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1st out of 40 books
—
11 voters
Billy Straight (Petra Connor #1)
A resourceful runaway alone in the wilds of Los Angeles, twelve-year-old Billy Straight suddenly witnesses a brutal stabbing in Griffith Park. Fleeing into the night, Billy cannot shake the horrific memory of the savage violence, nor the pursuit of a cold-blooded killer. For wherever Billy turns --- from Hollywood Boulevard to the boardwalks of Venice --- he is haunted by...more
Paperback, 428 pages
Published
October 5th 1999
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1998)
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ISBN 0345413865 – A thriller with a female detective and a child witness to a murder just happened to sound like a great read when this one fell into my lap. Months of political and historical reading called for a break in the action and Billy Straight really did come along at the right time.
Billy Straight has run away from home. His mother is a floundering, well-intentioned but incredibly inept, mother with what seems like the morals of a cat in heat. She’s also got a romantic story about Billy...more
Billy Straight has run away from home. His mother is a floundering, well-intentioned but incredibly inept, mother with what seems like the morals of a cat in heat. She’s also got a romantic story about Billy...more
Oct 22, 2012
aPriL MEOWS often with scratching
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
mysteries-suspense-thrillers
This is the best novel Jonathan Kellerman has ever written.
It is a Detective Petra Connor book, the first, I think, of a new series. Delaware, Kellerman's bread and butter character, is mentioned in the last chapter only, so, yes, they live in the same universe.
Want to read a book that gives an excellent picture of a new street kid's introduction to a big city after running away from an abusive home? Want to understand why kids run away in the first place? This is a great thumbnail sketch, with...more
It is a Detective Petra Connor book, the first, I think, of a new series. Delaware, Kellerman's bread and butter character, is mentioned in the last chapter only, so, yes, they live in the same universe.
Want to read a book that gives an excellent picture of a new street kid's introduction to a big city after running away from an abusive home? Want to understand why kids run away in the first place? This is a great thumbnail sketch, with...more
Sep 21, 2011
Jan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
adult-books,
adult-books-with-reviews
Another excellent mystery by J.Kellerman.
Twelve year old Billy, a frightened street kid hiding out in the famous Los Angeles’ Griffith Park, has witnessed a violent murder. He isn’t sure if he has been seen by the murderer, but to be safe he goes deeper into hiding, trusting no one.
Homicide Detective Petra Conner, is part of the investigation team assigned to the Lisa Ramsey murder case. Her body was found in Griffith Park. Forensic evidence suggests that there had been a witness. Eventually, B...more
Kellerman's thrillers are never disappointing. His characters; main, secondary, and even bit; are well-drawn and genuine. In this, the first Petra Connor novel, a young runaway witnesses the murder of the wife of a TV star and Petra immediately suspects said TV star. Kellerman alternates between the viewpoints of Petra, Billy the runaway, the killer, and a couple of other interested parties, but it's not as jarring as this can sometimes be. I really liked how Kellerman got into Billy's head and...more
Jonathan Kellerman never seems to write a bad book, most of the books I have read revolve around his characters Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, this book introduced a new female character Petra Connor. I found I did not get into this character as much as I have done with the previous books; however this was still a fast moving thriller. Billy Straight is a young boy who leaves home after a problem with his mother’s dead beat boyfriend, while living rough in a park he is witness to a horrific mur...more
This is an outstanding mystery/thriller, the best of Jonathan Kellerman's novels I've read. The title character is an intelligent, moral, book-loving 12-year-old boy who has run away from an extremely bad home situation and is living in Griffith Park when he witnesses a vicious murder. He flees the park, and soon finds himself pursued by both cops and bad guys. There's plenty of suspense and fast-paced action in this twisty tale, but what I liked best was the cast of well-defined characters, esp...more
A gorgeous, relatively well-known woman is murdered. Billy Straight, a sweet 12-year old boy, recently a "street-kid" after leaving a dubious home; witnesses the murder. All signs immediately point to the woman's actor/ex-husband as the murderer, but due his Hollywood status, Detective Petra Connor is forced to appear to conduct an investigation as if there are no leads. In doing so, another likely suspect emerges while young Billy becomes a most wanted person. As the good guys and the bad guys...more
I just finished this book. I really liked the character of the little boy in the book. He is smart & you I felt so bad for him. I wanted to take him home & cook him a good meal, help him with homework & let him have a warm shower & bed to sleep in. The rest of the book, eh. The language was FOUL (too many *F* words to count) which I skipped over quite a bit & the plot was kind of predictable for me. There was also a lot of violence. Probably should've quit reading it but I re...more
I had wanted to read this book to get myself into the murder mystery genre and I have to say it wasn't a good first choice. I knew who the killer was practically from the get go which is the complete opposite of what a mystery book should be. I mean... there was really no mystery. I did kind of like the two main characters but they were only barely tolerable so not enough to make me want to pick up another Jonathan Kellerman book I'm afraid. The book was only alright because of the character dev...more
A good story. I tend to prefer a single point-of-view, but I was interested in both Billy and Petra, so while the alternating narratives were somewhat distracting, I still enjoyed the book. There are only two serious suspects in the murder, and circumstances point first to one, then the other, then back again. Billy's story really has almost nothing to do with the murder investigation, but his situation as various people start looking for him is fraught with tension. Kellerman does a good job of...more
This was a really good book. I was expecting to see an Alex Delaware, but he is not even mentioned until the very end. This tale of a runaway preteen is very well done, Billy's life was hard to start with and did not improve any when he accidentally witnessed a murder. The detectives that are assigned his case all have problems of their own, including having been stuck with the names Ken and Barbie by their fellow officers.
