From Publishers Weekly
Kellerman re-invigorates a number of tried-and-true mystery conventions in this gripping, intricately plotted, non-Alex Delaware stand-alone novel of psychological suspense. A psychologist at City Central Hospital, Jeremy Carrier, is attempting to put his life back together after the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Jocelyn, when he is approached by elderly Dr. Arthur Chess with an offer of friendship. Jeremy, still too traumatized by Jocelyn's death to attempt even the most casual of relationships, initially rejects Chess's solicitation. After further conversation, he accepts an invitation to an elegant dinner at a very private club with Chess and five other older men and women of high intellectual and social rank, all of whom have an extreme interest in crime and the nature of evil. Just as a halting, tentative rapport with fellow doctor Angela Rios begins to develop, Jeremy receives the first in a series of mysterious, anonymous messages. By piecing these messages together with other clues from Dr. Chess, he comes to understand that someone is trying to point him toward the killer of his beloved Jocelyn and a number of other local women. Kellerman is a master at building character and slowly unfolding events, divulging just the right amount of information. Jeremy uncovers more murders, both past and present, and eventually realizes he's had everything wrong from the very beginning. Savvy mystery readers will not be surprised that the likable Jeremy finally comes to the correct conclusions and identifies the killer, earns the respect of his elderly friends and the love of his new lady.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Dr. Jeremy Carrier, psychologist at City Central Hospital, is emotionally devastated by the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Jocelyn. As more gruesome corpses turn up, it's clear that a serial killer is preying on local women. Jeremy is drawn into an unexpected friendship with the enigmatic elderly pathologist, Dr. Arthur Chess. When Arthur goes abroad without a word, Jeremy begins to receive anonymous cryptic clues to the identity of the killer. Bob Kahn's reading adds suspense to Kellerman's less than original plot. His portrayal of Jeremy's uncertainty about a new relationship with a fellow doctor, frustration with the police, and confusion over Arthur's role in the mystery adds complexity to flat characters. A.B. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Readers devoted to Alex Delaware may miss the L.A. psychologist, who has entertained them with more than a dozen mysteries. But not for long; Kellerman's Jeremy Carrier has a lot of similarities to his literary precursor, including his profession. Unlike Delaware, thirtysomething Carrier isn't in private practice, but his occupation still gets him inside people's heads. Unfortunately, it's his own emotional state that needs leveling out. Still reeling from the brutal murder of his girlfriend, for which he's long been under suspicion, Carrier is barely able to attend to his patients let alone handle his own grief and anger. Then four things happen: he meets attractive Dr. Angela Rios; he's invited to dine with an odd group, each of whom, he eventually learns, has suffered an unresolved loss; he begins receiving strange articles in his office mail; and murders bearing a definite similarity to his lover's horrific death begin happening again. It's a bit of a chore to get past Jeremy's angst at the outset, but once Carrier catches on to the clues, things move along much faster. The best part, though, is the end: just when you think Carrier has it figured out, there's one last odd twist. Suspend disbelief and follow along. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
“Turn the page and you’re hooked.”
–The New York Times Book Review

“AN UNNERVING, HIGHLY CINEMATIC PLOT . . . [Kellerman has] headed off into different terrain . . . with striking success in this latest quick-witted outing.”
–JANET MASLIN, The New York Times

“Grabs the reader's attention and never lets go."
–Associated Press

“[Kellerman] keeps the creepiness coming until the big-twist finish."
–People

“Eerie...tantalizing."
–Entertainment Weekly

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When his brief, passionate romance with nurse Jocelyn Banks is cut short by her kidnapping and brutal murder, Dr. Jeremy Carrier is left emotionally devastated, haunted by his lover's grisly demise and warily eyed by police still seeking a prime suspect in the unsolved slaying. To escape the pain, he buries himself in his work as staff psychologist at City General Hospital - only to be drawn deeper into a waking nightmare when more women turn up murdered in the same gruesome fashion as Jocelyn ... and the suspicion surrounding Jeremy intensifies. Now, the only way to prove his innocence and put his torment to rest is to follow the trail of a cunning psychopath.

