Genres
Publication
Headline Book Publishing (2015)
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � Includes bonus material From the creator of the acclaimed Alex Delaware series comes a tour de force standalone novel that illustrates perfectly why �Jonathan Kellerman has justly earned his reputation as a master of the psychological thriller� (People). A brilliant, deeply dedicated psychologist, Grace Blades has a gift for treating troubled souls and tormented psyches�perhaps because she bears her own invisible scars: Only five years old when she witnessed her parents� deaths in a bloody murder-suicide, Grace took refuge in her fierce intellect and found comfort in the loving couple who adopted her. But even as an adult with an accomplished professional life, Grace still has a dark, secret side. When her two worlds shockingly converge, Grace�s harrowing past returns with a vengeance. Both Grace and her newest patient are stunned when they recognize each other from a recent encounter. Haunted by his bleak past, mild-mannered Andrew Toner is desperate for Grace�s renowned therapeutic expertise and more than willing to ignore their connection. And while Grace is tempted to explore his case, which seems to eerily echo her grim early years, she refuses�a decision she regrets when a homicide detective appears on her doorstep. An evil she thought she�d outrun has reared its head again, but Grace fears that a police inquiry will expose her double life. Launching her own personal investigation leads her to a murderously manipulative foe, one whose warped craving for power forces Grace back into the chaos and madness she�d long ago fled. Praise for The Murderer�s Daughter �[A] taut thriller . . . with the richness and resonance of literary fiction.��Washington Independent Review of Books �A stunning page-turner with a truly fascinating femme fatale at its fast-beating heart . . . packed with ingenious, razor-sharp plotting, mesmerizing mind games and nail-biting suspense.��Yorkshire Evening Post �A tight, fast-paced narrative [with] a brilliant, kick-ass heroine.��Library Journal �Kellerman doesn�t let off-the-charts genius Grace become one-dimensional. Her backstory and challenge to fit in, even into adulthood, are an engaging part of this satisfying mystery, which, though billed as a stand-alone, could certainly make a spin-off series.��Booklist �An amazing tale of survival and adaptability in the face of neglect and murder.��RT Book Reviews Praise for Jonathan Kellerman �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.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Meredy
Six-word review: The Psychologist's Protege: An Annoying Spinoff.
Extended review:
I think Jonathan Kellerman has been reading too many Tana French novels. I've enjoyed his Alex Delaware novels in the past; they pretty reliably delivered what they promised. Now, with Alex's former student Grace
I should have stuck by my resolve not to read any more novels with titles of the irritating form "The X's Y."
I liked the premise and was willing to forgive the contrivance necessary to bring some disturbing personal history into a psychologist's consulting room. I was even fairly good at overlooking--well, let's say tolerating--the author's odd stylistic habit of implying impossible concurrencies by the use of present participles:
"Relatching the French doors, she got into bed, crawled under the covers..." (p. 40)
"Working out in the hotel gym, she showered in her room..." (p. 134)
Those "-ing" verbal adjectives denote simultaneous actions (e.g., "Smiling coolly, she waited her turn to speak": those things are happening at the same time). You can't be in the hotel gym while you're also in your room showering. It's a false economy on the author's part. It doesn't speed the narrative. Rather, it causes an attentive reader to stumble. Every time he does it, it yanks me out of the story and into editor mode.
Not that I wasn't repeatedly catapulted into editor mode anyway, or at least into vexed-reader mode. Why does he spend so very much time detailing his focal character's education and early professional life? It doesn't figure in the story. If he wants to examine aspects of the formation of a professional psychologist out of a wounded child, fine, but that would be a different novel. In the present context Grace's academic career is given disproportionate attention. I don't see that it contributes anything but word count; to me that's authorial self-indulgence at the reader's expense.
We are given very close personal details of Grace's private life, whether we want them or not, and how she conducts her therapy sessions and even arranges her home decor; and yet when it comes to big questions in the plot, such as what really happens in the end--where is that? And why don't we get a come-uppance scene with the bad guy? And why isn't the dramatic discovery of the surviving sibling dramatic at all?
Another "why" question: why does Kellerman pretend to know things he doesn't know? On page 275 he speaks of using a Boston phone number for a location in Cambridge. Nonsense. You use a Cambridge phone number for a location in Cambridge. And it's B.U., not Boston U. (page 281). And it's Legal Sea Foods, not Legal Seafood (page 292). And if he thinks jaywalking students create a "unique ethos" (jaywalking? an ethos??) in Berkeley (page 273), he can't be recalling pedestrian traffic in Harvard Square very clearly. Where, he says, there is a "libertine environment" (page 203). Isn't "libertine" ("free of moral, especially sexual, restraint; dissolute; licentious") pretty strong language to use as a generalization about Harvard? And while we're at it, with respect to local geography, when he says "Somerset" (page 333), doesn't he mean "Somerville"? It seems so to me.
Once I started getting annoyed, everything annoyed me. Young prodigy Grace doesn't want to be talked down to and resents having someone think she doesn't know what "adjudicate" means; but in her voice we see such babyish language as "The back wall of the big room was a bunch of glass doors..." (page 196). If she thinks doors are arranged in bunches, vocabulary is not where her brilliance is going to shine.
It also bugs me when an author isn't paying attention to his own stuff. When a character is Elaine on one page (75) and Eileen on another (94), the editor isn't even watching his back.
