368 pages

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Milo and Alex have a very tough case in this, the latest, in the Alex/Milo series by Jonathan Kellerman. “Serpentine” is a perfect title for this book because the case is very twisty and surprises abound.

Milo gets roped into investigating a cold case. Thirty years earlier, a woman's body was found in a crashed and incinerated car with a bullet in her. Her name is Dorothy Svoboda. She left behind a common law husband and a daughter. The daughter is now very wealthy and wants to know the circumstances of her mother's death.

Milo is angry at first but then becomes interested in the case and likes the woman who is asking about her mother. He and Alex go on the search for clues. Several detectives have investigated the case over the years. Only one is still alive. They undertake an exhaustive search through newspapers and old acquaintances of Dorothy's.

The meet some of the movers and shakers of old Hollywood. They learn valuable information.

This is a very well written and plotted novel, although it seems to lose its way in some spots. (Hence the 4 and 1 / 2 stars.) A couple of the transitions had me going, “Huh?” I really like Milo and Alex and enjoy their repartee. They have been partners for such a long time, they can finish each others' thoughts. Their easy relationship is refreshing and welcome. I like the way Milo's team pulls together and gets the job done efficiently.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine/Ballantine Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

The anticipation that precedes the release of a new Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis novel by Jonathan Kellerman is always painfully delicious. Once again, the author delivers a smart, well-written storyline featuring these two unlikely “partners.”

Alex Delaware is a pediatric clinical psychologist who frequently is called upon by homicide Detective Milo Sturgis to assist with “interesting” cases. This long-term relationship has provided fodder for some of the most imaginative and witty mysteries being published. In this most recent offering, Milo is directed to take on a thirty-six year old cold case involving a young woman whose murder was staged as a car accident. The pressure to take the case comes from high up the police food chain. It was instigated by a wealthy, unassuming woman, the deceased’s daughter, who would like to put the matter to rest once and for all. Alex provides not only a sounding board for Milo’s musings, but also insights that lead to major shifts in the case. There are lots of twists and unexpected turns as the plot unfolds to a surprising ending.

I have been a fan of this investigative duo for years, having read all the previous novels. Some have been better than others and this one is one of the best. Kellerman has a wonderful way of writing provocative and evocative descriptions of people, place and things. The characterizations of Milo, Alex, Robin (Alex’s significant other) and Milo’s crew are well-drawn, consistent, and intriguing – the type of people you would like to meet in person. Los Angeles itself becomes one of the characters through the descriptions of the various locales and is especially entertaining if you are familiar with Southern California. Milo’s voracious appetite makes its appearance regularly, providing another dimension of the author’s humor.

I highly recommend Serpentine and all the other novels in this series.

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.

Classic Delaware/Sturgis. I wasn’t sure about this one, but it brings our favorite detective and favorite psychologist back in a great way. The mystery was not too old but not fresh, it had a lot of layers and I loved reading how they figured it out. As always the interplay between Milo and Alex was well written and I love these characters.

Psychologist and police consultant Alex Delaware and LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis have been friends for so long they can finish each other's sentences. I've been trailing them around for just as long, enjoying their interaction as they solve sometimes complicated murder cases, that I probably could finish them as well. And this - the 36th book in the Delaware series - doesn't disappoint.

This time, though, it's a cold case that falls - make that is shoved - into the lieutenant's lap. Why now? Apparently, a very wealthy woman is demanding that the case be reopened; she's convinced that a woman who was shot, pushed over a cliff in her car and burned beyond recognition 36 years earlier is the mother she never knew. A couple of subsequent investigations revealed nothing, and the hope is that Milo will work his usual brand of magic and find ouit what really happened.

Any investigation of this sort means delving into family matters, and it soon becomes clear that one of her dearly loved relatives may have some connection to other suspicious deaths. Also quite clear, though, is that someone living in the present really doesn't want an investigation to proceed. The trail leads over, under, around and through the streets of Los Angeles (with plenty of territorial description and stops to eat along the way) until it comes to a surprising end.

All told, it's another very enjoyable foray into the world of Alex and Milo - made even more enjoyable by occasional appearances of Alex's main squeeze, expert guitar-builder/repairer Robin. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a huge fan of Alex Delaware for years...I look forward to each new chapter and after 36 books in the series I dont ever remember a "bad" book.

