The 28th book in the Alex Delaware series, Guilt still packs the same punch as the earlier novels, involving us in the unlikely but effective professional relationship between psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis. Delaware is the one with a placid personality but a violent childhood, while Sturgis is a brilliant gay detective who has been given free rein by his police department to solve whatever case he likes. The personalities of the two protagonists are as different as could be, with Delaware being the coolheaded, rational one and Sturgis the impetuous and rather crude one. At times, we see Sturgis barging into Delaware's place and going straight for the refrigerator without any attempt at politeness.
In Guilt: An Alex Delaware Novel, Book 28, Sturgis brings Delaware in on a case involving an infant's remains which are found in the backyard by a woman who just moved into a new house. The remains are sixty years old but, of course, they still have to be investigated. However, soon after this discovery, another set of fresher infant remains are found buried in a nearby park and a young woman is shot dead, execution-style in the vicinity.
It's up to Delaware and Sturgis to discover whether these cases are related and they do so after much psychological deliberation, uncovering a story involving a hospital nurse, her mystery lover and a wealthy doctor. The investigation also leads to some famous people and back to Delaware himself. Eventually, Delaware and Sturgis uncover some unholy rituals and sacrifice—obviously, the work of a madman; they also bring justice to a secondary character.
Delaware is a fascinating individual who delves deep into the human psyche while remaining aware of his own motivations—no mean task. Sturgis helps to balance him out, keeping him grounded in the real world.
Jonathan Kellerman was born in New York City but grew up in L. A. where he went to school at U.C.L.A., studying psychology. He went on to do his Ph.D. at U.S.C. and is currently Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine. Himself a survivor of thyroid cancer, he has done a lot of research on the effects of being isolated in a plastic bubble in children with cancer, and what steps can be taken to help them. His first book, When the Bough Breaks, was published in 1985, became a bestseller and was made into a TV movie. He has written 1-2 books every year since then and is married to Faye Kellerman, also a crime novelist.
"I enjoyed this book quite well. It had a good story and took me to different places that I didn't expect. This was better than the last couple of Alex Delaware novels. None that I have read move at break-neck speed, but I think the speed of solving crimes in this series is much more realistic. If you like this series, you will like this newest one."
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Kathryn (4 out of 5 stars)