Twice he speaks of "filth and lucre" when the expression is "filthy lucre." Twice he refers to people as "damaged goods," as if "goods" were a fit label for anyone. Twice he simulates legalese using phrasing that no lawyer or indeed any person with a logical command of English would use. And once a character says "Here, here" (page 263); although since the expression was spoken, the character probably knew enough to say "Hear, hear" and it was just Kellerman who didn't know how to write it.
But all this pales beside the inconclusive, diffuse, and unsatisfying ending. A murder tale that invokes conventions of the mystery genre does not end with "guess what happens next." So I say again, "Fooey." For all the potential interest of the characters, the situations, the history, the revelations, and the unfolding of unusual developments, it didn't add up to anything.
Extended review:
I think Jonathan Kellerman has been reading too many Tana French novels. I've enjoyed his Alex Delaware novels in the past; they pretty reliably delivered what they promised. Now, with Alex's former student Grace
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Blades, he seems to think that leaving us without a clear plot resolution and without answers to some major questions is fair play. Perhaps he imagines that it serves some higher dramatic or literary purpose. Whereas, as far as I'm concerned, all I want from his novel is for it to serve an entertainment purpose. So, being nobody important, just a prospective reader and erstwhile customer, what I say is "Fooey."I should have stuck by my resolve not to read any more novels with titles of the irritating form "The X's Y."
I liked the premise and was willing to forgive the contrivance necessary to bring some disturbing personal history into a psychologist's consulting room. I was even fairly good at overlooking--well, let's say tolerating--the author's odd stylistic habit of implying impossible concurrencies by the use of present participles:
"Relatching the French doors, she got into bed, crawled under the covers..." (p. 40)
"Working out in the hotel gym, she showered in her room..." (p. 134)
Those "-ing" verbal adjectives denote simultaneous actions (e.g., "Smiling coolly, she waited her turn to speak": those things are happening at the same time). You can't be in the hotel gym while you're also in your room showering. It's a false economy on the author's part. It doesn't speed the narrative. Rather, it causes an attentive reader to stumble. Every time he does it, it yanks me out of the story and into editor mode.
Not that I wasn't repeatedly catapulted into editor mode anyway, or at least into vexed-reader mode. Why does he spend so very much time detailing his focal character's education and early professional life? It doesn't figure in the story. If he wants to examine aspects of the formation of a professional psychologist out of a wounded child, fine, but that would be a different novel. In the present context Grace's academic career is given disproportionate attention. I don't see that it contributes anything but word count; to me that's authorial self-indulgence at the reader's expense.
We are given very close personal details of Grace's private life, whether we want them or not, and how she conducts her therapy sessions and even arranges her home decor; and yet when it comes to big questions in the plot, such as what really happens in the end--where is that? And why don't we get a come-uppance scene with the bad guy? And why isn't the dramatic discovery of the surviving sibling dramatic at all?
Another "why" question: why does Kellerman pretend to know things he doesn't know? On page 275 he speaks of using a Boston phone number for a location in Cambridge. Nonsense. You use a Cambridge phone number for a location in Cambridge. And it's B.U., not Boston U. (page 281). And it's Legal Sea Foods, not Legal Seafood (page 292). And if he thinks jaywalking students create a "unique ethos" (jaywalking? an ethos??) in Berkeley (page 273), he can't be recalling pedestrian traffic in Harvard Square very clearly. Where, he says, there is a "libertine environment" (page 203). Isn't "libertine" ("free of moral, especially sexual, restraint; dissolute; licentious") pretty strong language to use as a generalization about Harvard? And while we're at it, with respect to local geography, when he says "Somerset" (page 333), doesn't he mean "Somerville"? It seems so to me.
Once I started getting annoyed, everything annoyed me. Young prodigy Grace doesn't want to be talked down to and resents having someone think she doesn't know what "adjudicate" means; but in her voice we see such babyish language as "The back wall of the big room was a bunch of glass doors..." (page 196). If she thinks doors are arranged in bunches, vocabulary is not where her brilliance is going to shine.
It also bugs me when an author isn't paying attention to his own stuff. When a character is Elaine on one page (75) and Eileen on another (94), the editor isn't even watching his back.
Twice he speaks of "filth and lucre" when the expression is "filthy lucre." Twice he refers to people as "damaged goods," as if "goods" were a fit label for anyone. Twice he simulates legalese using phrasing that no lawyer or indeed any person with a logical command of English would use. And once a character says "Here, here" (page 263); although since the expression was spoken, the character probably knew enough to say "Hear, hear" and it was just Kellerman who didn't know how to write it.
But all this pales beside the inconclusive, diffuse, and unsatisfying ending. A murder tale that invokes conventions of the mystery genre does not end with "guess what happens next." So I say again, "Fooey." For all the potential interest of the characters, the situations, the history, the revelations, and the unfolding of unusual developments, it didn't add up to anything.
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LibraryThing member julyso
I am a huge Jonathan Kellerman fan and I was very excited to receive this book through the Early Reviewers program.
Grace is a psychologist who appears to have a nearly perfect life....great job, nice house, etc. She has some problems, though, and they are messing up her perfect life.
I enjoyed the
Grace is a psychologist who appears to have a nearly perfect life....great job, nice house, etc. She has some problems, though, and they are messing up her perfect life.
