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Alex Delaware #34
The Wedding Guest: An Alex Delaware Novel
The electrifying new Alex Delaware thriller from global bestseller Jonathan Kellerman. First comes love...then comes murder.
In the middle of a 'Saints and Sinners' themed wedding, a bridesmaid finds a young woman's corpse collapsed in the bathroom. None of the wedding guests claim to know the well-dressed victim but psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis aren't so convinced.
In the middle of a 'Saints and Sinners' themed wedding, a bridesmaid finds a young woman's corpse collapsed in the bathroom. None of the wedding guests claim to know the well-dressed victim but psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis aren't so convinced.
448 pages, Paperback
First published February 5, 2019
7756 people are currently reading
7808 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Kellerman
203 books5,823 followersJonathan 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 treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.
IN 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan's former students, continues to break ground.
Jonathan's first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.
In 1985, Jonathan's first novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.
Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman and they have four children.
Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.
IN 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan's former students, continues to break ground.
Jonathan's first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.
In 1985, Jonathan's first novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.
Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman and they have four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,398 reviews
March 29, 2024
This was such a slow read that long before the halfway point I no longer cared who committed the crime. There were too many characters, and with the lack of action and substance to build the case on, everything and everyone just became tangled in my mind. I never found the case all that interesting in the first place and by the end I was left unsure of what the motive even was for the homicide. I like the Alex Delaware series, but this one is just not up to par.
January 8, 2019
It’s your wedding day and everyone is dressed to impress! The sky’s the limit. Even going so far as renting a swanky old burlesque bar for the high-end reception. Dress code for the evening? Dress hot!
It’s all booze and big laughs until a girl is found dead in a hidden-away staff bathroom. One thing’s for certain…she certainly had the dress requirements. Hot little red dress complimented by spiked six inch heels.
But who is she? No one claims to know her. Not the brides’ side nor the grooms. Who was this wedding crasher? And more bothersome…how did she end up dead?
Well here I go again down memory lane revisiting what could be my longest running series! This book is #34 in the series! Can you believe it? But not to worry or turn your back on it. You can easily pick this one up and read it on its own.
The main characters remain as steady as ever.
Alex Delaware is a child psychologist who also moonlights as a consultant to the Los Angeles police department. His long-time girlfriend Robin and their French bulldog Blanche also make their appearances.
And of course, we can’t forget about Detective Milo Sturgis. Yup…still making waves wherever he goes. But I’m getting the feeling he’s growing on those around him...maybe?
If you are a fan of the series don’t miss out!
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing - Ballentine and Jonathan Kellerman for an ARC to read and review.
It’s all booze and big laughs until a girl is found dead in a hidden-away staff bathroom. One thing’s for certain…she certainly had the dress requirements. Hot little red dress complimented by spiked six inch heels.
But who is she? No one claims to know her. Not the brides’ side nor the grooms. Who was this wedding crasher? And more bothersome…how did she end up dead?
Well here I go again down memory lane revisiting what could be my longest running series! This book is #34 in the series! Can you believe it? But not to worry or turn your back on it. You can easily pick this one up and read it on its own.
The main characters remain as steady as ever.
Alex Delaware is a child psychologist who also moonlights as a consultant to the Los Angeles police department. His long-time girlfriend Robin and their French bulldog Blanche also make their appearances.
And of course, we can’t forget about Detective Milo Sturgis. Yup…still making waves wherever he goes. But I’m getting the feeling he’s growing on those around him...maybe?
If you are a fan of the series don’t miss out!
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing - Ballentine and Jonathan Kellerman for an ARC to read and review.
February 11, 2019
I chose this book on a whim, and I realised that either the previous 33 prequels were more of the same investigative fare, or the writer was a heck of a zeitgeist. Here was a case with murder that is a conundrum, but there was far less ritualistic nonsense than books by more popular authors.
It was a pleasure to watch the cops following the threadbare thread and making painstaking progress. The guys on the side of the angels followed the evidence wherever it chanced to lead them.
Altogether I was very pleasantly surprised. Literally speaking, I think Jonathan Kellerman could run rings around other authors. Kellerman not only pulled the rug from under you but also give you a better view from your point of vantage. Highly recommended.
