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    Deception: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 25
    Unavailable
    Deception: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 25
    Unavailable
    Deception: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 25
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    Deception: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 25

    Written by Jonathan Kellerman

    Narrated by John Rubinstein

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Masterly storytelling and expert insight into the darkest of human compulsions make #1 New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels as compelling as they are addictive. And just when you think he has taken his spellbinding tales of mystery and psychological suspense to the limit, with Deception he takes a bold leap into terrifying and uncharted new territory.

    Her name is Elise Freeman, and her chilling cry for help-to whoever may be listening-comes too late to save her. On a DVD found near her lifeless body, the emotionally and physically battered woman chronicles a year-and-a-half-long ordeal of monstrous abuse at the hands of three sadistic tormentors. But even more shocking than the lurid details is the revelation that the offenders, like their victim, are teachers at one of L.A.'s most prestigious prep schools. With Elise now dead by uncertain means, homicide detective Milo Sturgis is assigned to probe the hallowed halls of Windsor Prep Academy. And if ever he could use Dr. Alex Delaware's psychological prowess, it's now.

    From the get-go, this case promises to be an uphill climb for truth and a down and dirty fight for justice. Allegations of rape, assault, and possibly murder at this esteemed institution renowned for molding Ivy Leaguers make for a social and political time bomb-especially given that one of the students has connections high up in City Hall. As the scandal-conscious elite of L.A. close ranks around Windsor Prep, Alex and Milo must penetrate the citadel of wealth and scholarship to expose the hidden anguish, dirty secrets, and deadly sins festering among society's manor-born. But power and position are not easily surrendered, for that's when the best and the brightest turn brutal and ugly. Searching for predators among the privileged, Alex and Milo may well be walking into a highly polished death trap.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 30, 2010
    ISBN9780739368947
    Unavailable
    Deception: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 25
    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 Deception

    3.5/5

    269 ratings27 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I am a huge fan of Jonathan Kellerman...this book was not too suspenseful, but held my interest.
    • 4/5
      Right from the start, Alex and Milo find the murder of a teacher from an elite prep school raising puzzling questions. Why is there so much interest from above in keeping the case hush-hush? Why has protocol been breached in the handling of evidence? A strange DVD of the victim before her death adds further intrigue and could she have identified her murderer on the recording? And that's just the beginning. People are not always what they seem.

      "Deception" is well-written and fast paced as it builds to a big finish. Full of suspense, interesting characters and enough turns to keep even the most seasoned armchair investigator guessing, fans will be greeted by old, familiar friends and those who are new to Jonathan Kellerman will likely be inspired to check out some of his earlier books after finishing this one. Great read, very entertaining-
    • 4/5
      Deception is an Alex Delaware suspenseful novel. Once again nearly no clues and a conclusion of who did it happens which is most amazing. The book is a good story about the SAT scandals that happened at schools in southern California. It is ashame that so much depends upon that test. The book received four stars in this review. It is highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      A complex plot that will keep your interest. Another good Delaware and Sturgis story.
    • 4/5
      Loved it. Had a surprise ending though.
    • 3/5
      This was pretty good. However, the plot was predictable and the pace was slow except for the last hour. There was not as nuch tension in the story as I prefer.
    • 3/5
      This was a pretty interesting story, and I enjoyed the narrator.
    • 3/5
      Review for readers outside the primary audience, and those who don't generally grocery store bestsellers.

      I think it's generally accepted as good reviewing form to not downrate a book simply because it's not the book you thought it was, or the genre you usually read.

      Ever since I got my e-reader, though, it happens to me all the time, since by the time I get back to the book that surely sounded interested when I bought/borrowed it I can't remember what exactly attracted me, and e-books don't seem to come with descriptions.

      Given this is a paperback and a Kellerman, I knew exactly what I was getting into. I raided my mom's shelves for fluff. And it did it's job. In fact, it read almost exactly like a crime procedural tv drama. Law and Order type: not much personality on the part of the narrators and no humor. That's OK.

