From Publishers Weekly
Returning in top form, Kellerman's semi-retired psychotherapist, Dr. Alex Delaware, who was introduced in When the Bough Breaks (1985), traces a young woman's dreams back to crimes committed 20 years earlier. A few months after serving on an L.A. jury that finds a landscape laborer guilty of a series of grotesque mutilations and killings, Lucy Lowell is beset by a recurring nightmare in which she, as a youngster, watches three men bury a young woman in the woods. Referred to Alex by Milo Sturgis, the LAPD detective in charge of the serial killer case, Lucy proves a game and eager patient, leading the psychologist into a past that centers around her father, a monumentally egotistical literary lion who had sponsored the writing career of a notorious ex-con at a California art colony in the '70s. Still warmhearted and earnest, Alex, in his ninth appearance, has lightened up some as he has aged, showing a readier humor and more chutzpah (e.g., posing as a writer-named Sandy Del Ware-to infiltrate closed Hollywood circles) as he facilitates Lucy's exploration of the past. With its nicely orchestrated twists, Kellerman's plot will keep readers guessing right up to the well-prepared resolution. BOMC selection. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Psychologist and amateur sleuth Alex Delaware, who saved the day in last year's best-selling Bad Love (LJ 10/15/93), helps a woman whose repressed memories may solve a murder.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
It's a good bet that all of us would like to have Alex Delaware as our shrink. He's kind, compassionate, and gentle, yet firm when that's what's needed. He's ethical and principled, and he lives a nice, normal life with a nice, normal wife and a nice, normal dog. And nice, normal Dr. Delaware is exactly what Lucy Lowell needs. Delaware's friend, Detective Milo Sturgis, has referred Lucy for counseling after her experience as a juror in the trial of a serial killer leaves her with terrifying nightmares night after night. At first, Alex figures Lucy is just stressed out, but the more he hears, the more he wonders if her frightening dreams are rooted in reality. Ever the full-service psychologist, Delaware delves into Lucy's background to find clues about what's causing the nightmares. What he discovers is that Lucy was the victim of a bizarre childhood: a father who was into poetry, hippies, drugs, and love fests; a mother who died when Lucy was a baby; and a brother who's become a drug addict. A series of puzzling coincidences connected to Lucy's past leads Alex to a hippie commune in the California foothills where plenty of nasty secrets are buried. Kellerman's in his usual fine form, and his latest Alex Delaware adventure is sure to be every bit as popular as its predecessors. A must for all public libraries. Emily Melton


Review
“EXCITING . . . LOADED WITH TENSION AND PACKED WITH TITILLATING INSIGHTS.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“KELLERMAN AT HIS BEST.”
—USA Today

“SATISFYING . . . SUSPENSEFUL.”
—Playboy





Review
?EXCITING . . . LOADED WITH TENSION AND PACKED WITH TITILLATING INSIGHTS.?
?The New York Times Book Review

?KELLERMAN AT HIS BEST.?
?USA Today

?SATISFYING . . . SUSPENSEFUL.?
?Playboy





Book Description
Dr. Alex Delaware doesn’t see many private patients anymore, but the young woman called Lucy is an exception. So is her dream. Lucy Lowell is referred to Alex by Los Angeles police detective Milo Sturgis. A juror at the agonizing trial of a serial killer, Lucy survived the trauma only to be tormented by a recurring nightmare: a young child in the forest at night, watching a strange and furtive act.

Now Lucy’s dream is starting to disrupt her waking life, and Alex is concerned. The power of the dream, its grip on Lucy’s emotions, suggests to him that it may be more than a nightmare. It may be the repressed childhood memory of something very real. Something like murder.


The publisher, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
Twenty-five-year-old Lucy Lowell comes to see Dr. Alex Delaware after the trauma of serving as a juror on a serial-murder case. Since the guilty verdict she has been tormented by a recurring nightmare -- child in the forest at night, watching a strange and furtive burial. The dream is so real, its grip on Lucy's emotions so strong, that Alex wonders if it may be the repressed memory of something very real: a murder. For Alex and his patient, a session of hypnotic regression will be the start of a journey to frightening truth, as Alex finds a link between the dream and Lucy's famous father, once a literary giant, now a recluse. When Lucy insists someone is trying to kill her, Alex must determine whether her fears are self-induced, or whether a flesh-and-blood killer is desperate to eliminate the final witness. With its haunting images and riveting pace, Self -Defense demonstrates conclusively why there are 15 million copies of Jonathan Kellerman's novels in print worldwide.


From the Inside Flap
Dr. Alex Delaware doesn’t see many private patients anymore, but the young woman called Lucy is an exception. So is her dream. Lucy Lowell is referred to Alex by Los Angeles police detective Milo Sturgis. A juror at the agonizing trial of a serial killer, Lucy survived the trauma only to be tormented by a recurring nightmare: a young child in the forest at night, watching a strange and furtive act.

Now Lucy’s dream is starting to disrupt her waking life, and Alex is concerned. The power of the dream, its grip on Lucy’s emotions, suggests to him that it may be more than a nightmare. It may be the repressed childhood memory of something very real. Something like murder.


From the Back Cover
“EXCITING . . . LOADED WITH TENSION AND PACKED WITH TITILLATING INSIGHTS.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“KELLERMAN AT HIS BEST.”
—USA Today

“SATISFYING . . . SUSPENSEFUL.”
—Playboy





About the Author
Jonathan Kellerman is one of the world’s most popular authors. He has brought his expertise as a clinical psychologist to numerous bestselling tales of suspense (which have been translated into two dozen languages), including sixteen Alex Delaware novels; The Butcher’s Theater, a story of serial killing in Jerusalem; and Billy Straight, featuring Hollywood homicide detective Petra Connor. His new novel is The Murder Book. He is also the author of numerous essays, short stories, and scientific articles, two children’s books, and three volumes of psychology, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards, and has been nominated for a Shamus Award. He and his wife, the novelist Faye Kellerman, have four children.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Dr. Alex Delaware doesn't see many private patients anymore, but the young woman called Lucy is an exception. So is her dream. Lucy Lowell is a special referral made by Alex's friend Los Angeles police detective Milo Sturgis. A juror at the agonizing trial of a serial killer, Lucy survived that trauma only to be tormented by a recurrent nightmare: a young child in the forest at night, watching a strange and furtive act. Now Lucy's dream is starting to disrupt her waking life, and Alex is concerned. The power of the dream, its grip on Lucy's emotions, suggests to him that it may be the repressed childhood memory of something very real. Something like murder. For Alex and his patient, a session of hypnotic regression to the fourth summer of Lucy's life will be the start of a journey as fascinating as it is frightening... And when Lucy begins insisting that someone is trying to kill her, Alex must use all his skills as both psychologist and sleuth to find out whether her fears are self-induced. Or whether a flesh-and-blood killer is desperate to eliminate a witness to a homicide - and the doctor who's unlocked a Pandora's box of secrets. With its haunting images and riveting pace, Self-Defense is super entertainment from today's most darkly imaginative, consistently surprising author of psychological suspense.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Kellerman's latest thriller, in which a case of recovered memory may hold the clue to an unsolved murder, spent seven weeks on PW's bestseller list. (Dec.)

Library Journal