Devil's Waltz (Alex Delaware) [Paperback]

Jonathan Kellerman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Alex Delaware Novels | Publication Date: December 2, 2003

The doctors call it Munchausen by proxy, the  terrifying disease that causes parents to induce  illness in their own children. Now, in his most  frightening case, Dr. Alex Delaware may have to prove  that a child's own mother or father is making her  sick.

Twenty-one-month-old Cassie Jones  is bright, energetic, the picture of health. Yet  her parents rush her to the emergency room night  after night with medical symptoms no doctor can  explain. Cassie's parents seem sympathetic and  deeply concerned. Her favorite nurse is a model of  devotion. Yet when child psychologist Alex  Delaware is called in to investigate, instinct tells him  that one of them may be a monster.

Then  a physician at the hospital is brutally murdered.  A shadowy death is revealed. And Alex and his  friend LAPD detective Milo Sturgis have only hours  to uncover the link between these shocking events  and the fate of an innocent child.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kellerman's psychologist/sleuth Alex Delaware nimbly executes tricky steps of his own when called in to consult on the mysterious ailments afflicting a baby being seen at his training hospital in Los Angeles. In his seventh appearance (after Private Eyes ), Delaware is in top form, carefully pursuing the possibility that 21-month-old Cassie Jones may be the victim of Munchausen's Disease by Proxy, a complex syndrome in which a parent, usually the mother, secretly causes the symptoms that endanger the child. That Cassie is the only grandchild of the hospital's new CEO, a corporate hotshot who has demoralized the staff with cutbacks and a new administration of "paramilitary types," adds political twists to the case's knotty psychological aspects. After a doctor involved in computer research is murdered in the hospital parking lot, Delaware calls on his friend Milo, a gay LAPD homicide cop currently serving as an input clerk. They link an earlier murder to the hospital and then key into a secret federal investigation, all the while trying to keep Cassie safe. With familiar characters, including Delaware's woodworking girlfriend Robin, and some well-developed new ones, notably the hospital's thuggish security head and an uptight pediatric nurse, Kellerman steadily turns up the suspense, reserving some surprises to spring near the end of this intricate tale, the best of recent Alex Delaware stories.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- This psychological mystery centers on a disorder called Munchausen Syndrome, in which a primary caregiver--usually the mother--inflicts harm upon her child in order to focus attention on herself as a concerned parent. The suspicion of this crime alerts Dr. Stephanie Eves to consult with her long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Alex Delaware, a retired child psychologist. So begins Devil's Waltz . Cassie Jones, daughter of devoted parents and beloved granddaughter of the hospital's financial savior, suffers from a variety of medical symptoms, made all the more alarming by the earlier SIDS death of her brother. As Dr. Delaware begins to unravel the mystery of Cassie's continuing medical traumas, he uncovers two related murders and a web of hospital intrigue. A surprise ending makes readers want to re-read the novel to see what clues they have missed. Fans of Alex Delaware will not be disappointed in his latest adventure.
- Katherine Fitch, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (December 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345460715
• ISBN-13: 978-0345460714
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #599,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan Kellerman is one of the world's most popular authors. He has brought his expertise as a clinical psychologist to more than thirty bestselling crime novels, including the Alex Delaware series, The Butcher's Theater, Billy Straight, The Conspiracy Club, Twisted,and True Detectives. With his wife, the novelist Faye Kellerman, he co-authored the bestsellers Double Homicide and Capital Crimes. He is the author of numerous essays, short stories, scientific articles, two children's books, and three volumes of psychology, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children, as well as the lavishly illustrated With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards and has been nominated for a Shamus Award.

Jonathan and Faye Kellerman live in California and New Mexico. Their four children include the novelist Jesse Kellerman.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Distinctly Fascinating, July 5, 2001

By 

V. VanCamp "lovesbookslovesmusic" (Ithaca, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Devil's Waltz (Alex Delaware Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Excellent book! In my opinion this is one of the best Kellerman books I have read. "Devil's Waltz" is disturbing in that there are actually people out there that will hurt their child for attention. This novel opened my eyes. There are some very sick people in the world. Kellerman writes "Devil's Waltz" with a few different mysteries all tied up together. Just when you think Alex might get this thing solved... something else happens and twists everything around! The ending was great and did surprise me somewhat. I enjoyed learning about munchausen syndrome by proxy -terrible, yet fascinating. I recommend this book enthusiastically. It is quite fascinating. I neither slept nor ate much while I was reading this book... I could not stop reading!!!!!! In a word: Gripping!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good suspenseful read, January 20, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Chattanooga, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Devil's Waltz (Alex Delaware Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

As a tremendous fan of Kellerman and his protagonist, child psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware, I found this book's premise to be promising - munchausen syndrome by proxy, the intentional injuring of a child by the parent(s) (or sometimes nurses) to gain attention. Although the book loses a little steam compared to his previous books, especially for those who have never met the main characters, the simple idea that a plot can be suspenseful without involving a medical examiner or a detective or a lawyer makes his books not only necessary, but instantly refreshing.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Devil of a read, October 24, 2005

By 

Highlanderthal "LONE WOLF" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Devil's Waltz (Alex Delaware) (Paperback)

Another classic from Kellerman! Kellerman's psychologist/sleuth Alex Delaware nimbly executes tricky steps of his own when called in to consult on the mysterious ailments afflicting a baby being seen at his training hospital in Los Angeles. In his seventh appearance (after Private Eyes ), Delaware is in top form, carefully pursuing the possibility that 21-month-old Cassie Jones may be the victim of Munchausen's Disease by Proxy, a complex syndrome in which a parent, usually the mother, secretly causes the symptoms that endanger the child. That Cassie is the only grandchild of the hospital's new CEO, a corporate hotshot who has demoralized the staff with cutbacks and a new administration of "paramilitary types," adds political twists to the case's knotty psychological aspects. After a doctor involved in computer research is murdered in the hospital parking lot, Delaware calls on his friend Milo, a gay LAPD homicide cop currently serving as an input clerk. They link an earlier murder to the hospital and then key into a secret federal investigation, all the while trying to keep Cassie safe. With familiar characters, including Delaware's woodworking girlfriend Robin, and some well-developed new ones, notably the hospital's thuggish security head and an uptight pediatric nurse, Kellerman steadily turns up the suspense, reserving some surprises to spring near the end of this intricate tale, the best of recent Alex Delaware stories.