Sunstroke

Superb debut

Those expecting a facsimile of his parents' work--or those who only like novels full of guns and corpses--may be disappointed, as this is not so much a thriller as a character study. Readers with a bit more imagination and flexibility, however, will be rewarded for their efforts. Gloria is credible and sympathetic, and her journey is fascinating. A fine debut that bodes well for the future.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

delightful character driven who-done-it

Thirty-six years old Los Angeles secretary Gloria Mendez has been in love with her boss, novelty import business mogul, Carl Perreira, for years though she accepts it is unrequited so she hides her deep regard from him as he has not shown any sexual interest in her. Carl goes on vacation in Mexico. Following a relatively minor earthquake, Gloria listens to a strange jumbled message that Carl left on her answering machine. She tries to follow-up as Carl apparently has disappeared somewhere in Mexico's backcountry. Gloria tries LAPD, who dispatch her to the Tijuana cops, but neither departments show the slightest interest in the case. --- Not soon afterward, Gloria learns that Carl allegedly died in a car crash inferno. Devastated by her loss, Gloria travels to Mexico to bring Carl¿s remains home for burial. However, even that simple kind gesture proves difficult and dangerous starting with when she meets a young man claiming to be Carlos Perreira, son of her Carl and others who assume she is either a partner or lover with insider information on the activities of a man she thought she knew. --- Gloria is the center of this fine cerebral mystery in which much of the action is inferred until near the end. Though not a particularly courageous individual, the heroine shows her mettle when she tries to do what she believes is the right thing for Carl and subsequently begins an amateurish sleuthing into what happened to him and why. Proving DNA matters, Jesse Kellerman debuts with a delightful character driven who-done-it. --- Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sunstroke by Jesse Kellerman

An excellent book! What a book to be the first book by this author. It is hard to believe that someone so young wrote this book. Beautiful prose.

What a groaner!

I looked everywhere online to find a reading group guide or a link to the author. With the author located, I sent an email request for a short reading guide. His response was pretty lame ... he created a reading guide for his second book but not this one and why don't I come up with some questions or ideas after I read the book!!! Frankly, this was not the response I expected and it made reading the book for group discussion even more difficult. The story line rambles and runs amok all through the 367 pages. It was such a relief to finally get to the end!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Dull

I listened to the book on CD and found it extremely dull and boring. The long winded character and scene descriptions put to me sleep several times. I began to wonder what the point was and who the author was writing for. Was he writing for a college class or readers for their enjoyment? In the end, I never finished the book on CD and regret I selected the book for library patrons to read.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

AUSPICIOUS DEBUT SUPERBLY READ

It runs in the family. Jesse Kellerman, son of popular suspense novelists Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, has written an absorbing nail-biter to rival any other in this crowded literary field. Mom and dad must be justifiably proud of their Harvard grad who has already penned a number of award-winning plays and been given the Princess Grace Award for the country's most promising young playwright. Now, he shows he also has the mystery writer chops with 'Sunstroke,' impeccably plotted with enough turns and twists to keep listeners riveted. Speaking of listeners, the narration by stage and screen actress Annie Henk aptly captures the protagonists determination and then desperation as she uncovers secrets she never wanted to know. Thirty something Gloria Mendez plays by the rules. She has worked for Carl Perriera, owner of Caperco Mask and Novelty, Inc., for ten years, enjoying almost every minute because she's in love with him. It's a love that is unrequited, as far as she knows. As her friend Barb points out, she takes care of Carl too much and has done so for too long. That ends shortly. When Carl goes out of town and leaves a note reading, 'Take care of things while I'm gone,' she does just that. But only for so long because she receives word that Carl has been killed in a car accident. She feels there's nothing left for her to do but collect his body and see to proper arrangements. Guileless Gloria drives for over ten hours to a tiny Mexican border town, Aguas Vivas. She doesn't find a great deal of sympathy there but rather roadblocks thrown in her way. It seems that Carl wasn't the quiet, hardworking fellow she had believed him to be. She's convinced that something awful happened to Carl in this forlorn little place, but what? And, is one man really who he claims to be - Carl's son? 'Sunstroke' is an auspicious debut from a writer of unquestionable talent. Plus, it's superbly read. Enjoy! - Gail Cooke

lots of potential

This author has plenty of potential - I liked his style and I thought the story line was unique. But the ending fell flat for me. Give him a chance though, I'm guessing we'll see great things from him soon.

Terrible waste of time.

This writer fell very far the family talent tree. His prose is over blown and the characters are flat. The story is silly and uninteresting.