Customer Reviews

Monster (Alex Delaware, No. 13)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(33)
2 star:		(33)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I usually grab a Dean Koontz novel and am satisfied, but I read the description of this book and dove right into it. I must say, I didn't think I could fall in love with another novelist!

Usually, I can pick out the bad guys in a mystery. Not in this book. I was surprised right up until the end. I kept this book near my bed, and would read it until I couldn't keep my eyes open.

On another note, I work in the mental health field and Kellerman really did his research. Descriptions of everything from medication types to the behavior of patients with various disorders were extremely accurate. I was also happy that he didn't demonize the mentally ill.

Kellerman breaks no new ground in his new thriller "Monster". The books starts interestingly enough with our heroes Milo Sturgis and Alex Delaware trying to solve a series of grisly murders. They have a hard time figuring out how the murders are connected and whether or not a pathetic mental patient who has been locked up for many years has some connection to the killings. Milo and Alex are likeable enough, but the book has some big weaknesses. It is too long. The descriptions of the mental hospital/prison (Starkweather) are lengthy and tedious. Every scene is described in exhaustive detail. The middle of the book is slow-moving and the ending is convoluted and not particularly suspenseful. If Kellerman's writing had been tighter, the book would have packed a greater wallop. As it is, my interest waned at least 100 pages before the long-awaited end.

I'm a long-time Kellerman fan, and "Monster" is one of his best. This is a fast-paced novel of contemporary suspense. Albeit there are some loose ends and unlikely plot mechanisms, the suspense is of the old-fashioned nail-biting variety. The cast of characters -- a motley crew of twisted doctors, calculating nurses, amoral rich people, the has-been actress, etc. -- is well crafted and believable. We don't see much of Robin or Spike in this story, while Milo the cop plays second fiddle to Alex without having to fight the rest of the Police Dept. every step of the way. This is Dr. Delaware's mystery to solve, more so than in some of the previous Alex Delaware novels in which he does little more than consult. The alert reader will find himself rooting for the nominal "Monster" as the action picks up. The series of murders is particularly gruesome but, hey, that's the nature of this genre. The ultimate unveiling of the "Monster" is almost anticlimatic if you've been paying attention and catching the clues, but what a hellava good read getting there!

Kellerman is a fantastic writer. His Alex Delaware novels, in particular, have always impressed me. This one, however, was missing a lot.

There was no action in the book. Milo and Alex spent most of the book hypothesizing. Eventually, their hypothesizing and a small amount of leg work helped them solve the crime.

The mental interplay between Milo and Alex seemed too contrived. There was too much 'lucky' guesswork. In addition, Milo and Alex's attention to Peake's 'predictions' (for most of the book) seemed unrealistic in the contect of a real homicide investigation.

Milo, Alex and Robin, in the past, had been given texture and life over the course of Kellerman's novels. Here, they were one-note characters: Robin cooked meals. Alex came up with brilliant observations and Milo was grouchy.

I have faith (and hope) that Jonathan Kellerman listens to his critics and learns from them, because I still believe he is one of the best out there. Every word I write here is meant as constructive feedback to a great artist.

Once again, Dr. Alex Delaware, the white knight shrink rushes to the rescue. With his trusty cop sidekick,Milo(remember tho, the rule of sidekicks? Spock was cooler than Capt. Kirk and Ilya was cooler than Napoleon Solo? Well it works here too, Milo is much more intriguing a character than the blue eyed wishy washy Alex). The two of them are investigating a grisly murders with years old tie-ins. Who did it? The thorazined wreck in the William Castle-esque nut house? His cruel attendants? Or someone from the not so distant past? Your guess is as good as mine, and Kellerman weaves his usual conspiracy laden story. Robin the cutesy girl friend is there as well as Spike the even cuter dog. Nice fast read. thumbs up

I'm happy to hear it wasn't just me that thought Monster was not one of Kellerman's better efforts. I am an avid fan of this series and this book left me wondering what happened. I had trouble keeping interested in this plot and that has never happened before. It had very little of the usual drama and twists and turns of an Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis investigation. I hope his next effort is better. I would hate to think that this series has come to an end.

Monster is Ardith Peake. A psychotic, near-vegetable who's been locked up in a maximum security hospital for the last sixteen years. Yet suddenly, the Monster is predicting murders before they occur. Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis must try to unravel a mystery that goes back twenty years or more to the time that Monster wiped out a wealthy family in the small northern community of Treadway. But how does this ancient history tie in to the grisly murders being committed today?

I'm a huge fan of Jonathan Kellerman and especially of his Alex Delaware series. I've read and enjoyed them all but this one seemed to lack the spark of the others. The premise is great and the book starts out strongly, but I didn't feel it was as captivating as some of his earlier Delaware novels. In fact, the end started to drag a bit.

However, all that said, Jonathan Kellerman still is a strong presence in the psychological thriller genre. He can write with authority when he discusses medication side-effects, neuroses, and psychoses since he really is a psychologist himself. All this information may sound boring but it really isn't. It all ties in to the plot and plotting is where he usually excels. I just felt the plot ran out of steam toward the end of the book. Still a good book from a good writer. Head and shoulders above a lot of what passes for mysteries these days.

After reading Kellerman's first novel, When The Bough Breaks, back in 1985, I was disappointed and haven't tried him since, but the summary of his new book, Monster, sounded so very intriguing that I decided to give Kellerman another go. Bad decision. Once you have read the dust jacket blurb, you won't find anything new or interesting until page 148 so you are in for a long, slow read. If you haven't figured out the entire plot line and all of the key elements by the middle of the book, you probably need to take a refresher course in Mystery Stories 101. So you spend the first half of the book waiting in vain for something exciting to happen and then you spend the last half of the book waiting for Kellerman to reveal the mystery that you have already figured out. What a waste of time! If you are a Kellerman devotee, you are probably going to buy this book no matter what anyone says, but if you are looking for a really good mystery to read, I urge that you give this sophomoric effort a pass and try someone like William Diehl or Michael Slade. Those guys know how to write mysteries that grab you on page 1 and don't let go until the very end. If you can guess one of their plot lines early, you must truly be a mystery pro.

I really enjoyed this latest entry in the Alex Delaware series! Jonathan Kellerman's characters are always well-developed, and, thankfully, not your picture-perfect-I-can-do-no-wrong smug heroes. Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis are a wonderful duo - always professional, yet sensitive to the foibles of human nature. This book deals with the dark side of human nature - the VERY dark side- and there were some parts that were horrifying - a true indication of just how much we human beings can hurt one another.if you want to be taken seriously as a reader and enjoy startling plot twists, read this book. I don't think that you'll be disappointed.

I've read all of the Jonathan Kellerman books and some of his earlier books were well worth reading. This one, however, is sterile. Kellerman only goes through the motions of writing without developing his on-going characters and with scenes and situations that are unpleasant. I do not want to plod through an institution for the insane, endure the disgusting descriptions of the inmates, and read about gory murders without having some reward... either in the writing, the characters, a visit to somewhere pleasant - SOMETHING! This book is an unrelieved nightmare and any possible reader is advised that he/she will only put garbage into the mind without any reward or insight when the book is finished. I wish I'd never heard of it and I will read no more Jonathan Kellerman books. He has not developed and moved forward, nor have his books.