I enjoyed the
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character of Grace and was hoping she would get her life together.she is an interesting and complex character....and I found her like able. Show Less
LibraryThing member AnneWK
Grace Blades, who is the murderer's daughter, is a horrifying, fascinating character. The book begins when Grace watches her mother killing her father and then herself. We weave back and forth between the adult Grace, a highly successful and effective psychologist, and her childhood in foster care,
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also following her unusual sex life which leads her into contact with a despicable man from her past. Grace has always believed she must depend only on herself and we witness how she so capably handles this terrifying experience. Show Less
LibraryThing member dmclane
The Murder's Daughter by Johnathan Kellerman is another of a long series of crime, murder mystery, suspense novels and in keeping with the usual excellent standards followed by the author. This particular work appears to be the start of another character about which the author could possibly
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produce a series of books, not unlike he's done with the ever popular Alex Delaware series. If you have read Kellerman before the style, delivery and pace will be familiar, I find that once I'm into the plot it is difficult to stop reading his work. Even if you have not read his work, I recommend giving it a try. Show Less
LibraryThing member msbaba
I look forward to reading a Kellerman novel. They’re generally a fun experience. On the whole, I find them well-crafted, well-written, expertly plotted, rich with psychological detail, and focused almost entirely on telling a suspense-filled, fast-moving, and intriguing story. They’re the type
But “The Murderer’s Daughter” put me off in the beginning; the main character genuinely repulsed me. It seemed that Dr. Grace Blades was a very cold, cunning, and manipulative woman. She’s presented as a brilliant and attractive thirty-four-year-old clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of patients traumatized by crimes of violence. But we very soon learn that Grace leads a complex double life. In her clinical practice, she’s renowned for being able to deliver a unique level of intense and consistent empathy that heals deep psychological wounds. But in her private life, she the type of duplicitous femme fatale who stalks men and uses them as sexual objects for her own physical and psychological gratification. During her brief sexual encounters, she’s completely in charge and often leaves her quarry feeling humiliated and exploited. Undoubtedly, women like that probably exist, but I’ve never even come close to encountering one. I eventually enjoyed getting to know Grace between the covers of this book…but it took almost 100 pages for me to feel that way.
Obviously, Grace Blades is a woman with profound intimacy issues. That ends up being one of the key mysteries of the book: how did she get that way? I found that part intriguing, so I stuck with the book and I was not disappointed. The novel spends nearly half its length unraveling the deep psychological scars that underlie Grace’s odd way of coping with the world. It worked somewhat, but didn’t convince me completely.
The story starts with one of Grace’s sexual “victims” ending up murdered shortly after their brief encounter. They’d both been using false names and disguises, but there was something on the dead man’s body that quickly led the police to Grace’s West Hollywood clinical practice. This panics Grace: she can’t allow her private life to invade her business life. As a result, she withholds information from the police and begins an intense investigation on her own. But soon she’s caught in the crosshairs of a psychopathic murderer with apparent ties to her own troubled past as an orphan within the Los Angeles foster care system.
So, there are two simultaneous main mysteries in this book. The first one has to do with what type of past life might create a woman with deep intimacy and sexual issues like Grace; and the other one has to do with who murdered Grace’s last sexual partner and why is that person now trying to murder her? Together the two mysteries (and many minor ones along the way) create a very different and intriguing story with plenty of territory for Kellerman to display his outstanding talent with suspense and psychological detail.
One of the things I love about Kellerman novels are how enjoyable they are for those of us who know Los Angeles well. Most of his books, including this one, are set in Los Angeles and other major cities of California. He uses authentic streets, venues, districts, mini-cultures, and businesses. Personally, I’ve been to, visited, walked around, or explored more than 90% of the locations mentioned in this book. That made the experience of reading it highly personal…and yes, very enjoyable. Some of the scenes took place within walking distance of my home! How cool is that? And how he writes about these places is spot-on perfect: Kellerman’s L.A. is irresistibly alluring.
If there was one thing about this novel that bothered me at the end after all the main character’s psychological backstory has been revealed, it was that she still seemed only 80% authentic. The book was a compelling and fascinating clinical psychological portrait, but it was all still a bit too much of an exaggeration. But stretching the truth for a bang-up, heart-stopping fictional experience has to be okay, right? It’s not Kellerman’s best, but it should still appeal to his fans. I liked it quite a lot.
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of books readers devour for the pure enjoyment of being in the experience. You don’t read Kellerman to analyze or learn anything new or enlightening; his books are for pure storytelling pleasure.But “The Murderer’s Daughter” put me off in the beginning; the main character genuinely repulsed me. It seemed that Dr. Grace Blades was a very cold, cunning, and manipulative woman. She’s presented as a brilliant and attractive thirty-four-year-old clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of patients traumatized by crimes of violence. But we very soon learn that Grace leads a complex double life. In her clinical practice, she’s renowned for being able to deliver a unique level of intense and consistent empathy that heals deep psychological wounds. But in her private life, she the type of duplicitous femme fatale who stalks men and uses them as sexual objects for her own physical and psychological gratification. During her brief sexual encounters, she’s completely in charge and often leaves her quarry feeling humiliated and exploited. Undoubtedly, women like that probably exist, but I’ve never even come close to encountering one. I eventually enjoyed getting to know Grace between the covers of this book…but it took almost 100 pages for me to feel that way.
Obviously, Grace Blades is a woman with profound intimacy issues. That ends up being one of the key mysteries of the book: how did she get that way? I found that part intriguing, so I stuck with the book and I was not disappointed. The novel spends nearly half its length unraveling the deep psychological scars that underlie Grace’s odd way of coping with the world. It worked somewhat, but didn’t convince me completely.
