City of the Dead is a good mystery which is part of the Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis series. I do not think I have read any in the series. This did not hurt my enjoyment of the story. Alex is a psychiatrist who helps his friend Milo in his murder investigations. The writing is particularly good, and the story moves along. I recommend this book. Glad to find a new series to read. Thank you, Net Galley, for an advanced copy for an honest review

Milo and Alex are at it again! They will stop at nothing to get to the truth! Once again, Kellerman does not disappoint! This was a solid crime solving mystery!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for offering me the opportunity to read a pre-release copy of Jonathan Kellerman's "City of the Dead." It is the 37th (Imagine that?!) novel in his Alex Delaware - Milo Sturgis crime thriller series! These two have an "Odd Couple" sort of vibe to their long-lived partnership that rarely disappoints. That chemistry is on full display here in Kellerman's latest offering.

In this latest series installment, Alex and Milo, once again, team up to solve a strange and gruesome double homicide. In a perfectly "perfect" sunny and bright suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles, the realities of more violent human proclivities once again require their particular areas of expertise. No one, it would seem, is safe from life's darker side in this the City of Angels...and the Dead.

What ensues is a wonderfully plotted story that once again showcases the beautifully intertwined professional and personal relationship that defines the Delaware-Sturgis magic! For fans and first readers alike, this relationship development is always the heart and soul of Kellerman's best offerings!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and most assuredly to Jonathan Kellerman for providing me with the advanced copy of "City of the Dead." It was my pleasure to provide an honest review in exchange.

Publication date: February 8, 2022

#CityoftheDead
#JonathanKellerman
#RandomHouse/BallantineBooks
#NetGalleyARCs

I have not previously read any books by this author and didn’t realize they were so prolific. I started this with high hopes. A naked man ends up dead by a moving truck seemed a great premise to start a story with but it didn’t really move me at all. I turned the pages and got through the book but was never really invested in the characters or the story. It was fine but I was hoping for something to force me to read it. This book never hooked me that way.

Doctor Delaware and Milo are back again. This time a murder with a puzzling other death.
As usual, there is the witty banner between Milo and Alex, plenty of characters and some insight into psychology.
Naturally, it all comes together in the end.
The Milo and Delaware books do not require any thinking on the readers behalf, just a desire to be entertained and this one is no different.
Loved every minute of it!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
"City Of The Dead" is #37 in Mr. Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series & I have been a fan & reader of this series for many years.
As I have stated before, I love this series because I love the relationship that exists between the 2 main characters, Alex & Miles, & I love how all of the murder mysteries that they are involved in are very complex, original & well thought out.
Many series authors become stale over time but not in this case.
"City Of The Dead" had so many twists & turns that kept me very interested & entertained that I couldn’t wait to find some free time everyday to be able to continue reading it.
I can’t wait for book #38.

I love this series and this was a welcome addition. Milo and Alex have such a great friendship and work well together. This book captured my attention in the first chapter and kept it through the last page. Loved it!

Detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist Alex Delaware are back. In LA, the land of sunshine and beautiful people. But this morning the city is not very pretty. As they arrive at the scene of a young and naked man who has run into a moving van in the wee hours. The driver is distraught and it looks like the man just ran straight into the truck. Until they find the blood trail.

The trail leads them to a nearby house where they find a woman savagely murdered. And Alex has met her before. In a custody case. Cordelia was an influencer who pretended to be a psychologist in a bitter custody case. Looks like she is still getting by on that lie.

Investigations lead them to a horrible family background along with a sketchy past. Has someone from her past returned? And who is the naked man in the street? Questions that lead to more questions than answers.

This is one of my favorite series. You think you know but you do not! At all! Once again Kellerman has given us Alex at his best, trying to untangle a web of lies and truly horrible people in this psychological thriller.

NetGalley/February 8th, 2022 by Ballantine Books

In this well written tale, Det. Sturgis calls Alex Delaware in to help with a puzzling case involving two dead bodies. The connection between the victims is not immediately clear, however Alex is surprised to discover he knows one of them. The female victim is an interesting character with a complicated past. As to be expected, there is an intricate web of clues and potential suspects to be considered by Alex and Milo. The pace builds as the story progresses, with tension and twists holding my attention to the very end. A very good read that is sure to please fans of Alex Delaware novels.

Being a former librarian, I was familiar with this author and Alex Delaware but had never taken the chance to read one. While I was very eager, it still took me awhile to get into this story. I understand it's the 37th in the series, and I suspect I may not have been so confused if I had read some of the others.

The story begins with two guys in a moving van who hit a "bump" in the road. Turns out to be a human body, a naked human body! This is where Alex Delaware comes in. It seems the body wasn't killed by the van but was already dead. Then they find another body nearby. The story does pick up and get better as you sort of "acclimatize" to it, but I don't feel like I can give it five stars. Thanks, NetGalley for the chance to read it. I should probably go back to book 1 and get a better feeling for the series.

From my Twitter account to my 2 million followers:

I just read an advance copy of Jonathan Kellerman's latest, "City of the Dead," coming out from @penguinrandom next month. It's excellent, a detective procedural and psychological thriller that amounts to a page-turner with a satisfying conclusion. Bravo.

Quite the action packed, twisty, interesting story. Jonathan never disappoints with this series. I look forward to the next one.

