Scary Happy People (Monster - Jonathan Kellerman)

Name: freediveheaven

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Product:	Monster - Jonathan Kellerman
Date:	19/09/05 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good solid thriller

Disadvantages: None really

Monster is another of the Jonathan Kellerman books to feature the Los Angeles based Dr Alex Delaware and LA homicide detective Milo Sturgis. Delaware is a child psychologist who no longer takes on patients directly instead he consults on legal cases and also works as a part time consultant for the police on their criminal investigations. Not married he lives with his long term partner Robin who designs and makes guitars and other string instruments.

The Central Characters

Delaware is portrayed as a bit of a loner and in Sturgis he has a friend who is equally on the outside as he is an openly gay cop in a very homophobic workplace. As if to further highlight the outsider nature of the two main characters Sturgis is often portrayed as a poor dresser with no style which is counter to the prevailing stereotype of most gay man.

Both of these characters have been established in previous books and there is little development of the characters further beyond what those who have read the earlier works already know, sometimes I feel there are questions to be answered about how Delaware traits of seeking isolation and his need to take risks on investigations have evolved, then again maybe I’m reading too much into what is intended to be a gripping thriller. There is however in a two line statement a reference to the upbringing that Delaware experienced as the reason for him specializing in child psychology.

The Plot

The story opens with Delaware and Sturgis on route to Starkweather a facility for the criminally insane that have been ruled incapable of being able to assist in their own defense and therefore permanently incarcerated. While some would see this as escaping justice those who visit Starkweather would quickly disagree as the inmates who are all murderers spend their days sedated by a mixture of drugs with terrible side effects with the threat of violence ever present.

The reason for the visit is that one of the facilities psychologists Clare Argent had been found brutally murdered and stored in the boot of her car. The murder bore some striking similarities to a case that Sturgis had failed to close a few months earlier, that of a struggling Hollywood actor who had suffered a similar fate to Argent. Given Argents work location and the type of inmate found in Starkweather is a good place to start, the only problem is that none of the inmates ever get out.

Drawing a blank the case begins to go cold however suddenly one of the inmates who never speaks is heard to say a phrase that leads Sturgis and Delaware to believe that he is somehow connected to the case. The man in question Ardis Peake was committed for the brutal murder of a family and his own mother and received the nickname The Monster. When he again utters a single statement that predicts another murder Delaware and Sturgis begin to investigate the crime that he was convicted for and the threads that join him to the victims.
The Opinion

This is one of the better Alex Delaware novels. The story is tightly structured and told in the first person perspective through Delaware.

Kellerman work is in the same genre as the Alex Cross character of James Patterson however where Patterson style is to write short punchy chapters that help keep the pace of the novel moving Kellerman is more traditional in the use of longer more flowing chapters.

The subject matter is quite gruesome and not for the feint hearted with the violence portrayed in the manner of the victims death being related back as evidence rather than as a description during the actual event. There is limited use of foul language although there are sexual references at times in the story relating to the nature of the crimes and the times when the activities of inmates are being described.

Kellerman is skilled at weaving an intricate storyline, building on the suspense and keeping the story moving at a fast pace while at the same time maintaining a sense of reality. None of his characters are perfect, Delaware and Sturgis have their own faults and prejudices and they make mistakes while at the same time so do the people that they hunt, there are no perfect super villains in this story nor are there the 100% strike rate TV cops.

What makes these stories interesting for myself is the psychological analysis and theories that Delaware brings to the case. It is the way that the author gives you a hint of an insight into the mind of the killer however these are in the form of text book insights rather than the actual thoughts of the killer.

As with all thrillers there are plenty of twists and turns, some that are predictable and others that are not however now that I have read a number of these novels and am accustomed to the writing style these twists and plot changes are becoming more predictable with each piece of work which is maybe telling me it is time to explore new authors.

Monster is still well worth a read, it is not a classic however it will not leave you disappointed if this is your genre.

Published by Warner Books the rrp is £6.99 however copies are from £0.50 when I last looked in the used section of Amazon.

For more information on the author check out his website on www.jonathankellerman.com.

Summary: Alex Delaware novel