Bad Love: An Alex Delaware Novel

by Jonathan Kellerman

2013

Status

Available

Publication

Ballantine Books (2013), Edition: Reissue, 496 pages

Description

Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER It came in a plain brown wrapper, no return address�??an audiocassette recording of a horrifying, soul-lacerating scream, followed by the sound of a childlike voice chanting: �??Bad love. Bad love. Don�??t give me the bad love.�?� For Alex Delaware the tape is the first intimation that he is about to enter a living nightmare. Others soon follow: disquieting laughter echoing over a phone line that suddenly goes dead, and a chilling act of trespass and vandalism. He has become the target of a carefully orchestrated campaign of vague threats and intimidation rapidly building to a crescendo as harassment turns to terror, mischief to madness. �??A wonderful, roller-coaster ride . . . a guaranteed page-turner.�?��??USA Today With the help of his friend, LAPD detective Milo Sturgis, Alex uncovers a series of violent deaths that may follow a diabolical pattern. And if he fails to decipher the twisted logic of the stalker�??s mind games, Alex will be the next to die. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Jonathan Ke… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member wyvernfriend

Readable story about a psychologist who finds himself in the middle of murder. Unsure who is doing it and having plenty of suspects it's still a shock when the actual culprit is unveiled!

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LibraryThing member Darrol

Seemed a little bit of a stretch that so much effort would be given to what was such circumstantial connections. I cannot remember why the eventual perps would have warned Delaware with the tape.

LibraryThing member maiko123

One day woman police's acquaintance is killed.
So she starts to look for true criminal.

I could not under stand criminal’s motive.
So I did not feel refreshed.
I felt this story was not satisfactory.

LibraryThing member ko40370

Ridiculous. Alex had exactly one patient during the entire novel...two little girls who disappeared 1/4 of the way into the story. And the denouement comprised about the last 1/4 of the novel....yawn. A child psychologist must be a very cushy job according to Alex Delaware's practice....no

patients! Just spend all day driving around and eating a restaurants. Boo. Don't know if I'll read another AD novel, I have several on my bookshelf that I found at flea markets.....I'm very hesitant after this debacle.

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LibraryThing member FerneMysteryReader

This is the 3rd novel that I have read by Jonathan Kellerman. It is part of a series driven by the work of LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis and Dr. Alex Delaware, LAPD consulting psychologist. It appears that there has been another two (2) year interval prior to reading another title in this

series. I enjoyed it but Alex's relationship with Robin Castagna doesn't ring true to life for me. Wonder how long it will take me to try another by this author. My 2-year interval of reading a novel in this series has been strictly by chance.

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LibraryThing member villemezbrown

I received this book in a "Blind Date with a Book" promotion at the library at the college where I work.

I had immediate reservations when I found myself with a book from the middle of a long-running series by an author I have never read. Bad Love is the eighth of nearly thirty Alex Delaware

mysteries. Fortunately, the cast of recurring characters was small: Delaware, his girlfriend and his friend on the police force. They were skillfully introduced and came off as quite likeable.

The best character in the book, however, is the stray dog Delaware takes in early in the tale.

The plot revolves around a serial killer stalking anyone who was ever associated with a certain child psychiatrist who touted a good love/bad love theory of child rearing. Unfortunately for our hero, that fellow was the subject of a seminar Delaware was forced by hospital politics to host twenty years ago.
Delaware goes on the move as he tries to stay ahead of the killer, warn other potential victims and figure out the killer’s identity. After an engaging start, the plot meanders as Delaware himself wanders up and down the California coast and on a side trip to New York to talk to people. A lot of people. A lot of talking.

By the time the killer was revealed, I had to page back through the book to remind myself of the character’s previous appearance. At least the book ended with some action, and the dog gets to play a part.

In terms of a blind date, it would be a nice dinner followed by a conversation over drinks or coffee that went on a bit long and revealed my date to be not quite as interesting as I first thought. I might ask her out again to see if that initial spark can be fanned into something more, but probably not.

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LibraryThing member whitewavedarling

This was the first time in a while that I'd read an Alex Delaware novel, and it immediately reminded me why I've so enjoyed them in the past. The characters are fantastic, and Kellerman has a way of blending intrigue with the day-to-day and suspense that I love. This book was no exception, and it

also kept me guessing, which I can't say for the last few big-seller thrillers I've read. I'd obviously suggest reading the Delaware novels in order if that's an option, but it's not actually necessary, and this is a good one.

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LibraryThing member carlahaunted

This is my least favorite Dr. Delaware novel, and I have to admit it's because I don't like Robin. There, I said it.

LibraryThing member Jiraiya

Well. This was a disaster. Kellerman is not immortal after all. I admit not to reading all of the book. Else I would be depressed. I get depressed when I read a bad book, and this was like a black hole that sucks the fun out of reading.

The book started innocently upbeat. And I got strung along. I

thought, the mysteries are worth rooting for. What a misconception. Kellerman thought he had a printable book on his hands. I wonder if he was satisfied with his efforts. But this is the post-death of the author age.

I really disliked this book. Let's forget that it existed. This is the type of book that if it were sexed up differently, would pass off as a curriculum book. Then it would disenchant thousands. The more the merrier. Final thoughts are that Kellerman can commit more atrocities. I'll have to learn to recognize the early symptoms so that I don't waste my days using baby eyedrops to nurture reading one of these monsters. What do the Irish call them? Changelings. Freaking time waster of a book.

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LibraryThing member lbswiener

Bad Love is a book wherein when completed one could say, "what a story." There are evil people in the world who masquerade as do gooders to children. We learn that our hero, Dr. Alex Delaware, is just that and he gets a new sidekick, Spike. Four stars were given to this book. It is well written.

The characters and settings are all believable.

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