonathan Kellerman
199 books5,797 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 1,202 reviews
March 8, 2017
This series started off really great for me............but I think that it's gone on far too long.........I mean, Heartbreak Hotel is #32 in Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware Series and I guess how much more can we get about Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis!!!
The plot is about a 100 year old - Ms Mars - who is killed after having a very short conversation with Alex. Lots of suspects. Horrible characters. Molls and Gangsters, Bugsy Malone, blah blah blah.
Hell, I miss the magic between Milo and Alex in the first books. And honestly, what has happened to Alex's lady, Robin. We hardly get anything about her....if there was a full page where she appears in this book, it was too much!!!
Let me just tell you............
If you're a fan of this series...read it at your own peril!!! I cannot recommend it even for the fans!!!
The plot is about a 100 year old - Ms Mars - who is killed after having a very short conversation with Alex. Lots of suspects. Horrible characters. Molls and Gangsters, Bugsy Malone, blah blah blah.
Hell, I miss the magic between Milo and Alex in the first books. And honestly, what has happened to Alex's lady, Robin. We hardly get anything about her....if there was a full page where she appears in this book, it was too much!!!
Let me just tell you............
Yes, Bored...Bored....in fact, I may just have given up on this series forever!!!!!
If you're a fan of this series...read it at your own peril!!! I cannot recommend it even for the fans!!!
February 21, 2018
Thalia Mars is a couple weeks short of her one hundredth birthday, and so when she calls psychologist Alex Delaware and asks for an appointment, Delaware can hardly refuse. Delaware calls to see Thalia at the aging L.A. luxury hotel where she has been in residence for years. She knows that Alex specializes in child psychology and also knows that he often consults with the police, and the combination of these things is why she has called upon him. She doesn't want to be analyzed herself, she says, but she has some general questions about criminal behavior, the nature of guilt and that sort of thing. After a relatively brief first appointment, she writes Alex a check for $6,000.00, and asks him to drop by the following day.
Alex has some questions of his own, like how did a woman who spent her life as an accountant working for the county amass a fortune that would allow her to live in an expensive hotel, make generous contributions to charity, and retain psychologists at six grand a pop? Sadly, he never gets the chance to ask them, because when he returns the following day, he discovers that Thalia has been found dead. Superficially, it appears that she has died in her sleep, but the first responder and Alex both see some anomalies, and so Alex calles his buddy, homicide detective Milo Sturgis.
Well, of course, it turns out that Thalia has been murdered, but who would want to kill the woman and why? There's no evidence of a burglary; there are no heirs who might have been anxious to get their hands on the estate, and as a result, everyone is baffled. Milo asks Alex to assist in the investigation and before long the two are digging into a pattern of crimes both current and ancient and will wind up in the crosshairs of some very clever and dangers adversaries.
The story itself is okay, though it's certainly not the best plot that Jonathan Kellerman has ever devised. I also understand that I'm obsessing about something that probably doesn't bother a lot of other readers, but I'm disappointed that again, as has been the case with so many of the later books in this series, there is no logical reason for Delaware to be involved in the case.
Delaware is a child psychologist and what made the early books in this series so great was that he actually practiced his profession and the crimes in the novels grew naturally out of the patients' cases that he was treating. In many of the later novels, though, this one included, there's only the most tangential tie to Delaware's profession. His buddy Milo simply keeps inviting him along because a particular case is interesting and because he apparently enjoys Delaware's company.
In this case, Delaware is involved early on because the victim was someone who had consulted him one time. But once it's clear that she's been murdered, there's absolutely no logical reason for a civilian like him to be involved. And in real life, of course, he never would be. Real homicide detectives would take over and follow the case to its ultimate conclusion, and then Milo would call Alex and say, "Hey, Bud, we finally got the guy who offed your elderly client."
But Delaware is front and center, waving his police consultant's card around like a magic wand, and basically leading the investigation. At one point, he even goes charging into a house on the heels of a swat team. It's ridiculous, and basically, unlike the early books in this series, there's nothing to distinguish this book from the large run of novels in which police detectives solve crimes.
If Kellerman really wanted to write novels like this, he should have had Delaware make a career change about fifteen books ago, enroll in the police academy, and become an actual homicide detective. Then he and Milo could work side-by-side, chasing killers, and pedants like me wouldn't be complaining about things like this. I've followed this series since the beginning, and I won't be bullied into quitting now. I will hope against hope, however, that Kellerman will return to form and that these books will start making more sense sooner rather than later.
