I. Murder Book Summay
Th nature of the wounds, cross incisions below the navel, with the intestines scooped out and placed "below the woman's neckline", rattles the nerves of Detective Milo Sturgis and his consultant/friend, psychologist, Alex Delaware.
Why would anyone do this to another human being? The killer leaves a clue...at the bottom of an empty, unused pizza box...a piece of plain white paper. On it there is a computer printout of a question mark (?).
Immediately Milo and Alex begin digging into the background of the victim. They discover that she was hardly the nicest person in California. In fact, she was a mean-spirited bully. She threatened everyone with lawsuits, including her landlord, and her ex-husband.
She antagonized everyone she came in contact with, including perfect strangers. And, she seemed to enjoy doing it.
She successfully sued her employer after she accused co-workers of harassment. However, during the course of the investigation, Milo and Alex determine that the unfortunate people who inhabit Vita's world have alibis.
The killer may have been seen, however. Neighbors of Vita report seeing a man lurking around her building about a month before the murder. This man is described as a large individual, wearing a bulky coat in warm weather.
Then there is a second murder. Marlon Quigg, age 56, is a family man and successful businessperson. While out dog-walking, Marlon's neck is broken, and there are cross shaped incisions below the naval. His intestines have been scooped out and laid below his neckline. There is a piece of paper found under the body, neatly folded. Printed on the paper is a question mark (?).
Upon digging into his background, it is found that his life and personality were totally different from Vita's. He was loved by his family and all who knew him. He had an easy going personality (a real pushover), and no criminal record.
And, apparently Mr. Quigg had nothing to do with Vita Berlin or the company she worked for. Bell Quigg, Marlon's grief-stricken widow also has never heard of Vita, or her company. Nor has she any idea who might want to murder Marlon...("Marlon's the best.")
After Quigg's murder, a neighbor reports seeing a bulky looking male lurking in the area three nights before his death. This man was wearing a knee-length coat in spite of the warm weather.
Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, there is a double-homicide.
Barron Parnell, a 36 year old financial planner is found lying in his backyard. His wounds are totally different from Vita's and Marlon's. He has been stabbed in the chest, and has his throat slashed. There is no disembowelment and lots of blood.
He was probably killed trying to protect his wife, whose body is found inside the home.
Glenda Usfe-Parnell was a doctor who worked at the North Hollywood Day Hospital. Her left hand is tied to the headborad of the bed. Her neck is broken, and her abdomen is slashed open. Her intestines are placed below the neckline. Beneath her left foot there is a sheet of paper with a question mark (?) printed.
Glenda's personality was similar to Vita's. She was a no-nonsense individual, known to be very outspoken and sometimes bad tempered. Most importantly, she had an altercation with a patient prior to her murder. This patient was a large male, wearing a heavy coat in the warm, Southern California weather.
Our killer is on a serious roll. He strikes again. Lemuel Eccles, a 67 year old homeless man was murdered in an alley. Eccles was a paranoid schizophrenic, with a police record. His offenses included shoplifting, drunk and disorderly, panhandling, and assaulting a tourist. The killer employed the same methods that he used on the other victims.
What is the connection between these five victims who seem to have almost nothing in common? I won't tell all, but I can say two things:
First: Robin Castagna, Alex's long-time girlfriend plants suggestions that get Alex thinking in a whole new direction. He even begins to re-visit his own distant past.
Second: It seems that Marlon Quigg, the much-loved, easy going, nice guy had been keeping secrets from his wife and everyone who knew him.
II. My Judgment Of This Murder Book
I felt this book was suspenseful almost from the beginning. The fast pace of the book keeps you on your toes. Jonathan Kellerman uses short chapters and crisp dialogue. There was very little wasted conversation, or action that didn't tie directly to the investigation. The killer struck four times before I got through half the book.Was there anything about this book that bored me? Well, running down leads that go nowhere can be boring and frustrating both to the reader and the characters. But, of course that's what real investigators go through every day. So, we readers can put up with a little of this in the fiction world.
One of my favorite non-cop characters was Gertrude Vanderveul, a psychologist, and early mentor of Alex. Although the reader never gets to meet her (she's deceased), she definitely looked out for the young Alex and gave him sound advice and guidance. Later, she told her family how proud she was of him and all his accomplishments. Gertrude is also important because, as it turns out, she knew Marlon Quigg.
Another thing that caught my attention was that near the end of the case, a near-fatal incident would almost coast Milo his life. At the end, I sensed a noticeable strain between him and Alex.
Since Milo was almost killed, it's only natural that he'd be stressed. Was I just imagining conflict between the two old friends or could this carry over into the next book? Could there be a change coming in their relationship? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
So, was this book worth it? Absolutely! In the last few books of this series, I've been feeling that Jonathan Kellerman has lost a little "edge" with his creation. I'm not blaming him. It must be extremely difficult having to come up with original ideas for the same old characters, year after year.
But I feel that this murder book puts the Delaware/Sturgis collaboration back on track.
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