It was a pleasure to watch the cops following the threadbare thread and making painstaking progress. The guys on the side of the angels followed the evidence wherever it chanced to lead them.
Altogether I was very pleasantly surprised. Literally speaking, I think Jonathan Kellerman could run rings around other authors. Kellerman not only pulled the rug from under you but also give you a better view from your point of vantage. Highly recommended.
August 15, 2019
This story makes so little sense that it's hard to understand its purpose. 1 of 10 stars!
April 7, 2021
As much as I enjoyed the early books in this series, I'm rapidly running our of patience with it. As I've indicated in a couple of earlier reviews, my principal complaint about many of the later books is that there is no logical reason on earth for the protagonist, Alex Delaware, to be involved in most of these investigations.
For those unfamiliar with the series, Delaware is a child psychologist and in the early books in the series, the L.A.P.D. hired him to consult in cases where children were involved. These cases were almost always homicides and the principal detective working the cases was a lieutenant named Milo Sturgis. These cases were almost always interesting; it was novel to see a child psychologist as a protagonist, and most important, Delaware's involvement in the cases made perfect sense.
Unfortunately, as the series wore on, Sturgis and Delaware became best buds, and Sturgis kept involving Delaware in homicide cases apparently just because he likes hanging out with him. These cases rarely involve children, and Delaware does little if any actual psychological diagnosis. The thinly veiled reason for Sturgis involving Delaware in these cases is that he can bring some sort of psychological insight to the cases, but Delaware most often winds up functioning, in effect, as just another detective.
This premise is very hard to swallow, particularly when Delaware is suggesting lines of investigation, participating in searches and so forth. The truth is that no police department would allow a civilian like Delaware to get within a mile of most of these cases, and seeing him hip-deep in them makes it impossible for me to suspend disbelief and really get into the stories.
Such is the case here. An unidentified woman crashes a wedding reception and is murdered. Apparently the L.A.P.D. is not capable of handling such an investigation alone and so practically the moment that the body is discovered, Sturgis is on the phone to Delaware, begging him to come take a look.
Delaware and Sturgis then spend about half the book simply trying to identify the woman and the other half trying to identify the killer. There's really not much tension here and the two spend what seems like hours on end driving around L.A. simply talking to people. By the time the climax arrived--using the term loosely--I really didn't much care who had committed the crime or why.
It's disappointing when a long-running series that you have followed the whole way lets you down, and, compulsive as I am, I keep reading these books hoping that sooner or later I will find another that excites me as much as many of the earlier books did. Sadly, this one didn't.
For those unfamiliar with the series, Delaware is a child psychologist and in the early books in the series, the L.A.P.D. hired him to consult in cases where children were involved. These cases were almost always homicides and the principal detective working the cases was a lieutenant named Milo Sturgis. These cases were almost always interesting; it was novel to see a child psychologist as a protagonist, and most important, Delaware's involvement in the cases made perfect sense.
Unfortunately, as the series wore on, Sturgis and Delaware became best buds, and Sturgis kept involving Delaware in homicide cases apparently just because he likes hanging out with him. These cases rarely involve children, and Delaware does little if any actual psychological diagnosis. The thinly veiled reason for Sturgis involving Delaware in these cases is that he can bring some sort of psychological insight to the cases, but Delaware most often winds up functioning, in effect, as just another detective.
This premise is very hard to swallow, particularly when Delaware is suggesting lines of investigation, participating in searches and so forth. The truth is that no police department would allow a civilian like Delaware to get within a mile of most of these cases, and seeing him hip-deep in them makes it impossible for me to suspend disbelief and really get into the stories.
Such is the case here. An unidentified woman crashes a wedding reception and is murdered. Apparently the L.A.P.D. is not capable of handling such an investigation alone and so practically the moment that the body is discovered, Sturgis is on the phone to Delaware, begging him to come take a look.
Delaware and Sturgis then spend about half the book simply trying to identify the woman and the other half trying to identify the killer. There's really not much tension here and the two spend what seems like hours on end driving around L.A. simply talking to people. By the time the climax arrived--using the term loosely--I really didn't much care who had committed the crime or why.
