#LostSouls #NetGalley I love Jonathan Kellerman books and this book had two strong storylines running parallel in the story. Part of a series but perfectly capable of being read as a stand alone. I enjoyed both story lines and I really like the character of Clay Edison. I did find the chapters regarding the protests at the park a bit longwinded and repetitive and distracted from the main stories without adding any real value. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the stories regarding the search for the baby's mother and the search for Peter's sister.

This book was not for me. I thought it was well written and the idea was good, but it was a little too American and did not hold my interest.. Although I frequently read American crime novels, there was something about the style of this book that did not appeal to me..

I enjoyed this book a lot and Johnathan Kellerman again did not disappoint! It was also a very good collaboration and I will look out for more books from the two of them.

I like the fact that it started off as one storyline that then split in two with both being very strong stories.
On the one side, there's the discovery of remains on a building site. Who was this infant and how did he land up buried here? Another question; is this sacred ground and will the people allow it to be developed.
The other storyline is about a baby girl that is missing and her brother who is looking for her. He doesn't know her name or age. How will Clay be able to find her with no information available on her whereabouts?

This is a book with many facets that will keep you entertained from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK Cornerstone for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a good read but quite complex in its storylines and therefore I found it quite hard going at times. I enjoyed the ending and how the story came together but it did take some perseverance to continue with it.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book.

Firstly, thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

This was a very complicated story, and I found it difficult to follow at first, as there were a lot of characters, and I wasn’t sure who was who. However, I did like Clay Edison, the main character.

He works for the Coroners Department and he has two investigations going on in the book. His “work” one starts with the discovery of a child’s bones in a public park which is being developed. The “private” one follows on from a phone call from a man who claims the remains maybe those of his sister. The investigations take him to various parts of the country, and involves violence, family secrets and betrayal. Totally unexpected conclusion, and handled well.

It is a good story, the first one I have read by Jonathan Kellerman, and I will certainly read more of his books in the future.

This is the first book by these authors that I have read and I'm not sure I was overly impressed. There were some good bits and the plot was strong but it meandered along quite a lot and seemed disjointed. I also missed the background to a lot of the main character's story so I think I would have benefited from starting from the first book of the series, rather than starting from book 3.

I wasn’t sure I would like this, having been very wedded to the characters in Jonathan Kellerman’s other books, but I took to the main character quickly. Despite being a collaborative effort, the writing was not at all disjointed. A gripping read which crime lovers will enjoy. I hope we see more of these characters.

This is my first Jonathan Kellerman novel and there my first in the Clay Edison series. The story is one which stands alone and the lack of a back story does not impact on the enjoyment, and readability, of this thriller.
Clay has been called to the discovery of human bones found wrapped in a blanket when the People’s Park is been excavated in a residential development. Clay is then drawn into the world of civil resistance and the rights & wrongs of urban development. Clay also agrees to help Peter Franchette find out what happened to the baby sister he never knew.
An enjoyable page turner which kept adding layers, although I have not read the previous ‘episodes’ in the Clay Edison story it is certainly a series of books I will look out for.

Lost Souls follows County Coroner Deputy Clay Edison. The story begins with bones being found at a local park and from there the story forks. Clay does some investigative work for a man who believes the bones belong to his sister.
There are many twists and turns in the story, always good when you don't see them coming.
I had not read anything by the authors before but I enjoyed the way this was written and will look out for other books by them.
If you enjoy a detective/crime story that keeps you intrigued then this is definitely worth a read.

It is some years since I read a Jonathan Kellerman book so I did not know what to expect. I understand this is the third in a series written with Jesse Kellerman but it read quite comfortably as a stand alone. Although I quite liked the main character, Clay Edison, I found the beginning of the book often quite confusing and as if it was meandering between subjects. Eventually I became interested in Edison's search for a missing child and the outcome but the book overall was not compelling for me. I understand this book also goes under the title Half Moon Bay.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Jonathan Kellerman/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am a huge fan of Jonathan Kellerman and have read all of his Alex Delaware series. I have read his son Jesse's debut novel but this is my first introduction to their collaborative series featuring Deputy Coroner Clay Edison.

The remains of an infant are discovered by developers in a local park in Berkeley, California. Clay is involved in the investigation and is contacted by a man who believes the remains may be those of his sister who went missing 50 years ago.

Firstly, I don't think you need to have read the other books in this series and I never felt I was missing any back story. I loved the character of Clay and found his personal life compelling. As with the Alex Delaware series the characterisation and plot is strong and I loved the dual investigations.

The only downside to this novel for me was the sheer number of minor characters (mostly from the police force or FBI) and there were times when this made it unnecessarily confusing as I could not always keep track of who was who.

However, I would still highly recommend this novel and look forward to reading the previous two in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

Now as a devotee of all things crime, suspense and thriller, it's no small wonder that LOST SOULS is my first Jonathan Kellerman title. He's best known for his Alex Delaware series set in Los Angeles, but Kellerman has recently started working together with his son Jesse Kellerman on the Clay Edison series. LOST SOULS is the latest installment and sees Clay Edison, deputy coroner, faced with uncovering the mystery behind skeleton of a baby found in the grounds of People's Park in Berkeley, California.

Kellerman and Kellerman write with a confidence ease that makes reading their prose a delight. I wasn't sure about starting in the middle of the series, but, you know, it happens. And admittedly there are some aspects of the novel that might be easier to understand with prior knowledge of the series - such as the long list of named characters – but the clear and entertaining style of the authors means that this is only a small obstacle and one I mostly ignored as I was too intrigued by the story (It's easy to get the gist of who they are anyway as the characterisation is so spot-on!).