Alex has some questions of his own, like how did a woman who spent her life as an accountant working for the county amass a fortune that would allow her to live in an expensive hotel, make generous contributions to charity, and retain psychologists at six grand a pop? Sadly, he never gets the chance to ask them, because when he returns the following day, he discovers that Thalia has been found dead. Superficially, it appears that she has died in her sleep, but the first responder and Alex both see some anomalies, and so Alex calles his buddy, homicide detective Milo Sturgis.
Well, of course, it turns out that Thalia has been murdered, but who would want to kill the woman and why? There's no evidence of a burglary; there are no heirs who might have been anxious to get their hands on the estate, and as a result, everyone is baffled. Milo asks Alex to assist in the investigation and before long the two are digging into a pattern of crimes both current and ancient and will wind up in the crosshairs of some very clever and dangers adversaries.
The story itself is okay, though it's certainly not the best plot that Jonathan Kellerman has ever devised. I also understand that I'm obsessing about something that probably doesn't bother a lot of other readers, but I'm disappointed that again, as has been the case with so many of the later books in this series, there is no logical reason for Delaware to be involved in the case.
Delaware is a child psychologist and what made the early books in this series so great was that he actually practiced his profession and the crimes in the novels grew naturally out of the patients' cases that he was treating. In many of the later novels, though, this one included, there's only the most tangential tie to Delaware's profession. His buddy Milo simply keeps inviting him along because a particular case is interesting and because he apparently enjoys Delaware's company.
In this case, Delaware is involved early on because the victim was someone who had consulted him one time. But once it's clear that she's been murdered, there's absolutely no logical reason for a civilian like him to be involved. And in real life, of course, he never would be. Real homicide detectives would take over and follow the case to its ultimate conclusion, and then Milo would call Alex and say, "Hey, Bud, we finally got the guy who offed your elderly client."
But Delaware is front and center, waving his police consultant's card around like a magic wand, and basically leading the investigation. At one point, he even goes charging into a house on the heels of a swat team. It's ridiculous, and basically, unlike the early books in this series, there's nothing to distinguish this book from the large run of novels in which police detectives solve crimes.
If Kellerman really wanted to write novels like this, he should have had Delaware make a career change about fifteen books ago, enroll in the police academy, and become an actual homicide detective. Then he and Milo could work side-by-side, chasing killers, and pedants like me wouldn't be complaining about things like this. I've followed this series since the beginning, and I won't be bullied into quitting now. I will hope against hope, however, that Kellerman will return to form and that these books will start making more sense sooner rather than later.
December 1, 2016
I have read all of the Alex Delaware stories and I am never disappointed. In this new book Alex has been called to the Adventura by a nearly 100 year old Thalia Mars for a consult even though he has explained to her he normally only treats children. The witty and charming Thalia talks him into a consult anyway. After meeting with her he is intrigued and agrees to return for a second meeting but when he arrives it first appears that she has passed away in her sleep but on closer examination she was murdered. Now it is up to Milo and Alex to find who would kill this harmless elderly woman who seems to be loved by all. Another great read by Jonathan Kellerman. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.
July 24, 2017
I think this may have been my last Jonathan Kellerman book. At least from the Alex Delaware series. It's all just gotten too formulaic after 32 installments and this felt like a chore to read. It's always the same thing:
Go talk to a witness.
Milo wants to go eat.
Get a call to go see another witness.
Sit in LA traffic for hours.
Go back to the house/office look stuff up on the computer.
Milo is hungry.
Sit in LA traffic for hours
Talk to a witness.
Milo wants to go eat.
Spend hours Googling.
Robin says something off-hand that turns the whole case.
Have sex.
Sit in traffic.
Go talk to a witness.
Milo wants to go eat.
And on, and on, and on.
In reality I get this is probably how real detective work happens but I need a little more excitement in my reading adventures.
Thanks for the good run Kellerman, but I think it's time for me (and maybe you) to move on.
Go talk to a witness.
Milo wants to go eat.
Get a call to go see another witness.
Sit in LA traffic for hours.
Go back to the house/office look stuff up on the computer.
Milo is hungry.
Sit in LA traffic for hours
Talk to a witness.
Milo wants to go eat.
Spend hours Googling.
Robin says something off-hand that turns the whole case.
Have sex.
Sit in traffic.
Go talk to a witness.
Milo wants to go eat.
And on, and on, and on.
In reality I get this is probably how real detective work happens but I need a little more excitement in my reading adventures.
Thanks for the good run Kellerman, but I think it's time for me (and maybe you) to move on.
February 19, 2017
Ah, it's great to welcome an old friend to my Kindle again. Actually, make that two old friends; after all these years (and something like 30-plus books), I've come to know both child psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware and Los Angeles Police Department detective Milo Sturgis pretty doggone well. Not nearly as well as they know each other, though; Alex is a fairly frequent consultant to the LAPD, mostly with cases Milo is honchoing - and they're now at the point at which meaningful conversation happens with just a shrug of a shoulder or lift of an eyebrow.
