In Edgar-winner Kellerman's less than compelling 27th Alex Delaware novel (after 2011's Mystery), the child psychologist/police consultant and his LAPD homicide detective pal, Lt. Milo Sturgis, look into the possibly ritualistic murder of 56-year-old Vita Berlin, whose mutilated body was found lying on some towels in her apartment. An odd note left in a pizza box is about the only clue. When another body turns up similarly butchered and more follow, it's enough to put even the food-loving Milo off his feed. At Milo's request, Alex talks to Berlin's psychologist in the hope of getting some insight into the difficult, self-righteous woman. Trying to figure out the tortuous link between killer and victims takes Alex back to his days as a young psychology intern and his supervisor, "a former research assistant to Anna Freud during the London years." Too many plot contrivances make this one of Kellerman's weaker efforts, but the usual effective interplay between Alex and Milo should satisfy series fans. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Drawing from insights gained in his clinical work with mentally distressed children, Kellerman pulls the reader into a macabre case of ritualistic slaughter in his 27th Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis title (following Mystery). After discovering two identically grisly murders, the investigative duo (Delaware is a psychologist, Sturgis an LAPD lieutenant) strive to connect the apparently unrelated victims. As the body count rises, names and experiences from Delaware's clinical training begin to surface unexpectedly and the case becomes personal. Verdict Kellerman's bizarre yet plausible thriller will be a treat for his many fans, who will recognize and appreciate the emphasis upon psychological detail and insight instead of more customary sleuthing terminology. They will also enjoy the smooth repartee between Alex and Milo as they unearth mysterious clues with monstrous and unsettling implications. [Library marketing.]-Jerry P. Miller, Cambridge, MA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Mystery, 2011, etc.) will get exactly what they've come to expect: a thoughtful Alex, a mildly sarcastic Milo and a well-constructed plot, although here the final sequences seem more in keeping with TV melodrama than Kellerman's usual product.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In the latest Alex Delaware novel, solving a series of murders requires putting together a particularly difficult jigsaw puzzle. What do several seemingly unconnected victims have in common? As psychologist Delaware and LAPD detective Milo Sturgis struggle to put the pieces of the puzzle together, the body count keeps growing: a nasty, friendless woman; an accountant; a married couple; a homeless man. Clues are hard to come by, and even when Delaware begins to get a glimpse of the big picture, it's fuzzy, the killer's identity hidden, perhaps forever, in the shadows of history. The first Delaware novel, When the Bough Breaks, was published in 1985, but Kellerman has kept the series from devolving into mere formula by finding new variations on the psychological-forensic-thriller format. This one is presented as a procedural, and, as with Ed McBain's 87th Precinct novels, it's the step-by-step process of the investigation that keeps us turning the pages. In the long-running Delaware series, this one is in the top tier. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Kellerman's books have sold more than 40 million copies; he has had three number-one New York Times best-sellers; and his Alex Delaware novels have won both Edgar and Anthony Awards. Now that's a track record.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist