Serpentine is another sure fire best seller by master crime novelist Jonathan Kellerman. Serpentine aptly describes a winding, turning plot. And serpentine is the name of a necklace worn by Ellie Barker, the woman at the center of a thirty-six year old cold case.

A random dinner party conversation leads to this case being assigned to Milo Sturgis. Ellie is an incredibly wealthy woman, raised by her stepfather after her mother died in a suspicious car accident when Ellie was three. Milo relies on his friend, psychologist Alex Delaware, for advice because there is little physical evidence to review. As he reads the limited police reports from the long ago accident and subsequent investigation, he realizes that much is missing. Why? That question leads Milo and Alex to search for answers in the dark, seamy side of Los Angeles in the 1980s. Colorful characters are introduced and the many plot twists and surprises lead to a satisfying conclusion.

Milo Sturgis and Alex Delaware are memorable characters who have become friends to Kellerman’s many readers. Their easy rapport, how they pair up to solve cases and the way that they rely on each other’s strengths add to the storyline. All the characters and locations in Serpentine are vividly described. Kellerman has lifted the lid iff the glamour of old Hollywood. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Jonathan Kellerman for this ARC.

I've read every one of the Alex Delaware series by this author, and they never disappoint. In this book, Milo Sturgis, LAPD detective, who works closely with Dr. Alex Delaware when he needs a psychologist's opinion on cases, gets assigned a 36 year old cold case. A wealthy constituent with connections high up in the department puts pressure on to solve the case of Ellie Barker's murdered mother.

The case investigation takes multiple twists and turns, uncovering threads of clues that ultimately get sewn together into the conclusion. I always feel like these books are exactly the right length and detail for the reader to get drawn in, without being too wordy or drawn out, and I appreciate that. I don't do spoilers, so you'll have to take the journey with Milo and Alex yourself to find the ending...but I will say that even at 90% I had no idea how it would end, its a great one.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for giving me this ARC to review, but my opinions are my own.

Detective Milo and his psychologist Buddy, Alex, are once again facing a very difficult crime to solve...this time the crime occurred decades ago. Join the team as they question many people from the past, making some people uncomfortable. I love the friendship of these two. While the book can be read as a stand-alone book, you’ll want to read more than one!

I was pleasantly surprised that I had already read one of Jonathan Kellerman's books.. This story is certainly not a disappointment!

Milo, a cop, is working on a 36 year old case. He talks his friend, Alex, into joining him on this case. Alex is a psychologist.

Dorothy Swoboda had died in this case after her car fell off a cliff and went on fire. It is now Ellie Barker (almost 40 years old) who wants to have the case opened by the police. Ellie was only 3 when she lost her mother,

After the visit, Alex and Milo mull over the information they had obtained from Ellie and the possible scenarios .that lead to 24 year old Dorothy's death...

I read this one in a single sitting. Twists and turns all the way through !

HIGHLY Recommend!

Many Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for a superb read.

What do you do when investigation crimes from years past seemingly unrelated? Milo & Alex track down every lead but what if those leads include police reports that don't seem hinky? I'm the world of Milo & Alex you discuss theories over food. Lots of food. One of the reasons I love this world is the relationship between them and Robin strong, funny, interesting and caretaker for all. Get lost in this wonderful mystery
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

To call this book a police procedural doesn’t really do it justice. I have read and enjoyed each and every one of the Alex Delaware books over the years. The friendship and repartee between the two protagonists, police lieutenant Milo Sturgess and consultant psychologist Alex Delaware, is always entertaining, and Alex's psychological observations regarding the personalities they interact with are interesting. Milo is a gay man with a specially designed position with the West Hollywood Division, allowing him more freedom than the norm, and allowing him to work with Alex, who always comes up with some great insights about the perpetrator.
In this book, Milo and Alex are tapped by the brass when a wealthy woman whose mother has been missing for 50 years, pulls strings to find some answers, and the book begins with a seemingly impossible to solve a 50 year-old cold case involving an unknown woman who was shot then pushed over a cliff in a burning car.
Kellerman writes books that hold your interest and the pacing is perfect. I'm always excited to read the next installment. If you like good police procedurals, you can’t go wrong here.