It's Alex who gets the ball rolling here. He gets an out-of-the-blue call from Thalia Mars, who says she's 99 years old and wants a consultation. No, she says, she's not concerned that his work is primarily with patients decades younger. A bit reluctant but intrigued, Alex agrees to meet her at her long-time home, a stand-alone cabin at a luxury hotel complex. She seems totally lucid and more than willing to part with a substantial retainer, but the questions she asks deal more with criminal behavior than her personal life. Promising to provide Alex with more details at the next visit, they agree on a follow-up visit the next morning.
But alas, it never happens. When Alex shows up, he finds an extremely upset housekeeper who found the nonagenerian lying in her bed quite dead. Nothing appears to have been stolen, and at first blush, it appears she may have died of natural causes. But further examination of the body tells another story - murder - and Milo is called in.
The case goes nowhere fast; the old lady has no apparent heirs nor apparent enemies, and her considerable estate is being left entirely to charity. So who on earth would want to kill a woman who most likely wouldn't make it past another year or two at most? Clues lead all over the map - literally - as well as to long-closed cases and ages-old relationships that may or may not be connected. Finding out the truth, then, will put the investigative skills of Milo and Alex to the test.
Quite honestly, I enjoyed this one even more than the last two or three books. I will say, though, that while this one stands alone, there's not much background explanation on the characters - and I'm sure at least part of my enjoyment comes from being privvy to that. So if you've never read any of the books in this series before, you might want to go back a half-dozen or so to start. Hey, I'll bet you'll make a couple of friends you'll look forward to reading about, too.
It's Alex who gets the ball rolling here. He gets an out-of-the-blue call from Thalia Mars, who says she's 99 years old and wants a consultation. No, she says, she's not concerned that his work is primarily with patients decades younger. A bit reluctant but intrigued, Alex agrees to meet her at her long-time home, a stand-alone cabin at a luxury hotel complex. She seems totally lucid and more than willing to part with a substantial retainer, but the questions she asks deal more with criminal behavior than her personal life. Promising to provide Alex with more details at the next visit, they agree on a follow-up visit the next morning.
But alas, it never happens. When Alex shows up, he finds an extremely upset housekeeper who found the nonagenerian lying in her bed quite dead. Nothing appears to have been stolen, and at first blush, it appears she may have died of natural causes. But further examination of the body tells another story - murder - and Milo is called in.
The case goes nowhere fast; the old lady has no apparent heirs nor apparent enemies, and her considerable estate is being left entirely to charity. So who on earth would want to kill a woman who most likely wouldn't make it past another year or two at most? Clues lead all over the map - literally - as well as to long-closed cases and ages-old relationships that may or may not be connected. Finding out the truth, then, will put the investigative skills of Milo and Alex to the test.
Quite honestly, I enjoyed this one even more than the last two or three books. I will say, though, that while this one stands alone, there's not much background explanation on the characters - and I'm sure at least part of my enjoyment comes from being privvy to that. So if you've never read any of the books in this series before, you might want to go back a half-dozen or so to start. Hey, I'll bet you'll make a couple of friends you'll look forward to reading about, too.
March 20, 2017
This is my favorite of Kellerman's Alex Delaware series in some time...the story, the characters and how everything played out. There is the same basic relationship in place between the characters, Alex and Milo, but the situation is somewhat different and drew me in. I have actually given up on a few series that are on the thriller side of mysteries...too much violence (sometimes it seemed for its own sake), some misogyny, just general over the top and unnecessary unpleasantness that I don't care for and can do without. I decided to keep on with this series for a bit longer because I like the main characters and how they work together. This episode cut back on mayhem considerably and became more plot than blood driven.
In the set up, Alex is employed by a woman days short of her hundredth birthday. She is somewhat coy about precisely what it is she wants him to do for her but admits she is fully aware of his police connections. She is a charming and affable soul whom he is puzzled by but also willing to see again at her request. But someone interferes with their plan. And the search is on for who would wish to kill such an elderly woman and why. And why had she contacted Alex in the first place?
I do recommend this episode to readers of the series or even as a stand-alone.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
In the set up, Alex is employed by a woman days short of her hundredth birthday. She is somewhat coy about precisely what it is she wants him to do for her but admits she is fully aware of his police connections. She is a charming and affable soul whom he is puzzled by but also willing to see again at her request. But someone interferes with their plan. And the search is on for who would wish to kill such an elderly woman and why. And why had she contacted Alex in the first place?
