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.
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"I forgot how much I like the Alex Delaware series. I need to go back and start at the beginning. Milo the side kick is great. I always get the impression that he's a big old slobby beefcake! This one is about a girl who tapes a video about being harrassed by 3 people at a prep school and then she's found dead. So far they are in the interviewing stage. I won't ruin it by telling you what happened...cause I don't know yet!!!"
— Dana (4 out of 5 stars)
Kellerman doesn’t just write psychological thrillers—he owns the genre.
— Detroit Free PressJonathan Kellerman’s novels are an obsession; once started it is hard to quit.
— Orlando SentinelEntertaining . . . Kellerman masterfully keeps readers guessing.
— Fredericksburg Free Lance-StarThe combination of Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis make for the most original whodunit duo since Watson and Holmes.
— Forbes" Another good Alex Delaware mystery by Kellerman. I love this character! "
— Jen, 2/15/2014" Finally a good read from Jonathan Kellerman. "
— Ronald, 2/4/2014" Kellerman's mysteries aren't quite as "on the edge of your seat" as they once were, but Alex and Milo are like part of my family now. I always enjoy hanging out with them. "
— Rebecca, 2/2/2014" I seriously had a hard time putting this one down! Quite disturbing at times but oh so compelling. "
— alisonwonderland, 1/31/2014" This book went in a different direction than the blurb. I liked the fact that it was unpredictable. "
— Mona, 1/20/2014" This book really dragged on. Usually I like this author, but I found it really hard to finish this book for some reason. I even set it down for almost a month while I read another 4+ books. "
— Anna, 1/7/2014" I can't resist Johnathan Kellerman. 1/4 of the way through this one right now and he's not disappointing. "
— Teeni, 1/5/2014" Decent. Better than the last one I read. Still a little too Scooby-Doo-ish for me. Remember watching Scooby-Doo as a kid, and so often, the bad guy ended up being someone you'd never even heard of before? That's how this went. I guess I like some older JK books, kind of like how it always went on Columbo when I watched that as a kid- the bad guy has been with you the whole time, and the hard part is not figuring out who did it, but why and how to catch him. That's more interesting to me than strangers. "
— Theresa, 12/28/2013" The storyline is always a tricky case and the detective brings along his psychologist friend,Dr. Delaware, but , it's still a good read, and I like it ! "
— Erika, 11/26/2013" This was a quick "lost power and knew I would become immediately engaged" read. It was definitely not the best Jonathan Kellerman book that I've ever read, but it served its purpose and was enjoyable. "
— Jodi, 11/16/2013" lots of twists and turns in the plot-interesting but average "
— mike, 11/8/2013" book on tape-read by John rubenstein- very good "
— Pete, 9/23/2013" One of the best Alex Delaware stories. Kept me guessing until the end. "
— Sheena, 8/22/2013" classic Kellerman. "
— Sashi, 8/20/2013" This is a very good mystery by Jonathan Kellerman, one of his newest. The case is pretty believable, and Alex and Milo have to struggle with bureaucratic red tape to solve the case. "
— Katie, 7/7/2013" Straight forward fair but enjoyable holiday reading nonetheless. "
— Welltravelledbrit, 6/7/2013" In his most recent books, the author has made some tweaks to this long-running series, including the introduction of new (minor) characters. This page-turner starts with the death of a prep school SAT coach and keeps on moving. "
— Susan, 6/2/2013" My wife and I enjoyed many of Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels. However, as the series progressed, the language in the books got cruder and the stories even darker, if that is possible. We eventually stopped reading his books. I still have them on the shelf and may reread them someday. "
— Jon, 5/10/2013" Fast read, brain candy, nice escapist fiction. That's why I like most of Kellerman's Alex Delaware books. "
— Anne, 4/18/2013" A fast read , good but not memorable "
— Ken, 4/1/2013" I thought the book was just ok. It was a decent premise but there was no suspense. For me, the characters were bland and hard to identify with. The dialogue was choppy. The book was interesting enough to finish but definitely not enough to recommend. "
— Jimmyjames, 3/25/2013" A great beach read, which is where I was. Waves slapping and time off to watch the resident heron. I like this series and i think Jonathan Kellerman writes a good, quick reading mystery. I do get a bit nauseous reading about what Milo eats however. "
— Roberta, 10/28/2012" Good read/listen. Interesting and more action packed. "
— Michael, 8/21/2012" Another really good Alex Delaware novel. Not his best, but still really good. I just knew I had it all figured out and of course, I was wrong. Won't give away any spoilers here, but it would have been nice to have had a little more insight into the murderer. "
— Lyz, 4/30/2012" Listening to this one on the iPod "
— Betsy, 11/1/2011" Another great Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis mystery "
— Amy, 10/27/2011" I completely enjoyed this book. Somehow the author manages to keep the series interesting and it never gets stale. I would have liked to have a little more of Robin in the book, as was true with the previous one in the series. "
— Heather, 5/16/2011" Typical Alex Delaware mystery. I appreciate that Kellerman has moved away from serial killers and kinky sex in every single book. This book did a nice job looking at the perils of privilege. "
— Meaghan, 5/1/2011" book on tape-read by John rubenstein- very good "
— Pete, 4/26/2011" sidekick's lang. not too bad in this one, but his boss, the police chief, makes up for it -- fortunately he's only around a few times "
— Calli, 4/25/2011" A horrible book. I could only read 15 percent of this. I just can't handle the author's voice. Nor could I handle his use of commas and, subsequently, the annoying sentence fragments. I can't remember the last time I gave up on a book...no more Kellerman for me. "
— Roderick, 4/19/2011" So far, so good. Another formulaic mystery/thriller, but I like the formula. One thing I love about Kellerman's books is the depiction of California. I love CA, and when I read his books, I feel like I'm there. "
— Kathy, 4/19/2011" Teacher speaks from dead.<br/>DVD tells of abuse<br/>At exclusive school.<br/><br/>Can they believe her?<br/>What about con-man boyfriend?<br/>Dead-end clues abound. "
— Dee, 4/12/2011" I like the Alex Delaware series and have listened to audio books of most of them. This one involved evil doings at a posh LA prep school. (Murders, of course!) Alex and his friend Milo Sturgis, a gay LA homicide detective, solve the case. Milo is a great character and makes the series work. "
— Kit, 4/9/2011" This was ok. Not the best mystery I've ever read. "
— Laura, 4/7/2011" Love reading about Milo and Alex. This one took twists and turns I wasn't expecting. "
— melody, 4/1/2011" This one was not as good as earlier Kellerman novels. I really liked the ones where Alex is focusing on mysteries related to psychological issues. "
— Julie, 3/26/2011" Another really good Alex Delaware novel. Not his best, but still really good. I just knew I had it all figured out and of course, I was wrong. Won't give away any spoilers here, but it would have been nice to have had a little more insight into the murderer. "
— Lyz, 3/24/2011Jonathan Kellerman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty crime novels. His unique perspective on human behavior has led to the creation of the Alex Delaware series. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association. With his wife, bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman, he co-authored Double Homicide and Capital Crimes. With his son, bestselling novelist Jesse Kellerman, he co-authored six novels.
John Rubinstein is an actor, composer, and director who won a Tony Award for his starring role in Broadway’s Children of a Lesser God. He has narrated dozens of audiobooks, earning several AudioFile Earphones Awards and being named a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration in 2013.