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    Bones: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 23
    Unavailable
    Bones: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 23
    Unavailable
    Bones: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 23
    Audiobook (abridged)7 hours

    Bones: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 23

    Written by Jonathan Kellerman

    Narrated by John Rubinstein

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    When it comes to writing deftly layered, tightly coiled novels of suspense, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman reigns supreme as "master of the psychological thriller" (People). Kellerman has worked his magic again in this chilling masterpiece.

    The anonymous caller has an ominous tone and an unnerving message about something "real dead . . . buried in your marsh." The eco-volunteer on the other end of the phone thinks it's a prank, but when a young woman's body turns up in L.A.'s Bird Marsh preserve no one's laughing. And when the bones of more victims surface, homicide detective Milo Sturgis realizes the city's under siege to an insidious killer. Milo's first move: calling in psychologist Alex Delaware.

    The murdered women are prostitutes-except the most recent victim; a brilliant young musician from the East Coast, employed by a wealthy family to tutor a musical prodigy, Selena Bass seems out of place in the marsh's grim tableau.

    Conveniently-perhaps ominously-Selena's blueblood employers are nowhere to be found, and their estate' s jittery caretaker raises hackles. But Milo's instincts and Alex's insight are too well-honed to settle for easy answers, even given the dark secrets in this troubled man's past. Their investigation unearths disturbing layers-about victims, potential victims, and suspects alike-plunging even deeper into the murky marsh's enigmatic depths.

    Bizarre details of the crimes suggest a devilish serial killer prowling L.A.'s gritty streets. But when a new murder deviates from the pattern, derailing a possible profile, Alex and Milo must look beyond the suspicion of madness and consider an even more sinister mind at work. Answers don't come easy, but the darkest of drives and desires may fuel the most devious of foes.

    Bones is classic Kellerman-relentlessly peeling back the skin and psyches of its characters and revealing the shadows and sins of the souls beneath. With jolt after jolt of galvanizing suspense, it drives the reader through its twists and turns toward a climax as satisfying as it is shattering.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 21, 2008
    ISBN9780739368909
    Unavailable
    Bones: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 23
    Author

    Jonathan Kellerman

    Jonathan Kellerman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty bestselling crime novels, including the Alex Delaware series, The Butcher’s Theater, Billy Straight, The Conspiracy Club, Twisted, and True Detectives. With his wife, bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman, he coauthored Double Homicide and Capital Crimes. He is also the author of two children’s books and numerous nonfiction works, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children and With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards and has been nominated for a Shamus Award. 

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    Reviews for Bones

    3.5/5

    316 ratings29 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Classic Kellerman. Love Alex Delaware.
    • 4/5
      When women's bodies start showing up in a small LA bird sanctuary, the LA police are stymied. Most turn out to be prostitutes, a pattern common to serial killers. But one is a young piano teacher, and this break in pattern forces Alex to look beyond the common killer profiles. When the trail leads to a family of LA's super rich, Alex and Milo know there is more to them than meets the eye.

