Over the Edge (Alex Delaware)

by Jonathan Kellerman

Other authorsJohn Rubinstein (Reader)
2005

Status

Available

Collection

Publication

Random House Audio (2005), Edition: Abridged

Description

Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. When the phone rings in the middle of the night, child psychologist Alex Delaware does not hesitate. Driving through the dream-lit San Fernando Valley, Alex rushes to Jamey Cadmus, the patient he had failed five years beforeâ??and who now calls with a bizarre cry for help. But by the time Alex reaches Canyon Oaks Psychiatric Hospital, Jamey is gone, surfacing a day later in the hands of the police, who believe Jamey is the infamous Lavender Slasher, a psychotic serial killer. Wooed by a high-powered attorney to build a defense, Alex will get a chance to do what he couldnâ??t five years ago. And when he peers into a familyâ??s troubled history and Jameyâ??s brilliant, tormented mind, the psychologist puts himself at the heart of a high-profile case. Because Alex knows that in a realm of money, loss, and madness, something terrible pushed Jamie over the edgeâ??or else someone is getting aw… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member LaBibliophille
For some reason, I really enjoy Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels. Yes, they are formulaic, but the situations are always so different that it doesn't matter. Over The Edge was first published in 1987. I was looking for an airplane book, and saw it in Borders, not realizing it was 20 years
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old! I'm still not 100% sure I didn't read it years ago.

The only problem with reading the Alex Delaware novels out of sequence is the overall development of the recurring characters. Since you know where they are heading in their personal lives, it takes some of the interest out of the story.

As always, Kellerman develops the plot really well. There is a crime, a seemingly obvious suspect, lots of red herrings, numerous excursions into the seamier side of Los Angeles as well as an excursion into the dusty, poor regions north of LA. And of course Milo, Alex's LAPD detective friend, is on the job.

This was a great book to read on a very long airplane ride. Not too complex, easy to put down when the pretzels are distributed, and easy to pick up again. If you enjoy the who-done-it and haven't read this one yet, I'd recommend this.
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LibraryThing member bribre01
Another suspenseful psychological thriller by Johnathan Kellerman. Lots of twists and turns, kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat! I enjoyed catching up with Milo and Alex, and Jamey was an intriguing character. This is probably my favorite out of the four in the series I have read so far.
LibraryThing member emigre
Intense thriller with multiple levels and truly sinister villains, one of Kellerman's best books.
LibraryThing member theprint
Meh. Never really caught me. The main problem was the secondary character - the young man whom Alex Delaware sets out to save. I never cared or even liked the guy.
LibraryThing member jeremytaylor
Over the Edge, the third book in Jonathan Kellerman’s highly successful series starring psychologist Alex Delaware, is more technical and clinical, though no less exciting, than the first two. Like its predecessors, the book addresses dark acts committed by disturbed individuals, but unlike the
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first two books, Over the Edge focuses more on the psychology behind the acts than on the acts themselves or the investigations that follow.

When Delaware is awakened in the middle of the night by a frantic and disjointed phone call from Jamey Cadmus, a former client, his concern leads him to the institution where the Jamey is hospitalized. Upon arriving, he finds that Jamey has escaped and is now being sought in connection with a series of grisly murders. When Jamey is apprehended, his lawyer hires Delaware as a psychological consultant in his defense. But the more Delaware researches Jamey’s condition, the less likely it seems that Jamey actually committed the crimes of which he is accused, despite the indicting physical evidence. As the investigation continues, Delaware must embark on a frightening virtual journey into the dark depths of the human mind.

All three of Kellerman’s early fiction books focus on the evils that people do to each other, but this one takes it a step further and explores the evil a person can do to himself. Schizophrenia, drug abuse, and suicide are prominently featured with lots of technical descriptions and jargon, slowing down the pace a bit in the middle of the book. But as always, the first-person narrative style and compelling interpersonal conflicts drive the story, and the unexpected ending is a tribute to the author’s storytelling prowess.

Unsurprisingly, there is little in the way of redemptive or uplifting content beyond the eventual triumph—for the most part—of human good over human evil. Depictions of drug abuse, some sexuality, and an entirely secular worldview are cause for caution in reading, but Kellerman is an excellent writer, and fans of the psychological thriller will not be disappointed.
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LibraryThing member Darrol
Sinister story of psychological torment. A little unsure of the plausibility of the scenario, but fun and I think intelligent.
LibraryThing member debavp
This could have been another four star for this series, except, yet again, Kellerman goes on a manic word count spree in the last third of the book. He's left the themes of the previous two stories behind and thankfully branched out and provided a real twister with this one.

