Dr. Death

Dr. Eldon Mate, better known as "Dr. Death", helps with the aid of killing terminally ill people, but when he is found butchered in his "DEATH" van, Milo Sturgis and Alex Delaware are called onto the case to find out who killed the killer. As Delaware and Sturgis begin looking into the dark corners of the late"Dr. Death's" life they find any number of suspects...from relatives of those he killed, to his own family members.

Jonathan Kellerman expertly educates and entertains the reader in the worlds of crime and psychology. He has advanced the police procedural by adding the interesting but often misunderstood applied field of psychology,i.e. psychotherapy. Dr. Death may not be his best but it still very good and definitely worth reading.

I like the voices of the characters in Kellerman's books, and the writing and dialogue are far better than the average entry in this genre. Action and detail pile on constantly in a suspenseful way. However, in this particular book, Kellerman takes preachy tendencies to an extreme. These tones are present in most of his mysteries, but they are extreme enough in this novel to slow down the reading. It's not thought-provoking: it's annoying.

It is funny how one can forget how enjoyable a Jonathan Kellerman novel can be. Right now in the process of trying to catch up on my Kellerman reading so this is the second one in a row. The thing I can say about Jonathan Kellerman while I enjoy this books they never seem to stick with me as others do. His writing is good his stories are interesting and he does a good job of developing his two primary characters. You know the people is he writing about they are familiar and sometimes I wonder if that isn't part of the problem. The are steady they are known and human but nothing really stands out about them. They live through the story and you join them on their journey in each investigation. Maybe there is not enough flash not enough show more panache. The stories are enjoyable, they are good and do hold your interest but they don't ever have that hidden sin like the joy of sneaking a hot cookie that mom has just set out and told you to wait for.

Dr Death is one of his more interesting stories with more than the usual twists and turns as the crime is investigated. There is tension between the principle characters and it can be felt throughout the story - something that is not easy to do. There are some interesting characters that are more than cardboard fillers as the story progresses and the ending is pulled off in a very interesting manner that tangentially fulfills the wrap up requirement of the diverse elements that were in play. The final answers are surprising but in retrospect answer the deepest questions that were left hanging.

I would recommend this book for anyone who has enjoyed a Jonathan Kellerman story. show less

People are voluntarily dying before their time in California. Some call it assisted suicide when cancer or heart disease or painful old age make the quality of life unbearable. Others say it is murder, that no-one has the right to help others take their own life.

As the debate rages over whether euthanasia should be legalised or not the man at the centre of the row, nick-named Doctor Death, continues his work. Dr Alex Delaware joins in the argument, but when Detective Milo Sturgis comes to him with the suspicion that some of Doctor Death's patients are not willing collaborators, Delaware finds himself on the front line of the affair, and increasingly believes that euthanasia is not the prime motivation. So what is driving Doctor Death to show more kill so many? - Amazon.co.uk show less

I have no idea why I've never read any of Jonathan Kellerman's books. I also don't know how this one ended up on my shelf but, but I'm certainly glad it did. This is part of a series featuring psychologist Alex Davenport. This isn't the first or the last, however. In this one, Eldon Mate was infamous for his euthanasia of the terminally ill. Only now he's the victim and it wasn't a nice, peaceful death. Kellerman is prolific and I'm off to find another of his.

Dr. Death is a complicated whodunit because there are more than one story happening. It is an interesting story that deals more with the psychology of the killer than with the thriller side of the story. Four stars were given in this review because it had a beginning, middle and end. All of the settings were real and the characters. It is recommended.

Good psychological angle and good detective angle. Again a little curious about how prevalent serial killers really are. The mercy killing theme fairly well handled, but maybe a little biased against it. Some gratuitous moral philosophy--too absolutist.