      The author's ability at creating real characters and to inject Alex's humanity into horrible, violent murders has always been a highlight of the series. His writing is of the no-frills variety, to the point and clear. These strengths have been present in all of his books. But with Bones, once again, Alex's stories have a well-drawn plot-line and which highlight how Alex is different from the protagonists of any of the other detective. series.
    • 4/5
      The story moves along at a good clip and kept me wanting to see how it all tied together. A good thriller.
    • 3/5
      I listened to about half the audio book for this one.It gripped me at first, but just seemed to lose tension.I usually give books I fail to finish 1 star, but I think I gave up on this one partly because the narrator's voice annoyed me. It would be unfair to score it 1 star when I might otherwise have got through the rest of the tale.
    • 3/5
      Kellerman is so readable and I always enjoy his books but I must admit there is a loss of tension or threat in this one and another or two of his latest. Still, highly readable, neatly plotted and consistent.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this book. The nexus of self-harm, addiction, and eating disorder give a twist to sexual serial murder and body-dump story. The person of interest in this story is both sympathetic and pathetic.
    • 4/5
      Alex Delaware, forensic psychologist to the LA police department is asked to assist in an investigation that begins with a dead body found in a local nature reserve. There are several interesting suspects from the delinquent adolescent forced to do community service at the swamp reserve, the bizarre over fanatic manager of the swamp reserve to include the employers of the victim's body initially found who conveniently are missing. Kellerman does his routine good job of providing interesting characters. And per usual the plot in an interesting who dunnit with bizarre motive. However, the series longstanding characters Dr. Delaware and Lieutenant Milo Sturgis are characters stunted in time. It's best to pretend the books are standalones and not expect any further development.
    • 4/5
      The anonymous caller has an ominous tone and an unnerving message about something "real dead. . . buried in your marsh." The eco-volunteer on the other end of the phone thinks it's a prank, but when a young woman's body turns up in LA's Bird Marsh preserve, no one's laughing. And when the bones of more victims surface, homicide detective Milo Sturgis realizes that the city is in the terrifying grip of an insidious killer. Milo's first move: calling in psychologist Alex Delaware.
    • 3/5
      A compelling read as usual, but I get more and more irritated at Delaware -- sooooooo cynical, and does he ever have patients anymore? Also, the women characters tend to be unpleasant, or crazy, or at best stupic.
    • 3/5
      Intriguing mystery, well written as usual. Kellerman always keeps me turning those pages.
    • 4/5
      Ahhhh, the familiarity of characters in a series. I like Alex and Milo very much, even after reading all 23 of the books in this series. Sure, there is some predictability, but the story is always a good one. I particularly like the books with troubled youth in them, and this is another one. Well done!
    • 4/5
      I've read most of this series about a psychologiist, Alex Delaware, who works with the police, specifically his friend Milo Sturgis. This is the 23rd in the series, and it shows signs of age, but is still a good read. Alex and Milo are still excellent characters, but the rest of the characters in this volume were not pleasant. A box holding bones from three human hands is found, near the same time that four women's bodies are found in a marsh, all missing their right hands.
    • 5/5
      I've read almost all of the Alex Delaware series and found this one on a par with the others. Alex and Milo are investigating murders where the bodies are dumped in a wetlands area, protected by an environmentalist. When he is found dead, the investigation picks up, then seems to go nowhere. I love visiting the characters book after book, including Blanche, the French bulldog.
    • 4/5
      Several pretty negative reviews here on LibraryThing for Bones, the latest Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis from Jonathan Kellerman. While I agree that some of the series are better than others (my highly subjective opinion), I always enjoy the books. I thought the plot for this one was pretty original with a creative misdirect from the bad guys. Some goofy characters, along with the usual psychos, and the normal tedious checking of details, alibis, and the like that moves the story along. I liked it!
    • 2/5
      I was rather disappointed in this latest book by Kellerman. I found it quite boring at first, with odious characters I didn't care about. The plot was far-fetched, and most unforgivably, since Kellerman is a psychologist, was that the psychology just did not ring true. I did persist and finish the book, because about half-way through I got interested in the whodunnit part. Kellerman seemed to be just going through the motions on this one, as if he has run out of fresh ideas, and feels no need to develop his characters any more. I hope his next one is better.
    • 3/5
      I am not an avid mystery reader, but every now and then I enjoy trying to figure out an interesting plot with engaging characters. That is what I found in the earlier mysteries written by Jonathan Kellerman. However, that was not my experience with this latest book. The plot was predictable, the writing slap-dashed, even the main characters, psychologist Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis, seemed bored with the whole thing. The only aspect that interested me was the setting since I live just blocks from the wetland area where the bodies were dumped!
    • 3/5
      This book is the 23rd in the Alex Delaware series. I have read the entire series over the years and have always enjoyed. Until now. This time the author didn't use his talent to it's full ability. Usually I'm guessing about the "whodunit" right up until the end. Not so much this time. The story was very predictable. In the other books, the characters are usually very rounded and interesting. This time, all the characters, event he main ones who I usually enjoy so much, were all very flat and dull. The narrator, Alex Delaware doesn't seem to be as involved in the sotry as he normally is (even thought he is the one telling us the story). The lack of depth of the characters in this book really turned me off and made it hard to want to finish it or even care what happened at the end. The usual action and excitment of the Alex Delaware books also seemed to be missing from this one. It was almost as if the author really didn't want to write this story, but had a contract to fufill and this is what he wrote. Since I have greatly enjoyed this series in the past, I am hoping the next in the series will prove to be more representative of this author's talents.