Following this dynamic duo of Alex and Milo never disappoints. Ellie wants to find out what happened to her mom to have closure in her life if feeling like an orphan, Milo gets a call than Alex gets called and the adventure begins. Alex and Milo are once again tearing thru California looking to heat up this cold case. After 20+ novels with this dynamic duo it’s always fun to see what happens next. Thank you to net galley for the chance to read and review this book.

This is typical of this author...interesting read. Same main character...readers will be familiar with him.

Alex Delaware, the child psychologist and his partner Milo Sturgis are back, trying to solve a thirty year old murder cold case. Delaware and Sturgis are investigating the murder of Dorothy Swoboda for her daughter, whose only tangible link to her mom is a serpentine necklace. Jonathan Kellerman never disappoints- Alex and Milo banter back and forth throughout! Great read.

Just a quick word of thanks to Random House Publishing-Ballantine, as well as NetGalley.com for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest opinion of the novel.

To start, the Alex Delaware series is probably my favorite series. I have read all of the Delaware novels to date. I enjoy the duo of psychologist Alex Delaware, and his friend, lieutenant invesigator Milo Sturgis. The interaction between them, as well as those with Alex's longtime girlfriend, Robin, and the two have always been enjoyable. The Delaware mystery novels are always interesting to me - and have a good psychological aspect to them that make for an interesting read.

For Serpentine, novel #36 in the series, this book was also a good read. The story begins with Milo contacting his friend, Alex, regarding a cold case from 30-years ago. The case involves a missing individual - Dorothy Swoboda - and her daughter is trying to find out where she is after all this time. Milo gets called on the case, and with the help of his friend Alex, digs deep into this missing person's case.

As with other Delaware novels, this one has a few twists and turns to make it interesting. Nothing too gory or too bloody - these Delaware novels are always an enjoyable read for me. This one won't stand out to you and make your mouth drop - but it is an interesting and enjoyable read to see how Alex and Milo solve this cold case.

Serpentine
A novel by Jonathan Kellerman

Reading a Jonathon Kellerman novel is like sitting down with an old friend and asking how's life. Said friend then launches into a great story about people you know from earlier visits. They lead fascinating lives that happen to include solving murders in Los Angeles. Kellerman's latest novel, Serpentine, is a welcome addition to his body of work. It feels like a comfy old sweater you look forward to wearing.

In Serpentine, Alex Delaware, a child psychologist who consults for the Los Angeles Police, works with his longtime friend and detective Milo Sturgis to find answers to a brutal, decades-old crime . A wealthy young woman is obsessed with reopening the coldest of cases—the decades-old death of the mother she never knew. While the murder occurred many years ago, their investigation uncovers very real threats lurking in the present.

In addition to the intricately woven plot and the interactions of two fully realized characters, Kellerman brings Los Angeles and environs vividly to life. It truly becomes another important character in the unraveling of the murder mystery.

I read Serpentine courtesy of NetGalley and Ballentine Books. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys police procedural or just a great story.

I am a long-time Jonathan Kellerman/Alex Delaware fan since When the Bough Breaks came out way back when. This is a fantastic series, by the way, around 30 or so books and this one is at the top of the game! Milo Sturgis is given a cold-case murder of an heiress' mother and, of course, requests the assistance of Alex. What follows is a well-written, twisty mystery. This team never gets old and I feel as if I know them! I love their relationship and the bantering. This can be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend going back and reading the characters' history for maximum enjoyment.

Thank you Jonathan Kellerman, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC. I will post a review on Feb o2 for all the major retailers and my Social Media.

Ebook/Thriller: This is book 36 of the Alex Delaware series, featuring Milo (my favorite). I got this ebook from NetGalley in lieu of an honest review.

Several books ago, I saw where another reviewer mentioned that Milo’s eating habits are not only over the top, but to the point of gluttony. That is true. His eating habits are past the point of being a sin.

