Obsession (Alex Delaware, No. 21)

Slow getting into; not sure if I would read any other books by this author

More a “what was done” than a “who did it,” “Obsession” by Jonathan Kellerman is an excellent addition to his series of Alex Delaware psychological crime novels. Although we’ve already seen Mr. Kellerman use the plot device of young psychopathic killer who knows no bounds in past

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books –“Murder Book-” this time around he has us guessing as to what must have happened in order for these bizarre events to occur. Lucid writing, swift pacing and highly eloquent language mark this book as a definite good read and Mr. Kellerman fans will thoroughly enjoy the familiar characters sprinkled throughout.

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Classic Jonathan Kellerman, this novel was extremely readable... the memorable characters Dr. Alex Delaware & Detective Milo Sturgis, both complete with heart and quick wit, as usual... and the story, both compelling and intriguing.

The only complaint I have was that it seemed to bog down a bit with

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too many "what-if's". As they tried to figure out the whodunit, there just seemed to be too many variables that made my head spin more than once. I was able to follow along, however, and as the author does so well, the tale was spun and I was turning pages well into the night.

I enjoyed the little twist at the end. **smile**

Good book, four stars!

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Psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware and Lt. Milo Sturgis work together to solve the mysterious deathbed confession of a nurse plagued with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
This one isn't so fast paced as some of the other Kellerman's novels. And, for this reason the plot is a bit further developed and so

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are the new characters. Delaware and Sturgis don't grow any though. Petra Connor is brought in from another Kellerman series. For some reason, the new dog in Alex and Robin's life fills a lot of pages.

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Okay story about an adoptive mother's death bed attempt to protect her daughter leading into the world of a petty psychopathic individual. It is so unlikely that this thin hint would actually absorb the time of a small handful of investigators from two police jurisdictions.

This book was something of a curate's egg - good in parts. As far as I was concerned, the plot strained credulity, and I kept loosing track of who the characters were. My habit of finishing a book I've started kept me going to the end, but I wonder why as I rushed through the last chapters just to

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get it over with. Having said that, there was some interesting stuff about OCD and how psychologists deal with it that were worth reading.

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Having been lured back to the Alex Delaware series by "Killer", I moved on to "Obsession" and found myself sadly disappointed. Before getting to the reason why, I should note one major positive. Like "Killer" (and unlike several other fairly recent books in the series), "Obsession" does show Alex

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functioning as a believable psychologist, and it does develop a real relationship between him and his patient, even going into what he tries to do to help her. But the story seems wrapped up in in talk: events are retailed though long discussions and conversations, characters get blurry, and at times the plot was less than clear. Also, the violence seems almost gratuitous, and there is a simmering undertone of anger in a lot of the conversation, particularly among the cops. I'm sure that's realistic, but it's not related to the story, and it gets wearing. After reading "Killer", I was ready to jump back on the Delaware train, but this book doesn't provide much incentive to stay there.

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Not one of Kellerman's better books. Very convoluted.

A former patient, Tanya Bigelow, wants his help in contacting Milo to get some help in checking out what seems to be a death-bed confession from her adopted mother, Patty, a highly regarded ER nurse. Alex correctly points out that there may be no crime at all, but Tanya wants to know. Tanya becomes

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Alex's patient again as her obsessive-compulsive tendencies resurface in the wake of becoming an orphan for the second time.

If you have not read any of this series, I would encourage you to avoid this one. Many of the early ones in the series are outstanding. This one is just mediocre. I gave it three stars because I like Blanche, the dog.

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Another great book!

I've enjoyed the Alex Delaware series for years. Great characters, fast-paced and surprisingly twisting plots, with plenty of intrigue, banter, and intelligence, as well as a healthy dose of criminal psychology. I think most of the ones I've read have been 4-4.5 star reads for me. This one, in

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comparison, fell a little bit below Kellerman's standard. It was fine as thrillers go, and his characters were just as engaging as always. The plot just felt a bit more scattered and messy, the case overall a little bit less urgent and immediate. As an escape read, it was just fine, but I suspect it's one that will be seen as lower than the normal bar when it comes to this series.

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Obsession is a story about obsessive compulsive behavior and how it controls people's lives. Starting from nothing Milo and Alex are able to figure out who was killed and by whom. The Alex Delaware books are good stories and this one is no exception. Four stars were given in this review.