      However: I couldn't tell for sure whether Alex Delaware was a man or a women for about ten pages. No, I've never read anything else in this series, and I'm pretty sure I've not read Kellerman (though it's certainly possible)>
    • 4/5
      Haven't read Kellerman in quite some time. This was a classic Delaware novel. Milo and Alex drive through Los Angeles eating and solving murders. Glad Robin's back as well.
    • 5/5
      Addictive thriller about the murder of a prep school teacher.
    • 3/5
      "Your warrant says I need to answer personal questions?"He showed her his badge. "This says if you don't cooperate, I'll cuff you and haul your educated but morally unschooled derriere off to jail." pg. 305My boss loaned me this one. This is the first Alex Delaware novel I've ever read, and I enjoyed it. I loved the humor as you can see above, and the storyline of this one is about Prep School kids and wealthy families getting away with things they shouldn't get away with. This one is one of those books you can sit down with and read in a day or on an airplane...similar to a James Patterson to me.Kellerman is more creative with vocabulary than Patterson though, and Delaware is known for throwing psychoanalysis into each case. Those were the catchy things for me that kept me reading to see what was going to happen next. I'll probably read more Kellerman somewhere down the line, but I'm not just dying for the next book.
    • 2/5
      Kellerman is a powerful author. His stories are well told and well constructed and his characters are interesting. How many good books can any successful writer produce? Most of us cannot even produce the first one. So, this one is not on the "best" list, there is no doubt about that. The characters are not fully deployed, the action is not terrific,the plot is not appealing. Forgive the author and lose the book.One thing I like in all these books is that the bad guys are always different in age, in appearance, in motivation, they are all the same in darkness. It is true for "Deception" as well. The trouble is that this time, the killer is so uninteresting that the book falls flat. It is too much like in real life: I have often been a prison visitor, and I got to say most criminals are flat too.
    • 4/5
      It seems that I've been writing about reading comfort food for days now. That's because I've been recovering from gallbladder surgery (am much better now) and haven't been worth much beyond reading. I love Jonathan Kellerman, although I've been disappointed in his last two books. He's gone through a period where I wondered where he could be going with the series and it looked like it was going nowhere good.In Deception Kellerman really regains his footing. Once again the partnership between Alex and Milo is at the center of events. The story is interesting and complicated and full of wonderful twists and changes - nothing is what you expect. I particularly like the friendship between Alex and Milo and I like how it's grown. As they've partnered together through the years they've each learned things from the other and the partnership itself feels as solid as any marriage.Good narrative, great plot, and it was the perfect read for a convalescent. Thanks Mr. Kellerman for keeping me entertained!
    • 3/5
      it was fine, a standard Alex Delaware novel; emphasis on degrees people have was a little weird - I don't think academics talk like that (none I've met, at least).
    • 3/5
      Kellerman novels are one of my indulgences. I have come to think of Alex and Milo as part of the family. True, I can usually figure out whodunnit within the first few chapters, but I also just enjoying hanging out with Alex and Milo and catching up with what they are up to. Deception is classic Kellerman and that's a good thing. When he has strayed from his usual format I've found myself disappointed. I've got to figure out a way that I can share Kellerman novels on the Sony Reader. My sister, brother-in-law, and mother, and I would rotate buying the hardbacks when they first came out and passed them around. We have all since migrated to the Sony Reader and have sworn off buying actual books.
    • 4/5
      Suspenseful police procedural. Easy to read in one sitting.
    • 4/5
      woman found on ice- a teacher at son of chief's school- tv reporter does sting- GOOD, I read all night.
    • 3/5
      The latest in the Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis series. I thought it was a pretty good story although not as good as some of Kellerman's earlier works. I did appreciate the growing list of suspects--made the story more interesting. A solid book, but not exceptional.
    • 4/5
      This is the latest Alex Delaware mystery by Jonathan Kellerman (although I feel at this point I should be labeling them Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis mysteries because Milo has taken over, lol). Alex and Milo investigate the death of a teacher at an elite prep school. This one's a lot better than the last two or three (Evidence was especially lackluster, IMHO) but still not as good as the older entries in the series. The conclusion to the mystery isn't too weird or unpredictable, but there's nothing too brilliant in the journey to answers, either. There are some nice moments of interaction between Alex and Milo, and we get to see Robin and Blanche, too, although briefly. Not a bad summer read at all. Three and a half stars.
    • 3/5
      Another in the very long series of who-done-it's staring child psychologist Alex Delaware and atypical police lieutenant Milo Sturgis. In this, Milo and Alex search for the killer of a woman who tutored at the exclusive private high school that the LA Chief of Police's son attends. Consistent Kellerman reading, satisfying but not world-stopping. I'll keep reading his books!
    • 4/5
      Kellerman's 25th book in the Alex and Milo series finds the two on the case of a prep school teacher who has been murdered. The teamwork never disappoints me and I found it to be quite enjoyable again.
    • 4/5
      As soon as a book by Jonathan Kellerman comes out (especially Alex Delaware) I immediately buy it. He is one of my favorite authors and the Alex Delaware is one of my favorite series. This book took a bit longer to get into but the ending was great. In the book, Delaware and Sturgis deal with the rich powerful and egotistial elite. While I don't believe this is one of his best, it is still definitely worth reading.
    • 3/5
      Interesting but not earth-shattering entertainment. The story seemed very dialogue heavy, which made it somewhat monotonous in my mind as I read. I liked the little glimpse into Delaware’s past – I don’t remember learning that before. But there were no side stories, very little of Robin or any of the characters really, which is really too bad – since the relationships that the reader builds over time with the characters is main reason, in my opinion, to read serials. Not my favorite Kellerman.
    • 2/5
      I really don't know why I keep reading this series. I guess I'm hoping it will return to great characters, great mysteries and great writing. Instead, it's more like someone is forcing the author to continuing writing even though his heart isn't in it and he no longer cares about his characters. Very disappointed. Used to be one of my favorite seris.
    • 4/5
      A teacher/tutor at an exclusive LA prep school is murdered, and Alex and Milo set out to find out who did it. The difficulties are complicated by the fact that Milo's boss has a son at the school, and doesn't want any publicity, and by the fact that the teacher turns out to have been a very busy girl. There are few people to like in this one (even Alex and Milo are losing appeal, as they grow ever more cynical) and lots of negative vibes about lots of things. But even if it's not very likable, it's a compelling read, which is afterall what a mystery is supposed to be.
    • 3/5
      I always enjoy the Milo/Alex books, but this one bothered me. I really enjoyed the author tackling private schools and the privileges of the rich, but all of the main female characters were referred to as sluts. Really? C'mon. Not all main female characters should be characterized as whores. Give us a positive female role model that plays a huge role in the novel.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this Alex Delaware novel more than the last few entries in this series. Milo Sturgis recruits Alex to help him investigate the death of Elise Freeman, a teacher and tutor at exclusive Windsor Preparatory Academy in Brentwood. Milo is investigating the death over the the objections of his boss, Deputy Chief Weinberg, whose son attends the school. In spite of the fact that the death looks at first like a suicide, Milo and Alex are suspicious when the victim’s home computer is missing. Besides, submerging oneself in a bathtub full of dry ice, a slow and painful means of death, is hardly a common suicide method. I miss the psychologist/patient interaction; Alex serves more as chauffeur/sounding board to Milo. It seems like most of the novel takes place in someone's car, with descriptions of the routes traveled. However, I enjoyed this series entry more than other recent entries in this series.