It's disappointing when a long-running series that you have followed the whole way lets you down, and, compulsive as I am, I keep reading these books hoping that sooner or later I will find another that excites me as much as many of the earlier books did. Sadly, this one didn't.
August 25, 2021
In this 34th book in the 'Alex Delaware' series, LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis and psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware investigate the murder of a wedding guest. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
When Brears Rapfogel and Garrett Burdett send out invitations to their wedding reception, which is being held at a repurposed former strip club called The Aura, the theme is Saints and Sinners - and guests are informed that "Everyone needs to be hot!"
Unfortunately one "hot" young woman, a brunette beauty dressed in bright red, ends up dead....garroted in a skanky bathroom on The Aura's second floor. LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis catches the case and recruits his friend Dr. Alex Delaware - a psychologist who consults for the LAPD - to help investigate.
Milo and Alex soon learn that nobody at the reception seems able to identify the victim, who appears to be a party crasher. Brears and Garrett say they don't know the woman and Brears's parents, Corinne and Dennis Rapfogel contend that: 'This was something bizarre that has nothing to do with us.' Throwing shade on Garrett's family, Corinne opines: 'If it's anything personal, it has to be from their side. They live out in the sticks.....probably rubes like that movie Deliverance.'
For his part, Garrett's dad - a large animal veterinarian - claims that his family has never seen the victim and says, 'I'd expect her to be one of Brears's friends.....You know. The age, the red dress....a pretty L.A. girl.' Moreover, Garrett's dowdy pretentious sister Amanda - a college student who 'curated her own major' of cultural anthropology, economic history, and communications - is actually hostile to the investigators. When questioned, Amanda states: "Your role offends me...Your presence means the world doesn't have its act together. By now, we should be more than rampaging baboons."
Because of their natural suspicions, Milo and Alex decide to look closely at both families, thinking the victim may have invaded the party to ruin the day for one of them.
The investigators spend a good part of the book trying to identify the dead girl, who turns out to be a 'dancer' who worked at The Aura when it was a strip club. The young woman is described as a quiet girl who just swayed and forth on stage or listlessly pressed herself against the stripper pole....and sometimes said she was a student.
Still, this doesn't elucidate the reason for the brunette's death. Milo and Alex must traverse a twisty path through strip clubs - as well as more unlikely locales - before they finally solve the case. Since this is a mystery, that's all I can say without spoilers.
On the personal side, Alex spends some time with his longtime girlfriend Robin - who makes and repairs fine musical instruments - and his French bulldog Blanche.
As for Milo, he eats gargantuan meals (as usual) and occasionally mentions his life partner Dr. Rick Silverman. In flashbacks, we see some of Milo's travails as a gay detective with the LAPD, which might have gotten him fired if he wasn't a first-rate 'closer.' Luckily, times have changed and Milo is (mostly) accepted now.
Though I liked the novel, which is largely a police procedural, a couple of things bother me. The newlyweds treacly sweet, lovey-dovey behavior (after the murder) seems overdone and phony because - before the wedding - the ostentatious, spoiled bride had serious doubts about marrying nerdy Garrett. Furthermore, I felt cheated by the book's ending, which seems to come out of the blue.
Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable mystery, recommended to fans of the genre.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Jonathan Kellerman) and the publisher (Ballantine Books) for a copy of the book.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
April 27, 2022
Another dip into my favourite easy reading, perfect for relaxing, series. I always enjoy an outing with Alex and Milo.
The wedding guest of the title turns out not to be an invited one and she is also very dead. Since neither side of the wedding party wants to lay claim to her, Milo and Alex have their work cut out to identify her, and then to find out who killed her and why. It is tricky work and takes the whole book and a lot of information gathering to do it.
Our two main characters make an excellent team and work together really well. There is a lot of humour in their conversations and when they combine their special skills they can work out most conundrums. I read this series for entertainment, don't bother to look out for any plot holes and usually totally fail to spot the murderer. All good fun!
The wedding guest of the title turns out not to be an invited one and she is also very dead. Since neither side of the wedding party wants to lay claim to her, Milo and Alex have their work cut out to identify her, and then to find out who killed her and why. It is tricky work and takes the whole book and a lot of information gathering to do it.
Our two main characters make an excellent team and work together really well. There is a lot of humour in their conversations and when they combine their special skills they can work out most conundrums. I read this series for entertainment, don't bother to look out for any plot holes and usually totally fail to spot the murderer. All good fun!
November 30, 2019
This was my first Kellerman book which actually surprised me, not least because this being the 34th novel in the series!
Thankfully this mystery works well as a standalone and reminded me of many U.S. crime shows with long running characters that can be enjoyed with no prior knowledge.
In fact even the way in which the victim was discovered in a toilet at a wedding reception was also slightly and cheesy and fun.
It’s easy to see why this series is so popular as the chemistry between psychologists Alex Delaware and LAPD Milo Sturgis adds a nice layer to the plot.
With the pair stumped in discovering who this victim is as no one at the wedding party knows her...
An engaging hook that kept me wanting to know more, I’d definitely like to read more of these!
Thankfully this mystery works well as a standalone and reminded me of many U.S. crime shows with long running characters that can be enjoyed with no prior knowledge.
In fact even the way in which the victim was discovered in a toilet at a wedding reception was also slightly and cheesy and fun.
It’s easy to see why this series is so popular as the chemistry between psychologists Alex Delaware and LAPD Milo Sturgis adds a nice layer to the plot.
With the pair stumped in discovering who this victim is as no one at the wedding party knows her...
An engaging hook that kept me wanting to know more, I’d definitely like to read more of these!
August 19, 2019
Bears Rapfogel and Garrett Burdict are getting married Jonathan Kellerman invites us to attend in the novel The Wedding Guest. It will be an unconventional wedding to say the least. Held in a former strip club, guests are asked to dress “hot” for this Saints and Sinners ceremony. But venues and theme are not the most unconventional aspect of this wedding. Finding the body of a young woman, clad in designer attire in a ladies room ranks number one on the unconventional scale here. But there is more. No one at the wedding knows her. Why was she there? Who killed her?
LAPD Milo Sturgis is assigned the case. We can be assured that he seek the assistance of longtime friend and LAPD consultant Alex Delaware. Finding the identity of the victim proves to be very difficult. There is plenty of work that must be done before the killer can be found.
This story is overloaded with characters. At times it is difficult to remember them and what role they play in the story. In this overloaded cast, few are developed, few are likable. Slowly, we plod to the reveal of the murderer. Sadly we are handed an unconvincing motive. All in all an unfulfilling read. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #TheWeddingGuest.
LAPD Milo Sturgis is assigned the case. We can be assured that he seek the assistance of longtime friend and LAPD consultant Alex Delaware. Finding the identity of the victim proves to be very difficult. There is plenty of work that must be done before the killer can be found.
This story is overloaded with characters. At times it is difficult to remember them and what role they play in the story. In this overloaded cast, few are developed, few are likable. Slowly, we plod to the reveal of the murderer. Sadly we are handed an unconvincing motive. All in all an unfulfilling read. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #TheWeddingGuest.
April 19, 2019
The young woman in the red dress had been brutally murdered; her discovery by one of the bridesmaids a shock. The upstairs bathroom where she was found was well away from the wedding reception being held downstairs and on asking, none of the guests recognized the young woman in the photo.
Detective Milo Sturgis was immediately on the case along with his sidekick, psychologist Dr Alex Delaware – their most pressing concern to identify the victim. But with no identification, no recognition and nothing to point the police to, it was an uphill battle. The bride and groom were shattered, as were both sets of parents. It was going to be a long process. Could Milo and Alex discover who she was; who had murdered her and why?
The Wedding Guest is the 34th in the Alex Delaware series by Jonathan Kellerman, and I quite enjoyed it. The usual banter between the two main characters made me smile – wry and sarcastic wit which Milo does so well. The dogged determination of Milo to reach the needed conclusion is legendary; his case solve-rates high. Another great addition to an enjoyable series. Recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Detective Milo Sturgis was immediately on the case along with his sidekick, psychologist Dr Alex Delaware – their most pressing concern to identify the victim. But with no identification, no recognition and nothing to point the police to, it was an uphill battle. The bride and groom were shattered, as were both sets of parents. It was going to be a long process. Could Milo and Alex discover who she was; who had murdered her and why?
