Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
City of the Dead
City of the Dead: An Alex Delaware Novel | Jonathan Kellerman
13 posts | 8 read | 2 to read
The past comes back to haunt psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis when they investigate a grisly double homicide and uncover an even more unspeakable motive in this riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense. Los Angeles is a city of sunlight, celebrity, and possibility. The L.A. often experienced by Homicide Lt. Detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist Alex Delaware, is a city of the dead. Early one morning, the two of them find themselves in a neighborhood of pretty houses, pretty cars, and pretty people. The scene they encounter is anything but. A naked young man lies dead in the street, the apparent victim of a collision with a moving van hurtling through suburbia in the darkness. But any thoughts of accidental death vanish when a blood trail leads to a nearby home. Inside, a young woman lies butchered. The identity of the male victim and his role in the horror remain elusive, but that of the woman creates additional questions. And adding to the shock, Alex has met her while working a convoluted child custody case. Cordelia Gannett was a self-styled internet influencer whod gotten into legal troubles by palming herself off as a psychologist. Even after promising to desist, shes found a loophole and has continued her online career, aiming to amass clicks and ads by cyber-coaching and cyber-counseling people plagued with relationship issues. But upon closer examination, Alex and Milo discover that her own relationships are troublesome, including a tortured family history and a dubious personal past. Has that come back to haunt her in the worst way? Is the mystery man out in the street collateral damage or will he turn out to be the key to solving a grisly double homicide? As the psychologist and the detective explore L.A.'s meanest streets, they peel back layer after layer of secrets and encounter a savage, psychologically twisted, almost unthinkable motive for violence and bloodshed. This is classic Delaware: Alex, a man Milo has come to see as irreplaceable, at his most insightful and brilliant.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
blurb
Traci1
post image

This book was recently left in my LFL. I rarely take books out, but this one looked good, & I'm really enjoying it. Thing is, it's book 37 of a series that apparently started in 1985. So, I'm wondering, if you've read any of these, would you recommend going back and starting from the beginning? Or should I just see which ones I can find at the local FotL (their paperbacks are $0.50) and read them out of order?

KathyWheeler I‘ve read most of this series, but when I first started reading them, I read them out of order. I started reading them in order after the first few. I‘m not sure it matters a ton if you read them out of order although, of course, some of the characters‘ lives change some. 11mo
Ruthiella I think you should read them in order because you will easily find cheap copies and/or your library will have them - so it won‘t be difficult. Jonathan Kellerman is such a powerhouse; a lot of readers buy his books and the give them away when finished. 11mo
Traci1 @KathyWheeler @Ruthiella thank you. I was able to borrow the first couple off libby this morning. So I do think I'll try to read them in order. I do wonder how jarring going back to 1985 will be. 😄 I finished this one and really enjoyed it. How have I never read him before?? It's kind of exciting finding a new long series to delve into. 11mo
Ruthiella Certainly traveling back in time will be interesting! 😂 You also might like to try his wife‘s books - Faye Kellerman. Also mysteries but with a love story and religious conversion arc (at least in the early books). 11mo
KathyWheeler @Ruthiella I like her books too. I generally always get either the ebook or the print of her work, while I always get the audiobook of JK‘s books — I love John Rubinstein‘s narration. Their son, Jesse Kellerman, is also a writer, but I haven‘t read anything by him yet. 11mo
52 likes5 comments
blurb
Tripex

Going good, morning, chilling and reading. Murder mystery, Milo and Alex to the rescue.

blurb
Tripex

Forgotten I had read Serpentine. Discovered after like two pages in lol. On to the next one, City of the Dead. Jonathan Kellerman, no one does it better.

13 likes1 stack add
review
CaitlinR
post image
Mehso-so

There is something so comforting about revisiting well known characters. I genuinely like Alex Delaware and Milo Strugis.The familiar patterns of Alex‘s life: Robin, the Koi pond and the lovely dog, Daphne. Long standing series, (these began to appear in 1985) also run the risk of becoming formulaic. Unfortunately, this one falls into that category: horrific murders, unknown assailant until Alex figures it out. Maybe the next one will be better.

CaitlinR Author photo by Joan Allen 2y
25 likes1 comment
review
Kempfme
Mehso-so

This is my first read by Jonathan Kellerman. I did not realize that this was a part of a long time series. I was a little lost at times, so I might want to go back and start at the beginning.
Anyone else read this series?

review
KathyWheeler
post image
Pickpick

While I enjoyed this book, the solution depended far too much on one gigantic coincidence. I‘m still going to give it a pick despite that because it‘s nice to follow Alex and Milo again on an interesting case. I also always listen to these books because John Rubinstein is a great narrator and gives both characters distinct voices. That pink tree is outside the botanical gardens; this is the first year that I‘ve seen it bloom. #audiowalk

blurb
KathyWheeler
post image

It was such a lovely day that I decided to go to Bellingrath Gardens. Not a lot is blooming right now except for the azaleas. It was still lovely. #audiowalk

lynneamch Just a week left of this visit so don't think we'll get to Bellingrath this year, but really enjoyed it in the past. Probably check out Ballyhoo this weekend. 2y
KathyWheeler @lynneamch I love Bellingrath — the gardens anyway. I go there a lot. The house, I‘ve been to once and that was enough. Have fun at Ballyhoo. (edited) 2y
28 likes2 comments
blurb
KathyWheeler
post image

I‘m really liking this book so far. There were a couple of Alex Delaware books that made me wonder if Kellerman had lost his touch but the last few have been good. This seems like it might be a good one. I have no idea what is tied to the tree in the top right pic. #audiowalk

blurb
KathyWheeler
post image

I love the audiobooks of Jonathan Kellerman‘s Alex Delaware novels; John Rubinstein is such a great narrator. City of the Dead is my new walking book. It didn‘t rain while I was out, but it sure looked like it would. That patch of blue in the top right pic is all the blue I saw; everything else was dark grey. #audiowalk

16 likes1 stack add
review
Suelizbeth
post image
Pickpick

A rather tame Alex Delaware installment, but with a surprising conclusion. Seemingly unsolvable murders, other seemingly related murders, lots of psychology, nothing really scary. It was a good read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

blurb
Kappadeemom
post image

Bailed on my other book and going to start this one instead.

Tripex It's out? Yay! 2y
Kappadeemom @Tripex it‘s out on the 8th! (I have an advanced copy) 2y
Tripex @Kappadeemom lucky you. 2y
38 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
robinb
post image
Mehso-so

Full disclosure, I started this not knowing it was 37th in a series…😆😳. Luckily I was able to glean enough not to feel totally lost. Alex Delaware is a psychologist who aids LA police when he‘s not busy with his own clients. This case revolves around a double homicide…a woman who has a media presence as a relationship expert and her hairdresser. It‘s a decent story with a neat twist at the end. But I did have some issues with it. The writing 🔻

robinb AND the characters felt too uniform and flat. There were a lot of “I said”, “he said” and very little action or suspense. I didn‘t feel invested and found myself in no hurry to get back to it from breaks in reading. Also, this reminded me a lot of the In Death series (JD Robb) as far as characters, their personalities, etc. 🔻 2y
robinb But unfortunately it didn‘t spark a connection like that series does with me. Overall, for me personally, I‘d say it‘s just a “meh”. 3/5⭐️ 2y
51 likes2 comments