Monster [Paperback]

Jonathan Kellerman (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Random House (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375756108
• ISBN-13: 978-0375756108
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (143 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,526,937 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

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book, December 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Monster: A Novel (Hardcover)

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.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The usual serial killer whodunit., January 9, 2000

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monster: A Novel (Hardcover)

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.

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced, first-rate suspense, January 12, 2000

By 

Sherrie Martin "sherchez" (Roanoke, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monster: A Novel (Hardcover)

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!