The story starts with one of Grace’s sexual “victims” ending up murdered shortly after their brief encounter. They’d both been using false names and disguises, but there was something on the dead man’s body that quickly led the police to Grace’s West Hollywood clinical practice. This panics Grace: she can’t allow her private life to invade her business life. As a result, she withholds information from the police and begins an intense investigation on her own. But soon she’s caught in the crosshairs of a psychopathic murderer with apparent ties to her own troubled past as an orphan within the Los Angeles foster care system.
So, there are two simultaneous main mysteries in this book. The first one has to do with what type of past life might create a woman with deep intimacy and sexual issues like Grace; and the other one has to do with who murdered Grace’s last sexual partner and why is that person now trying to murder her? Together the two mysteries (and many minor ones along the way) create a very different and intriguing story with plenty of territory for Kellerman to display his outstanding talent with suspense and psychological detail.
One of the things I love about Kellerman novels are how enjoyable they are for those of us who know Los Angeles well. Most of his books, including this one, are set in Los Angeles and other major cities of California. He uses authentic streets, venues, districts, mini-cultures, and businesses. Personally, I’ve been to, visited, walked around, or explored more than 90% of the locations mentioned in this book. That made the experience of reading it highly personal…and yes, very enjoyable. Some of the scenes took place within walking distance of my home! How cool is that? And how he writes about these places is spot-on perfect: Kellerman’s L.A. is irresistibly alluring.
If there was one thing about this novel that bothered me at the end after all the main character’s psychological backstory has been revealed, it was that she still seemed only 80% authentic. The book was a compelling and fascinating clinical psychological portrait, but it was all still a bit too much of an exaggeration. But stretching the truth for a bang-up, heart-stopping fictional experience has to be okay, right? It’s not Kellerman’s best, but it should still appeal to his fans. I liked it quite a lot.
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LibraryThing member alohaboy
I was prepared not to like this book simply because it was not an Alex Delaware--one of my favorite fictional characters--series book by Jonathan Kellerman. Thankfully I plowed through the very slow moving chapters and was finally caught up with the intriguing plot and scarred super survivor Grace
Once the murder takes place the rest of the book is Grace trying to find out who wants her dead, why, and how she can avoid the same fate as her patient. The author uses alternating chapters to describe Grace's early life (mostly horrific until about age 11) and the present to solve the mystery now confronting her. Grace is resourceful, smart, and able to take care of herself thanks to her hardscrabble upbringing. Eventually her past catches up to her present and Grace provides us with a satisfying resolution to her dilemma. The Murderer's Daughter is a page turning thriller that is a must read.
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Blades, an asocial brainiac who entered Harvard at age 16 and received her Ph.D as the youngest graduate ever from USC--with Alex Delaware now relegated to second youngest. Grace, upon graduation, quickly becomes known at the VA hospital she works at as able to take on the worst psychological cases and provide tools and techniques for the emotionally broken to heal to the point that they can get on with living. Her healing skills lead to a lucrative private practice and a life of luxury that is threatened by a new patient that ends up dead and Grace also becomes a target. Once the murder takes place the rest of the book is Grace trying to find out who wants her dead, why, and how she can avoid the same fate as her patient. The author uses alternating chapters to describe Grace's early life (mostly horrific until about age 11) and the present to solve the mystery now confronting her. Grace is resourceful, smart, and able to take care of herself thanks to her hardscrabble upbringing. Eventually her past catches up to her present and Grace provides us with a satisfying resolution to her dilemma. The Murderer's Daughter is a page turning thriller that is a must read.
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LibraryThing member WhitmelB
What a pleasure it is to open a Jonathan Kellerman thriller. No matter his main character you know the writing will be taut and pithy. There is also the fact that the reader will be delving into psychological nooks and crannies as a few of the many facets of humanity are explored. How can this
In The Murderer’s Daughter we are introduced to a new character, Grace Blades. A brilliant psychologist whose specialty is the assisting those so traumatized that they are known as The Haunted and Grace as the Haunted Whisperer she is so successful with them. But this is a dual story. First we find Dr. Blades as a successful practitioner who has a secret life of sexual encounters. In one of these encounters she makes contact with a man who turns up at her office the next day revealed as a possible patient come all the way from Texas to California for her help. His name; Anthony Toner or as he signs it, A. Toner. But meeting with Grace as a possible patient he becomes rattled and flees the office. The next day he is found dead and the police discover her business card in his shoe. And Grace thinks she knows him from her past.
And now, in typical Kellerman fashion, the story starts to proceed down two paths; first Grace trying to solve a mystery that threatens her life and second interspersed her story as a child orphaned at 5 ½ and moved from one foster home to another. As we come to know Dr. Blades better we can see why, prodigious IQ and all, became a solitary, a personality content within itself, not seeking or accepting social interaction, but always polite.
Grace Blades is complete within herself. She is strong, trained in martial techniques necessary to survive, skilled with gun, unafraid to take on an aggressive male. This reader wants to have more of her but it seems a bit difficult, given the ending, to see more of her.
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possibly be? Echoes in the mind and yet when Dr. Kellerman explains it all seems so obvious.In The Murderer’s Daughter we are introduced to a new character, Grace Blades. A brilliant psychologist whose specialty is the assisting those so traumatized that they are known as The Haunted and Grace as the Haunted Whisperer she is so successful with them. But this is a dual story. First we find Dr. Blades as a successful practitioner who has a secret life of sexual encounters. In one of these encounters she makes contact with a man who turns up at her office the next day revealed as a possible patient come all the way from Texas to California for her help. His name; Anthony Toner or as he signs it, A. Toner. But meeting with Grace as a possible patient he becomes rattled and flees the office. The next day he is found dead and the police discover her business card in his shoe. And Grace thinks she knows him from her past.
