Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Books & a Beat.
Today’s feature is Breakdown, by Jonathan Kellerman, another thriller spotlighting Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis.
Intro: Noise was everywhere. To avoid it, Tina figured you had to die.
When she and Harry lived in Manhattan, the nerve-scraping clangor of garbage trucks and delivery vans had served as early-morning alarm clocks. Waking up to the din was jarring and souring for Tina but useful for Harry because he slept like a drunk and had to be on the subway by seven.
Here in L.A., nestled in the alleged luxe of upper Bel Air, mornings were quiet. Until they weren’t: the house groaning and creaking randomly, scolding reminders that they’d traded New York bedrock for the traitorous sand of earthquake country.
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Teaser: The hands dropped a bit. The near-stuporous confusion behind them might’ve been mental illness but I bet the real cause was Kristin Doyle-Maslow’s manipulation. Zelda had no conscious need to see me; The Hyphen’s project required an inaugural documented patient and I was the sucker who’d responded to a guilt trip. (p. 53).
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Blurb: Psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware meets beautiful and emotionally fragile TV actress Zelda Chase when called upon to evaluate her five-year-old son, Ovid. Years later, Alex is unexpectedly reunited with Zelda when she is involuntarily committed after a bizarre psychotic episode. Shortly after Zelda’s release, an already sad situation turns tragic when she is discovered dead on the grounds of a palatial Bel Air estate. Having experienced more than enough of L.A.’s dark side to recognize the scent of evil, Alex turns to his friend LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis for help in finding out who ended Zelda’s broken life.
At the same time, Alex is caught up in another quest: the search for Zelda’s missing son. And when other victims vanish from the same upscale neighborhood, worry turns to terror.
As Alex struggles to piece together the brief rise and steep fall of a gorgeous, talented actress, he and Milo unveil shattered dreams, the corruption of a family, and a grotesque betrayal of innocence. With each devastating revelation and damning clue, Alex’s brilliant mind is challenged as never before—and his determination grows to see a killer caged and the truth set free.
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What is your verdict? Keep reading, or not? I always enjoy the author’s Alex Delaware stories, so I’m definitely in this one until the end.
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How are you enjoying this one, Laurel-Rain? It’s been so long since I read an Alex Delaware novel. This one gets off to a good start!
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I haven’t actually started it yet, Wendy, but I will be doing so very soon, I think. I like buying irresistible new books to help me avoid that ones that have been lingering too long on Pippa…LOL. Thanks for stopping by.
I had gone for a couple of years without Alex Delaware, but got back into his books recently. I love the author’s style, and how he “shows” us the beauty of LA, (Alex’s home), as well as the gritty underbelly.
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I haven’t read any of this author’s books but I’m sure I’d like it – sounds as though you’ve got an intense storyline ahead of you here!
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Thanks, Cleo, and I also love how the author shows us the surroundings of the characters…and especially Alex’s home and his peaceful life there, which is always disrupted rather dramatically whenever he takes on a case.
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I have been meaning to read this author, but others get in the way. I like the opening. It makes me say I should get going on these books.
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Thanks, Margot, and even after I take a little “break” from these books for a while, I am always drawn back. Something about the way the author shows us the personal lives of the detectives (and Alex) that makes a peek into their world so much fun.
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I really like the Intro. It pulls me in, and makes me want to read the book.
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Thanks, Hattie, and I hope you do read the book.
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This is on my list — I don’t think ‘ve read any of his books before. I do like the opening.
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Thanks for visiting, Candace, and I’ve been a fan of these books for many years, although I occasionally take a break. Enjoy your reading!
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I like this intro too. I have not read Kellerman in the past. Seems something new always catches my eye. Do I need to read this series in order?
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Yes, there are plenty of tempting new thrillers out there, and I fall for them, too. And then I return to Kellerman, like comfort food…although his books are not really “comforting,” LOL. Except for the parts where he shows us the peaceful world in Alex’s home…brief moments. Thanks for stopping by, Judy, and no, not necessary to read them in order.
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Like Cleo, I haven’t read anything by this author either. But I do like thrillers–in fact, I’m reading one now.
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Thanks, Catherine, and I didn’t realize you hadn’t read Kellerman. He is one of my “old favorites,” as I enjoy his psychologist’s twist to the mysteries (he is a real clinician); and I enjoy seeing the world Alex Delaware lives in, the beauty and the grit.
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This sounds definitely like something I would enjoy, I would keep reading! I hope you are enjoying it. 🙂
Happy reading! Here’s my teaser of A Darker Shade Of Magic by V.E. Schwab.
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Thanks, Yvo, I hope to read it soon! Glad you enjoyed it.
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I like the intro and blurb, but didn’t like the teaser much.
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Thanks, Vicki, the teaser felt a little out there, didn’t it? Thanks for stopping by.
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I’m another that has not yet read any of the Alex Delaware books. Not sure why, maybe because I tend to grab the ones featuring P.I.s.
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Yes, there are so many books, including lots of thrillers, so if I hadn’t already been a fan before blogging, who knows when I could have read him? Thanks for stopping by, Dagny.
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I checked the availability from my local library and they have all but a couple. It’s aggravating though that one of the ones missing is the first one.
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Enjoy! your book, your intro was interesting.
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Thanks, Mary Ann, glad you liked it.
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I like the intro and it has been a while since I’ve read anything by this author so I would try it.
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Thanks, Diane, and I skipped over a few of them, but now I’m back! Thanks for hosting.
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I haven’t read the last Delaware novel but this one looks good. I need to catch up. This looks like a good one.
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I know I’ve missed a few over the years. Thanks for stopping by, Heather.
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It’s been ages since I’ve read a Delaware book. Hope you are enjoying this one!
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Thanks, Iliana, I hope to enjoy it soon!
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Well this is going on my TBR! It’s been awhile since I’ve read anything by Kellerman but I love the sound of this. I love celebrities in thrillers and the blurb and teaser definitely caught my attention.
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Thanks, Katherine, I am excited about this one.
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This is one of those authors I feel I should have read but haven’t and the back catalogue feels daunting. I like the sound of it though.
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Thanks, Emma, when a list is daunting, I usually pick up somewhere near the end…LOL. Thanks for stopping by.
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This sounds like an intense book! I think that it might be a little too much for me. I hope that you enjoy it. ❤
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I agree, Candid Cover…all of his books have intensity as the underlying tone. Thanks for stopping by.
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