When the Bough Breaks (Alex Delaware) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jonathan Kellerman (Author) "It was shaping up as a beautiful morning..." (more)
Key Phrases: Bonita Quinn, Los Angeles, Santa Monica (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"An engrossing thriller... this knockout of an  entertainment is the kind of book which establishes a  career in one stroke." -- New York  Newsday

"Suspenseful,  neatly spun, fascinating." -- Philadelphia Daily  News

"Grab yourself a copy soon."  -- Los Angeles Times

  "An exceptionally exciting thriller!" --  The New York Times -- Review

Review
"An engrossing thriller... this knockout of an  entertainment is the kind of book which establishes a  career in one stroke." -- New York  Newsday

"Suspenseful,  neatly spun, fascinating." -- Philadelphia Daily  News

"Grab yourself a copy soon."  -- Los Angeles Times

  "An exceptionally exciting thriller!" --  The New York Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (November 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345466608
• ISBN-13: 978-0345466600
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #54,941 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #18 in

  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( K ) > Kellerman, Jonathan

• This is item 1 in The Jonathan Kellerman: Alex Delaware Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Introducing Dr. Alex Delaware., August 10, 2002

By	Mary J. Alderdice "geek, book lover, craft fiend" (Centreville, VA, US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: When the Bough Breaks (Alex Delaware Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Child psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware seems to have it all. A beautiful home, a loving woman, a luxurious car, and retirement in his early thirties. There aren't many that can claim the bounties that Dr. Delaware has in his life. However, all is not well with Dr. Delaware. With a psyche still scarred by the horrors brought to his doorstep by a lonely and sick man, Alex finds himself adrift, simply existing and not really living.

That is, until his friend and LAPD detective Milo Sturgis comes to him and asks for help. Milo is working a double homicide case, and the only witness they have at this time is Melody Quinn, a quiet, troubled, 7-year-old girl. Milo wants Alex to dust off his couch and talk to Melody. Little did Alex know that this simple favor would set off a chain of events that would have dire consequences on his life.

This is the first of Jonathan Kellerman's highly popluar Dr. Alex Delaware series, and I can see why this first book has led to many more. Dr. Delaware is an interesting character with several different - and often conflicting - aspects to his personality. Milo Sturgis, the slovenly LAPD Homicide detective with a heart of gold and unique personality foibles all his own is Alex's co-star, and is a fascinating character in his own right.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and look forward to reading the further adventures of Dr. Delaware.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Start With This One, September 5, 2000

By	Rob Lawrence (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When the Bough Breaks (Alex Delaware Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you are looking to start reading the works of Jonathon Kellerman, specifically the Alex Delaware series, then this is a great one to start with. It, like the others, is written in the first person. IF you start with the others, like I did, you may find trouble associating with or understanding Dr. Delaware, the protagonist, and his background. This book sets up the characters, lays the foundation for the following books, and at the same time delivers a great story. Mr. Kellerman does a good job of mixing in numerous characters and plot twists to the extent that the first victim in this book gets "lost" in the middle of the story, but gets tied back in at the end.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pschologist/Action Hero, July 25, 2000

By	Wilma J. Howell "geekette" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: When the Bough Breaks (Alex Delaware, No. 1) (Paperback)

This is Jonathan Kellerman's first novel featuring Dr. Alex Delaware, an over-achieving child psychologist who suffered from burnout in his early 30's and dropped out. The novel reads as though Kellerman is just having some fun writing. Fortunately, he takes his readers along for the ride.

Dr. Delaware goes from mild-mannered chid psychologist to psychologist/sleuth to psychologist/action hero as the story progresses.

Not all of the characters are as fully developed as I might have liked, but there were just too many characters to develop them all fully. The characterizations provided, however, were fairly good. Check Kellerman's later works to see how he expands and develops this talent.

The pacing was good, but there was a little too much deux ex machina to make the story truly believable. It's such a good read, however, I didn't really mind.