Yes, even your average
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Patterson reader can figure out where it’s going at the end, but it is a bit of a high speed car chase getting there. And that's where the unnecessary verbiage hinders the reader. I wanted to get on with it and these needless descriptives were just like giant speed bumps. Heck, I even think the Detectives in the story were getting a bit weary with it as well .
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LibraryThing member jendoyle2000
This is the third in the Alex Delaware series and it was interesting for me to go back to the beginning after reading so many of the later books. As with all of Kellerman's other books, I found this to be extremely well written. I actually found myself thinking quite a bit at how amazing it was
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that he was so comprehensive and able to write fairly detailed explanations and background without more of a track record. (Although, apparently, his first two books were best sellers out of the gate, so I guess that was enough for his publisher.)

It was actually pretty interesting to read the afterword written for this 2002 edition (the original was published in 1988) and find that Kellerman really took some time to think about the characters and develop an intricate plot in a way that he hadn't done on his previous two books. (Not to say that the first two books didn't have those things, it's more that it sounded that he focused more on the subject matter there whereas he realized that he had something sustainable by the time he got to book #3.)

In terms of the book itself, well, the attention he gave to those things definitely paid off. Although I figured out the plot twist a few chapters before it happened, I have to admit that it was a surprise to me -- in a good way. He also managed to make a character who was highly unlikable for most of the book someone that the reader cared about, and not in a you-totally-manipluated-me-to-feel-that kind of way. Another bonus: there wasn't too much Robin.

The downsides: there wasn't enough Milo for my taste, although that changed about 2/3 of the way through and in a satisfying way. Also, the themes of homosexuality and deviance were overwhelmingly distracting. Not those themes in themselves, as they were clearly a major piece of the plot; however, there was so much overt homophobia that it felt like Kellerman went a little overboard in trying to say that it *wasn't* deviant. One or two characters expressing the opinion would have been fine, but that it just came up again and again was too much.

With that said, I wonder if that was a product of the time. These days, regardless of how one feels, it's a lot less accepted to be blatantly homophobic so it's just not out there in such a visible way -- which is obviously a good thing. And I had to remind myself that this was an era in which the AIDS drama was playing out in a very public and politically charged way. Still, as I said, I found it distracting.
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LibraryThing member mikedraper
Child psychologist, Dr. Alex Delaware gets a call in the middle of the night from a patient he has seen in the past but feels that he let the boy down. Now, Jamey Cadmus is in a psychological hospital and begs for help.

When Delaware arrives at the hospital, he finds that Jamey has escaped. When he
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tries to look into the treatment Jamey was receiving, he's stalled. The following day, Jamey is accused of being the lavender slasher killer. He's said to have murdered a number of homosexual young men in grisly fashion.

Jamey is the heir of the family estate and stands to inherit a substantial amount when he comes of age. He's being cared for by his uncle and guardian, Dwight Cadmus.

The evidence against Jamey looks strong and Delaware is hired by the attorney defending Jamey in hope that Jamey could be found guilty by diminished capacity and sent to a treatment center for the criminally insane.

Digging deeper, everything seems a little too convenient and it makes Delaware want to know more. He's warned off the case and eventually fired but continues to dig. He's aided by his friend, homicide detective Milo Sturgis. They look into Jamey's past and the drug scene in Los Angeles and San Francisco in the Height Ashbury section. Evidence shows possible use of hallucinogens and mind altering drugs.

This is a well done, psychological novel with many secrets hidden by Jamey's family and uncovered by Delaware. Everything isn't as it appears and watching Delaware uncover the truth is an entertaining ride.

There is good background information but maybe a bit too much but I enjoyed the novel and in finding what was transpiring.
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LibraryThing member Natalia_Sh
I couldn't finish it. After a couple days of torturing myself, I put it away. I couldn't make trough paragraphs with description of what characters wearing or eating, and I had to wander about missed essential details.
LibraryThing member Kaethe
Delaware is involved in another case around a former patient. I'm afraid I like Milo more than Alex.
LibraryThing member lbswiener
Over the Edge was researched tremendously in hallucinogen drugs and their effects on humans, investing and Schizophrenia. The book kept the readers guessing until the end as to whodunit and why. The story is very elaborate. Five stars were given in this review because of the complexity of the plot.
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The book is highly recommended.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1987

ISBN

0739321269 / 9780739321263

Barcode

0100243
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