When the Bough Breaks (Alex Delaware Series #1)

Excited to read the rest of this series.

This book starts out a little slow, but only because it gives some background information on the main character so that you can understand him a little better. Then it jumps right into a great story with an interesting ending. It was a little hard to follow towards the end because of the different characters involved, but it comes together nicely.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Great Book by a Great Author!

If you have never read a book by Jonathan Kellerman, this is a great place to start. His characters, Alex and Milo are superbly developed and really make you want to root for them in their discovery of some devastating facts that lead to an even more devestating discovery. Pick up this book today, I couldn't put it down!!!

4 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

It tells the beginning ...

I have always enjoyed Jonathan Kellerman's books featureing Alex Delaware. I recently decided to read all the older stories, from Book #1 on. This is the book that actually introduces us to Alex and Milo. I especially enjoyed this book and will read the second and third books in the series soon.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Interesting.....

The story line is interesting and the characters are fairly well developed. But when Alex goes off on his own investigation, Mr. Kellerman begins to make his story sound a lot less logical. The end of the story, in particular, is quite unbelievable, and happens so quickly as to make one think Mr. Kellerman had a word limit! This is the only novel of Mr. Kellerman's I've read and I enjoyed most of it. Considering it was his 1st to write, and expecting improvement, I'll be reading another!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a great first book to get you addicted to Alex Delaware.

This is a great first book to get you addicted to Alex Delaware. There is a lot of explaining, who Alex Delaware is, what made him what he is, but it isn't done in a boring way, but it is detailed. But it is well worth it...the books are GREAT. These are books that i eagerly look forward to.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

When the Bough Breaks

Dr. Alex Delaware is a child psychologist who has seen enough violence and evil done to children to burn him out and break him down at the age of thirty-three. Now retired, he has plenty of money to live on while he ponders the question of what to do with his life. That is until his friend, a police detective, Milo Sturgis asks him for help on his latest case.
Alex's interest is piqued by the case, but doesn't plan to get overly involved, just help out. Then he met Melody Quinn, the seven-year-old, lone witness to the double murder. She and her mother live in the same apartment building as the psychiatrist and his girlfriend that were murdered and she is the only one that can help with this case now as Milo has no other leads.
As he gets Melody to trust him and open up, Alex realizes there is more to this case than just a double murder. He digs deeper and deeper until he opens the door to secrets that several 'well to do' people would rather keep closed.and would do anything to keep it that way.
Intense, traumatic, and suspenseful, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Reviewed by Ashley Wintters for Suspense Magazine

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Alex Delaware & Milo Sturgis first brake out of their fabulous series.

I really enjoyed this story. It was great to see how Alex and Milo start off from their basic crime solving tactics. I admit that I didn't start reading the series from order but it was still excellent. Like the rest of the stories. Alex & Milo never lose their wits nor my interest.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

First in a long series

I love Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series, and I'm hoping to love Jonathan's Alex Delaware as well. This first book was not as compelling as I hoped, but I'll continue on for at least a few books hoping they don't disappoint. I've even branching out to the books their children are writing. What a prolific literary family!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

If this book is what it takes to win an Edgar for Best First Mystery and to kick-start what is now a 25 book sereis, what does that say about us, the readers?

For a book that says almost nothing about anything, it is decently written. The little it does say about anything is to keep your hyperactive kids off prescribed drugs unless absolutely necessary. Other than that, which I already knew, I would have been better off spending my time doing almost anything else.

Our new Post-Modern Detective, a burnt out ex-karate enthusiast with a 2-hour refresher in which he gets the cr-- kicked out of him by an old instructor, escapes death, not once, not twice, not three times, but four times, five, if one counts his being rescued just in the nick of time.

First, our hero is attacked by the biggest dog this side of King Kong. Our hero dives for a pitchfork and saves himself intact albeit for a bite of his arm, described as not really bad, but severe enough to render it almost useless in a fight, into which, of course, our hero soon gets himself.

