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Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Alex Delaware and LAPD detective 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. Heartbreak Hotel is classic Delaware and classic Kellerman. Praise for Heartbreak Hotel “Easy to dive into for mystery fans unfamiliar with the series, and a welcome treat for readers who have been with Officer Sturgis and Dr. Delaware since the beginning.”—Booklist Praise for Jonathan Kellerman “Jonathan Kellerman’s psychology skills and dark imagination are a potent literary mix.”—Los Angeles Times “Kellerman doesn’t just write psychological thrillers—he owns the genre.”—Detroit Free Press “A master of the psychological thriller.”—People.… (more)
User reviews
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.
I absolutely love the Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis odd couple relationship that has remained fresh for over thirty years. This was a very well written mystery filled with plenty of suspense. Jonathan Kellerman has created another compelling murder mystery. I think it's one of the best novels he's has written in the last ten years. Even though it's the thirty-second book in a series, it can easily be read as a standalone novel.
This book didn't meet my expectations.
Maybe the author is past his prime?
Heartbreak Hotel begins with child psychologist
Longtime LAPD detective Milo Sturgis ends up on the case, with Delaware providing both first hand knowledge of the deceased as well as the psychological analysis he's given in the countless other novels starring these two characters in Kellerman's series. The Sturgis and Delaware combo is one of my favorite in this genre- Sturgis, the gay detective who breaks all the stereotypes: he's burly, dresses slovenly, gruff, tough, a world-class eater of sandwiches. And then there's Delaware, a pediatric specialist, urbane with a beautiful wife and a perfect life in the LA hills. They work together well, almost too well in that they tend to complete one another's sentences (more on this later).
To me, what differentiates this series is the methodology used to build the motive for the investigators and how they use their speculations to drive their analysis. In a lot of procedural mysteries, the cops tend to gather a bunch of 'evidence' and materials together and then try to discern a pattern or motive from it. This pairing goes in a different direction, trying to get into the perpetrator's head first, which then allows them to be a little more accurate and efficient with their investigatory work.
As with all books in this series, the writing is fine and enough of the characters is presented to allow a new reader to get a feel for what they're like. The current cast has been together for many books and, if you've followed the series you know them well. If Heartbreak Hotel is the first you've picked up though, you'll still enjoy the characters.
The plot is well-crafted and the team makes their way through the investigation, with Sturgis charging ahead and Delaware providing insight and support along the way. We do, indeed, discover who was evil enough to kill a 99 year old lady and although it may be who you suspected all along, the motive isn't clear until the conclusion. It's a good read that'll have you thinking along with the investigators the entire time.
The only complaint I have about Kellerman's writing is with the dialogue. Mostly, it's informative and the content is fine, but the way it's delivered is a bit too scripted. Granted, Sturgis and Delaware have worked together many times, but the way they communicate is very choreographed. With other characters, whether familiar or not, the dialogue is similarly handled. It looks good on the page and it reads fine, but I can't help thinking that there'd be many more stops and starts in the communication in real life. Not a huge problem for me, just a minor irritation.
Anyway, another winner to add to a long line of them for Mr. Kellerman!
Heartbreak Hotel by Jonathan Kellerman is the latest fast-paced and engrossing addition to the Alex Delaware series.
A child psychologist and part-time consultant to the LAPD, Dr. Alex Delaware's newest client is a surprisingly well-liked woman about to celebrate her 100th birthday. Alex
By all accounts, Thalia is well-loved by everyone she knows. She has lived at the Aventura Hotel for most of her life and while her bungalow is a getting a little shabby, she is still paying a pretty hefty chunk of change in monthly rent. When Alex begins trying to find out more about Thalia's past, he quickly realizes there are a few incongruent details about the former CPA and long retired county assessor. Thalia's lawyer, Ricki Sylvester fills in a few of the blanks about her former client's life but Alex is still very curious about how Thalia acquired her surprising wealth. Once he figures out her unexpected ties to gangsters and a long ago jewel heist, Alex and Milo's investigation takes yet another compelling turn. But the one piece of the puzzle they are having a difficult time finding is the link between those long ago events and Thalia's murder nearly seventy years later.
With a cleverly plotted and very fascinating storyline, Heartbreak Hotel is a spellbinding installment in the Alex Delaware series. The age of Delaware's latest client makes the premise of this latest release very unique as does the discovery of Thalia's ties to a decades old robbery and her surprising link to the mob. The investigation never lags as Alex and Milo leave no stone unturned during their search for Thalia's killer. Veteran author Jonathan Kellerman has penned another solid police procedural that readers of the genre are going to love.
Nonetheless, a solid and convoluted mystery, full of good partnerships and unlikely solve methods. Tells a good story regardless.