Obsession

I've enjoyed the Alex Delaware series for years. Great characters, fast-paced and surprisingly twisting plots, with plenty of intrigue, banter, and intelligence, as well as a healthy dose of criminal psychology. I think most of the ones I've read have been 4-4.5 star reads for me. This one, in comparison, fell a little bit below Kellerman's standard. It was fine as thrillers go, and his characters were just as engaging as always. The plot just felt a bit more scattered and messy, the case overall a little bit less urgent and immediate. As an escape read, it was just fine, but I suspect it's one that will be seen as lower than the normal bar when it comes to this series.

This book was something of a curate's egg - good in parts. As far as I was concerned, the plot strained credulity, and I kept loosing track of who the characters were. My habit of finishing a book I've started kept me going to the end, but I wonder why as I rushed through the last chapters just to get it over with. Having said that, there was some interesting stuff about OCD and how psychologists deal with it that were worth reading.

As a long-time fan of both Jonathan Kellerman and Alex Delaware, OBSESSION does not disappoint. As I was immersed once again into another case of past meeting present, I was reminded of how much I love these characters!

When Dr. Delaware is contacted by a former patient after her mother dies, a very strange story unfolds. The girl's mother was a "saint," a nurse who kept the E.R. running smoothly with her tenacity and talents. The fact that she died after a brief illness, and after confessing to having committed a terrible deed, leads her daughter to seek Alex's help. The fact that her mother's boss was Rick Silverman, Milo Sturgis' significant other, only adds to the creative layers of this case.

Tanya Bigelow, now nineteen, once show more suffered from OCD, and thanks Dr. Delaware for "curing" her. Although Alex has his doubts about the state of Tanya's condition, more stressing matters are on his mind when bodies start piling up, and the "terrible deed" and possible murder that Patty Bigelow confessed to on her deathbed is only the beginning.

OBSESSION is a must-read for all Delaware fans, and for readers who really love a good thriller/mystery. I promise, you won't be disappointed -- although you will be wondering when the next Alex Delaware novel will be published! show less

More a “what was done” than a “who did it,” “Obsession” by Jonathan Kellerman is an excellent addition to his series of Alex Delaware psychological crime novels. Although we’ve already seen Mr. Kellerman use the plot device of young psychopathic killer who knows no bounds in past books –“Murder Book-” this time around he has us guessing as to what must have happened in order for these bizarre events to occur. Lucid writing, swift pacing and highly eloquent language mark this book as a definite good read and Mr. Kellerman fans will thoroughly enjoy the familiar characters sprinkled throughout.

A former patient, Tanya Bigelow, wants his help in contacting Milo to get some help in checking out what seems to be a death-bed confession from her adopted mother, Patty, a highly regarded ER nurse. Alex correctly points out that there may be no crime at all, but Tanya wants to know. Tanya becomes Alex's patient again as her obsessive-compulsive tendencies resurface in the wake of becoming an orphan for the second time.

If you have not read any of this series, I would encourage you to avoid this one. Many of the early ones in the series are outstanding. This one is just mediocre. I gave it three stars because I like Blanche, the dog.

Having been lured back to the Alex Delaware series by "Killer", I moved on to "Obsession" and found myself sadly disappointed. Before getting to the reason why, I should note one major positive. Like "Killer" (and unlike several other fairly recent books in the series), "Obsession" does show Alex functioning as a believable psychologist, and it does develop a real relationship between him and his patient, even going into what he tries to do to help her. But the story seems wrapped up in in talk: events are retailed though long discussions and conversations, characters get blurry, and at times the plot was less than clear. Also, the violence seems almost gratuitous, and there is a simmering undertone of anger in a lot of the show more conversation, particularly among the cops. I'm sure that's realistic, but it's not related to the story, and it gets wearing. After reading "Killer", I was ready to jump back on the Delaware train, but this book doesn't provide much incentive to stay there. show less

Eh. I was obsessed by this book! I literally could not put it down ... but I kept waiting for it to get better! I wasn't interested in the whole "death bed confession" and "protecting Tanya" angle. I kept waiting for the "OMG!" and it never came ... Never.

During the conversation scenes of the book I wanted to be there so bad! I kept saying, like, "You're missing something ... maybe his palm print got there another way!" and overly analyzing Tanya's words -- "I don't know how someone lives with killing someone else..." She did it! She's the killer! And then the white convertible ... OMG IT'S THE BOYFRIEND! I knew he couldn't be trusted!

And it wasn't any of that ... ::Heavy sigh::

Still, you can't go wrong with Alex Delaware