    • 4/5
      Alex Delaware is back helping Lt. Milo Sturgis solve the murders of four women in a protected bird marsh. The mystery begins with a phone call about a corpse to the marsh office, answered by a high school student performing community service. Chance Brandt ignores the call, but tells some friends about it and word gets out. All but one of the women were prostitutes, all were missing their right hands, and their bodies were left facing east. I love Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, but this one I didn't absolutely love. I found it slow and hard to finish. The characters were interesting, but the story was a bit boring. There was not a lot of Robin and Alex time, which I missed. I could have skipped this one:(
    • 3/5
      Kellerman's books are perfect for a rainy day. I enjoy the characters (particularly Milo) and the stories are fun and great page-turners. A nice break from the Printz. Recommended to those who like murder mysteries, detective stories and psychological thrillers.
    • 4/5
      One of the best pairings in detective/suspense novels returns in the 23nd (!) novel in this series from Jonathan Kellerman.Psychologist and police consultant Alex Delaware and LA police Lieutenant Milo Sturgis are back together to solve one of their darkest cases yet.A young volunteer at a marsh sanctuary receives an anonymous call telling him to look for something dead in the marsh. The call is dismissed as a prank. That changes when a young woman's body is found - in plain view. A search dog discovers three more bodies, submerged in the marsh. These women are all prostitutes, but the first body found is that of a piano teacher. Are they connected? Is the marsh the dumping ground of a serial killer? Will he kill again? Can they find him before he does? Milo and Alex's investigation leads to unexpected places.Lots of plot twists and turns will keep you turning pages. The banter between Milo and Alex is always witty and entertaining. A new character is introduced, Moses, a young rookie Homicide detective. I found him to be an engaging addition and hope he returns in future books. In the past Alex's girlfriend Robin played a more significant role. She seems to have been relegated to deciding dinner selections. Milo's boyfriend Rick is another character I'd like to see more of. Kellerman is a clinical psychologist and his character's insight and dialogue have the ring of authenticity.Jonathan Kellerman is on my list of favourite authors and I was not disappointed with Bones. My only disappointment was finishing it too quickly! I'll be waiting for #24!
    • 4/5
      Another great read from Jonathan Kellerman in the Alex Delaware series. Fast paced, good plot, made me enjoy trying to figure out whodunit right along with Alex and Milo, and new rookie Detective Reed. Now the only problem is waiting until the next one.
    • 3/5
      Bones finds Dr Alex Delaware consulting on a case involving a murder in the wetlands of West L.A. An anonymous phone call to an indifferent teen volunteer at the office of Save the Marsh, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation of the Bird Marsh in Playa del Rey, tips the police off to a body dumped in the marsh. Soon, three other bodies turn up. All evidence seems to point to the twitchy ex-con caretaker of a wealthy family's estate. Alex Delaware's job is to determine whether the obvious answer is the right answer. As always, there are detailed descriptions of the L.A. landscape, Milo Sturgis butts heads with his superiors, Robin is lovely, and Blanche the French Bulldog puts in an appearance. Ooh, and this one has kinky sex (or, at least, talk of kinky sex...)Not Kellerman's best (he kind of seems to be dialing it in on this one) but still, even his lesser novels are terriffic page-turners.
    • 4/5
      Jonathan Kellerman's books have been up and down for me in the last few years. It seems that once Robin left, the storylines left with her. However, in Bones, Kellerman's newest book, I finally found the "old" Alex. Witty, genuine, interesting. The story of murder of prostitutes and of a music prodigy is the center plot, but for me, what worked best in this novel was the strength of the Alex character (something that had been missing in the last few books) he felt present in this storyline. Of course, Milo is back and the banter and relationship between these two is always priceless. The story moves at a rapid pace and was intriguing enough to keep me reading throughout with an ending that was a tad predictable, but nonetheless satisfying. Finally, Alex is back.
    • 3/5
      Good story but the writing is not great
    • 3/5
      Bones. An Alex Delaware novel. Jonathan Kellerman. 2008. Kellerman’s plots are becoming more predictable, and I found this one a bit tedious. If you like the Alex Delaware series, like reading about Milo and Robin, then you’ll enjoy this one. If you haven’t read any of these novels and think you’d like to read suspenseful novels about a clinical psychologist who helps the police find serial killers or identify abusive parents try reading some of the earlier novels such as When the Bough Breaks
    • 2/5
      Well, definitely a detective story written by a pro. And maybe that´s the reason why I couldn´t be thrilled by it. It was just another episode of a long-running show that has lost its A-status. A young piano teacher gets killed and in the course of events it shows that three other women were buried at the same spot as she were, all of them missing the right hand. This appears to be plan of a broader context and on the course of revealing the dark mysteries of a killer, the reader meets far too many characters who are more or less irrelevant to the story and a lot of children with messed-up relations with their parents (and vice versa).In the end you´ll get a solution to all these crimes but that´s about it.So, 2 stars is really a very good score for this standard detective story.
    • 2/5
      The mutilated body of a young woman is discovered in a protected marsh area in Los Angeles. Veteran LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis is called in to assist a rookie Detective by the name of Moses Reed. Naturally Milo brings his friend, psychologist Alex Delaware, along for the ride. A few more bodies are uncovered and there are hints that a prominent local family might be involved in the grizzly deaths.I stopped reading this series somewhere around book 9 or 10 due to their repetitive nature. And I chose this one from my local library's meagre selection of audio books on the grounds that …well…it's a meagre selection of audio books. So I'm admitting up front that I was undoubtedly going to struggle to love this book, although I am ever the optimist. Sadly I found the story dull and lacking credibility and it's another that I'd like to assign the one-word review: meh.

