CITY OF THE DEAD

5 stars out of 5

Is it possible to find a book in this series not to love? Of course, some plots are a bit less appealing than others - this is the 37th, after all - but police consultant and psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware and his friend, LAPD police officer Milo Sturgis, never disappoint. And with this entry, nothing's changed.

This time out, Milo and Alex visit a scene at which a moving van appears to have hit a naked man. An accident, perhaps - until one of the neighbors points to a nearby house he believes is being rented by a "suspicious" woman. When Alex and Milo go inside, they get a surprise - a woman inside has been brutally murdered. Alex, though, gets a double whammy: He once tangled with the woman, Cordelia Gannett, who at the time was posing as a psychologist.

Although she got caught, she failed to cease and desist; but as Alex and Milo investigate, they learn her earlier life was far more complicated. From there, several other familiar characters get involved, including Detective Moses Reed, Alex's guitar-repair expert and live-in love, Robin, and even Milo's physician husband Rick (always nice to hear from him, even if it's more of a cameo than a full-blown performance).

The details are what make the story take on a life of its own, but as always, everything gets sorted out in the end. This one, I think, will please most series fans like me. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of it.

City of the Dead by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine Books, February 2022); 336 pp.

THE MUSEUM OF DESIRE

5 stars out of 5

Okay, so my request at NetGalley to read an advance copy of this book was approved. Big whoop. Now I'm finished. Another big whoop!

That first one, which was a literal shout-out that roused my husband from his recliner, came becauseI've been a fan of this series right from the start; I don't recall missing a single one, so of course I was excited. The second shout-out (prior to which I gave my long-suffering hubby a heads-up) came because, like the others, this one is very good.  Main characters Dr. Alex Delaware and LAPD Lt. Milo Sturgis are in fine form with their banter (as well as their obvious respect for each other as they mesh their complementary investigative skills). Alex's main squeeze Robin gets some face time, as does their lovable pooch Blanche.

This one begins with a scene that unsettles just about everyone who views it, including Alex and Milo: Four very dead bodies are found in a limousine; the three passengers, two men and a woman, have been covered with blood (apparently after the fact) and posed in a very suggestive way. Other than the driver, identifying them all takes quite a bit of doing; but accomplishing that is followed by the even bigger challenge of determining the connection among the victims that could unearth a motive and the identity of the killer (or killers).

The nooks-and-crannies investigation, which I'm not about to detail here, takes Alex, Milo and his very capable team into a dark world of art (a nod to the book title) as well as the dark streets of the homeless and forgotten. If I have a "complaint," it's that the cast of characters is a rather large one, making it a little hard for me to keep all the names straight. In the end, though, no matter; this one kept me entertained from the first page to the last. Well done! And please, sir, may I have some more?

The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine Books, February 2020); 368 pp.

THE WEDDING GUEST

4 stars out of 5

Ah, what could be better than another get-together of two of my favorite characters - police consultant and psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware and his curmudgeonly but lovable cohort Milo Sturgis? In this one, their back-and-forths seemed more frequent and provided greater insights into their characters (and their relationship) than usual - for me, much appreciated. Besides that, Alex's long-time love and guitar-maker Robin landed a more featured role - still another plus.

As the title suggests, this one begins with a wedding guest who didn't appear on the invitation list - not even as a plus one - and who for sure didn't get a great reception. In fact, she turns up dead; murdered with a combination of injected knockout drug and wire garrote reminiscent of a guitar string. No one can come up with an identity, and Milo calls Alex for help with the case. Fairly early on, it is learned that the somewhat unconventional venue used to be a seedy bar known for its equally seedy pole dancers, thus expanding the search beyond the rich and not-so-rich who enjoyed wedding guest-list status.

Despite their denials of anything connected to the victim, the families of the bride and groom - and the bride and groom themselves - remain on the suspect list (some very near the top). That in turn leads Alex and Milo down a number of aisles, most of which don't lead to blissful solutions. Finally, a previous case comes to light that rings bells in harmony, lifting the veil under which the real killer has been hiding.

And that brings me to the part that bothered me just a tiny bit. I can't be specific without spoiling things, but the ending seemed somehow disjointed - as if the usual suspects just weren't cutting it and a new ending was needed to deliver a more effective punch. That said, I enjoyed the book as a whole as always - Alex is in absolutely zero danger of dropping off my Top 10 list of all-time favorite book heroes. Given that this is the 34th in the series (all of which I've read), that's gotta be some kind of record. My undying gratitude goes to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

The Wedding Guest by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine Books, February 2019); 384 pp.