Blood Test (Alex Delaware #2) by Jonathan Kellerman

Synopsis

It is a case unlike any psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware has ever encountered. Five-year-old Woody Swope is ill, but the real problem is his parents. They refuse to agree to the one treatment that could save this boy's life. Alex sets out to convince Mr. and Mrs. Swope--only to find that the parents have left the hospital and taken their son with them. Worse, the sleazy motel room where the Swopes were staying is empty--except for the ominous bloodstain. The Swopes and their son have vanished into the sordid shadows of the city. Now Alex and his friend, homocide detective Milo Sturgis, have no choice but to push the law to the breaking point. They've entered an amoral underworld where drugs, dreams, and sex are all for sale...where fantasies are fulfilled at any price--even at the cost of a young boy's life.

Book number two in the Alex Delaware series, and it was definitely another thriller.  

There were a lot of complicated and layered characters, but it was easy to keep there straight and interested to uncover different parts of them. And, once again, Alex had to do some traveling in his attempt to get answers to a case he was interested in. 

Yet, the whole book, there is the underlying worry for the kid - Woody - because he's suffering from cancer and needs to be found so he can get treatment. 

I think this was a quicker read than the first book was, but it still dealt with a lot of rough topics. That seems to be the theme in this series. There are a lot of sex crimes. That wasn't what I was expecting going in. 

Overall, I enjoyed the read. I look forward to #3. 

4/5 Stars

Memorable Quotes: "I'd long thought that a surfeit of sensitivity could be a killing thing, too much insight malignant in its own right. The best survivors -- there are studies that show it -- are those blessed with an inordinate ability to deny. And keep on marching."

"To trust someone is to take the greatest risk of all. Without trust nothing ever happens."

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Compulsion (Max Revere #2) by Allison Brennan

Synopsis

Investigative reporter Maxine Revere has a theory: that the five New York City murders for which Adam Bachman is being tried are just part of his killing spree. In probing the disappearance of a retired couple who vanished the prior summer, Max uncovers striking similarities to Bachman's MO and develops a theory that Bachman wasn't working alone.

Max wins a coveted pre-trial interview with the killer, whose disarming composure in the face of her questions is combined with uncomfortable knowledge of Max's own past. She leaves the room convinced, but unable to prove, that Bachman knows exactly what happened to the missing couple. The D.A. wants nothing to jeopardize his case against Bachman and refuses to consider Max's theory. With no physical evidence, Max has to rely on her own wits and investigative prowess to dig deep into Bachman's past. The picture that Max puts together is far darker and more deadly than she ever imagined.

As Max gets closer to the truth, she doesn't realize that she's walking down a road that has been paved just for her. That every step she takes brings her one step closer to a brilliant, methodical sociopath who has been waiting for her to make just one small mistake.

And when she does, he'll be there waiting.

When I started this book, I had no idea it was the second book in a series. That was unfortunate to me, because I hadn't read the first one. I don't like jumping into a series without reading the first book or reading them out of order in general. 

But, since I did it without knowing, I had to get over it and just pretend it was a standalone book. 

I will say, not having read the first book, I didn't feel like I had missed anything or that I was severely out of the know. So, Allison Brennan did a great job of welcoming new readers into the series if they were knew to her work like I was. 

I also found it interesting to read a crime novel from the POV of an investigative reporter. Usually they come from the POV of the detectives investigating the case. So this was a fresh change of pace to me. It was an interesting story, and it kept me hanging on until I finished it. 

I think I'll definitely be on the lookout for the other books in the series. I should probably read the first one so I can be all caught up. 

4/5 Stars

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When the Bough Breaks (Alex Delaware #1) by Jonathan Kellerman

Synopsis

In the first Alex Delaware novel, Dr. Morton Handler practiced a strange brand of psychiatry. Among his specialties were fraud, extortion, and sexual manipulation. Handler paid for his sins when he was brutally murdered in his luxurious Pacific Palisades apartment. The police have no leads, but they do have one possible witness: seven-year-old Melody Quinn.

It's psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware's job to try to unlock the terrible secret buried in Melody's memory. But as the sinister shadows in the girl's mind begin to take shape, Alex discovers that the mystery touches a shocking incident in his own past.

This connection is only the beginning, a single link in a forty-year-old conspiracy. And behind it lies an unspeakable evil that Alex Delaware must expose before it claims another innocent victim: Melody Quinn.

I read my first Jonathan Kellerman book awhile ago now, and I've had When the Bough Breaks sitting in my TBR pile for nearly as long. After finding a good chunk of the series at various book sales, it was finally time for me to dig in and read my way through it!

The good news is that I enjoyed the book. It'd be rather unfortunate if I had quite a few books In the series and ended up hating the first one. As someone who, obviously, enjoys mysteries and thrillers but is also a psychology nerd, this series appears to be a wonderful blend of those two interests. For those unfamiliar with the Alex Delaware series - Alex was a child psychologist. After being retired for a few, he becomes a consultant to the police. 

All of this was great and intriguing. What I wasn't expecting was just how graphic and vulgar some of the language was - especially since this novel deals with sexual abuse of children - another thing I was not prepared for. I usually keep my reviews as spoiler-free as possible. But, I feel like that needed to be mentioned. Because it was rough. 

There are also some things about the writing that make it obvious this series was started in the 80's. It's not specific to the 80's, per se, but some of the racial words and phrases used to describe people are now very out of date. I had to keep reminding myself that this was written decades  ago as I was reading it. I can only hope that as the series goes along, the vocabulary becomes more modern. 

Sidenote - as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I absolutely love that Milos is gay. That warmed my little heart. 

4/5 Stars. I've already started the 2nd book, and I look forward to seeing how the series progresses. 

Memorable Quote: “It was shaping up as a beautiful morning. The last thing I wanted to hear about was murder.”

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