Thank you to Random House, Jonathan Kellerman, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Previously published at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/city-of-the-dead/

Los Angeles was the kind of place where everybody was from somewhere else and nobody really dropped anchor. It was a transient place. People drawn by the dream, people running from the nightmare. Twelve million people and all of them ready to make a break for it if necessary. Figuratively, literally, metaphorically — any way you want to look at it — everybody in L.A. keeps a bag packed. Just in case. –Michael Connelly

After having read 37 books in the Alex Delaware series by Jonathan Kellerman, Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis have become like old friends or like a comfortable cup of soup on a chilly day. I have been reading these books for decades and they just get better and better. While sometimes there is repetitiveness or back stories to repeat, I never mind because I am always happy to go on this journey again with them. Kellerman’s books are always fast-paced, with unique and colorful characters. The friendship between Milo and Alex is refreshing, and I have enjoyed their banter and jokes throughout the years. The City of the Dead is no exception.

Kellerman’s latest focuses on the murder of a self-help guru in her house and the unidentified naked man on the street in front, who is discovered first. The young man appears to have been hit and killed by a delivery truck, out on a morning delivery, but is discovered to have been murdered before and then thrown at the van. The victim, Cordelia Gannett, is someone Alex had met while working on a child custody case, where it was determined she had lied about her credentials. But who is the unidentified man, and where does he fit into her story? The story gets very dark from there and takes the reader on many twists and turns until the ending, which is shocking. I can usually figure out the culprit, but not this time. I was way off.

There is a large cast of characters in most books in the Alex Delaware series, including this one. One thing Kellerman is best at is weaving an enormous amount of characters to each other. And let’s not forget the third character in all of his books, which is Los Angeles. I have always felt in reading this series that each book is a love letter to the City of Angels. Another interesting thing that has developed over the years with this series is in the beginning, Milo was a closeted gay officer, but it is no longer a plot Point. I highly recommend City of The Dead as one of his best ones. Each book can be read as a stand-alone and they are always so much fun to read. Alex’s friendship with Milo but also his relationship with Robin is always enviable

Some days you want a book that takes you away from the real world. For me, that is often a mystery, and better yet, a book in a series I follow. The newest Alex Delaware installment fit that bill this week. Jonathan Kellerman's series is the longest-lived collection I follow - City of the Dead is #37.

So I'll admit I'm biased.

I love Kellerman's plots and, even more, I love catching up with his cast of characters. Many series authors become stale over time, but not in this case. City of the Dead has another riveting, fast-paced, and engaging plot. A late plot twist may have some readers roll their eyes for its unlikelihood, but the setup worked for me.

If you're new to Jonathan Kellerman, start with his first book. If you are a regular reader, preorder this one right away. You'll have it in your hands on February 8th, 2022. Something to look forward to in the new year.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Two movers driving in a big van in early morning turn into a small street only to feel a bump. Thinking they hit an animal they get out to inspect only to find a dead naked man.
Police officer Milo Stugis and his side kick Psychologist Alex Delaware follow the blood to another murder of a woman killed in her home Cordelia Gannett. Were the two cases related?
Another good Alex Delaware read!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bellatine Publishing for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

City of the Dead is 37 out of 37 in the Alex Delaware Series. Each of the books may be read as a standalone and enjoyed as a thrilling mystery. Once again psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis are called out to investigate a puzzling murder scene.

Donny and Alfie work for a national moving company, Armour, Inc, and nothing about this trip has gone right. However, nothing prepared them for a loud thump which turned out to be a naked man hitting their truck. "Wrong place, wrong time for everyone."

When a man in the neighborhood suggests that the victim may have been running from a rental house nearby which has frequent visitors of questionable character, blood is discovered by the rear door. Sturgis and Delaware are called to the scene when a woman's body is found in the house. Further complicating the case is that Alex realizes he encountered the victim in a prior case.

A moving van hits something in the early morning hours, presumably an animal. When the movies exit the van to check, they are horrified to discover the naked dead man lying on the ground.
When L.A. Homicide Detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist/police consultant Alex Delaware appear on scene and follow the blood trail, another dead body is discovered. Alex identifies the body as Cordelia Gannett, a woman he met posing as a psychologist on one of his child custody cases. Are the two bodies connected? Does it have to do with Cordelia’s current job? As the investigation continues into the lives of the two dead bodies, more questions arise.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

I enjoyed this psychological mystery. This book is number 37 in the series, but it can be read as a stand alone. It is the only book that I have read by this author. It opens with a naked man hit by a moving van. But a second body is discovered. Psychologist Alex Delaware is called in to consult by LAPD detective Milo Sturgis. They do solve the crimes in a pleasant police procedural.
Two quotes:
"The pancake approach to parenthood. Toss the first batch."
" Not the two handed thing you see hundred pound actresses do in movies. "
I am retired law enforcement. I was taught to use 2 hands when firing my weapon, to ensure a secure grip.
I rate this book 3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to Ballantine Books and the author for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#CityoftheDead #NetGalley.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Alex and Milo are back and they find something odd as usual. They continue to be consistently a good read with interesting twists and turns to keep the pages turning.

A gripping mystery of unsolved murders. The murderer is very sophisticated and leaves no physical evidence. A move into an upscale neighborhood is disrupted when a moving van hits a nude man at 4:00 in the morning. Everything comes to a complete stop as the investigation begins.

A gorgeous young thirty-something is found killed in her property a few houses away! Can these crimes be connected? The moving van operators are completely baffled by the accident and subsequent investigation. The nude body had appeared out of nowhere. At 4:00 in the morning, how is this even possible? Could it have been a fraternity or sorority prank gone terribly wrong?

Jonathan Kellerman keeps the suspense clouded through much of the book. His development of criminal cases dovetailing upon each other without a tangible path is masterful. It took nearly three-fourths of the book to begin to piece together the sequence of events. Meanwhile, dead-end trails were skillfully knit into the narrative to keep me as a reader on the hook.

I would suggest this book to anyone who is a fan of a well-developed who-done-it and enjoys a cunning read. 4.5 stars