City of the Dead is the 37th book in Kellerman’s long-running police procedural series set in Modern Los Angeles and featuring as its main character a court-consulting child psychologist Alex Delaware who often rides along with Homicide Detective Milo Sturgis. Despite the plethora of corpses starting with naked man running into the moving van, this is not a shoot-em-up, action-packed book. It has a more realistic feel to it as Delaware goes through the humdrum aspects of being on top of a homicide investigation that seems to lead nowhere but into a mysterious past. One of the victims in particular is quite interesting as a fake psychiatrist from Delaware’s past and current internet sensation is murdered and suspected by her elderly neighbors of running a high class brothel. Delving into her past is like peeling into an onion cause it doesn’t get prettier the deeper you dig. Pay attention though cause nothing is set out by accident.

336 pages

4 and 1 / 2 stars

It amazes me how quickly time and words pass when reading a Jonathan Kellerman novel. The writing is so smooth and well connected. The dialogue is great. I really like the interactions between psychologist Alex Delaware and Lieutenant Milo Sturgis.

This case starts out with a perplexing accident. It is very early in the morning when a moving van hits a naked man in a quiet residential street. What? When keen-eyed Detective Moe Reed notices blood spots on some steps of a house nearby, the investigation is on. In the home is a murdered woman.

In this book Alex’s professional life as a child psychologist collides with his other as Milo’s “assistant” and sounding board. Alex must confront ethical standards regarding how much to tell Milo. How to tell Milo of his suspicions about a client.

While the book is, in parts, a stretch, it is still a very good read. I would imagine that after twenty-seven adventures, the ideas might be thin on the ground. But Mr. Kellerman still manages to come up with original ideas and make them eminently readable and very enjoyable. I have read his books since the first one, and have, by and large, enjoyed them all.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Ballantine Books for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Engaging engrossing amazing. Kellerman knocks it out of the park once again! Milo and Alex are a fantastic team and this book has so many twists and turns it will keep you guessing until the end. I’m so lucky to have been able to read an advanced copy through NetGalley! Thank you!

I am always a sucker for Alex and Milo. This one is a great story. Lots of twists and turns. As you expect great back and forth with our guys. It would read fine on its own if you are new to this series but you get more out of it with the full history of the duo.

This is the 37th novel featuring Alex Delaware, a pediatric clinical psychologist cum police consultant. The core of this series is the relationship between Milo Sturgis, a Los Angeles Homicide Detective, and Alex. Their combined rapport and repartee add a unique quality to the genre of murder mysteries.

City of the Dead begins with the usual discovery of dead bodies – in this case a naked young man who had a head-first encounter with a furniture moving van and a woman who promoted herself as a psychologist without the appropriate academic training. In the course of the investigation several more bodies are discovered leading Milo and his team is uncover the convoluted connections and motives behind the crimes.

For me, something was “off” about this novel. It lacked what I have come to expect in the interactions between Alex and Milo; in fact, Milo’s character seemed uncharacteristically subdued. The storyline unfolded at a rather slow pace until the end. The last few chapters revealed Alex’s genius in his work as a consultant in child custody cases and saved this novel from mediocrity. I have read all of the Delaware novels and continue to be a fan while recognizing that this particular book missed the mark for me.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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

I’ve remarked on this before — this is a Kellerman book The Kellermans never fail me (Jonathan, Jesse, Faye) and I feel like Alex Delaware (#37) is an old friend (but why he and Robin never get married after 22 books is a mystery). I’m not sure how much fictional time has passed since Alex and Milo got together, but I can always jump into the current story as if it’s just been a few months (and, it is an annual get together!) I’ve read other long series, but often I get bored — here’s the exception. After “City of the Dead” I’ll be looking to pre-order #38. So, thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House for letting me get Alex and Milo fix earlier than usual.

