Serpentine

I enjoy reading everything in this series. Alex and Milo team up as usual, this time to solve a thirty-year-old case that Milo has been ordered to work on. The actual solution takes a very long time, but it's interesting to me to follow the tedious steps of an investigation so that didn't put me off the story. On the other hand, hearing about the boring aspects of driving from one neighborhood to another in the LA area, street by street, almost put me to sleep. The interaction among the characters made up for that, as did the twists and turns in the case.

So many strange coincidences that allow this very cold case to be pulled back into the light -- but an enjoyable and consistent Sturgis/Delaware novel nonetheless. There were a couple of bordering off-color remarks about women by Milo that were slightly jarring -- not so much because they skirted the grounds of taste (although they did), but because they focused on the sexiness of women in the book. Strange commentary from a gay man who clearly couldn't care less.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.

Jonathan Kellerman’s creative juices still continue to flow unabated after dozens of bestsellers over the last few decades, and he is back with the thirty-sixth Alex Delaware thriller, Serpentine, close on the heels of the previous one.

This time around, LAPD Homicide Lieutenant Milo Sturgis is forced to take on a mega-loser of a case—a thirty-six-year-old unsolved murder of a young woman. The victim, who had left behind a three-year-old daughter, was found shot to death inside the wreck of an expensive car. All these years later, the daughter—a wealthy woman now—is helped in her effort to find closure by an influential acquaintance by getting the case reopened. Milo’s friend, psychologist Alex Delaware, is drafted into the show more investigation immediately and the duo embarks on a mission where three previous attempts over the years have been utter failures. The latest investigation throws up more suspicious deaths—of people connected with the original case—albeit without any pattern. Milo’s tenacity and Alex’s insightfulness open up several avenues and present them with several suspects before a totally unexpected revelation refutes all their theories. The stone-cold case finally rushes to its resolution through some solid detective work aided by a bit of luck.

As always, watching Milo and Alex go about their business is a lot of fun. Their easy camaraderie, cerebral interactions and the way they complement each other once again provide great entertainment. It’s nice to meet some of the other recurring characters too. Kellerman’s writing is what I would call—in my limited experience—classy; he has a way with words that draws the reader in and does not let go easily. Serpentine’s intriguing plot is neatly paced, with new revelations and twists coming at regular intervals, keeping the reader guessing all the way towards the satisfying end.

While it is a terrific read, Serpentine has the same recurring issues of the past few novels in this series: too much description of food, people and roads; Alex’s underutilisation as a psychologist; repetitive sequences of Milo’s visits to Alex’s home and kitchen; and the too-perfect domestic life of Alex and Robin. But the positives outweigh the negatives so far and all is well, at least for now.

To put it shortly, Kellerman delivers yet another gripping police procedural with his evergreen pair of protagonists conquering yet another seemingly unsolvable case, and I would rate Serpentine a solid 4 out of 5. My immense gratitude to the author and the publisher of Serpentine, and NetGalley, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. show less

Originally reviewed on NetGalley at https://www.netgalley.com/book/212195/review/670189.

Jonathan Kellerman’s creative juices still continue to flow unabated after dozens of bestsellers over the last few decades, and he is back with the thirty-sixth Alex Delaware thriller, Serpentine, close on the heels of the previous one.

This time around, LAPD Homicide Lieutenant Milo Sturgis is forced to take on a mega-loser of a case—a thirty-six-year-old unsolved murder of a young woman. The victim, who had left behind a three-year-old daughter, was found shot to death inside the wreck of an expensive car. All these years later, the daughter—a wealthy woman now—is helped in her effort to find closure by an influential acquaintance by getting show more the case reopened. Milo’s friend, psychologist Alex Delaware, is drafted into the investigation immediately and the duo embarks on a mission where three previous attempts over the years have been utter failures. The latest investigation throws up more suspicious deaths—of people connected with the original case—albeit without any pattern. Milo’s tenacity and Alex’s insightfulness open up several avenues and present them with several suspects before a totally unexpected revelation refutes all their theories. The stone-cold case finally rushes to its resolution through some solid detective work aided by a bit of luck.