      People killing other people for garden variety motives like jealousy or the prospect of a large inheritance isn't enough for Kellerman. If the world was as populated by knife-wielding psychopaths as he'd have us believe I'd never leave the house. Of course this is fiction and it doesn't have to be realistic but I think Kellerman constantly ascribing his murders to the most twisted of people (who of course aren't like 'us') allows him to avoid exploring an actual human emotion within the context of his stories.

      The plot is equally uninspiring. It's convoluted (I'm convinced that he added one of the evil doers at the end and then inserted them randomly in the story already written) and has all the suspense of a tax return. This time there isn't even a fabrication of a reason why child psychologist Alex Delaware is involved in the case. In the earlier books there was at least be a pretence of a reason: a client of Alex's or the relative of one would be involved or the case would somehow relate to the mistreatment of children for example, but here it just seemed to be universally accepted that a private sector psychologist would be involved in every facet of an investigation.

      In short the book was formulaic, the characters stereotypical and the brand-name laden writing was plodding. Kellerman can do much better, in a standalone novel called The Butcher's Theatre he tells a gripping tale and tackles some weighty political and social issues in the Jerusalem setting even though it too features a serial killer, but perhaps he lacks the incentive now that he's a brand name all of his own.
    • 4/5
      Over the past few summers I try to make time to complete at least bone Jonathan Kellerman novel and his 2008 thriller “Bones” was my latest choice. All the characters regular readers have come to enjoy are present, although I wish Alex Delaware would just dump that Robin chick already, with an introduction to two new fraternal characters Mr. Kellerman is working on spinning off. Mr. Kellerman’s writing was as usual succinct, swift and subtle while the story was a solid who-done-it murder that kept me guessing until the final few chapters.
    • 3/5
      I have this ambivalence about Kellermen. He is eminently readable, and I feel confident enough to take his books on planes. But somehow, he's just not memorable for me. So I read, am pleasantly engaged in his world, but the pay offs to his mysteries are always so convoluted and often unlikely. And then I just forget the plots all together. I also think I'm a bit bored with Alex and his so pleasant life with Robyn. I'm not interested in their relationship, in his non committed approach to life. He sort of works, he sort of solves crimes, he sort of skims on the surface, not really engaged.This book starts with a weird crime - corpses found in a protected marsh, but who was the young pianist and why was she targeted. The end was pretty predictable, once other characters had been knocked out. I like Kellerman's descriptions of his side characters and it's clear to me that he is getting tired of Milo, because he seemed to be setting up a new partner with his own convoluted family history who could be a new partner for Alex. I’m also bored with all students from private high schools in LA being louche worms, but that’s a side note.So I read this in 2 days but had to think for a minute to recall the plot when I wrote this up, 2 days later…