The Wedding Guest is the 34th in the Alex Delaware series by Jonathan Kellerman, and I quite enjoyed it. The usual banter between the two main characters made me smile – wry and sarcastic wit which Milo does so well. The dogged determination of Milo to reach the needed conclusion is legendary; his case solve-rates high. Another great addition to an enjoyable series. Recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
February 5, 2019
Full review posted
Child Psychologist Alex Delaware and Lieutenant Milo Sturgis are crime solving once again. They are called to a homicide at a wedding with no witnesses, few clues, no suspects, not even the identity of the victim. Alex and Milo use their brilliant minds to track down every difficult lead and suspect they can find. Even when I thought I knew who dunnit, there is another twist, proving my suspicions wrong.
I have been reading Alex Delaware novels for years, and it almost feel like coming home. Yes, it can be repetitive with the in depth descriptions of meals, clothing, and of course, the lovely LA traffic, but I really never lost interest. I did find the beginning a little confusing with all the names being discussed, but I settled down and was able to follow along. The last 20%, I could not put my kindle down, everything was happening so fast, I didn’t want to miss a thing.
If you are up to a complex mystery, this is definitely the right story for you. I should mention that if you skipped a few books, you will not be lost at all. I haven’t read the last few, and I was just fine.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review
Child Psychologist Alex Delaware and Lieutenant Milo Sturgis are crime solving once again. They are called to a homicide at a wedding with no witnesses, few clues, no suspects, not even the identity of the victim. Alex and Milo use their brilliant minds to track down every difficult lead and suspect they can find. Even when I thought I knew who dunnit, there is another twist, proving my suspicions wrong.
I have been reading Alex Delaware novels for years, and it almost feel like coming home. Yes, it can be repetitive with the in depth descriptions of meals, clothing, and of course, the lovely LA traffic, but I really never lost interest. I did find the beginning a little confusing with all the names being discussed, but I settled down and was able to follow along. The last 20%, I could not put my kindle down, everything was happening so fast, I didn’t want to miss a thing.
If you are up to a complex mystery, this is definitely the right story for you. I should mention that if you skipped a few books, you will not be lost at all. I haven’t read the last few, and I was just fine.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review
November 22, 2018
I don’t often read murder mystery but I really liked the title and the synopsis intrigued me. The wedding guest is a mystery. Nobody seems to know her.
Our victim is found by one of the bridesmaids looking for the little girl's room.
The victim is a young Female, who is unknown to the wedding party. Her cause of death is strangulation. The murder weapon was a thin wire of sorts. But who would want murder on a white wedding day? Everyone is a suspect. Someone must know something.
The detectives have to work the case with very little to go on. This is the first book I’ve read in the Alex Delaware series. It can easily be read as a stand-alone. Unfortunately, the story wasn’t for me. I found the pace a little slow.
2 stars out of 5. Sorry. *I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I truly hope this book finds the audience it needs. It just isn’t me.
Our victim is found by one of the bridesmaids looking for the little girl's room.
The victim is a young Female, who is unknown to the wedding party. Her cause of death is strangulation. The murder weapon was a thin wire of sorts. But who would want murder on a white wedding day? Everyone is a suspect. Someone must know something.
The detectives have to work the case with very little to go on. This is the first book I’ve read in the Alex Delaware series. It can easily be read as a stand-alone. Unfortunately, the story wasn’t for me. I found the pace a little slow.
2 stars out of 5. Sorry. *I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I truly hope this book finds the audience it needs. It just isn’t me.
March 8, 2019
Alex and Milo are back!
The story begins at the wedding reception of a young couple in a unconventional facility named "Saints and Sinners" a redesigned strip joint which became a church and now holds receptions, parties, bar mitzvah 's and probably anything else someone would want to hold there.
