THE WEDDING GUEST by Jonathan Kellerman
Jonathan Kellerman has been writing about the life of psychologist Alex Delaware for years now. Usually Delaware’s buddy, police detective Milo Sturgis, is involved in some way. For some hard to fathom reasons Sturgis can always get Delaware involved in his crime investigations. Sometimes this works to enhance the story and sometimes it does not. In his past books I have been more than critical (maybe overly so) of this pairing of psychologist and detective. However in Kellerman’s latest novel THE WEDDING GUEST it all works perfectly.
Sturgis catches the case of a young woman who is found murdered at a wedding reception. None of the family and friends of the bride and groom, and including the bride and groom, seem to have any knowledge of who this woman is or what she was doing at the wedding. Each side of the aisle claims it must be someone associated with the other side’s family.
The entire novel is dedicated to finding the identity of the woman and then finding who killed her and why. Where in the past this step by step procedure has gotten tiresome, in THE WEDDING GUEST it works to the readers’ benefit. Each new clue Sturgis and/or Delaware uncovers is a revelation. They don’t magically find out any information. It all comes from hard police work with some psychological assistance.
The real kicker is in the variety of characters who are brought into the hunt for the killer. It seems that each individual who is contacted for information has a back story that adds immeasurably to the intensity and enjoyment of the story. There is a crazy cast of characters unearthed by Kellerman in getting from point A to point B. The added secret is none of it seems forced. It all just flows from the brain of Kellerman and shows what a solidly talented writer he is.
If you have been a fan of Jonathan Kellerman in the past then you are going to want to read this novel as quickly as possible for it is Kellerman at his best. If you are not familiar with Kellerman’s writing then this book is a great introduction for you. He is at his best with this overall plot, the creation of fascinating sub-characters, and the detailed description of how a unique case gets solved.
Both Delaware and Sturgis have always been fascinating characters but in some of the more recent Kellerman novels they became a bit tedious for me. But not with THE WEDDING GUEST. This time out Kellerman is at the top of his game and this is one of his best stories in ages.
THE WEDDING GUEST is published by Ballantine Books. It contains 438 pages and sells for $28.99.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
Why was Susie murdered at the wedding? I don’t think that was answered in the book. Why?
Thank you.
Toni – It has been so long since I read that book that I don’t have an answer for you. I will check with some people I know and see if I can come up with an answer.