And now, in typical Kellerman fashion, the story starts to proceed down two paths; first Grace trying to solve a mystery that threatens her life and second interspersed her story as a child orphaned at 5 ½ and moved from one foster home to another. As we come to know Dr. Blades better we can see why, prodigious IQ and all, became a solitary, a personality content within itself, not seeking or accepting social interaction, but always polite.
Grace Blades is complete within herself. She is strong, trained in martial techniques necessary to survive, skilled with gun, unafraid to take on an aggressive male. This reader wants to have more of her but it seems a bit difficult, given the ending, to see more of her.
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LibraryThing member jfe16
Grace Blades, survivor of both a dysfunctional family and a difficult foster care system, has become a brilliant and caring psychologist. She does, however, have a quirk or two, one of which drives her thrill-seeking episodes.
But the past never really stays in the past as Grace unexpectedly
Grace’s backstory is revealed in a series of flashbacks that alternate with the present-day drama and her attempt to identify the murderer.
Masterfully written, this narrative is filled with suspense and a plot twist or two that will keep the pages turning. Strong, intelligent, and complex, Grace is a compelling character readers will hope to meet again.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program.
But the past never really stays in the past as Grace unexpectedly
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discovers when she meets a new patient and realizes they both have been masquerading as someone else. Shortly after their meeting, he is killed and as Grace delves into his murder, she comes face to face with evil feeding the lust for power and manipulating the monsters that throw her into a mystery tracing its beginnings to her own tortured childhood.Grace’s backstory is revealed in a series of flashbacks that alternate with the present-day drama and her attempt to identify the murderer.
Masterfully written, this narrative is filled with suspense and a plot twist or two that will keep the pages turning. Strong, intelligent, and complex, Grace is a compelling character readers will hope to meet again.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program.
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LibraryThing member Teritree001971
At the beginning, THE MURDERERS DAUGHTER was interesting and kept my attention without problem. However, as the story continued, it became drawn out and completely boring at times to me. I felt no sympathy for the main character as the story progressed.
When describing Graces' childhood and family,
Honestly, I think for me it is one of those just not liking the story itself, as I have several other books by this author. Technically the writing itself is perfect.
When describing Graces' childhood and family,
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I was locked in, especially with her parents descriptions. As the story progressed, I realised I felt nothing for the characters. In fact, by the end I found Grace to be nothing more than a psychopath herself. She was able to control herself a little better.Honestly, I think for me it is one of those just not liking the story itself, as I have several other books by this author. Technically the writing itself is perfect.
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LibraryThing member dyarington
The only negative thing about this book is its title. I think the title may turn people off. As it is, it's a great book. I enjoyed the inner thoughts of the genius level, Grace Blades as she grew up under difficult at best circumstances. She emerges as a PhD Psychologist and her professional and
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private eye experiences are riveting. I could not put the book down. The incites into the feelings of foster children are most interesting. All in all this is the best stand alone book I've seen from the prolific J. Kellerman. I look forward to more. Show Less
LibraryThing member AnnArborCityClub
What a great psychological thriller this is. There is only one mention of Dr. Delaware, Jonathan Kellerman's usual protagonist. Instead it follows the life of a brilliant female psychologist named Grace Blades. The story traces her life as a foster child into adulthood. She has a brief encounter
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with a family of three other foster children, who then reappear when she is a practicing psychologist. Grace has a wonderfully nourishing relationship with a practicing psychologist, which starts when she is eleven and continues throughout the years. As a doctor, she sees a new patient who was one of the family she met as a child. The story traces her continuing interest in and search for the oldest child of this family and concludes with their final encounter. Definitely one of Kellerman's best and a must read for mystery fans. Show Less
LibraryThing member Darcia
Well. That one word sums up how I felt at the end of this book. Kind of like I'd been given a beautiful flower that immediately wilted in my hand.
I want to start by saying that I've long been a fan of Kellerman and love his writing style. His phrasing and rhythm are perfection for me. I have much
Now for the not so good stuff.
This book is really two stories in one. We meet Grace as an adult, and what should be the main plot centers on her quest to find a killer. We also meet Grace as a child, following her as she grows up. This is told through flashbacks, lots of them, to the point where the past feels like the majority of the story. Grace has a disturbing childhood, with abusive, murderous parents and time bouncing around foster homes. She is a precocious child, brilliant and perceptive. She is swallowed up by a system that offers little support to children in the best of circumstances, much less to children with traumatic backgrounds. I found these details compelling. In fact, I would have enjoyed the story far more had it been told in linear fashion, focusing mostly on Grace's early life.
Because the flashbacks are so long and frequent, the story feels like a bumpy ride. The transitions can be jarring, and the current timeline lacks the immediacy needed to carry it along.
Then we get into believability. I simply could not buy into the current, main plot. I don't want to give spoilers, which makes it difficult to explain why I feel this way. In general terms, the things Grace does, her extreme reactions, her pursuit, all of it felt way over the top. The cops inexplicably disappear after she gives them an all too convenient lead. They apparently either gave up their investigation or weren't as smart as she was. And, in the end, I still wondered why the killer she pursued behaved as he did. I was left muttering, "What was that all about?"