I do recommend this episode to readers of the series or even as a stand-alone.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
December 31, 2016
This is the 32nd book in the Alex Delaware series. According to GoodReads I have read most, but not all, of the books. Most of the books in the series that I have read are earlier books so I was looking forward to catching up with Alex and LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis. For those not familiar with the series Alex is Dr. Alex Delaware, child psychologist. He is also a consultant with the LAPD although he only appears to work with Milo. How a child psychologist became a consultant with the LAPD is not explained here. To learn that you would have to go back to one of the earlier books. The first book in the series being When the Bough Breaks.
The story opens with a call that Alex receives from 99 year old Thalia Mars. She knows of him from a hospital where he use to practice and still occasionally consults. She charms Alex into meeting her at the Aventura, the not so luxurious hotel where she lives. She has several questions about guilt and criminal behavior but does not go into specifics. She asks Alex to return the next day when they can talk in more detail. Unfortunately when Alex returns Thalia is dead. And as it turns out she was murdered. Who would murder a woman who is weeks from turning 100? And why? Alex calls his good friend Milo and the investigation begins.
The Aventura has a long and questionable history. It has changed hands several times but Thalia has an iron clad lease. Currently the hotel appears to cater more to nip and tuck patients looking for an anonymous place to recover from surgery away from the paparazzi. At one time though the hotel was owned by a gangster and it's business model was different. Thalia may have been a moll for the gangster owner. This was the 1940's.
This was an interesting story that delves back into a different time in Los Angeles. Linking the past with the present and a sudden rash of murders seven decades after the crime is weak. Based on the books title I would have thought the hotel would have had a more central place in the story but it doesn't. Overall it was a good story. Just not the best in the series.
I won an ARC of this book on a Goodreads giveaway and would like to thank Goodreads, Ballantine Books, and Jonathan Kellerman
The story opens with a call that Alex receives from 99 year old Thalia Mars. She knows of him from a hospital where he use to practice and still occasionally consults. She charms Alex into meeting her at the Aventura, the not so luxurious hotel where she lives. She has several questions about guilt and criminal behavior but does not go into specifics. She asks Alex to return the next day when they can talk in more detail. Unfortunately when Alex returns Thalia is dead. And as it turns out she was murdered. Who would murder a woman who is weeks from turning 100? And why? Alex calls his good friend Milo and the investigation begins.
The Aventura has a long and questionable history. It has changed hands several times but Thalia has an iron clad lease. Currently the hotel appears to cater more to nip and tuck patients looking for an anonymous place to recover from surgery away from the paparazzi. At one time though the hotel was owned by a gangster and it's business model was different. Thalia may have been a moll for the gangster owner. This was the 1940's.
This was an interesting story that delves back into a different time in Los Angeles. Linking the past with the present and a sudden rash of murders seven decades after the crime is weak. Based on the books title I would have thought the hotel would have had a more central place in the story but it doesn't. Overall it was a good story. Just not the best in the series.
I won an ARC of this book on a Goodreads giveaway and would like to thank Goodreads, Ballantine Books, and Jonathan Kellerman
November 21, 2016
Alex Delaware receives a call from a woman who is just weeks away from turning 100. Since Alex is a child psychologist, he fails to see just why she wants to see him. Somehow she charms him into agreeing to see her at the hotel where she lives.
Thalia Mars lives in a cottage, of sorts, and has been there many many years. What she wants is for Alex to answer some rather disquieting questions .. but she doesn't really go into details. She promises those details when she next sees Alex .. the next day.
But alas, when Alex keeps their appointment, he finds that Thalia has died. Suspecting a little more than dying in her sleep, he contacts his good friend, Milo Sturgis.
Once more Alex and Milo are involved in a homicide .... but who would want to kill a 100-year-old woman. What secrets did she have?
A lifetime of crime, corruption, and death seemed to have followed her to her grave.
This has been such an incredible series featuring characters that have grown to be almost family. I started reading this author almost 30 years ago and have never tired of the adventures of Alex and Milo.
Kellerman pays such close attention to his character development ... there is always something new I learn about them. His descriptions are easily seen with the mind's eye. The investigation itself is fluid and the endings are not always easily seen before the last page is read.
One of my favorite series by one of my favorite authors.
Many thanks to the author / Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Netgalley for the uncorrected ebook file. The opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Thalia Mars lives in a cottage, of sorts, and has been there many many years. What she wants is for Alex to answer some rather disquieting questions .. but she doesn't really go into details. She promises those details when she next sees Alex .. the next day.
But alas, when Alex keeps their appointment, he finds that Thalia has died. Suspecting a little more than dying in her sleep, he contacts his good friend, Milo Sturgis.
Once more Alex and Milo are involved in a homicide .... but who would want to kill a 100-year-old woman. What secrets did she have?
