Member Review
Review by
Aravind R, Reviewer
Jonathan Kellerman’s creative juices still continue to flow unabated after dozens of bestsellers over the last few decades, and he is back with the thirty-sixth Alex Delaware thriller, Serpentine, close on the heels of the previous one.
This time around, LAPD Homicide Lieutenant Milo Sturgis is forced to take on a mega-loser of a case—a thirty-six-year-old unsolved murder of a young woman. The victim, who had left behind a three-year-old daughter, was found shot to death inside the wreck of an expensive car. All these years later, the daughter—a wealthy woman now—is helped in her effort to find closure by an influential acquaintance by getting the case reopened. Milo’s friend, psychologist Alex Delaware, is drafted into the investigation immediately and the duo embarks on a mission where three previous attempts over the years have been utter failures. The latest investigation throws up more suspicious deaths—of people connected with the original case—albeit without any pattern. Milo’s tenacity and Alex’s insightfulness open up several avenues and present them with several suspects before a totally unexpected revelation refutes all their theories. The stone-cold case finally rushes to its resolution through some solid detective work aided by a bit of luck.
As always, watching Milo and Alex go about their business is a lot of fun. Their easy camaraderie, cerebral interactions and the way they complement each other once again provide great entertainment. It’s nice to meet some of the other recurring characters too. Kellerman’s writing is what I would call—in my limited experience—classy; he has a way with words that draws the reader in and does not let go easily. Serpentine’s intriguing plot is neatly paced, with new revelations and twists coming at regular intervals, keeping the reader guessing all the way towards the satisfying end.
While it is a terrific read, Serpentine has the same recurring issues of the past few novels in this series: too much description of food, people and roads; Alex’s underutilisation as a psychologist; repetitive sequences of Milo’s visits to Alex’s home and kitchen; and the too-perfect domestic life of Alex and Robin. But the positives outweigh the negatives so far and all is well, at least for now.
To put it shortly, Kellerman delivers yet another gripping police procedural with his evergreen pair of protagonists conquering yet another seemingly unsolvable case, and I would rate Serpentine a solid 4 out of 5. My immense gratitude to the author and the publisher of Serpentine, and NetGalley, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This time around, LAPD Homicide Lieutenant Milo Sturgis is forced to take on a mega-loser of a case—a thirty-six-year-old unsolved murder of a young woman. The victim, who had left behind a three-year-old daughter, was found shot to death inside the wreck of an expensive car. All these years later, the daughter—a wealthy woman now—is helped in her effort to find closure by an influential acquaintance by getting the case reopened. Milo’s friend, psychologist Alex Delaware, is drafted into the investigation immediately and the duo embarks on a mission where three previous attempts over the years have been utter failures. The latest investigation throws up more suspicious deaths—of people connected with the original case—albeit without any pattern. Milo’s tenacity and Alex’s insightfulness open up several avenues and present them with several suspects before a totally unexpected revelation refutes all their theories. The stone-cold case finally rushes to its resolution through some solid detective work aided by a bit of luck.
As always, watching Milo and Alex go about their business is a lot of fun. Their easy camaraderie, cerebral interactions and the way they complement each other once again provide great entertainment. It’s nice to meet some of the other recurring characters too. Kellerman’s writing is what I would call—in my limited experience—classy; he has a way with words that draws the reader in and does not let go easily. Serpentine’s intriguing plot is neatly paced, with new revelations and twists coming at regular intervals, keeping the reader guessing all the way towards the satisfying end.
While it is a terrific read, Serpentine has the same recurring issues of the past few novels in this series: too much description of food, people and roads; Alex’s underutilisation as a psychologist; repetitive sequences of Milo’s visits to Alex’s home and kitchen; and the too-perfect domestic life of Alex and Robin. But the positives outweigh the negatives so far and all is well, at least for now.
To put it shortly, Kellerman delivers yet another gripping police procedural with his evergreen pair of protagonists conquering yet another seemingly unsolvable case, and I would rate Serpentine a solid 4 out of 5. My immense gratitude to the author and the publisher of Serpentine, and NetGalley, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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