Things I have come to expect in a Delaware book that make reading it such a joy:

1) Milos unhealthy eating habits and scrounging in Delawares fridge.
2) Alex and Robins domestic bliss and supportive relationship
3) Alex searching for permutations of suspect names/places on Google and finding a break in the case
4) Blanche - makes me want a blonde french bulldog of my own
5) Sprawling unanswered questions at the beginning that are slowly boiled down to resolution via lots of dead ends and misfires.
6) Intricate details on LA geography and driving conditions
7) Colorful and broad variety of characters across suspects/witnesses/victims

These were certainly all present in Serpentine in spades and the mystery itself was as engaging as usual and I loved the way a bunch of the investigation threads came together in a surprising way.

Another stellar hit from the author. A book filled with much mystery and suspense as well as enough surprises to keep the reader turning the pages to discover what happens next. The reader cannot go wrong in choosing to read a book by this author.

Jonathan Kellerman has done it again! Serpentine is the latest installment in his popular Alex Delaware mystery series. Typical of Kellerman’s work, it is a well-written mystery with numerous twists and turns. In Serpentine, LAPD Milo Sturgis is given a cold case – a 34-year-old murder. He brings in his friend, psychologist and frequent LAPD consultant Alex Delaware, to help solve the mystery. As someone who has read every book in the series, I enjoy the relationship of these two characters and look forward to each new book in the series. This is a great read and I highly recommend it! Thank you to Netgalley for providing me the opportunity to read an advanced review copy of this book.

Psychologist Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis search for answers to a brutal, decades-old crime in this electrifying psychological thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense.
This is one of my all time favorite series and I look forward every February for the next adventure of Milo and Alex. This outing is one of the best...very well plotted and lots of red herring and twists and turns. Great finish and now looking forward to next year for more! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Serpentine by Jonathan Kellerman is one of his great mysteries. Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis work together to solve another murder, this time one that’s been ‘cold’, unsolved for thirty years. They carefully pull at one thread or bit of information until it yields the next, and in the process uncover bad cops, unsavory characters, call girls, and lots of Hollywood Money. This is a page turner you will enjoy.

Serpentine is the latest in Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series. I've read them all, and was excited to see a new one coming out. The storytelling is as good as previous novels in this series, and the same characters are present. Milo Sturgis is one of my favorite people in fiction. An LAPD homicide detective, who happens to be gay, he has an very high solve rate. When he's presented with a 34 year old cold case by a higher up, he has no choice but to work it. With assistance from Alex Delaware, what looks like an exercise in futility becomes a cold case turned hot. Someone doesn't want the past uncovered, which would reveal a multitude of sins, including murder. Unluckily for the guilty party, with Milo and Alex on the case, it's only a matter of time before the past is visible for all to see.

Well thought out plot. Intrigue and details kept my interest throughout. One of the best in this series.

Another great Kellerman Delaware mystery. In this installment Alex and Milo work to unravel a cold case murder. Through many twists and turns the friends unearth long dead secrets and find truths that others would rather stay hidden. It is really fun to keep reading Delaware mysteries after 20+ years and have them still read fresh and not formulaic.

I always love a Milo/Alex novel. This was a little different than the other "murders" the have solved. Cold case with not much at all to go on. As always they solved it, Good book

There's always the fear, when you come to rely on favorite authors and characters, that the author will either become repetitive, or just plain run out of....everything. Neither has happened to Jonathan Kellerman - his characters do not let us down. Serpentine, which here refers not to the shape of a snake, but to a green gem, actually does take quite a few serpentine twists and turns. Lt Milo Sturgis gets stuck with a cold case he initially does not want, but someone with influence is pulling the strings. Milo once again enlists Dr. Alex Delaware and the twists and turns end up fitting together almost perfectly. Wealthy woman wants to know how her mother was killed 30 some years ago - they start with nothing and end up with more than she needs! Although I seem to have given Milo top billing, this is the Alex Delaware series. But what started out, at least in my mind, as a side character, has turned into a rich partnership where I look forward to seeing them as the dynamic duo they have become to all of their faithful readers. Always sorry when a Kellerman book ends.

I would read any book written by Jonathan Kellerman, they are that good. This new Milo/Alex is no exception, Having read all of the books in this series, they seriously get better with time. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Copy.