Customer Reviews

Silent Partner (Alex Delaware, No. 4)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When Psychologist / Detective, Alex Delaware, is invited to a party for a Los Angeles sex therapist, thrown at an elaborate mansion. He ignores the invitation. But soon his curiosity gets the better of him. After all, it'll be nice to see how the other half lives. But soon, Alex runs into someone from his past, Sharon Ransom. Someone whom he was deeply in love with, but who left him without a moment's notice more than a decade earlier. Sharon now seems jumpy and nervous about something. What, Alex doesn't know. But he plans to find out, as he makes a lunch date with her. One that never happens, as she is found dead the next day. The cause, an apparent suicide. Alex knows better. Driven by his own guilt over Sharon's death, he decides to find out what really happened to her. His detective work takes him on a journey through some of California's richest areas, and most powerful people, and into the minds of many people, where childhood terror is still lurking.

This was my first Jonathan Kellerman book, and I am very pleased with the results of it. Kellerman is a strong writer, who builds up an enticing plot, and interesting characters from the get-go, and makes you want to find out who the culprit of the novel is. Alex Delaware is an enjoyable character, if not a bit gloomy sometimes, who takes you into the minds of many people, both young and old. Fans of Stephen White will enjoy Kellerman's way of weaving a story together, that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. A must-have.

Erika Sorocco

While this book kept me fully captivated, waiting to see what happened next, Mr. Kellerman's work seemed a bit shaky when it came to the conclusion and wrap up section. It was too easy a fix, and became rather unbelievable at the end.

This is my first J. Kellerman book, and WOW, this writer has me hooked already. The book has it all -- romance, rejection, confusion, a woman involved in pornography, there's blackmail, problems at the job level, issues with professional personalities in scholastic settings that are not so professional, and an interesting question -- which woman do you believe? And both women appear to share the same body.

This had me going from the first page to the last. Foreshadowing even kept you guessing -- you knew what was going to happen, or did you? Just when you thought, "I got it!" he added another twist to the plot. I was unprepared for the ending, as was the author's intention. I recently obtained another J. Kellerman book and am trying to hurry through my other stack of books so I can get to it! (Oh, I might just have to sneak it in there sooner....)

The characterization -- awesome. You feel like Alex is your best friend, or maybe even YOU, in another life. The descriptions make the reader feel THAT close to Alex. Excitement in this book never ends. I was annoyed when it ended because I wanted more, more, more! You must read this book and have the ride of your life, or at least your book-reading life. I have students who think reading is boring. Clearly, they've never read Jonathan Kellerman!

I have read all of the Alex Delaware books by J. Kellerman to date, and am eagerly awaiting his next, but "Silent Partner" is the first one I read, and it was such good reading, it made me want more of this interesting character! I have since read all his fiction novels, and love them all, but still think "Silent Partner" the best. So many odd twists and turns, not even the best arm chair detective can anticipate the plot. It held my attention from first word to the last, and I hated to see it end. It was the book that hooked me on Jonathan Kellerman novels. You find yourself wishing that you knew Alex Delaware as a real person. But it is the mystery that captivates and keeps us interested.

i enjoy the kellerman novels, but this one was a slight disappointment. a bit meandering, a little overwritten, several flashbacks, and with the most exciting interpersonal dynamics and scenes involving the antagonists being revealed, barely, in retrospective conversation. and finally, are they twins?, triplets?, multiple personalities?, borderlines verging on psychotic?, on and on and on. who knows? after 450 pages, one doesn't much care. with a *who's on first??* narrative that was not very enjoyable, but kind of irritating. what little psychological suspense there is, is eclipsed by the extended series of closing scenes. i hope the next one is tighter. by the way, the length of the novel, for a mystery was not a problem at all, it was a content issue.

Readers who know other Jonathan Kellerman novels may be just a little bit disappointed. This one is on the one hand pretty simple as far as the action is concerned. But the plot is not really conceivable, the events are sometimes too far away from any acceptable reality, the psychology is more related to that of a Sidney Sheldon novel than to that of a professional. The ending is illogical, and the origins and the upbringing of Sharon are simply improbable.
But nevertheless, the story is suspenseful and by no means boring. But this is the only credit I can give it. Kellerman has done a lot better in his other books - at least those I know. He may be forgiven this one.