A lifetime of crime, corruption, and death seemed to have followed her to her grave.
This has been such an incredible series featuring characters that have grown to be almost family. I started reading this author almost 30 years ago and have never tired of the adventures of Alex and Milo.
Kellerman pays such close attention to his character development ... there is always something new I learn about them. His descriptions are easily seen with the mind's eye. The investigation itself is fluid and the endings are not always easily seen before the last page is read.
One of my favorite series by one of my favorite authors.
Many thanks to the author / Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Netgalley for the uncorrected ebook file. The opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
January 21, 2025
My first in this series. It was an enjoyable mystery. A murder that was spawned 80 years in the past. Some interesting characters but it just seemed to be lacking heart, it felt like the author was just checking off boxes on a murder mystery template. I guess once you get to book 32 in a series that it’s bound to happen. I need to check out some earlier entries in the series.
March 4, 2017
A marked departure from recent books in this long-running series, Dr. Alex Delaware is asked to visit with an almost 100-year old woman, who lives in a bungalow at the aging Aventura Hotel. After an initial consult, she dies and a vigilant EMT suspects foul play: enter LAPD detective Milo Sturgis and Dr. D. Everyone seems to have loved her, and her caring eccentricity. Alex and Milo dig into her past, wondering how a retired county employee can afford such luxury. Meanwhile, the hotel is barely able to remain in business and itself has a sordid story. 3.5 stars, but I rounded down as I was bored at times.
April 25, 2017
No muss, no fuss, just old fashioned Jonathan Kellerman at his best! Such a pleasure to enjoy Milo and Alex in this straightforward crime mystery, with Hollywood bling and pizzazz and Dr. Delaware's psychological profiling. Best one in a long time- uncluttered, great historical back story and super connections in the present day story. Kellerman hasn't lost his touch. I really enjoyed this.
May 10, 2024
This came up in my Facebook memories that I had reviewed it on May 10, 2018.
So I thought I would post my review here.
My library book group at the time had been very skeptical about mystery series in which existing characters continues for too long. Does it become too formulaic or does it still have a story to tell that is interesting and compelling and engages us as readers?
Here is my take on #32, especially since I have been a fan of this series in the past.
This series started off really great for me............but I think that it's gone on far too long.........
I mean, didn’t I just say that Heartbreak Hotel is #32 in Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware Series?
How much more can we get about Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis?
The plot is about a 100 year old - Ms Mars - who is killed after having a very short conversation with Alex. (How sad is that BTW? - lives to be a 100 years old, only to be murdered?!)
Lots of suspects. Horrible characters. Molls and Gangsters, Bugsy Malone, on and on.
I miss the magic between Milo and Alex in the first books.
And honestly, what has happened to Alex's lady, Robin? We hardly get anything about her.
If you're a fan of this series like I was...read #32 at your own peril!!!
So I thought I would post my review here.
My library book group at the time had been very skeptical about mystery series in which existing characters continues for too long. Does it become too formulaic or does it still have a story to tell that is interesting and compelling and engages us as readers?
Here is my take on #32, especially since I have been a fan of this series in the past.
This series started off really great for me............but I think that it's gone on far too long.........
I mean, didn’t I just say that Heartbreak Hotel is #32 in Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware Series?
How much more can we get about Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis?
The plot is about a 100 year old - Ms Mars - who is killed after having a very short conversation with Alex. (How sad is that BTW? - lives to be a 100 years old, only to be murdered?!)
Lots of suspects. Horrible characters. Molls and Gangsters, Bugsy Malone, on and on.
I miss the magic between Milo and Alex in the first books.
And honestly, what has happened to Alex's lady, Robin? We hardly get anything about her.
If you're a fan of this series like I was...read #32 at your own peril!!!
December 25, 2016
ARC for review - expected publication date February 14, 2017.
Not the greatest entry in this long-running series. Thalia Mars, nearly one hundred years old, consults Dr. Alex Delaware, but doesn't really get to the meat of the matter before she is killed at the seen-better-days hotel where she lives. We start to find out whodunit about a third of the way through the book (though the final reveal is saved for the end, the reader won't really care) and the only saving grace in this one is the character of Thalia herself....and she's gone far too soon. The Alex Delawares are usually fairly reliable, but this one is imminently skippable.
Not the greatest entry in this long-running series. Thalia Mars, nearly one hundred years old, consults Dr. Alex Delaware, but doesn't really get to the meat of the matter before she is killed at the seen-better-days hotel where she lives. We start to find out whodunit about a third of the way through the book (though the final reveal is saved for the end, the reader won't really care) and the only saving grace in this one is the character of Thalia herself....and she's gone far too soon. The Alex Delawares are usually fairly reliable, but this one is imminently skippable.
