Customer Reviews

Over the Edge: An Alex Delaware Novel (Alex Delaware Novels)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dr. Alex Delaware's world is jolted by a surprise telephone call from a former client. Jamey Cadmus, 17, was part of a pilot project of highly gifted adolescents 5 years earlier and Dr. Delaware was a consultant for that project.

Jamey, disoriented and confused, calls Delaware from a private hospital in the California Canyons. He is kidnapped from his room and it falls to Dr. Delaware to investigate the hospital and Jamey's tangled family tree.

Set in 1987, Dr. Delaware makes numerous references to the university project that accepted Jamey in 1982, when the boy was nearly 13. He uncovers a questionable family history, a web of murders and corrupt developers in the canyons. Jamey, by now found and incarcerated in the County Jail, tries to, in his own incoherent fashion tell Dr. Delaware what he knows about the series of cases.

Robin has a more prominent place in this story. Although I never cared for her, the one thing that annoyed me in this book was one scene where Delaware greeted her, "shushing her with a kiss." To me, the "shushing her with a kiss" was simply a way of shutting her up. That act sounded as if he had no use for her opinions or anything she ever said and smacked of chauvanism. Delaware was plainly far more cerebral than Robin ever was and I felt that single act was to underscore his mental superiority to her, not unlike Jamey's mental superiority prior to his breakdowns. The theme of glass houses is revisited throughout this story.

This is truly an outstanding work. Readers are taken on some very painful, bumpy roads through the seamy, seedy parts of Southern California and encounter some equally seamy, seedy characters. Bikers, corrupt developers, questionable family ties, persons not involved with the cases -- each appears to be a likely suspect. The conclusion is powerful and very satisfying; it makes sense, yet stays several steps ahead of the readers. Each character is richly drawn and believable; each new layer of mysteries interlock believably. Jon Kellerman is truly the Michaelangelo of the Mystery genre.

A mind-blowing look into the nature of madness. The psychological background is totally fascinating. I learned a lot about how the mentally ill are treated by the system, some background of schizophrenia, the difference between psychosis and schizophrenia and how they relate to the law, and so on. There's more, but I won't give away any surprises.

The dialogue, as always in Mr. Kellerman's books, rings true. Watch out for the main characters, though! The twists and turns keep coming right to the end of the climactic chapter.

A few minor complaints. I felt some secondary characters could've been developed more. This is just my taste, but I find the lengthy descriptions of buildings, landscapes, etc. a bit tedious. I had hoped for at least the beginning of a resolution to Milo's problems with homophobes at work. But you gotta save something for later in the series. I was taken aback to learn that, at the time OVER THE EDGE was written, gays were officially(?) considered deviants.

Lots of food for thought in this book. There are many ideas here that'll get your gray cells going.

If you have any interest in the workings of the human mind -- the sane and not-so-sane -- grab this book!

This is the first novel featuring Alex Delaware, child psychologist and it is a stunner. I don't know why I have resisted reading Jonathan Kellerman for so long, but I sure do regret it. When Dr. Morton Handler and Elena Gutierrez are found mutilated in Handler's apartment, Det. Milo Sturgis recruits Dr. Delaware to help unlock the mind of the only witness, 7 year old Melody Quinn. As Dr. Delaware tries to help this child, he unwittingly unlocks a deeper secret, one that has existed for over 40 years. This novel is a fine debut for Jonathan Kellerman. We now know he goes on to write many more Dr. Delaware novels and I will be reading all of them

When Dr. Alex Delaware is woken up in the middle of the night by an incoherent, frantic call from a former patient, he suspects that not all is well with the world. Things take a decided turn for the worse when said patient is found in the midst of a bloody murder scene, what appears to be one of a long series of sexually-motivated murders. Thrown into the middle of the fray by his desire to find the truth out about his patient, Dr. Delaware once again must put his experiences as psychologist and a sleuth to the test.

The third of Jonathan Kellerman's Dr. Alex Delaware novels, readers will find a cast of familiar characters amongst the throngs of the new and the suspicous. In addition to the good doctor himself, we also have the return of Detective Milo Sturgis as well as luthier and love interest Robin. The familiar characters are comforting, because the rest of the cast of characters are a frantic mess of psychological problems which leaves the reader dizzy.

I found the pacing and the character development in this book to be odd, and somewhat off. It's nothing that I can really quantify, but something didn't feel quite right throughout the work. That being said, Kellerman has once again produces a psychological thriller that is compelling and leaves a couple of bits of mystery left until the end, even for those who can unravel the threads of the tale before the denouement.

Definitely worth reading if this is your genre, though I still find Kellerman's first Alex Delaware novel (When the Bough Breaks) to be my favorite in the series thus far.

As a writer, and as someone who reads 100 books a year, I can usually spot where writers are going before they even get there. I've read several of Kellerman's books, but this one is not predictable and never gets old, and is so skillfully written that no matter how many times I read Over The Edge, I can't figure out how he ties everything up in such a neat package and ends the story with such a meaningful last sentence, which makes me cry every time I turn the last page.

