True Detectives [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Jonathan Kellerman (Author), Jeff Harding (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

Moses Reed and Aaron Fox have the same mother; their respective fathers were cops, friends, and partners. And despite their shared calling, their turbulent family history has set them at odds. Moses is a no-frills LAPD detective; Aaron is a smooth-talking private eye. Usually they go their separate ways, but the disappearance of straight-A student Caitlin Frostig isn’t usual. Reluctantly tag-teaming to crack a cold case that won’t die, Moses and Aaron descend into the sinister underside of the City of Angels. Surrounded by twisted millionaire moguls, tarnished trophy wives, and famous faces with hellish secrets, they pull no punches as they penetrate the strange, seductive world of glamour, wealth, and power to keep L.A.’s dark dreamland from claiming another lost soul.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

PI Aaron Fox and L.A. cop Moe Reed, interracial half-brothers who played minor roles in 2008's Bones, take center stage in bestseller Kellerman's routine 24th Alex Delaware novel. When Fox, who used to work for the LAPD, looks into the missing-persons case of 20-year-old Caitlin Frostig, he runs into conflict with Reed. The brothers end up pursuing some predictable lines of inquiry, checking out Rory Stoltz, Frostig's college boyfriend, as well as links to a filmmaker, Lem Dement, who's suspected of domestic abuse. More A-list connections surface after the investigators learn Stoltz was the personal assistant for actor Mason Book, whose rumored suicide attempt came shortly after Frostig's disappearance. The strains between Fox and Reed don't generate much heat, while the pacing and writing aren't up to Kellerman's best. Hopefully, Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis, relegated to cameos, will be back in their usual starring positions next time. (Mar. 24)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Instead of the usual Delaware/Sturgis investigative duo, Kellerman returns to two new crime solvers, stepbrothers who appeared briefly in last year’s Bones. Though both are sons of cops, they couldn’t be more different. Biracial Aaron pulls in a sweet six figures as a PI, which allows him to indulge in Ferré shirts and Magli shoes; younger Moses, a forthright, muscle-bound blond, does things by the book for the LAPD. Childhood rivalries, misunderstandings, and different personalities have kept them at odds throughout their lives. Then, suddenly, they find themselves working on the same case: the disappearance of a young college student. Competitors at first, the brothers gradually become a kind of team, each one adding bits and pieces to a sprawling case that morphs into something completely different from what it was to begin with—involving a washed-up celebrity, an abusive Hollywood director, a drug pusher, a couple of prostitutes, and a missing baby. Kellerman continues to play fast and loose with his plotting, but everything eventually comes together here, with a few surprises. What’s best, though, is seeing Kellerman step outside of the all-too-familiar he relies on in the Delaware novels and introduce a couple of characters that have the potential to take his work in fresh directions. --Stephanie Zvirin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: ISIS Audio Books (September 1, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 0753143232
• ISBN-13: 978-0753143230
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)

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

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars who's doing his writing these days?, April 9, 2009

By 

Pat (Austin, TX, United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: True Detectives: A Novel (Hardcover)

The Jonathan Kellerman writing style has changed so much, I suspect someone else ghost wrote this book. I can barely wade through the metaphors and slang to figure out what he's saying. It's really awful. Can't imagine whoever wrote this stuff thinks it's clever, but I bet they do. J Kellerman just dropped off my favorite authors list and probably off my future purchases list. And, by the way, the story just goes nowhere.

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not One Of His Best., April 2, 2009

By 

Peter W. Reed (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: True Detectives: A Novel (Hardcover)

This tale is complicated by lots of characters with the two main ones brothers who don't trust each other: one a private detective, the other a police officer, both working on the same case. I had a good bit of trouble keeping track of which brother knew what, had done what, told the other one what. I found it very confusing. Far too many descriptions of "fashion" clothes worn by the private detective...who cares? And there just seemed to be too many characters for the plot, some not at all well developed. Kellerman has written a lot of good, enjoyable novels; I don't find this to be one of them.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, April 3, 2009

By 

Phoenix_dream (Wheaton, Il USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: True Detectives: A Novel (Hardcover)

I am a huge fan of Jonathan Kellerman, and I really, really wanted to like this book. I just could not get into it. I actually stopped reading after about 1/3 of the book because I found myself feeling that reading it was a chore rather than a pleasure. I found I just could not make myself care about the characters. They do not appeal to me at all. The plot just did not capture my interest and I agree that it seemed overly complicated. I imagine authors sometimes get tired of writing about their usual characters but please don't use your faithful readers as guinea pigs for poorly thought experiments.