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    Unavailable
    Compulsion: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 22
    Unavailable
    Compulsion: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 22
    Unavailable
    Compulsion: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 22
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    Compulsion: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 22

    Written by Jonathan Kellerman

    Narrated by John Rubinstein

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Once again, the depths of the criminal mind and the darkest side of a glittering city fuel #1 New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman's brilliant storytelling. And no one conducts a more harrowing and suspenseful manhunt than the modern Sherlock Holmes of the psyche, Dr. Alex Delaware.

    A tipsy young woman seeking aid on a desolate highway disappears into the inky black night. A retired schoolteacher is stabbed to death in broad daylight. Two women are butchered after closing time in a small-town beauty parlor. These and other bizarre acts of cruelty and psychopathology are linked only by the killer's use of luxury vehicles and a baffling lack of motive. The ultimate whodunits, these crimes demand the attention of LAPD detective Milo Sturgis and his collaborator on the crime beat, psychologist Alex Delaware.

    What begins with a solitary bloodstain in a stolen sedan quickly spirals outward in odd and unexpected directions, leading Delaware and Sturgis from the well-heeled center of L.A. society to its desperate edges; across the paths of commodities brokers and transvestite hookers; and as far away as New York City, where the search thaws out a long-cold case and exposes a grotesque homicidal crusade. The killer proves to be a fleeting shape-shifter, defying identification, leaving behind dazed witnesses and death-and compelling Alex and Milo to confront the true face of murderous madness.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 25, 2008
    ISBN9780739307229
    Unavailable
    Compulsion: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 22
    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 Compulsion