After reading the novel, I've been intrigued to find out more about Clay and pick up the earlier books in the series – because if they are as entertaing as LOST SOULS, I'll know I'll enjoy it!

Infant remains are found and many years since Coroner's Clay sister vanished. And Clay just became a father.
Cold case, family secrets, all intervined.

How will he entangle these parallel cases?

I've enjoyed the narrative very much.

This was a good book, written a little differently than the usual Kellerman, but still good.
Worth taking the time to really concentrate on the storyline, so as not to get lost.

I enjoyed this book so much although I felt at times it was a little slower than his usual page turners
But having said that it is really interesting to see what coroners do in USA seems a lot more police work than just an autopsy. This book follows the story of a baby’s body bing found on a site for a new build
The only thing they have to work with is how long body been there and a little blue bear that was buried with it
It leads to a family with more skeletons in the closet than most and relationships that would never had been made without the coroner consistently digging deeper and deeper into a mystery like a ball of yarn
I could never have guessed the ending at all so keep reading it’s worth it

Even though I have read many of Jonathan Kellerman’s books I have never read any by his son, Jesse, so this collaboration, book three in this series is a new one to me. I had no problem joining the series late, there are no spoilers regarding the earlier books and I didn’t feel confused over missing any personal history.

There are two cases being investigated in the book. The bones found in the construction site and a case involving a missing child that Clay is investigating in his own time. It was this case I found the more interesting. The determination to find a lost sibling, who everybody denied knowing anything about, even though there was a photo proving her existence. And Clay refusing to stop looking, with or without help from the authorities.

There is a family in this novel you would go out off your way to avoid. Everything about them made the hairs go up on the back of my neck. Even the one who tried to show a little compassion failed to convince me that they truly cared. But these were offset by Clay’s family life. I loved the scenes with his wife and baby’s daughter. For such a young character, Charlotte really made her presence known.

This is a series I will definitely catch up on

Remains are found in People's Park an area set aside to be demolished but now an investigation is needed which brings in Coroner Clay Edison. Can they figure out who was buried there and why?

Book 3 in the series. This had an interesting premise but theres a lot going on that the actual murder mystery got a bit lost in all the other stuff. The plot was steady but at times hard to follow as there are so many characters being added. I found the story just didn't hold my attention enough. That being said I did like Clay, he was interesting and made a good lead. I like that he has a stable home life which often isn't the case in these sort of stories. The ending finished the story well. I think at some point I'll go back and read the previous two. A good thriller but does take some following,

Although this is the 3rd book in this series featuring Deputy Coroner Clay Edison, it is my first book. It did read perfectly well from the start though I do prefer to read books in order.
When the remains of a baby are found by a demolition company in a local park, Edison is called on to determine what the cause of death was and who the child is. When a man comes forward with a ‘dog eared’ picture of who he believes was his baby sister, some 50 years ago, it turns into a heartbreaking case.
Edison is working the graveyard shift to help do his bit to look after his baby daughter who doesn’t sleep the best. Amy is wife has her routine with their daughter but at times seems a little resentful that Clay can tackle some of the baby jobs better than herself. They are a happy little family and I really took to them both.
A secondary investigation is also taken on with clay when a friend asks for his help, regarding another baby. Edison is a smart bloke and looks at things in a very practical way rather than just jumping in. He is wise enough too to know when to back down and clear out of a place.
Things hot up when trouble follows him home but he is determined that the baby in the park will belong to someone, somewhere and deserves a proper resting place. Being a father himself now gives him the protective nurturing element to do right and not give up for this dead child.
The story takes you back to a very different time when attitudes were different and regulations not as strict as now. Help wasn’t always on hand and problems where for families to deal with themselves. A hard-hitting story in places.
I loved the mix of work and home life for Edison, the balance was just perfect. It really showed how one influences the other side. Excellent storylines with full conclusions to the threads.
I wish to thank the publisher and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

I have read books by Jonathan Kellerman and I have also read books by Jesse Kellerman in the past. This book did not disappoint. I liked the characters and the plot and I found it to be a compelling read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I've long been a fan of the Kellermans writing and have followed both Jonathan's Delaware series and Faye's Decker/Lazarus. This collaboration between father and son is fantastic. The third in the series, it is the first one I have read, but it can easily be read as a standalone.
I often wonder with collaborations if the narrative will be stilted, but fear not, the narrative is seamlessly woven and compelling throughout.
I particularly loved the juxtapositon of Clay, the coroner, being a new father and the mystery of the remains of a child found in Peoples' Park, in Berkeley traditionally associated with the Free Speech movement, plus the fifty-year old disappearance of a baby girl. I enjoyed Clay's character as a father juggling his love and responsibility to his wife and daughter with his innate desire to solve the historic mystery - it made for a thought-provoking and empathetic read.
Throw in some racists, demonstrations against the demolition work in the park, the many questions that Clay keeps unearthing as he digs deeper and you are guaranteed a thrilling read.
I love a good mystery where the clues are dropped in at key points and the twists keep coming to keep me on my toes. The atmosphere was further enhanced by skillful description of the area, reminiscences and the ongoing demonstrations to protect free speech. In many ways this is a novel of our times. A novel that values truth, honesty and integrity whilst working within the parameters of reality and the constraints of day to day struggles.
I found Clay a particularly likable character and now I have some new books to add to my ever increasing TBR pile. This is a series I'll definitely be catching up with.