City of the Dead, Jonathan Kellerman
City of the Dead, Jonathan Kellerman
40 Rating(s)
List: $22.50 | Sale: $14.85
Club: $11.25

City of the Dead
An Alex Delaware Novel

Bestseller

Author: Jonathan Kellerman

Narrator: John Rubinstein

Unabridged: 10 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/08/2022


Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The past comes back to haunt psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis when they investigate a grisly double homicide and uncover an even more unspeakable motive in this riveting thriller from the bestselling master of suspense.

Los Angeles is a city of sunlight, celebrity, and possibility. The L.A. often experienced by Homicide Lt. Detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist Alex Delaware, is a city of the dead.
 
Early one morning, the two of them find themselves in a neighborhood of pretty houses, pretty cars, and pretty people. The scene they encounter is anything but. A naked young man lies dead in the street, the apparent victim of a collision with a moving van hurtling through suburbia in the darkness. But any thoughts of accidental death vanish when a blood trail leads to a nearby home.
 
Inside, a young woman lies butchered. The identity of the male victim and his role in the horror remain elusive, but that of the woman creates additional questions. And adding to the shock, Alex has met her while working a convoluted child custody case. Cordelia Gannett was a self-styled internet influencer who’d gotten into legal troubles by palming herself off as a psychologist. Even after promising to desist, she’s found a loophole and has continued her online career, aiming to amass clicks and ads by cyber-coaching and cyber-counseling people plagued with relationship issues.
 
But upon closer examination, Alex and Milo discover that her own relationships are troublesome, including a tortured family history and a dubious personal past. Has that come back to haunt her in the worst way? Is the mystery man out in the street collateral damage or will he turn out to be the key to solving a grisly double homicide? As the psychologist and the detective explore L.A.'s meanest streets, they peel back layer after layer of secrets and encounter a savage, psychologically twisted, almost unthinkable motive for violence and bloodshed.
 
This is classic Delaware: Alex, a man Milo has come to see as irreplaceable, at his most insightful and brilliant.

About Jonathan Kellerman

American author, Jonathan Kellerman, comes from a decisively different viewpoint when writing his novels, than most authors. Kellerman was born in New York City to parents who were successful authors themselves. His journey began when his family moved to Los Angeles California. He grew up there and received a BA in Psychology from UCLA. He paid for his education by various jobs as cartoonist, illustrator, journalist, and editor, as well as teaching guitar. An unpublished novel that he co-wrote won him a Samuel Goldwyn writing award. Screenplays were readily available to him, but he chose not to get into that venue. He received his PhD from USC in clinical psychology. His research thesis was entitled.....attribution of blame for childhood psychopathology. Kellerman is currently a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine.

The first published book from Kellerman was a medical text book entitled.....Psychological Aspects of Childhood Cancer. His extensive research and hands on experience while working at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles prepared him for the knowledge needed to write his first published book.

He published a book for parents titled Helping the Fearful Child. Through many cases and observations, came his first novel.....When the Bough Breaks, which became a bestseller and was adapted for a TV movie. His career in medicine continued all throughout his writing. He was a consultant and expert witness in the legal system which impacted the characters in his novels.

The psychologist and novelist has been very vocal in speaking out against the "misguided" release of mentally ill people into the community without benefit of counseling, psychotherapy, as well as medication. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, who is also a bestselling crime writer. They have four children, two of whom are also novelists.


Reviews

Goodreads review by PamG on January 26, 2022

City of the Dead by Jonathan Kellerman brings more than just murder and suspense to the 37th book in the Alex Delaware series. It combines a police procedural with psychology to bring additional insights into the story and people. The books are also tend to be cerebral in nature. Los Angeles Poli......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on December 24, 2022

In this 37th book in the 'Alex Delaware' series, the psychologist helps LAPD detective Milo Sturgis investigate a tricky case. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a plus. ***** A moving van has almost reached its destination in an upscale Los Angeles neighborho......more

Goodreads review by Michael on February 08, 2022

Well, this was a quick read, I finished it in two days without much effort. I have read one other Jonathan Kellerman book that I could not wait for to be over... but this Alex Delaware series has a huge following so I thought I would give it another shot. The characters were solid and obviously well......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on January 12, 2025

I’ve only dipped into Kellerman’s long running Alex Delaware series once before – it was quite some time ago and I recorded no reaction to the book other than the lonely three stars listed on my Goodreads record of the event. But I like crime fiction stories set in the City of Angels so it was about......more

Goodreads review by Kathi on November 29, 2021

Los Angeles, a city many are drawn to for the light, action, and celebrities. The home of psychologist Alex Delaware and his best friend, Homicide Lt. Detective Milo Sturgis, a home in which they encounter the worst that life can bring. And on this sunny morning, on a pretty street with nice houses,......more


Quotes

“One of [Kellerman’s] best.”Mystery & Suspense

“As always, Kellerman provides fascinating insight into the motivations of his damaged characters.”Publishers Weekly

“A gripping, readable thriller that combines elements of the police procedural, murder mystery, and psychological thriller genres.”Booklist

“Kellerman at his best . . . [He] uses his training as a psychologist to construct a crime and perpetrator that will have readers turning pages and guessing until the very end.”Library Journal