As always, watching Milo and Alex go about their business is a lot of fun. Their easy camaraderie, cerebral interactions and the way they complement each other once again provide great entertainment. It’s nice to meet some of the other recurring characters too. Kellerman’s writing is what I would call—in my limited experience—classy; he has a way with words that draws the reader in and does not let go easily. Serpentine’s intriguing plot is neatly paced, with new revelations and twists coming at regular intervals, keeping the reader guessing all the way towards the satisfying end.

While it is a terrific read, Serpentine has the same recurring issues of the past few novels in this series: too much description of food, people and roads; Alex’s underutilisation as a psychologist; repetitive sequences of Milo’s visits to Alex’s home and kitchen; and the too-perfect domestic life of Alex and Robin. But the positives outweigh the negatives so far and all is well, at least for now.

To put it shortly, Kellerman delivers yet another gripping police procedural with his evergreen pair of protagonists conquering yet another seemingly unsolvable case, and I would rate Serpentine a solid 4 out of 5. My immense gratitude to the author and the publisher of Serpentine, and NetGalley, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. show less

"Nice makes me fidget."

I have a confession to make. I've love Alex Delaware books for a while. When I stopped reading a long time ago, Jonathan Kellerman books are what brought me back in. They are just so great to read. The banter, the twists and traveling the road through to the conclusion of an investigation. They are always so well done. And I just really love the characters - Milo the grumbly but very good detective and Alex with his home office, wonderful wife (and dog) and his clients. It's weaves seamlessly into the story.

And even 36 books into this series, it's still so good! This one intro's a girl who pulled some strings to get Milo assigned to a cold, old case. Her mom was killed years ago, when she was young, and left her show more alone with a stepfather. She feels like she'd like to know more about it - maybe solve her mom's murder (if she was, in fact murdered.) It was fun chasing down old clues and applying new techniques (like genetic DNA) and getting back with the old gang. I loved every page. show less

I am a big fan of Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series; I have read all of them.
I always enjoy joining old friends and colleagues Milo Sturgis and Alex, detective and psychologist, as they drive and eat together, uncovering information, sharing and revising theories. I think Serpentine might be one of my favorites.

The case this time is a cold one. Milo is tasked with finding what happened to a woman shot and burned more than thirty years ago. The case resurfaces because her daughter, wealthy and with influential connections, wants to know more about her mother.

Kellerman writes true police procedurals, albeit a little different due to Milo being unconventional and Alex along to provide psychological insight. True, they do tend show more to be a bit formulaic, as Alex and Milo chase down leads, generate and discuss different theories, interview persons of interest, enjoy a few good meals. Kellerman’s descriptions are particularly picturesque and entertaining and he always seems to put a fresh spin on cases.

Yes, this can be read as a standalone, but if you are familiar with this series, it is always enjoyable to meet up with these familiar characters. show less

Serpentine
By Jonathan Kellerman

Interesting Story and Intriguing writing

⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY

Milo Sturgis is a temperamental LAPD homicide detective with a near-perfect solve rate. He often teams up with his best friend and psychologist Alex Delaware. Milo calls Alex in on the cases that are unusual. He needs him now…it’s a decades old cold case, that has been worked by other dectiectives numerous times before. But now Ellie Barker, the wealthy and influential young daughter of the deceased woman, the mother she never knew, wants the case reopened.

Thirty-six years ago. a woman was found with a bullet in her head in a torched Cadillac that has overturned on a treacherous part of Mulholland Drive. The woman’s name is Dorthy show more Swoboda. There is no physical evidence, no witnesses, and no apparent motive. And the case file is missing. As Delaware and Sturgis begin digging, to many coincidences occur as they fight the traffic from one end of LA to the other. It’s become apparent that someone doesn’t want this case solved.

REVIEW
Serpentine is the thirty-six novel in the Alex Delaware mystery series. The case is reopened by Ellie’s chance encounter at a fundraising dinner with someone who knew someone in the police department. Money talks! The story is interesting and quite involved.

Alex’s character was delightful and charming, while Milo vacillated between grumpy and generous. The writing is intriguing, but the traffic and food descriptions were overly done. The female characters left a little to be desired, several being portrayed as overly emotional and needy. The were a large number of characters and if you are not a frequent reader of the series you may want to keep a list.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Ballanrine Books
Published February 2, 2021
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com show less