Books
Flesh and Blood by Jonathan
Kellerman.
A Ballantine Book. 437 pages.
Jonathan Kellerman is one
of my favorite authors. Most of his books feature child psychologist
Alex Delaware, who is conveniently comfortable financially and does
occasional consulting for the Los Angeles Police Department. Since Kellerman
himself holds degrees in child psychology and was in practice before
achieving success as a writer, he writes with authenticity.
In Flesh and Blood,
his most recent novel available in paperback, the focus is on Lauren
Teague, one of Delaware's failures. He had seen her twice — after
a history-gathering session with her parents — when she was fifteen;
neither session had been productive. She kept inquiring how much long
she had to stay. There was no third session: the appointment was cancelled.
Several years later, Delaware
is a reluctant guest at a raunchy bachelor party. The live entertainment
is two strippers and Delaware is horrified to recognize one as Lauren.
She recognizes him, too, and the next day makes an appointment to see
him. Again, the appointment leads to nothing.
Four years later, he gets
a call from Lauren's mother. She says Lauren has been missing for a
week and she's frantic. Delaware calls the cop he regularly works with,
Milo Sturgis, but Sturgis isn't too hopeful about an investigation.
But that changes when Lauren's murdered body turns up in an alley.
Delaware and Sturgis begin
peeling back the layers of Lauren's life. On the surface, she had turned
her life around. She was an honors student in college, majoring in psychology,
she had an independent income from investments, and she had a part-time
research job.
But other bodies turn up
– or fail to; there is a subplot about another missing student at the
college – and nothing is quite what it seems with Lauren. The investigation
leads to a psychologist doing market research and to a Hugh Hefner-type
of magazine publisher.
Kellerman has a gift for
bringing his characters to life and writes plots that keep you up hours
after you meant to go to bed. Your best bet is to start reading early
in the morning on a day off.
Reviews of Seabiscuit,
a book of books and
three romantic cds>>
Laura's fiction and poetry
has won a number of prizes and has appeared in The New York Times ("Metropolitan
Diary"), Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Galaxy, Isaac Asimov's Science
Fiction Magazine, and a number of other magazines and anthologies. She
edited or co-edited (with Isaac Asimov) two science fiction and one
mystery anthology. Laura is the author of the recently published novel
"The Honor of the Ken."
Laura can be reached by email:
lwhaywood@aol.com
