I have enjoyed Kellerman’s Alex Delaware crime procedurals
for many years. They depend on a pair of dissimilar friends who complement each
other’s strengths and provide readers two alternate poles to identify with.
Milo Sturgis is an overweight, hard-boiled, gay homicide investigator. He is a tough
and canny questioner and is a whiz at finding and researching databases. Dr. Alex
Delaware, is a cool, straight social psychologist who brings empathy and a real-life
consulting background to the often puzzling murder cases that are the pair’s
forte’.
This time it is a double murder of a couple alongside a back
yard swimming pool in a fancy house in a fancy neighborhood. Is it a case of a robbery gone wrong? No. There
has been no apparent break-in. Is it the husband of the woman, who has
discovered she has been having an affair
there with the man? Or was it someone who had it in for the guy making the
female collateral damage? Good research begins to suggest that both victims have
things in their past that could merit violent revenge. As you might expect, the
entanglements get more complicated as the sleuths probe further and further
into both victims' checkered and mysterious pasts.
Kellerman is a long-established
pro, and he writes with authority on police procedure, human psychology, and
the Los Angeles West Coast scene. He will keep you guessing on who did it and
why right up to the end. The Ghost Orchid is a quick and satisfying read
that claims nothing other than being entertaining crime fiction. It is perfect
for the beach or as that book at your bedside table that you can read a few
chapters in each night just before going to sleep. If this is your first
exposure to the Delaware novels, and you like it, there are over forty previous
titles available. Kellerman’s books do tend to spend a fair amount of time on
the seamy side of West Coast life, but the blood and gore is not as thick as
some similar authors.
Jim De Young
I give it a good, solid 4 out of 5
No comments:
Post a Comment