The pace with the current timeline is slow, painfully so at times. We follow Grace as she does not much of anything. She drives, watches, eats, sleeps, searches the internet, and makes phone calls. Then she does it all again. I looked forward to more flashbacks to break up the boredom.
We have one short chapter that is completely out of place, as we're shown how the adult Grace and Alex Delaware are linked. This is unnecessary at best, since at no time is Alex Delaware involved in this story. Nor is he even mentioned in the context of the plot by Grace or anyone else. This winds up feeling like a gratuitous promo for Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels.
I liked Grace, and found her a unique and intriguing character. And, as I mentioned, I like Kellerman's style. Those things kept me reading and keep me from bashing this book. But, as a whole, the story didn't work for me.
I want to start by saying that I've long been a fan of Kellerman and love his writing style. His phrasing and rhythm are perfection for me. I have much
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respect for his storytelling ability.Now for the not so good stuff.
This book is really two stories in one. We meet Grace as an adult, and what should be the main plot centers on her quest to find a killer. We also meet Grace as a child, following her as she grows up. This is told through flashbacks, lots of them, to the point where the past feels like the majority of the story. Grace has a disturbing childhood, with abusive, murderous parents and time bouncing around foster homes. She is a precocious child, brilliant and perceptive. She is swallowed up by a system that offers little support to children in the best of circumstances, much less to children with traumatic backgrounds. I found these details compelling. In fact, I would have enjoyed the story far more had it been told in linear fashion, focusing mostly on Grace's early life.
Because the flashbacks are so long and frequent, the story feels like a bumpy ride. The transitions can be jarring, and the current timeline lacks the immediacy needed to carry it along.
Then we get into believability. I simply could not buy into the current, main plot. I don't want to give spoilers, which makes it difficult to explain why I feel this way. In general terms, the things Grace does, her extreme reactions, her pursuit, all of it felt way over the top. The cops inexplicably disappear after she gives them an all too convenient lead. They apparently either gave up their investigation or weren't as smart as she was. And, in the end, I still wondered why the killer she pursued behaved as he did. I was left muttering, "What was that all about?"
The pace with the current timeline is slow, painfully so at times. We follow Grace as she does not much of anything. She drives, watches, eats, sleeps, searches the internet, and makes phone calls. Then she does it all again. I looked forward to more flashbacks to break up the boredom.
We have one short chapter that is completely out of place, as we're shown how the adult Grace and Alex Delaware are linked. This is unnecessary at best, since at no time is Alex Delaware involved in this story. Nor is he even mentioned in the context of the plot by Grace or anyone else. This winds up feeling like a gratuitous promo for Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels.
I liked Grace, and found her a unique and intriguing character. And, as I mentioned, I like Kellerman's style. Those things kept me reading and keep me from bashing this book. But, as a whole, the story didn't work for me.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Kappadeemom
I loved this new book by Kellerman. It is not part of the Alex Delaware series, although Alex has a cameo appearance. Grace is orphaned as a child and goes from foster home to foster home. She tests off the charts as a genius, although she is a quiet child. She finally goes to a loving home where
Show More
she lives with three other children, one that is a bit sinister. When Grace grows up, her path crosses this devil-child, which makes for a great read. Personally, I think I might like this book more than I like the Delaware books. It had a little less psycho-babble that Delaware likes to spout, so that it was a little easier for us "common" folks to read and understand. Show Less
LibraryThing member azroadrunner88
The story of a clinical psychologist, Dr Grace Blades, witnessed the murder/suicide of her parents at a young age. She bounced around at various foster homes till she went to a caring couple. Grace decided she wanted to be a clinical psychologist. After she became a psychologist, Grace came into
The story moves along well, and gets hard to put down at times. I enjoyed it.
Show More
contact with a nightmare from the past, from another foster home. But she is a survivor.The story moves along well, and gets hard to put down at times. I enjoyed it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member dianaleez
Jonathan Kellerman's "The Murderer's Daughter," ably recounts the story of psychologist Grace Burrows, who as a child witnessed the murder-suicide of her parents.
Nevertheless, it's a poor title choice, since it's actually the story of a face from Grace's past that wrecks havoc on her
In general, I don't especially admire Kellerman's offerings - I find them a bit bland and lazy. But "The Murderer's Daughter" did hold my attention.
Grace is an interesting character. While successful on the surface, she has never been able to leave her childhood behind. She suffers from a self-destructive compulsion that serves as a release valve for life's tensions.
But it is a chance enounter from her past that creates the conflict and threat in Grace's world.
A monster from Grace's childhood has come prowling and Grace is the next target.
Nevertheless, it's a poor title choice, since it's actually the story of a face from Grace's past that wrecks havoc on her
Show More
well-organized life.In general, I don't especially admire Kellerman's offerings - I find them a bit bland and lazy. But "The Murderer's Daughter" did hold my attention.
Grace is an interesting character. While successful on the surface, she has never been able to leave her childhood behind. She suffers from a self-destructive compulsion that serves as a release valve for life's tensions.
But it is a chance enounter from her past that creates the conflict and threat in Grace's world.
A monster from Grace's childhood has come prowling and Grace is the next target.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Jim53
Dr. Grace Blades is a successful clinical psychologist, who likes the occasional one-night stand. She picks up a man in a hotel bar and gets jiggy with him, and then he shows up as her new patient the next day. Put of by the previous night's hookup, he asks if he can return the next day.
