Book Review Older-41st

Review—GONE

Jonathan Kellerman wrote the book Gone. Ballantine Books published the book in March 2006 and it has 365 pages.

Hollywood is a place where the hopeful go to become stars. The fame, fortune, glamour, and all the dreams that are intertwined lead many to this golden city. Some do not care what form their fame or infamy takes. When two hopefuls set up a kidnapping as a hoax, Alex Delaware, a psychologist, becomes involved. Later when one is found murdered, Alex collaborates up with his friend Milo, who is the homicide detective working this crime.

Alex and Milo hunt through the streets of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas looking for answers to a young girl’s murder. They find more questions. From an acting school with a questionable reputation to an old murder case in Vegas that somehow may be related. One young woman leads to another and they lead to more. One suspect throws suspicion on a new suspect and any other player that may be nearby. Through a mix of personalities and their instabilities, Alex is also dealing with his personal life. He is attempting to reunite with one of his past relationships and in the middle of this, the result of a recent consultation comes back to bite him. He is being stalked because of this, and the threat from this corner blindsides him. Between Alex and Milo, the case is resolved, but they are left with haunting residues of the many findings uncovered in this crime.

The many characters involved in this crime combine taxidermy, murder, the Oedipal complex in a fashion, lust, jealousy, and many other emotions, strategies, and motives to cover a span of two decades. Jonathan Kellerman has again brought his character Alex Delaware to new heights of the depravity of the human mind. His best friend Milo supports him and counts on his advice in a case that has a minefield of difficult personalities. This book is one of many in a series of Delaware novels, it reads a bit slower that some in the past but the speed picks up and it finishes nicely. However, it does leave you to believe there may be more to learn later.