That's ONE!

The killer, an already successful one, puts a gun to our hero's head, and our hero escapes, in what I suppose is meant to be an exciting car-motorcycle chase. The bad guy dies. Well, of course. Our hero is so well trained at this stuff.

That's TWO!

Then, our hero with the bad arm fights someone substantially bigger and at least somewhat trained. The author tells us, "He was strong and skilled." But, of course, our well-trained hero wins that battle as well, bad arm and all.

That's THREE!

Then, a real bad guy-killer has a gun on him. He gets away from that one as well.

That's FOUR!

But, our hero doesn't quite get away from number four. The bad guy is huge, gets to our hero and begins choking him to death. No way our hero can get away. But, wait! The author arrives with the cavalry just in the nick of time.

Maybe, that's not really number FIVE since our hero was saved from a certain death by another person, but it's close enough.

We readers can console ourselves with the knowledge that the hero is a man of principle, at least that's what the author keeps telling us.

But, the hero's buddy, a homicide detective, admits in the last pages that he has murdered in cold blood one of the villains. He has done so because he believed the murderer was a man of power, wealth and influence and would get away with his horrid crimes only to commit them again.

When our hero, our man of principle, hears the cop's confession, he says "Okay."

OKAY?

Though I don't remember anything about having read this book when it was first published 25 years ago, I am sure that I did since I do remember having read 2 or 3 of the earlier Alex Delaware books, and it is my nature to start at the beginning. But this re-beginning is surely the end.

This book's low quality has finally driven me back to my own, too long neglected novel. I assure you, my 'hero," if there is one, won't beat up or otherwise get physical with the bad guys or the big dogs. He oe she will just be a more normal human being.

1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Decent

This book was decent. There is almost a little too much going on at one time, so can be hard to follow. I would reccomend this book though. It is very thrilling, and worth your time and/or money.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great First book by Kellerman

The first book in the series that builds information as you go along. Alex is asked to provide assistance in solving the crimes, which seem to be interconnected. Milo uses Alex to get information about those that are suspect in their truth telling.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not Bad for a First Attempt

After 'Over the Edge', this is the second book by Mr Kellerman that I have just read. Not bad for a first try, though it also shows the author was still rather immature in his plot-creating skills. At times it felt like reading a strange medley of pulpfiction thriller plus the story of a medieval detective mixed with the straightforward confessions of a top lover who never ever disappoints a gal in bed and has the most immaculate woman in the world for a partner. On top of this all, put Milo and a required knowledge of psychopharmacology. Nonetheless, one has to be lenient in their opinion when reviewing a first book . . .

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent

Highly recommended for fans of Jonathan Kellerman.

Great Book

I could hardly put this book down--the mystery kept me wanting to go to the end immediately, but I didn't. If you are a mystery buff you have to read this one.

Great fiction reading

Always a suspenseful and enjoyable read. Love his Alex Delaware novels.

Vintage Excellent Kellerman

Introduces well developed characters and complex plot. I love to read Jonathan & Faye Kellerman books! The Child Psych aspects are very pertinent to me as a Child Psych nurse.

Recommended

Jonathan Kellerman is one of my favorite authors. I am never disappointed by his books. If you are looking for a good mysteries, check out the Alex Delaware Series! The characters are great; I really enjoy them and the stories always have a twist.

VERY dark tale of a retired-- though young-- child psychologist

VERY dark tale of a retired-- though young-- child psychologist who gets drawn into a police case with many threads. As the details emerge the sickness that is revealed gets harder to read-- and harder to believe. The writing is competent but the storytelling lags and the darkness is unremitting. The denouement is rushed, told as exposition disguised as a monologue by one of the characters, instead of revealing itself in the course of events. It almost seemed as if the author himself was sick of the story. know there are readers for this genre, but I'm not one of them.

Amazing start to a fantastic series!

Amazing start to a fantastic series!

Not bad for a chick book

Not bad for a chick book

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.