    3.5/5

    338 ratings22 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Several seemingly unrelated murders tied together loosely, initially only by the fact that the killer seems to like extravagant black cars. Despite this being an abridged audio, I felt that it flowed fairly well, with the exception of a rather quick & tidy ending. Despite the lukewarm reviews for this one, I enjoyed it -- certainly enough to read more of Jonathan Kellerman and his Alex Delaware series.
    • 4/5
      Compulsion is another good story. The amazing thing about the Kellerman books is there is a murder and seemingly no leads as to who did it. But the characters treat the murder as a puzzle to solve. Bit by bit they are able to piece together just in time the identity of the killer(s). This is a well written and thought out story. Four stars were awarded to this book.
    • 3/5
      Seemingly random and unrelated acts of violence involving luxury vehicles sends a homicide detective and a psychologist on the haphazard trail of would-be suspects. Unlike other more contemporary murder mysteries that utilize a lot of forensic methodology to solve the case, this one relies on old-fashioned, nose-to-the-ground sleuthing. Eventually, a lead from a rather far-fetched and obscure source becomes the linchpin upon which the investigation is centered. For a work of fiction, this happenstance and timing of turning up with this clue is acceptable, but not quite so compelling in a real-life investigation. Other than this little 'observation', I enjoyed this read -- my first from this author.
    • 2/5
      Since I got a freebie copy of this, plus the rest of the series, I tried one and probably won't be trying another. Thin plot. Thin characterization. Thin detective work. It was all supposition. And doesn't Delaware have anything better to do besides hang around with Milo? Eh, that seemed weird. Makes me realize how good Sanford is. His cops detect. They deduce. They run down leads. They do something. These two, not so much. Well they do eat a lot, there is that.
    • 2/5
      I found this read totally boring. Too much dialog and not enough action. The plot was was unconvincing.
    • 4/5
      Another Police procedural story that has Police consulting Psychologist Alex Delaware pairing with detective Milo Sturgis and try to find the body that was tied to a small patch of type O blood found on the leather upholstery of a Bentley that had been jacked from an upscale residence in Brentwood. Finally, a mother files a missing person complaint on her daughter. Followup showed the missing girl frequently left for extended visits to exotic spots with little or no notice. When her residence was checked, there was no indication that she planned a trip and no clothing was missing but, on other trips, she bought swim gear at the beach that she had fled to so again, not much evidence to convince authorities of a missing person. Milo is assigned to review a sixteen year old dead case (the parents haven't given up hope of finding a body to bury). While reviewing evidence from the distant past, a call comes in about a fresh murder in a South Westwood neighborhood. The killer drove up in a new, black, S600 Mercedes, parked on the street leaving the car running and walked up to an elderly retired school teacher who had walked into her driveway to get her paper. He stabbed her to death then turned and walked back to his car and drove away ignoring a neighbor who was running to confront him until he noticed all the blood and the knife. The killer was a tall, heavyset, white haired man wearing dark baggy clothes and a blue plaid cap and walked stiffly, like old guys do according to the murder witness. Milo interviewed all contacts with the murdered people including the 16 year old dead case looking for any common threads. Nothing seemed to connect the murders until a convicted murderer in Texas confesses to several killings including one in Beverly Hills in what was believed to be a rouse to delay his execution. The story is a testament to the value of following leads to their ultimate conclusion. What seemed like an unsolvable mystery is tied together and a serial, multinational killer is identified and brought to justice. Strange story with many convoluted twists that will appeal to those mystery lovers that like to try to solve the case before the book detectives can.
    • 2/5
      Do-gooder killer. Helpful homicide. I do not know if this is possible. Typical Delaware & Sturgis. Guesses involving fancy cars. The mis-direction disguises are ok.
    • 4/5
      This was a book that grabbed you from the first page and kept you reading. There plot was very interesting and not predictable at all.
    • 3/5
      Round and round LA he goes -- but the formula does add up to a moderately, er, compulsive read.
    • 2/5
      The Keepsake. Tess Gerritsen. 2008. This is the latest in the series featuring medical examiner Maua Isles and Boston Homicide detective Jane Rizzoli; it is one of the better ones. Readers who have read other books in the series will enjoy this more than those who have not. An Egyptian mummy found in a private museum turns out to be a murdered woman rather than an Egyptian queen. Readers with weak stomachs may find out more than they want to about mummies, shrunken heads and bog people!
    • 4/5
      Containing all the minutia fans like me have come to enjoy “Compulsion” by Jonathan Kellerman is another excellent chapter in his Child Psychologist Alex Delaware series. Mr. Kellerman’s writing style is crisp and clean, the banter between Alex and Milo stimulating and the case itself bizarre and thrilling. As usual, the relationship between Alex and long-time on again off again live-in girlfriend Robin is stilted and truly seems to go nowhere. And while the ending is a bit campy and cliché Mr. Kellerman entertains and I expect to pick up the next novel soon enough.
    • 2/5
      The early Alex Delaware novels were absolutely fabulous, meaty, gritty, great plots - lately Kellerman seems to have lost the knack. This was a silly, convoluted plot, and I only stuck with it to find out whodunit, how and why. The best part of the book was the thrifty, humorous exchanges between Milo and Alex. I was given this book, thank goodness; I might have asked for my money back if I'd shelled out hard-won cash. I wish I had the time and energy reread the Delaware books from the beginning. I think it's time for Kellerman to get himself another protagonist, he's young enough and has enough writing-years ahead of him. Let's concentrate on - say, Petra for instance.
    • 3/5
      Another solid Kellerman thriller. I really enjoy the narrator of the audiobooks - he does great voices for each character. I especially enjoy his voice for Milo Sturgis - sounds exactly as I imagine Milo to sound.
    • 2/5
      I used to really like Jonathan Kellerman's books. I'll probably never forget Silent Partner, which creeped me out and fascinated me as a teenager. In Compulsion, Alex Delaware, is really boring and stiff. He seemed so irrelevant to the plot of this "mystery." The story starts with the gruesome stabbing of a retired teacher in a nice neighborhood, in full view of a neighbor. Delaware and his old friend, LAPD Lt. Milo Sturgis, figure out who dunnit really early in the book, so it's more like they're chasing the guy as he leaves a trail of bodies in his wake.Milo is a far more interesting character, and I think Kellerman should consider writing from his perspective. The shrink plus cop buddy formula used to work pretty well, but only when Dr. Delaware actually did some in-person analysis of people instead of vaguely diagnosing sociopathy from afar, as he did here. There was really very little psychology involoved in the story. Maybe the author is just getting stale, but this book was pretty dang boring. I considered not finishing it, but decided I had nothing better to do on my sickbed. Don't waste your time.
    • 2/5
      Meh........I have always enjoyed Alex Delaware novels, but either they are getting boring or I am just not into them anymore. This lost my interest about halfway through.
    • 3/5
      Quick read, predictable. Not engaging to me.
    • 3/5
      You know, he writes well, fluidly, and I always finish his books, but I'm tired of Alex Delaware, and his life and his fish and his weird relationship with Robyn. I kinda like Milo, but his relationship is woefully underwritten (how come we never meet his partner, why are they together for 20 plus years now? So Milo can be gay but not date? Gay but asexual?)The mystery is not so interesting and frankly forgettable. This is a good beach/plane book, you can sit with it and finish it, and then leave it on the bench for the next person to pick up and read.
    • 5/5
      I have found that Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware mysteries are like popcorn -- highly addictive, but not terribly nutritious. I have read almost every book in the ongoing saga of Dr. Delaware, a wealthy and semi-retired child psychologist, and seen, in the process, Kellerman's authorial skills grow substantially.His earliest books are crammed with tortured literary metaphors, often jarringly inappropriate and distracting. All of his characters tended to speak with the same voice -- an irritating flaw, like the hoarse monotones of the characters in the NYPD BLUE TV series. Kellerman's characters in the Alex Delaware books all speak in short, choppy sentences, with little emotional inflection. And it has been justly noted that Kellerman seems to pay as much attention to how his characters dress as to his plots -- the over-abundance of detail weighs down many of his books.But COMPULSION was a welcome surprise. Kellerman's writing was tauter, his characters more individually drawn, and there was a welcome dearth of tortured metaphors. The plot zipped along, with fewer conspiratorial red-herrings than some of his earlier books.I found the story so gripping that I literally finished it in one sitting, and when I put down the book, I had the internal glow of having read something worthwhile, interesting, and satisfyingly filling.Highly recommended, particularly to Kellerman's legion of fans.
    • 4/5
      A good Jonathan Kellerman read. Milo and Alex have honed their personal partnership to a pretty seamless working relationship, even attracting some attention from the Chief. The killer they are tracking is a psycho, chameleon, HELPful guy. The characters have interesting stories and quirks. Alex keeps Robin on the edge of the story, teasing the reader with little bits of info and making us wonder whether her latest project will lead her into trouble. Solid, entertaining Kellerman. A good summer read.
    • 4/5
      Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis track down a cross-dressing killer. Written in the usual engaging Kellerman style. The story moves and holds your interest.
    • 3/5
      Love the Alex Delaware series and have come to enjoy what's happening in the lives of the constant characters, this book was very focused on the crime/crimes at hand and very little update regarding the character's personal lives which is too bad since we wait so long to catch up with these "old friends".
    • 4/5
      The latest Kellerman is fast-paced, with the usual witty dialogue, and lots of psychology involved in solving the mystery. An enjoyable, quick read.