February 22, 2017
The great who-done-it for Milo and Alex. Nearly 100 year old Ms. Mars is killed and our doctor and detective are out to find out who killed her and why. Too many suspects and no motive lead to a search that makes a great book.
March 9, 2017
I enjoy Kellerman's books because they are never trite. The psychological and criminology are tightly linked through the two main characters: Alex Delaware and detective. Milo Sturgis. Lots of twists and turns and a satisfying ending.
April 26, 2018
I’ve read several of the earlier Alex Delaware mysteries, though certainly not all 30+. I pretty much knew what to expect in this case and that’s what I got: a sufficiently diverting read to keep my eye off the clock as I did my 50 minutes a day on the elliptical machine. I did wonder if, after so many books, Kellerman figures he and we are already familiar enough with Milo, Robin, and (of course) Blanche, the bulldog with personality. The latter two put in the briefest of pretty pale appearances, while Milo seems occasionally on autopilot, still looking like a bag of dirty laundry, still quick with smarta$$ remarks (especially at the ends of chapters), but that’s about it. (He never even bothers to wipe his face “as if washing without water,” as he often used to do in earlier books). It’s as if Kellerman thinks we know them all so well that he needn’t tell readers about them. He no longer affords them nearly the time and care that he still gives (quite successfully, in my view) to quickie, walk-on-walk-off characters (witnesses, waitresses, derelicts), who can still emerge here as interesting figures in the few pages between their first appearance and their hasty disappearance. (Are these fresh characters the only ones that still capture the author's imagination?) The almost-100-year-old Thalia Mars revealed Kellerman in customary form, but he killed her off by page 23—perhaps a missed opportunity to explore this attractive character (whose death I mourned), particularly had she been given a chance to confront and try to come to terms with her past, slowly revealed as the plot unfolds. A bunch of villains are nefarious enough and get what’s coming to them, but by then I often still had less sense of them and what they were about than the bad guys in Kellerman’s earlier volumes.
So, I suspect Alex Delaware fans may be less than enthusiastic. Newbies might prefer to begin at the beginning, 30-some books ago.
So, I suspect Alex Delaware fans may be less than enthusiastic. Newbies might prefer to begin at the beginning, 30-some books ago.
October 8, 2018
2.5 rounded up. This was another run of the mill Alex Delaware mystery. It has all the usual components: someone dies; Milo has Alex accompany him for no discernible reason during his investigation; they drive all around the LA area, which is noted street by street by street; they stop at various places to eat; Alex makes witty comments; they each spend a lot of time on the computer; Alex mentally asks a lot of questions; Robin calls Milo “Big Guy”; Alex uses his expired LAPD consultant ID to access something he shouldn’t; Alex drives his old Seville; and finally, in some convoluted way, they solve the crime.
In this book, the most interesting character was Thalia Mars, the 99 year old original victim. The more you learned about her, the more you grew to like her. There are some quirky characters in this book, but they don’t save it. The middle of the book is a hodgepodge of characters, background information and plot devices that makes your head swim. I fell asleep a lot. Not a good sign for a mystery/ thriller.
These books have become hopelessly formulaic. They used to be rather original, but Kellerman has written himself into a rut with this series. I have yet to read the books he has written with his son, Jesse. I hope they are better than this. I have relegated these to my “mindless reads.” So sad.
February 15, 2021
4 Stars. Not right there, but close. This one's like peeling an onion; there are few surprises but many layers ahead of you. That's not to say you'll find no surprises as you approach the core, but the last layer is still onion, not apple! An enjoyable read. Doc Delaware is tending to invoices on a June morning when he gets a call. From this wonderful old lady Thalia Mars. Three weeks from her 100th. You know the kind, with a twinkle in her eye and a hint of sauciness in her voice, she can convince you to do anything. She wants to consult with him. "Me? But I'm a child psychologist!" Delaware succumbs and visits her at a strange old hotel, the Aventura, her abode for decades. She's worried about something and gives him a huge retainer. Before the second session, she dies. Alex isn't happy and calls in his bulldog of a friend, Milo Sturgis - not to be mistaken for Blanche, Alex and Robin's similarly always-hungry pet dog! Was it murder? One of the rules in detection is, "Know the victim." Thalia turns out to be a mystery with roots which may go way back - to tougher times in Los Angeles. (February 2020)
April 9, 2017
Child psychologist Alex Delaware receives a call from Thalia Mars who is 3 weeks away from her 100th birthday. After Alex explains he treats children, Thalia entices him to come meet her in the old Ventura hotel where she has rented a bungalow since the 50s. She asks him a few ambiguous questions but tires easily and promises to tell him why she is asking when she meets with him again the next day. As Alex pulls up to meet with her the next day, he instead meets the police because Thalia was killed during the night. Alex doesn't feel this was an appropriate ending for Thalia so he gets homicide detective Milo Sturgis on the case to figure out what in her long background could have caused someone to kill her.