As for the plot: How could the imprisoned and nearly comatose (when we first meet him face to face, and for most of the novel) Jamey Cadmus have strangled and mutilated a handful of prostitutes? But all the evidence points toward him. When we eventually find out why he is the only suspect, we have uncovered some of the rottenest, meanest forms of inhumanity towards the most vulnerable in our society.

Kellerman has filled Over The Edge with larger than life, colorful characters, even the secondary ones: Tully Antrim is kinda hip and cool; the art store owner has a major attitude; even the players in the Mexican restaurant seemed to have full lives beyond their short scene. I imagine Kellerman had a lot of fun with the two cops and all their scenes; I crack up every time they show up. As for the major characters, Alex Delaware is always a delightful pleasure to meet and get to know; Milo is a sweetie; Robin is a pleasant mystery; and Jamey, every time we meet him, is an uncomfortable reminder of whether or not he is guilty of extreme violence.

Kellerman tapped into some of my deepest fears: I was considered highly gifted at an early age, was aware of the term "genius/madness" shortly thereafter, and subsequently terrified that something horrible would go wrong with my brain, as happens to Jamey. The ride Kellerman takes me on every time I read this is frightening, thrilling, interesting and ultimately satisfying. I will never forget Jamey's story.

Jamie is a tormented young genius. At twelve, he was a client of Dr. Delaware's and also the youngest member of a pilot study called Project 160, a program for teens with IQs upward of 160.

After a five year silence, Dr. Delaware gets a mysterious telephone call from Jamie in the middle of the night. Overmedicated, hallucinating and confused, Jamie spits out a bizarre message that is calling for intervention. He is a patient at a hospital in the Canyons. Dr. Delaware races over there only to discover that Jamie had been kidnapped from his room.

Jamie's abduction and subsequent breakdown lead Dr. Delaware on a labyrinthine chase involving the head of Project 160, who had an agenda of her own; Jamie's aunt and uncle who grudgingly took in this gifted, tormented boy; a spurned gay lover; some wild bikers...the list is quite long. Dr. Delaware has to find Jamie within a certain time frame. Developers, also, want to know about Jamie and what information he might have. Jamie's uncle has an attorney, a man with long established ties to Jamie's family who is key figure in the case.

This book takes you through the underbelly of parts of Southern California. This is an unforgettable book.

(Note: Melody Quinn's story was in Kellerman's first mystery, not in this one).

As a mental health professional it was a interesting read. A few theories regarding Schizophrenia have changes since the 1980's but still a fun read. If you enjoy a twisting mystery with a background of old money and mental illness you will enjoy this book.

(Book 3 of author's Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis series.) When child-psychologist Alex Delaware gets an incoherent, late-night call from a former patient, he is pulled into an investigation of the brutal murders of male prostitutes, among others. This rather salacious story has a lot of twists and turns which end when all is fully revealed during the final Sturgis/Delaware confrontation with the masterminds (i.e. guilty parties in the 'drawing room'). If only the book actually ended at that point. But Kellerman decides to grant Delaware a chance to be a psychologist - a session that should have stayed confidential and not brought the book to a dull ending.

Most Kellerman fans will enjoy this book. While the twists and turns are fun, some clues in the unraveling appeared too contrived. Kellerman also leaves some interesting threads dangling undeveloped - particularly in regards to detective Milo Sturgis. The beginning of the book continues to develop the friendship between Delaware and Sturgis, as well as issues Sturgis is having in his department and personal life. These threads are simply dropped about half way through the book. Delaware girlfriend, Robin, actually contributes a contact in this investigation, but continues to be a stick-figure, Barbie.

This is the third Alex Delaware novel written by Jonathan Kellerman, but
it's the second one I've read. The first one I read was a much more
recent novel (Therapy) and was kind of slow going at first, but this one
had me hooked on page one! Alex Delaware is an intriguing character and
it makes a nice twist to have a crime novel told by someone more on the
fringe of the investigation. Delaware is a Psychologist who sometimes
does consulting for the police department. His good friend Milo Sturgis
is a homicide detective, so Delaware is often drawn into complicated and
grisly cases.

This book starts with a phone call in the wee hours which turns out to
be a crisis call from a former patient. James Cadmus had been a child
genius, but now has evidently gone off the deep end. When he is found
with two mutilated bodies and the bloody knife in his hand, it seems
obvious he's a homicidal maniac. But Delaware isn't so sure. It's a
wickedly tangled web, but Delaware finds help in some unexpected places
and the truth slowly becomes clear. Great stuff.

I love the dynamic between Alex and his friend Milo. Poor Milo has a new
captain who doesn't like him, so he's going through hell at work at the
moment and that leads to the bottle and trouble at home too. But you'll
just have to read the book to find out how that turns out.

And now I must go read all the other volumes in this series. There are
TWENTY of them! ARGH!

I only recently became a Kellerman reader, and I have enjoyed this book quite a lot. I am an avid mystery reader and, even though I find Alex Delaware pretty unbelievable, I enjoy him. In this series this one came second only to the Murder Book. My favourite Kellerman so far, however, is Billy Straight (possibily even more unbelievable but, then, I simply devour Harry Potter, despite being a grown-up). Just be sure to start this book when you have a free weekend...