Gone by Jonathan Kellerman

I forgot why I picked up Mr. Kellerman's book last time I went to the bookstore, but I must of read about him somewhere. I have seen his and his wife's books before, but for some reason when I bought this book I sought him out. My memory is failing me. However, it was an interesting book and I enjoyed it. I give it a B.



From Amazon:

In "a reality show episode that backfired," two twentysomethings fake a kidnapping to jump-start their acting careers. When criminal psychologist Alex Delaware is called in to evaluate one of the pair, Michaela Brand, he learns a few details that come in handy later, after she's found brutally murdered, and the case has fallen into the lap of Alex's buddy, Lieutenant Milo Sturges. The murder trail leads back to an acting studio operated by wealthy, drug-addled Nora Dowd; a steady stream of starstruck would-be thespians arrive at the studio--and then sometimes disappear. Gradually, the pool of suspects widens, as more people turn up missing and dead. As usual, Kellerman maintains a tight balance between suspense and characterization, using dialogue to push things quickly along: Delaware and Sturges bounce theories off one another in rapid succession--as much from habit as necessity. Neither gets everything right; the truth is much more horrifying than either suspected.

Mr. Kellerman definitely has a different type of writing style and uses a ton of dialogue. While it made for easy reading, I think it took away from some of the development of characters. I didn't feel like I got to know a whole lot about the characters but I have a feeling that part of the reason is because I read the 19th book in this series. I don't think I missed out too much by reading out of line but more like some of Alex's personal life. Maybe someone who has read all of his other books could let me know. I did like the suspense, though most of it was told to us instead of it happening in front of our eyes. Most of the suspense came from trying to figure out who did it instead of what was going to happen next. Like I said, I did enjoy this book and will probably read some more of his, though I would probably get them from the library.


Up next is The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. I read about this series in a Romantic Times issue. It is supposed to be like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, and I really enjoy those (though they have kind of teetered off lately). I got it from the library and hope that it stands up to be as funny as everyone has said. I could use with some nice humor right now. The weather here is horrible and we now are in the 6th snowiest season since records were started. While I got a wonderful snow day yesterday from work, we may get up to another 10 inches of snow tomorrow night through all day Saturday. I know spring is supposed to be 2 weeks away, but it definitely doesn't seem like it here. I am sick of the gray ugliness and freezing temperatures. I was going to go to Florida for Spring Break, but other financial responsibilities came up so hopefully it will be a little nicer here. I would love some nice weather to air out my house. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and Happy Reading!