The book is almost half backstory, which becomes understandable when Grace's history comes into the present-day story. Kellerman does a nice job of keeping the tension high; while I'm not particularly pleased with the ending, it is in character and perhaps inevitable. Grace is an interesting and mostly credible character, and the story is congruent with the characterization.
Show More
Predictably, he fails to show. When a detective investigating his murder appears to question Grace, she realizes that having the truth come out will damage her professionally. So she sets out to solve the murder herself.The book is almost half backstory, which becomes understandable when Grace's history comes into the present-day story. Kellerman does a nice job of keeping the tension high; while I'm not particularly pleased with the ending, it is in character and perhaps inevitable. Grace is an interesting and mostly credible character, and the story is congruent with the characterization.
Show Less
LibraryThing member annwelton
First - I received this e-book from NetGalley for my pleasure and review. WOW is all I can say – as this book grabs you right from the start. This was my first Kellerman book, and I am now totally hooked. The story moves from Grace Blades' very abusive, early childhood onto her adult life as a
Excellent book – couldn't put it down, and thank-you Mr. Kellerman.
Show More
very gifted psychologist. Kellerman manages to move back and forth expertly, never losing the reader for a beat. The suspense builds as you watch Grace solve the mystery of A. Tucker and who he is after he shows up very unexpectantly, socially and in her practice.Excellent book – couldn't put it down, and thank-you Mr. Kellerman.
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LibraryThing member librarian1204
Another great story from Jonathan Kellerman. This one is not part of the Alex Delaware series but Alex gets a mention. Dr. Grace Blades is a psychologist who likes occasionally, to live on the edge. After you read about her history you can understand why. When a man , she meets at a hotel bar one
Read as an ARC from NetGalley.
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evening , shows up the next day as a new patient, she knows there will be a repercussions. Very well written as usual, a page turner . I would love to see Grace and Alex working together on a case! Any chance of that ?Read as an ARC from NetGalley.
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LibraryThing member Darcia
Well. That one word sums up how I felt at the end of this book. Kind of like I'd been given a beautiful flower that immediately wilted in my hand.
I want to start by saying that I've long been a fan of Kellerman and love his writing style. His phrasing and rhythm are perfection for me. I have much
Now for the not so good stuff.
This book is really two stories in one. We meet Grace as an adult, and what should be the main plot centers on her quest to find a killer. We also meet Grace as a child, following her as she grows up. This is told through flashbacks, lots of them, to the point where the past feels like the majority of the story. Grace has a disturbing childhood, with abusive, murderous parents and time bouncing around foster homes. She is a precocious child, brilliant and perceptive. She is swallowed up by a system that offers little support to children in the best of circumstances, much less to children with traumatic backgrounds. I found these details compelling. In fact, I would have enjoyed the story far more had it been told in linear fashion, focusing mostly on Grace's early life.
Because the flashbacks are so long and frequent, the story feels like a bumpy ride. The transitions can be jarring, and the current timeline lacks the immediacy needed to carry it along.
Then we get into believability. I simply could not buy into the current, main plot. I don't want to give spoilers, which makes it difficult to explain why I feel this way. In general terms, the things Grace does, her extreme reactions, her pursuit, all of it felt way over the top. The cops inexplicably disappear after she gives them an all too convenient lead. They apparently either gave up their investigation or weren't as smart as she was. And, in the end, I still wondered why the killer she pursued behaved as he did. I was left muttering, "What was that all about?"
The pace with the current timeline is slow, painfully so at times. We follow Grace as she does not much of anything. She drives, watches, eats, sleeps, searches the internet, and makes phone calls. Then she does it all again. I looked forward to more flashbacks to break up the boredom.
We have one short chapter that is completely out of place, as we're shown how the adult Grace and Alex Delaware are linked. This is unnecessary at best, since at no time is Alex Delaware involved in this story. Nor is he even mentioned in the context of the plot by Grace or anyone else. This winds up feeling like a gratuitous promo for Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels.
I liked Grace, and found her a unique and intriguing character. And, as I mentioned, I like Kellerman's style. Those things kept me reading and keep me from bashing this book. But, as a whole, the story didn't work for me.
I want to start by saying that I've long been a fan of Kellerman and love his writing style. His phrasing and rhythm are perfection for me. I have much
Show More
respect for his storytelling ability.Now for the not so good stuff.
This book is really two stories in one. We meet Grace as an adult, and what should be the main plot centers on her quest to find a killer. We also meet Grace as a child, following her as she grows up. This is told through flashbacks, lots of them, to the point where the past feels like the majority of the story. Grace has a disturbing childhood, with abusive, murderous parents and time bouncing around foster homes. She is a precocious child, brilliant and perceptive. She is swallowed up by a system that offers little support to children in the best of circumstances, much less to children with traumatic backgrounds. I found these details compelling. In fact, I would have enjoyed the story far more had it been told in linear fashion, focusing mostly on Grace's early life.
Because the flashbacks are so long and frequent, the story feels like a bumpy ride. The transitions can be jarring, and the current timeline lacks the immediacy needed to carry it along.
Then we get into believability. I simply could not buy into the current, main plot. I don't want to give spoilers, which makes it difficult to explain why I feel this way. In general terms, the things Grace does, her extreme reactions, her pursuit, all of it felt way over the top. The cops inexplicably disappear after she gives them an all too convenient lead. They apparently either gave up their investigation or weren't as smart as she was. And, in the end, I still wondered why the killer she pursued behaved as he did. I was left muttering, "What was that all about?"
The pace with the current timeline is slow, painfully so at times. We follow Grace as she does not much of anything. She drives, watches, eats, sleeps, searches the internet, and makes phone calls. Then she does it all again. I looked forward to more flashbacks to break up the boredom.
We have one short chapter that is completely out of place, as we're shown how the adult Grace and Alex Delaware are linked. This is unnecessary at best, since at no time is Alex Delaware involved in this story. Nor is he even mentioned in the context of the plot by Grace or anyone else. This winds up feeling like a gratuitous promo for Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels.
I liked Grace, and found her a unique and intriguing character. And, as I mentioned, I like Kellerman's style. Those things kept me reading and keep me from bashing this book. But, as a whole, the story didn't work for me.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Kappadeemom
I loved this new book by Kellerman. It is not part of the Alex Delaware series, although Alex has a cameo appearance. Grace is orphaned as a child and goes from foster home to foster home. She tests off the charts as a genius, although she is a quiet child. She finally goes to a loving home where
Show More
she lives with three other children, one that is a bit sinister. When Grace grows up, her path crosses this devil-child, which makes for a great read. Personally, I think I might like this book more than I like the Delaware books. It had a little less psycho-babble that Delaware likes to spout, so that it was a little easier for us "common" folks to read and understand. Show Less
LibraryThing member azroadrunner88
The story of a clinical psychologist, Dr Grace Blades, witnessed the murder/suicide of her parents at a young age. She bounced around at various foster homes till she went to a caring couple. Grace decided she wanted to be a clinical psychologist. After she became a psychologist, Grace came into
The story moves along well, and gets hard to put down at times. I enjoyed it.
Show More
contact with a nightmare from the past, from another foster home. But she is a survivor.The story moves along well, and gets hard to put down at times. I enjoyed it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member dianaleez
Jonathan Kellerman's "The Murderer's Daughter," ably recounts the story of psychologist Grace Burrows, who as a child witnessed the murder-suicide of her parents.
Nevertheless, it's a poor title choice, since it's actually the story of a face from Grace's past that wrecks havoc on her
In general, I don't especially admire Kellerman's offerings - I find them a bit bland and lazy. But "The Murderer's Daughter" did hold my attention.
Grace is an interesting character. While successful on the surface, she has never been able to leave her childhood behind. She suffers from a self-destructive compulsion that serves as a release valve for life's tensions.
But it is a chance enounter from her past that creates the conflict and threat in Grace's world.
A monster from Grace's childhood has come prowling and Grace is the next target.
Nevertheless, it's a poor title choice, since it's actually the story of a face from Grace's past that wrecks havoc on her
Show More
well-organized life.In general, I don't especially admire Kellerman's offerings - I find them a bit bland and lazy. But "The Murderer's Daughter" did hold my attention.
Grace is an interesting character. While successful on the surface, she has never been able to leave her childhood behind. She suffers from a self-destructive compulsion that serves as a release valve for life's tensions.
But it is a chance enounter from her past that creates the conflict and threat in Grace's world.
A monster from Grace's childhood has come prowling and Grace is the next target.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Jim53
Dr. Grace Blades is a successful clinical psychologist, who likes the occasional one-night stand. She picks up a man in a hotel bar and gets jiggy with him, and then he shows up as her new patient the next day. Put of by the previous night's hookup, he asks if he can return the next day.
The book is almost half backstory, which becomes understandable when Grace's history comes into the present-day story. Kellerman does a nice job of keeping the tension high; while I'm not particularly pleased with the ending, it is in character and perhaps inevitable. Grace is an interesting and mostly credible character, and the story is congruent with the characterization.
Show More
Predictably, he fails to show. When a detective investigating his murder appears to question Grace, she realizes that having the truth come out will damage her professionally. So she sets out to solve the murder herself.The book is almost half backstory, which becomes understandable when Grace's history comes into the present-day story. Kellerman does a nice job of keeping the tension high; while I'm not particularly pleased with the ending, it is in character and perhaps inevitable. Grace is an interesting and mostly credible character, and the story is congruent with the characterization.
Show Less
LibraryThing member iadam
I received an advance review e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. It is something a little different from the Alex Delaware series. Grace is a fighter and a survivor. The author paints us a detailed picture of her horrific past. She is a loner with
Show More
quirks and flaws and at times a self-destructive streak who learned at an early age that she had to fend for herself. She is brilliant and clever and under the gentle guidance of her adoptive parents becomes a sought after psychologist. A random hookup leads to a life-threatening situation from someone from her past. Grace reminds me in some ways of J. D. Robb’s Eve Dallas and David Baldacci’s Michelle Maxwell. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller. I hope the author writes more books about Grace and maybe Alex Delaware and Grace will work together at times. Show Less
LibraryThing member julyso
I am a huge Jonathan Kellerman fan and I was very excited to receive this book through the Early Reviewers program.
Grace is a psychologist who appears to have a nearly perfect life....great job, nice house, etc. She has some problems, though, and they are messing up her perfect life.
I enjoyed the
Grace is a psychologist who appears to have a nearly perfect life....great job, nice house, etc. She has some problems, though, and they are messing up her perfect life.
I enjoyed the
Show More
character of Grace and was hoping she would get her life together.she is an interesting and complex character....and I found her like able. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015
ISBN
1472206592 / 9781472206596
Other editions
The Murderer's Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman (Paperback)