This book is a classic Alex Delaware. As usual, there’s a probable crime, this time a naked body with no ID that was hit by a moving van. Alex gets called in by Milo and the story slowly unfolds as they seek to identify the victim, but that leads to another victim and then another. Kellerman always gets into the painstaking detail of real detective work — sometimes they just Google to get answers. The book is well-paced and the fact that Kellerman is a psychologist himself is evident. I love my time getting to peek into how Alex and Milo work together.

Four solid stars — these are always solid detective novels! I do wish it didn’t finish with a coincidence at the end, although Dr. Delaware would not have recognized it without the preceding investigation.


Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES No surprise, because that’s Milo.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Kellerman knows his California landscaping.

I absolutely loved City of the Dead. The latest installment in the Alex/Milo series gets better with time. Having read virtually all of Jonathan Kellerman's books, I was excited to see the latest installment in this series. Absolutely loved this one. Cannot wait to recommend this book in February. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine Books, NetGalley and Author for great chance to read this wonderful novel!

City of the Dead by Jonathan Kellerman is a Psychologist Alex Delaware novel series!
Unfortunately I have not read the entire series. But I believe you can read as a standalone.

I thought this story was a thoroughly engaging, intricately plotted thriller that keeps the reader thinking.
City of the Dead was such a gripping, intense, insightful psychological thriller, with a great cast of characters.
Sadly this is my first Keller man book.... But definitely not my last!
His writing is freaking phenomenal and he sucks you right into the story and paints such a vivid story that brings us real life characters!
I believe once I get my NG list lowered I will be catching up on this series!

Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!

This book was sent to me on Netgalley by Kindle for review. Well known protagonist...mystery...murder...clues...solving the crime...family and friends. This was is a page turner and keeps on moving quickly. This is an author I enjoy reading.

#CityOfTheDead #NetGalley
Wow. Different homicide with lots of twists.
Los Angeles is a city of sunlight, celebrity, and possibility. The L.A. often experienced by Homicide Lt. Detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist Alex Delaware, is a city of the dead. Early one morning, the two of them find themselves in a neighborhood of pretty houses, pretty cars, and pretty people. The scene they encounter is anything but. A naked young man lies dead in the street, the apparent victim of a collision with a moving van hurtling through suburbia in the darkness. But any thoughts of accidental death vanish when a blood trail leads to a nearby home.
Inside, a young woman lies butchered. The identity of the male victim and his role in the horror remain elusive, but that of the woman creates additional questions. And adding to the shock, Alex has met her while working a convoluted child custody case. Cordelia Gannett was a self-styled internet influencer who’d gotten into legal troubles by palming herself off as a psychologist. Even after promising to desist, she’s found a loophole and has continued her online career, aiming to amass clicks and ads by cyber-coaching and cyber-counseling people plagued with relationship issues. But upon closer examination, Alex and Milo discover that her own relationships are troublesome, including a tortured family history and a dubious personal past. Has that come back to haunt her in the worst way? Is the mystery man out in the street collateral damage or will he turn out to be the key to solving a grisly double homicide?
It was long but entertaining. I raced through this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for giving me an advanced copy of this book.

Great book! I loved it! This book had a very interesting storyline, it had suspense, action, intrigue and a great who done it! It kept my attention the entire time! I highly recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

The City of Mist

This is a collection of 11 stories the author prepared before his death in June 2020. He wanted them published posthumously. Most of the stories take place in or near Barcelona.
Several stories are narrated by David Martin, an impoverished boy who aspires to be an author and makes up stories to enchant a young girl. In another story a labyrinth maker leaves Constantinople for Barcelona where he plans to build a library that can never be destroyed. Then there is a story about the famous Catalan architect named Antoni Gaudí who sailed to New York in hopes of taking a commission that would help him with his unfinished cathedral, the Sagrada Familla.
Those familiar with Zafon’s Shadow of the Wind will enjoy these stories as will new readers who enjoy the brilliant writing of this master storyteller.
I received this ARC from the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.