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Kellerman himself is a former practising psychologist in the same field, and is able to give a very convincing level of detail to his description of the hero’s history and methods. This is something that is probably more noticeable in the earlier books, since later in the series the emphasis often moves away from Delaware’s professional background—particularly as the figure of his friend, Detective Milo Sturgis, becomes more prominent.
As you’d expect, characterisation is one of Kellerman’s strong points: the main characters are well drawn and they experience plausible growth and change as the series develops. Even minor characters are described in detail, and he does present us with a nice range of varied and often original types.
Less of a given, but just as welcome, are the author’s writing skills. The style is very readable, and his dialogue (always a good litmus test for me) is natural and believable. His books are almost all very lengthy, but if the reader’s interest sometimes flags, it isn’t due to any deficiency in Kellerman’s technical skills.
Which brings me to the hinted-at downside, which for me lies in the plotting. This is where I feel Kellerman’s weakness lies, and it shows particularly in the climax to several of the Delaware books, which can be underwhelming at times. Obviously this isn’t true of them all (or I wouldn’t have followed the series through 11 volumes), but it does mean that some of the titles are considerably better than others. And one in particular, The Web, is worth avoiding for all except determined completists, as plot development is virtually non-existent and the final “mystery” is neither mysterious nor interesting.
I find that most of the books are well worth reading, but I would single out for special mention three of the earliest: When the Bough Breaks, Blood Test, and Over the Edge, as well as Monster, the latest.
I’d also strongly recommend you take a look at his two non-series books, which although not so well known, are for me easily his best work. The first, The Butcher’s Theatre, gains interest from its unusual setting, the hunt for a serial killer in Israel. Though quite dark in tone, it’s as well-written as all Kellerman’s work, and has a very impressive feeling of authenticity. There’s a satisfactory level of procedural detail, the killer is plausible, and there’s even something of a twist right at the end.
The other is much more recent and less original: Billy Straight is essentially the story of a murder investigation, with the complication that the victim was the estranged ex-wife of a TV star. But a large part of the tale is seen from the perspective of a homeless runaway boy, who may or may not be an essential witness. I found this to be Kellerman’s most gripping and involving book, with a good balance between the half-dozen characters that drive the plot, believable and likeable characters, and a number of genuinely exciting developments.
These Jonathan Kellerman books are available from Amazon.co.uk: When the Bough Breaks, Blood Test, Over the Edge, Monster, The Butcher’s Theatre, and Billy Straight.
You can also order them from Amazon.com: When the Bough Breaks, Blood Test, Over the Edge, Monster, The Butcher’s Theatre, and Billy Straight.
Jonathan Kellerman bibliography of Alex Delaware novels:
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