A body is found upstairs in a not very clean restroom and immediately halts the reception and has the bride and groom angry as well as upset. The parents of the bride are also very upset that the their daughter's wedding is ruined. There seems to be more anger than compassion that a human being has been found alone and lifeless lying above the party in a dirty restroom.
Milo sturgis is a top notch detective who calls his best friend Alex Delaware who is a psychologist and works with the police on many cases whenever they need some extra help solving cases (especially murders) giving his expertise on understanding the criminal mind.
I usually love all the Alex Delaware books but this book was just mediocre for me. I thought there was too much light banter between the two men for more than a third of the story and I never felt any real suspense. The story seemed more of an effort to read and I can't remember feeling this way about any of the other books in the series. I really enjoy being surprised about the "Who Done It" aspect of a book but this was rediculous! I don't want to give anything away, so I will just say I felt cheated and very disappointed with the ending and the quality of this novel in comparison to many of the previous novels.
I still recommend this book to others because these are my opinions and thoughts about this story and other readers may have very different ideas and feelings towards this book.
I want to thank Netgally and the publisher Ballantine Books and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel!
The story begins at the wedding reception of a young couple in a unconventional facility named "Saints and Sinners" a redesigned strip joint which became a church and now holds receptions, parties, bar mitzvah 's and probably anything else someone would want to hold there.
A body is found upstairs in a not very clean restroom and immediately halts the reception and has the bride and groom angry as well as upset. The parents of the bride are also very upset that the their daughter's wedding is ruined. There seems to be more anger than compassion that a human being has been found alone and lifeless lying above the party in a dirty restroom.
Milo sturgis is a top notch detective who calls his best friend Alex Delaware who is a psychologist and works with the police on many cases whenever they need some extra help solving cases (especially murders) giving his expertise on understanding the criminal mind.
I usually love all the Alex Delaware books but this book was just mediocre for me. I thought there was too much light banter between the two men for more than a third of the story and I never felt any real suspense. The story seemed more of an effort to read and I can't remember feeling this way about any of the other books in the series. I really enjoy being surprised about the "Who Done It" aspect of a book but this was rediculous! I don't want to give anything away, so I will just say I felt cheated and very disappointed with the ending and the quality of this novel in comparison to many of the previous novels.
I still recommend this book to others because these are my opinions and thoughts about this story and other readers may have very different ideas and feelings towards this book.
I want to thank Netgally and the publisher Ballantine Books and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel!
March 1, 2019
Another hit from Jonathan Kellerman.
A young woman is found dead at a wedding reception. No one at the wedding knows who she is or why she is there. Detective Milo Sturgis calls in child psychologist and police consultant Alex Delaware to assist with solving the case.
This book is a textbook police procedural and takes you through every aspect of a murder investigation. Full of well-developed characters and rich dialogue building to a surprise ending.
This is the 34th book in the series but can be read as a stand-alone. I encourage you to read more from this series.
Highly recommend.
A young woman is found dead at a wedding reception. No one at the wedding knows who she is or why she is there. Detective Milo Sturgis calls in child psychologist and police consultant Alex Delaware to assist with solving the case.
This book is a textbook police procedural and takes you through every aspect of a murder investigation. Full of well-developed characters and rich dialogue building to a surprise ending.
This is the 34th book in the series but can be read as a stand-alone. I encourage you to read more from this series.
Highly recommend.
February 15, 2019
The Wedding Guest is the thirty-forth novel to feature Dr Alex Delaware, criminal psychologist/criminologist and long-time LAPD consultant and also features Lieutenant Milo Sturgis. Whilst I enjoyed reading it, it certainly wasn't Kellerman's best to date. As always the part I find most interesting is the criminal profiling and Dr Alex's probing into a suspect or perpetrators mind, including their possible motives. Each book in the series can be read as standalones and work perfectly well as such if you don't mind not knowing the background of Dr Delaware and his colleagues.
This engaging instalment is full of twists and turns, as well as lots of red herrings, but what I appreciated the most was Kellerman's ability to keep the killer hidden for the duration; I, unfortunately, usually find myself correctly identifying the criminal quite early on, but not here. This certainly isn't one of those fast-paced thrillers, as it is much more considered, realistic and intelligent than most, and the way the police piece together the information to create a compelling case against the killer seems authentic and likely similar to the way real cases come together. The dynamic between Alex and Milo is, as it's always been, friendly and professional.