Spurring on Jeremy's investigation is Dr. Arthur Chess, an enigmatic pathologist who specializes in examining the dead, but harbors a keen fascination with the darker deeds committed by the living. Arthur draws Jeremy into an unexpected friendship, and into the confidence of a cryptic society devoted to matters unknown and unspoken. When he suddenly slips away, Jeremy is left to contend with an onslaught of anonymous clues - and the growing realization that a harrowing game of cat and mouse has been set in motion.

But who besides Jeremy is playing - and who is making the rules? Before the killer strikes again, Jeremy races to connect the disturbing puzzle pieces being fed to him. Yet his search for answers only seems to yield more questions. And deepening the mystery is the undeniable presence of someone watching it all - and guiding Jeremy's investigation from behind the scences. As the game intensifies, Jeremy must decide if a secret ally is setting him on the right path ... or a sadistic enemy is setting him up for afate far beyond even the most twisted imagination.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times

… how does a writer stay interesting? Not by trotting out the same old characters on too regular a basis. So Mr. Kellerman, who is known best for books featuring the psychological aper￯﾿ﾽus of the Los Angeles-based Dr. Alex Delaware, has from time to time headed off into different terrain. He manages this with striking success in this latest, quick-witted outing. — Janet Maslin

Publishers Weekly

Kellerman re-invigorates a number of tried-and-true mystery conventions in this gripping, intricately plotted, non-Alex Delaware stand-alone novel of psychological suspense. A psychologist at City Central Hospital, Jeremy Carrier, is attempting to put his life back together after the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Jocelyn, when he is approached by elderly Dr. Arthur Chess with an offer of friendship. Jeremy, still too traumatized by Jocelyn's death to attempt even the most casual of relationships, initially rejects Chess's solicitation. After further conversation, he accepts an invitation to an elegant dinner at a very private club with Chess and five other older men and women of high intellectual and social rank, all of whom have an extreme interest in crime and the nature of evil. Just as a halting, tentative rapport with fellow doctor Angela Rios begins to develop, Jeremy receives the first in a series of mysterious, anonymous messages. By piecing these messages together with other clues from Dr. Chess, he comes to understand that someone is trying to point him toward the killer of his beloved Jocelyn and a number of other local women. Kellerman is a master at building character and slowly unfolding events, divulging just the right amount of information. Jeremy uncovers more murders, both past and present, and eventually realizes he's had everything wrong from the very beginning. Savvy mystery readers will not be surprised that the likable Jeremy finally comes to the correct conclusions and identifies the killer, earns the respect of his elderly friends and the love of his new lady. (Dec.) Forecast: Kellerman's Alex Delaware books have won just about every award in the mystery business and are perennial bestsellers. As his nonseries outings sell almost as well, and Ballantine promises a strong publicity push, booksellers can expect this one to follow suit. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Departing from his intense Alex Delaware series, Kellerman presents the story of Dr. Jeremy Carrier, a young psychotherapist in a large city hospital. Jeremy's girlfriend, a nurse at the hospital, has been brutally murdered. Now other women turn up dead, seemingly victims of a modern-day Jack the Ripper, and Jeremy is the main suspect. Balancing patient consultations and a possible new romance with a fellow doctor, Jeremy begins his own investigation into the murders to prove his innocence. Soon, he begins receiving mysterious packages that seem like clues. At the same time, a senior researcher at the hospital takes an interest in Jeremy and invites him to a strange dinner with an esteemed but enigmatic group of elders. Jeremy begins to wonder if all of it is tied to the identity of the killer. A classic mystery with little gore, this novel will keep readers guessing to the end. Recommended for public libraries and popular reading collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 7/03.]-Leslie Madden, Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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