This was a good story of tracing back in time to find out the who and why of the killers. It is a pretty typical Alex Delaware novel and I love seeing Alex and Milo working together again. Eagerly awaiting the next novel.
This was a good story of tracing back in time to find out the who and why of the killers. It is a pretty typical Alex Delaware novel and I love seeing Alex and Milo working together again. Eagerly awaiting the next novel.
December 19, 2017
I have been a fan of Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis for a long time. This book does not disappoint and the duo worked together to solve this mystery. Alex received a call asking for a home visit. He goes and meets Thalia, a senior lady nearing her 100 years. Thalia wants to ask him about the criminality of an individual. Alex next visit he finds her dead. The death is filed suspicious and Milo is in charge. Thalia is wealthy and she is a loner. She has no relatives or friends. Her will leaves her wealth to children charities. Before the answer is found, the pair finds stolen jewelry, rape, and several murders. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to the Meridian Library for my copy.
February 13, 2017
Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis are back on form, albeit a little out of Alex's normal purview.
Thalia Mars, an old lady universally liked (or so it appears), calls Alex for a consultation, but is murdered before they can meet a second time. As they start to dig, it becomes apparent that things aren't quite as they seemed, yet each lead seems to bring nothing but more questions, some of them decades in the making.
There are always surprises, nothing is straightforward, and yet everything fits together, making this entertaining, and one which will stand up to rereads.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thalia Mars, an old lady universally liked (or so it appears), calls Alex for a consultation, but is murdered before they can meet a second time. As they start to dig, it becomes apparent that things aren't quite as they seemed, yet each lead seems to bring nothing but more questions, some of them decades in the making.
There are always surprises, nothing is straightforward, and yet everything fits together, making this entertaining, and one which will stand up to rereads.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 24, 2017
I knew this was going to be a light read. After thirty some-odd books this series is down to a formula - charming elderly characters, winding investigations usually needing a trip or two to the archives, and a gun or knife confrontation. I picked this newest book up exactly for that predictability. I got what I came for, and I liked it for that. But, after finishing this morning, I feel strangely let down - not by the author or the book; they both delivered what they promised. I feel the way I feel when I eat too much junk food - unstimulated, unsatisified, like I want something to sink my teeth into.
February 24, 2017
This was a well written, great mystery book, This is the first book read by the author and I am loving it. This book was about Alex (the child psychologist) and Milo (the homicide detective) who are investigating the murder of 99 year old Thalia Mars. Who would want to murder Thalia Mars? Clues lead all over the map, but it is Alex and Milo is put to the test to find the answers. My only reservation is that I did not have background information on the characters but I read this book as a standalone. Now I have a new series to start from beginning to end. Thank you to the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for an opportunity to read the ARC.
August 20, 2017
Very run-of-the-mill Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis mystery...that being said you get the expected solid Kellerman writing, as well as his observations of human behavior & the environs of LA...Alex & Milo are drawn into the murder investigation of a, soon-to-be centenarian, who, as it turns out is the moll of a notorious early LA gangster...just good solid reading!
November 24, 2017
Another great installment! A quick read (or was it really that good), but recommended.
February 10, 2017
This is #32 in the Alex Delaware series, and Kellerman’s writing just seems to get better with every entry. Thanks go to Net Galley and Random House Ballantine for the DRC, which I received free in exchange for this honest review.
For those unfamiliar with the series, Alex Delaware is a semi-retired child psychologist who’s also an adrenaline junkie. His nest is already well padded, his wife still happy in her career, and so he spends most of his time assisting his best friend, an LA homicide detective named Milo Sturgis. The premise is the hardest thing to swallow, but Kellerman makes it easier by letting us know how affluent Delaware is, and recently there’s the added twist that because Sturgis is gay, nobody on the force really wants to be his partner. Thus it seems more natural—for the sake of a good yarn—for Delaware to slip into that position. After all, he’s been doing it for years.
This story involves the homicide of a nearly one-hundred-years-old woman that has consulted Delaware. She paid him generously for his time but confided little about what she planned to do with the information he found for her, and so when she is found dead in her bed, he smells a rat. Sure enough; she was suffocated! Now who would do that to a sweet old lady like Thalia Mars?
Our story takes a million deft twists and clever turns, and in general shows us that what we think we see isn’t always real. We encounter some underhanded, sleazy real estate practices as well as insurance fraud along the way. The case also takes in some interesting LA history.
