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Monster |
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 Monster byJonathan Kellerman Random House 396 pages, 1999 ISBN 067945960x Reviewed by PJ Nunn Read our other review by Nancy Mehl Monster is the thirteenth in Kellerman's Alex Delaware series, yet there's no slowing of momentum here. Delaware, a retired psychologist, and his frequent sidekick, homicide investigator Milo Sturgis, are on the job again. Dr. Claire Argent, a psychologist at the Starkweather correctional facility for psychotic offenders, is dead and the details are hauntingly familiar. But the perpetrator of similar grisly crimes is safely ensconced at Starkweather and has been for many years. He's one of her own former patients, a fact Alex finds intriguing considering she recently abandoned a lucrative and prestigious position in order to work at Starkweather. All clues lead back to Ardis Peake, the inmate in question. But he's catatonic, heavily medicated, and confined to a locked cell. Even if he somehow managed to escape the institution, his physical and mental condition makes him an unlikely suspect. A copycat killer is the probable answer, but that doesn't explain how Peake seems to have intimate, even advance knowledge of the crime - a fact that's confirmed when two more bodies are found, again predicted by Peake. Once again, Kellerman creates a window through which readers can safely view the grisly details of frightening criminal acts and provides expert detail on the workings of a psychotic mind. The plot is complex, with clues skillfully placed to tempt the reader into solving the mystery. The author’s writing skills focus on the story more than on the characters, yet the characters tell the story, challenging readers to apply logic to the illogical and to find a glimpse of sanity in irrational acts. Monster is a book with terrifying possibilities that will haunt readers long after the last page is turned. |
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