I have read and listened to several Delaware books and they can be over the top. But they are more outrageous when the crime is current. Like in Breakdown, this is a cold crime that falls in Milo’s lap. Here he is assigned the case after a wealthy orphan wants to know how her mother really died.

Anyway, you learn right from the jump that “the serpent” is a necklace, or is that the only serpent in the book. That was the part I didn’t like. There were several suspects (that could not defend themselves because they had been dead for years), and therefore Alex couldn’t meet them (the book is in first person). I really wanted to hear more about how Alex would have analyzed these people. The end seemed rushed.

What I did love was the mystery and how Milo and Alex figured it out.

another satisfying mystery. great to see milo and alex's byplay and friendship. also robin's contributions. always amazed by alex's psychological insights. better the second read

Jonathan Kellerman's new book is aptly titled because there were so many twists, turns, and serpentine-like moves in this tale, that it truly was a winding read.

A cold case from decades ago is thrown into Milo Sturgis' lap, so of course he involves Dr. D. From there we're taken to the Hollywood hills, a shady nightclub from the 80's, Texas, and told a tale of loss, wealth, murder, and abandonment of fatalistic levels.

As usual, Alex provides the calm to Milo's raging storm and their ying and yang is perfect in all aspects of this story.

The one complaint I have is the one I have for every Delaware story. Kellerman spends endless pages on travel directions throughout California, naming streets and turns and addresses ad infinitum, plus the numerous descriptions of Milo's never-filled appetite and his food selections, have me skipping ahead to the actual story at every turn. If not for those filler passages, I would give this book the 5 stars it so richly deserves.

Thanks Netgalley for a sneak peek! 4 stars (shoulda been 5!)

Alex and Milo are back, this time working on a very cold case for a woman with connections.

The woman in question is searching for her mother who burned in a car accident after being shot more than 20 years ago. Milo, disgruntled about being called on the case immediately reaches out to Alex, and another great mystery ensues.

If you have not read any of the Alex Delaware series, you could start here, but why? Go back and read them all. Kellerman is a gifted writer with an eye for detail.

This was another winner.

Somewhat predictable version of Kellerman' s long-running buddy show featuring the smart, empathic child psychologist Alex Delaware and his pal Milo, a torrent gay homicide chip with a gargantuan appetite and a soft heart.. The plot rarely matters as much as the friendship between the crime solvers: this time it has to do with an extremely cold case reopened when the kind dead victim's daughter gets just enough attention to get the guys back tracking to the accident that sent a car over a cliff and burned its only occupant alive. As usual, the story is complicated enough to get things off to a start and the bro' dialogue that moves the action along keeps the reader's attention until the end.

This was my first encounter with veteran homicide detective Milo Sturgis and his psychologist pal Alex Delaware. Milo was assigned a three decades old cold murder case based on the curiosity of a rich woman’s society contact with a political bigwig. Even though the cold case had been reassigned twice through the years, there were no leads. Alex and Milo were able to find a lot of people who were connected with principals in the case. It was interesting to get to know the personalities of these two teammates. This is a well written police procedural.

My thanks to the author, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon and Barnes and Noble upon publication.

Good old cop Milo Sturgis calls on his buddy, Dr. Alex Delaware, after receiving a freezing cold case from 36 years ago! A daughter, who has money, wants to find out just what happened to her Mom, and words to the right people get the case pulled and delivered to a very angry Homicide Lieutenant!! He can't understand why He needs to take it, but after a bit of research realizes that not much was ever done. So he is off to grab Alex's assistance and start investigating all involved who either worked the case or knew about it. And boy, do wild stories and crazy stories come out of the woodwork as they dig into this one!!
This is a fabulous addition to a series I have loved for years!! I thank NetGalley for an ARC of this smashing story, and I offer You my honest thoughts and feelings in this review.

This was one of the best installments in this series. Don't get me wrong, I've loved them all but this one ... nailed it! Everything about it was spot on. Love Alex and Milo and can't wait to see what happens next.

Thank you #netgalley and #Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC.