Jandy's Reading Room

When the Bough Breaks

Jonathan Kellerman

When the Bough Breaks

Mystery and Suspense 1/4/2004 Rating: 4 1/2 Scrolls

Dr. Alex Delaware is a retired child psychologist. He's only in his mid-thirties, but had been driven all his life. When he was 32, a man committed suicide in his office. After that, he started having his own stress overtake him, so Alex took his self-made fortune and retired. At the time of the suicide, he met and befriended the policeman who was in charge of the case. Milo Sturgis remained a friend after the investigation was finished.

Milo lets himself into Alex's home that is just north of Bel Air in the Los Angeles area. A psychiatrist had been murdered the night before, along with his girlfriend. There was one potential witness. She is 7 years old and frightened. She's not sure if she saw anything. Milo is hoping Alex will talk with Melody, calm her down, and help her remember what she may or may not have seen.

Alex, who has been lazing around for the past year, gets pulled in. His old, over-achieving self, won't let go once he gets involved. The more Milo discusses the case, the more Alex wants to know. He starts following up on leads on his own. He brushes up on his martial arts. He guesses something is deeper than it seems - but he doens't know how much danger he will be in before the mystery is solved.

When the Bough Breaks is fascinating and involving. Alex is an intriguing character that it will be fun to discover in further books. This novel is well crafted, with unexpected twists and connections right to the end. When the Bough Breaks is a superb novel, and a must read for suspense afficianados.

Notice: Non-graphic violence, Suggestive dialogue or situations

The Series:
When the Bough Breaks
Blood Test
Over the Edge
Silent Partner
Time Bomb
Private Eyes
Devil's Waltz
Bad Love
Self Defense
The Web
The Clinic
Survival of the Fittest
Monster
Dr. Death
Flesh and Blood
The Murder Book
A Cold Heart
Therapy
Rage
Gone
Obsession
Compulsion
Bones
Evidence

 

Book Rating System

  • Explicit sexual content - very explicit or soft porn sex
  • Graphic violence - explicit scenes of gore or violent acts
  • Non-graphic violence
  • Strong indecent language
  • Strong sexual content - somewhat explicit sex
  • Suggestive dialogue or situations

There is only me at this site, so I'm counting on you to be my copy editors. If a link is broken, I've made a typo, or there is some other error you notice, please send me an e-mail. Make sure you mention the book title because these go to a general mail box and I don't always know which book you might mean. Thanks!

© 1998 - 2011 All reviews are personal opinions and not necessarily those of the webmaster of Jandy's Reading Room