Double Homicide

by Jonathan Kellerman, Faye Kellerman

Overview

For the first time ever, bestselling novelists Jonathan and Faye Kellermen team up to deliver the launch book in a thrilling new series of short crime novels. This book--printed as a reversible volume with two different covers--contains two stories featuring different detectives solving crimes in different cities.

It’s a reader’s dream come true: a new series co-written by the royal couple of crime fiction—Jonathan and Faye Kellerman! Each book contains two novels jointly written by the duo, featuring different detectives solving crimes in different cities. “In the Land of the Giants” has Boston homicide detectives Michael MacCain and Doris Sylvestor investigating the suspicious death of a college basketball star. And in “Still Life,” the co-worker of a Santa Fe art gallery is murdered, forcing detectives Darryl Two Moons and Steve Katz to put aside holiday celebrations and set things right.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780759512627
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	10/01/2004
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	134
File size:	499 KB

About the Author

Faye and Jonathan Kellerman have conspired to produce four children and lots of the other good stuff that comes from an enduring, happy marriage. After some deliberation, they decided to write something together. The end result was good fun.

Hometown:

Beverly Hills, California

Date of Birth:

August 9, 1949

Place of Birth:

New York, New York

Education:

B.A. in psychology, University of California-Los Angeles; Ph.D., University of Southern California, 1974

Website:

http://www.jonathankellerman.com/

Read an Excerpt

An excellent text for use in undergraduate medical anthropology courses. It reviews the basic perspectives, concepts, and debates in the field in a more comprehensive fashion than many other comparable works. As the book itself is only of moderate length, it can be easily and productively paired with a set of book length, ethnographic case studies and relevant articles.

Editorial Reviews

Those who admire risk, take note: two authors at the top of their game have done something quite new. Those who fear change, take heart: the results are just fine. Faye and Jonathan Kellerman, each with a slew of bestsellers, have collaborated on a volume comprising two mystery novellas. Each stands on its own, with separate settings (Santa Fe and Boston) and separate pairs of homicide detectives. To further heighten the distinction, the book has two front covers, with the authors alternating first billing and a "flip" format. It's intriguing to imagine how these two pros went about writing together, but it's even more fun just to jump in and enjoy. The characters are all new, and so are the locales; that in itself is worthy of admiration. Surprisingly, the two novellas are uneven in quality. The Boston piece, about the mysterious death of a young basketball star, suffers from wordiness and a somewhat murky plot, troubles that short works can ill afford. But the strong Santa Fe story more than compensates, with its fully rounded characters and evocative sense of place. The final scene, haunting and heartbreaking, shows the assured hand of a master. (One-day laydown Oct. 5) Forecast: With a 300,000-copy first printing and the unusual husband-wife pairing, expect plenty of media attention and a run on bestseller lists. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

The best-selling husband-and-wife crime writers kick off a new joint venture with these two short novels, published in a single reversible volume with two different covers. In "Still Life," Santa Fe detectives Darrel Two Moons and Steve Katz investigate the murder of an art gallery owner who made enemies as quickly as art sales. Set in Boston, the reverse novel, "In the Land of Giants," follows detectives Dorothy Breton and Michael McCain as they probe the apparent shooting death of a college basketball player. Sure to appeal to new readers as well as established fans, the stories are complementary but distinctly separate and without crossover characters. In both novels, the Kellermans' collaborative writing style drives home gritty drama, compelling dialog, and believable characters. Highly recommended for most public libraries. The Kellermans live in Southern California. [See Mystery Prepub, LJ 4/1/04; the next book in the series will be published by Ballantine, Jonathan's publisher. Ed.] Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY for most public libraries. The Kellermans live in Southern California. [See Mystery Prepub, LJ 4/1/04; the next book in the series will be published by Ballantine, Jonathan's publisher. Ed.] Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

The prolific Kellermans (he: The Conspiracy Code, 2003, etc.; she: Street Dreams, 2003, etc.) jointly pen a pair of crisp, smart novellas. Writing as a team for the first time, the Kellermans get it just right: pacing, plotting, even the prose, which in the past has been shaky for both. In "Still-Life," loathsome Santa Fe art dealer Larry Gustafson is found dead by ball-peen hammer, and the SRO suspect list includes an estranged wife, a cheated painter, a brace of embittered senior citizens, and others quite as likely. Laboriously, homicide detectives Darrel Two Moons and Steve Katz begin the dispiriting process of elimination. Two Moons tells his partner about Gustafson: "We keep peeling, he keeps smelling worse." Still, they do keep on peeling. "In the Land of the Giants" moves to Boston, where another pair of determined cops cope with the case of the slain college basketball idol. But is it in fact a homicide? At first, BPD detectives Mickey McCain and Dorothy Breton consider that a no-brainer. Witnesses by the dozens saw bullets fired into the monumental body of young Julius Van Beest, and he is certainly dead. Why, then, is the ME shaking his head skeptically? What fatal flaw did an autopsy pick up that a series of X-rays missed?Two sets of blue-collar dicks, working doggedly out of hard-pressed departments in a thoroughly believable way: nothing fancy here, but oh-so-refreshingly readable.

Kirkus Reviews

Two novellas, two settings, two victims, two pairs of detectives, two writing styles--there’s plenty for two readers to work with here. John Rubinstein reads IN THE LAND OF THE GIANTS, in which Boston detectives investigate the death of a college basketball star after an on-court incident. Rubenstein narrates in mostly angry tones that reflect the rough worlds of competitive sports and city police work. Lou Diamond Phillips gives smoother treatment to STILL LIFE, set in the artsy world of Santa Fe, where an unpopular art dealer has been killed. Detectives Two Moons and Katz emerge as distinct personalities as they sort out suspects and clues. There is no clue, however, to the authorship or location of each title in the packaging or on the discs. That quibble aside, this production delivers a double dose of suspenseful listening. J.B.G. 2005 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

APR/MAY 05 - AudioFile