Title: Serpentine by Jonathan Kellerman
Alex Delaware Series Book 36
Publisher: Cornerstone
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 355 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
The electrifying new Alex Delaware thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense.
Ellie Barker never knew her mother.
When she was barely three years old, her mother was found with a bullet in her head inside a torched Cadillac, overturned on Mulholland Drive. No physical evidence, no witness and no apparent motive.
Twenty-five years on, many detectives tried and failed to get to the bottom of the case.
Desperate for answers, Ellie hires LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis, who calls in the expertise of brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware, to investigate.
But as the duo start digging, the mystery becomes even more twisted. And they soon discover a string of dangerous threats still lurking in the present…
Review:
Serpentine by Jonathan Kellerman is a twisty-turny cold case mystery. This latest release is another fantastic installment in the long-running but still fresh Alex Delaware series.
Psychologist Alex Delaware’s friend Los Angeles police Lt. Milo Sturgis has been handed a thirty-six year old cold case to look into. Thirty-nine year old Ellie Barker was only three years old when her mother Dorothy Swoboda was murdered. Raised by her step-father Stanley, she has little information to offer about her mother. Milo and Alex soon discover there is also little official information about her murder. But they excel at locating and following clues that will hopefully provide them with the answers Ellie is searching for.
Alex and Milo longstanding friendship and professional collaboration once again serve them well as they discuss theories about Dorothy’s murder. They revisit the scene where her body was discovered and track down another detective who also worked the cold case. A deadly picture is beginning to emerge as Alex and Milo notice there have been more than a few untimely deaths. Is this just a coincidence? Or is there a more sinister reason?
The investigation is steady-paced but always interesting as Alex makes some very intuitive deductions. Milo is no slouch either as he uses all of the police tools at his disposal to find people that were connected with Dorothy. The discovery of an old photo proves to be invaluable as they turn to the public to help identify the people in the picture. Will these new details help Milo and Alex break the case wide open?
Serpentine is a compelling police procedural that is quite intriguing. Milo and Alex doggedly pursue their quest for the truth about what happened to Ellie’s mother. Despite the passage of time and lack of evidence, they continue to follow every lead in hopes of catching a killer. With stunning twists and cunning turns, Jonathan Kellerman brings this engrossing mystery to a very surprising conclusion. This thirty-sixth outing in the Alex Delaware series is sure to delight old and new fans of this outstanding series.