If you like a good detective story you will enjoy this book, it keeps you...more
If you like a good detective story you will enjoy this book, it keeps you...more
Almost put this book down after the first 1 or 2 chapters. But because of the author's stellar reputation for only the best, I continued on. I'm now glad that I did. What I appreciated most was the ultra vivid description of every character and backdrop in each scene. A runaway boy initially did not merit much interest, but midway through the book I found myself rooting for & supporting him. Worth noting was how a maintenance worker in a Jewish synagogue came to his aid, when others dismisse...more
I enjoyed "reading" this book on tape. I have been sick most of this week, and read it while lying in bed for hours & hours. It's a good murder mystery with a fascinating angle - the only witness to a murder was discovered to be a homeless boy living on the streets of Los Angeles. It was compelling to follow this little fellow, who you just want to take home and adopt.
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I was reading Jonathan Kellerman in chronological order so I picked this up from the library. It was marked as the first in the Petra Connor series and to tell you the truth I didn't even know there was another series. It wasn't bad but it wasn't anything special either. I was more interested in the chapters form the kid's point of view for some reason. Petra's view seemed to barely capture the surface of what was going on. There could have been more on the department politics in a post-OJ LA or...more
Loved it. I enjoy Kellerman's writing immensely and this is no exception. It's good to see additional characters in his LA scene, even better to have a female star in Petra Connor.
Interesting technique in making each chapter from the perspective of a different person involved in the crime: witness, detective, perpetrator, etc.
Interesting technique in making each chapter from the perspective of a different person involved in the crime: witness, detective, perpetrator, etc.
I believe I have read just about everything written by both Jonathan Kellerman
and his author/wife Faye. They have a way of drawing you into the characters
of their books - you get to know these people; laugh with them, cry with them,
fear for them.
The Kellermans - wonderful authors.
and his author/wife Faye. They have a way of drawing you into the characters
of their books - you get to know these people; laugh with them, cry with them,
fear for them.
The Kellermans - wonderful authors.
Another great read & Petra added depth, not sure if I really liked her but glad to have someone new around. I felt for this kid & liked the point of view of a kid that age with serious problems which is a very real problem that is understated these days. Another great book.
May 16, 2011
Carolyn (in SC) C234D
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
a-favorite-writer,
mystery-thriller-not-a-cozy
Wow, I read this book twelve years ago! I don't remember details; the only comment that I wrote down was that I liked it a lot and would like to see these characters in another book. I've read a lot of Kellerman and like his style.
Not quite as good as the books with Milo, but I still enjoyed it. Kellerman is an excellent writer despite the fact his novels are somewhat cliche. As I said previously, his novels are my guilty pleasure.
another beach read this summer. i really dislike books with children as the protagonist, but this one was quite interesting and a good story, too. kellerman did a good job.
Mar 21, 2013
Momina Masood
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
crime/thriller/murder/mystery lovers
Shelves:
psychological-thrillers
This was relatively very good and very ugly. Provided the guy's a psychologist, I appreciate the depth of thought he's given to Billy.
A good read.
A good read.
Oct 08, 2012
Zeke Applegate
added it
What a thriller to be hunted, and a kid, and no one to help, and no where to hide and not knowing when or who is coming after you.
This is a breathtaking novel it kept me riveted till the last page, the story moves very quickly and it is simple to read.
gr8 read w/ lots of twists in the plot and an unexpected finish!
Also very good is the description of Billy's life on the street...
Also very good is the description of Billy's life on the street...
Jan 10, 2009
Marsha
added it
Alex Delaware is a super character. The psychological angles to his mysteries are unique. Good reading.
Pretty good story, I really liked the Billy Straight character. I'd recommend it to fans of the genre.
The first chapter didn't really get to me, but once I got past it I was hooked.
Kellerman does it for me again - lots of twists that keep you guessing to the end.
read this one years ago, but parts of it were so harrowing I still get chills remembering
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Jonathan Kellerman was born in New York City in 1949 and grew up in Los Angeles. He helped work his way through UCLA as an editorial cartoonist, columnist, editor and freelance musician. As a senior, at the age of 22, he won a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for fiction.
Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the t...more
More about Jonathan Kellerman...
Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the t...more
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