Well, even though the alex Delaware series has me hooked, 'Silent Partner' wasn't what I expected it to be.... I like the main idea for the book, good twin/bad twin, etc, But it kinda rambled at times, and i found myself losing attention with some parts. So in short, this book was alright. Although I like every other J. Kellerman book I've read, I found Silent Partner to be not as good as the others he's written. Ja ne! -Sheena

This one is scary! The climax is scarier than that of Bad Love - and

that one is SCARY! Even though Alex ... well, I don't want to give

anything away, so I'll just leave it at that. Alex sure does get himself

into spooky situations. And he can't keep his mouth shut! Who would have

thought Alex would be such as smartalec?

In this one Alex and Robin are seperated and she's off finding herself

or something. In his boredom and despair, he agrees to attend a faculty

party celebrating the appointment of a new department head. Alex and his

friend Larry attend just to make snide remarks about Paul Kruse, the man

of honor. At the party, Alex spots an old flame and that's when all the

trouble starts.

Sharon corners him and all his conflicting emotions flood to the

surface. She says she is not doing so well and wants to get together

with him - just to talk. He agrees, but later, he regrets it and calls

to cancel, leaves a message on her machine. The next day, she is dead -

an apparent suicide - and Alex blames himself. He flashes back to their

relationship in Grad School - which is pretty darned steamy - and then

starts digging - into her past as well as into his own soul and what he

finds isn't all that pretty.

At the start, Milo and Rick are off on a fishing trip and Milo's

description of this trip is pretty darned funny. Alex gets his friend

involved in all the mess, though, and then goes off on his own, leaving

poor Milo out in the cold. I hope he makes it up to Milo in the next

book.

Another book I couldn't put down - another sleepless night - I should

charge the author for my sleep deprivation therapy.

In a word, Silent Partner is magnificent!

Child psychologist, Alex Delaware, is living life in the dumps temporarily separated from his lover, Robin, who has asked for some space and time to find herself. On a last minute whim, he attends a society soirée and encounters Sharon Ransom, a former girlfriend who makes it abundantly clear that she'd like to meet and re-connect with Alex. Uncertain of either of their motives and feeling to do so would needlessly complicate his life, Alex declines but is horrified to discover the next day that Sharon has taken her own life. No doubt driven by intense feelings of guilt, Alex embarks on an investigation of the circumstances of her suicide and walks into a tangled weave of multiple murder, corporate shenanigans, drugs, sex, pornography and psychological mayhem that only a writer of Kellerman's skill could conceive of and actually keep under control.

Over and over again, Kellerman catches his readers with a delicously nasty habit - the details seems complete, the explanations are in hand and the story appears headed for a dénouement - then the twist happens and we're tossed back into the thick of things. And, this happens not just once but two or three times in the space of the final hundred pages.

Despite the fact that this is a fine murder thriller, perhaps Kellerman's best, the violence actually takes second place to the psychological drama and the narration of a wealth of detail about the art of psycho-analysis. Sharon Ransom's case study, for example, that she submitted as her PhD thesis was positively chilling and I have no doubt could be a reflection of the distressing reality that analysts encounter with more seriously disturbed clients.

If you're going to start Silent Partner, make sure you've got a few spare hours carved out and already set aside. You won't want to put it down!

This book was my introduction to Dr. Alex Delaware and to Jonathan Kellerman's books. That was so many years ago but it is still the best of his works to date, in my opinion. I have since read every book ever written by Jonathan Kellerman and most of the ones written by his wife, Faye Kellerman, but this remains my favorite. I am still waiting for him to top it. I do enjoy his Alex Delaware novels over the ones he has written with someone else as the main character. All of his mysteries are interesting, but for some reason, I tend to be able to "bond" more with Alex Delaware, he seems more "real" to me. "Butcher's Theater" was very good also, but having the locale in Israel sort of messed that one up for me, though it is an excellent story/mystery, and I loved the characters in it, but they seemed more suited to Faye Kellerman's books, being all Jewish. I just didn't like the foreign locale. So far, though, "Silent Partner" is the winner for best mystery and story, as well as for the most surprises in a novel! C'mon Jonathan, let's see you top this one!