Copyright 2001 by Jonathan Kellerman. Published by Ballantine Publishing Group.
Normally when I finish a book in 4 days it means that I really like the book. In this case it means less than that because the 4 days were days without electricity following Hurricane Ian. Still, not a bad book.
This is #15 in Kellerman’s popular series of mysteries featuring psychologist Alex Delaware. In this one he treats, briefly, a troubled 15-year-old girl, Lauren Teague, and then, 10 years later, is approached by the girl’s mother because her daughter has gone missing. She is unable to get the police to care and she knows Alex has contacts within the force. Alex uses those contacts – primarily his gay detective buddy, Milo Sturgis – and embarks on a quest to find out what happened to his onetime patient.
Kellerman’s books are realistic as the plot moves forward, often slowly and incrementally, but always plausibly. In this case a few other bodies show up along the way, including another university student who disappeared a year before Lauren. Is a serial killer stalking the campus? The trail leads to several other psych department professors and then to the estate of the publisher of Duke magazine, an upscale soft porn periodical (can anyone say Playboy?).
Plausible, engrossing, entertaining.
7 out of 10.