One aspect of Kellerman’s work that I often forget and then am happily surprised by all over again, is the humor he threads through the narrative, and I laughed out loud more than once.
Although it’s only one page in length, some readers will also want to be aware there’s one graphic, brutal rape. Consider your trigger warned.
At the end of the day, stories such as this one can be curiously comforting. It’s true that tax season is just around the corner, and my toaster just died. But after reading this novel, I can find comfort in knowing that no villains are likely to turn up in my bedroom tonight and burk me in my sleep. Perspective! There you have it.
This fun story, which went by way too quickly, will be available to the public February 14, 2017. Highly recommended to those that love a good mystery.
For those unfamiliar with the series, Alex Delaware is a semi-retired child psychologist who’s also an adrenaline junkie. His nest is already well padded, his wife still happy in her career, and so he spends most of his time assisting his best friend, an LA homicide detective named Milo Sturgis. The premise is the hardest thing to swallow, but Kellerman makes it easier by letting us know how affluent Delaware is, and recently there’s the added twist that because Sturgis is gay, nobody on the force really wants to be his partner. Thus it seems more natural—for the sake of a good yarn—for Delaware to slip into that position. After all, he’s been doing it for years.
This story involves the homicide of a nearly one-hundred-years-old woman that has consulted Delaware. She paid him generously for his time but confided little about what she planned to do with the information he found for her, and so when she is found dead in her bed, he smells a rat. Sure enough; she was suffocated! Now who would do that to a sweet old lady like Thalia Mars?
Our story takes a million deft twists and clever turns, and in general shows us that what we think we see isn’t always real. We encounter some underhanded, sleazy real estate practices as well as insurance fraud along the way. The case also takes in some interesting LA history.
One aspect of Kellerman’s work that I often forget and then am happily surprised by all over again, is the humor he threads through the narrative, and I laughed out loud more than once.
Although it’s only one page in length, some readers will also want to be aware there’s one graphic, brutal rape. Consider your trigger warned.
At the end of the day, stories such as this one can be curiously comforting. It’s true that tax season is just around the corner, and my toaster just died. But after reading this novel, I can find comfort in knowing that no villains are likely to turn up in my bedroom tonight and burk me in my sleep. Perspective! There you have it.
This fun story, which went by way too quickly, will be available to the public February 14, 2017. Highly recommended to those that love a good mystery.
July 23, 2019
Disclaimer: I have an affinity for mysteries and suspense books that occur in hotels, somehow work in the history of a hotel and otherwise deal with hotel properties. I feel like hotels capture our aspirations and dreams regarding experience - historical ones bridge that gap between what we wanted and what we want. But only for a night or two.
You can imagine my excitement to read this 32nd Alex Delaware thriller set in an old CA beach hotel! Kellerman did a wonderful job setting up the hotel to be both mysterious and creepy at the same time, complete with suspicious employees and exotic guests. The long term tenant proved mysterious and it's clear she has ulterior motivations from the onset as she worms her way into Kellerman's conscious thought.
There were times that the story became predictable or lagged, but I'm not complaining. Entertaining story featuring a great hotel!
You can imagine my excitement to read this 32nd Alex Delaware thriller set in an old CA beach hotel! Kellerman did a wonderful job setting up the hotel to be both mysterious and creepy at the same time, complete with suspicious employees and exotic guests. The long term tenant proved mysterious and it's clear she has ulterior motivations from the onset as she worms her way into Kellerman's conscious thought.
There were times that the story became predictable or lagged, but I'm not complaining. Entertaining story featuring a great hotel!
February 21, 2017
This was really a bit different subject matter and I liked it. I want to believe that one meeting would make such an impression on someone that they would look twice to see what happened...
March 13, 2018
I never thought I would say that I didn't like a Jonathan Kellerman book but here it is...This was a gangster story from 80 years in the past with ramifications into the present. I don't really enjoy gangster but this was also just a boring story. The two main characters who I always love (Dr. Delaware and Detective Milo) have become stale. Other characters were not developed, maybe because there were just too many of them. Anyway, I had the feeling that the author, himself didn't really care and got wrapped up and tangled in the details and lost sight of the story. I could not wait to turn the last page. No recommendations from me.
April 3, 2017
You might think by entry #32, I might be getting sick of Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, but I'm not! I liked the focus of this one on the mysterious past of an almost-100-year-old client and the root of her death. Very entertaining with the usual line-up, except Milo and Alex's significant others take a backseat in this one. Again, excellent reading of the audiobook by Jon Rubinstein. For me, he is THE voice of Alex Delaware. I bought the first few paperbacks in this series as I started them a little later in. I'm excited to try them out and see how they compare to what we are getting now.
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