Many thanks to Century for an ARC.
You can also find my reviews posted here on my blog.
This engaging instalment is full of twists and turns, as well as lots of red herrings, but what I appreciated the most was Kellerman's ability to keep the killer hidden for the duration; I, unfortunately, usually find myself correctly identifying the criminal quite early on, but not here. This certainly isn't one of those fast-paced thrillers, as it is much more considered, realistic and intelligent than most, and the way the police piece together the information to create a compelling case against the killer seems authentic and likely similar to the way real cases come together. The dynamic between Alex and Milo is, as it's always been, friendly and professional.
Many thanks to Century for an ARC.
You can also find my reviews posted here on my blog.
August 19, 2019
Bears Rapfogel and Garrett Burdict are getting married Jonathan Kellerman invites us to attend in the novel The Wedding Guest. It will be an unconventional wedding to say the least. Held in a former strip club, guests are asked to dress “hot” for this Saints and Sinners ceremony. But venues and theme are not the most unconventional aspect of this wedding. Finding the body of a young woman, clad in designer attire in a ladies room ranks number one on the unconventional scale here. But there is more. No one at the wedding knows her. Why was she there? Who killed her?
LAPD Milo Sturgis is assigned the case. We can be assured that he seek the assistance of longtime friend and LAPD consultant Alex Delaware. Finding the identity of the victim proves to be very difficult. There is plenty of work that must be done before the killer can be found.
This story is overloaded with characters. At times it is difficult to remember them and what role they play in the story. In this overloaded cast, few are developed, few are likable. Slowly, we plod to the reveal of the murderer. Sadly we are handed an unconvincing motive. All in all an unfulfilling read. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #TheWeddingGuest.
LAPD Milo Sturgis is assigned the case. We can be assured that he seek the assistance of longtime friend and LAPD consultant Alex Delaware. Finding the identity of the victim proves to be very difficult. There is plenty of work that must be done before the killer can be found.
This story is overloaded with characters. At times it is difficult to remember them and what role they play in the story. In this overloaded cast, few are developed, few are likable. Slowly, we plod to the reveal of the murderer. Sadly we are handed an unconvincing motive. All in all an unfulfilling read. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #TheWeddingGuest.
February 9, 2019
Another Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis “affair” as the duo work to solve the murder of a young, well dressed woman found at a wedding reception. She wasn’t a relative, not a guest, but she was dead in a bathroom. As usual, Milo requests Alex’s assistance when he expects there may be emotional or psychological overlaying a case - and he guessed well with this one as Alex notices multiple possible issues during initial interviews of reception attendees. The case and search draw in several regulars from Milo’s station and it is nice to have them back. There is also a new forensics character who appears interesting and hopefully will return.
The case itself is interesting, if moving beyond what seems plausible. And here is where my major problem with this book arose. While the action is almost compulsively readable, where is the rest of Delaware’s life? Yes he spends his nights with Robin along with some occasional dinners, etc. and they both love their child substitute, Blanche. But what has happened to his work as a child psychologist and with the courts? It was mentioned one time in this book; he read over a report...that’s it for this renowned clinician. Apparently he is a house husband and part-time police consultant (un or minimally paid). In past novels, his clinical work was part of his identity.
Oh well, I suppose it is one more step on the road toward “fantasy crime story.”
3* for its usual highly readable style but also it’s further remove from the real world.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
The case itself is interesting, if moving beyond what seems plausible. And here is where my major problem with this book arose. While the action is almost compulsively readable, where is the rest of Delaware’s life? Yes he spends his nights with Robin along with some occasional dinners, etc. and they both love their child substitute, Blanche. But what has happened to his work as a child psychologist and with the courts? It was mentioned one time in this book; he read over a report...that’s it for this renowned clinician. Apparently he is a house husband and part-time police consultant (un or minimally paid). In past novels, his clinical work was part of his identity.
Oh well, I suppose it is one more step on the road toward “fantasy crime story.”
3* for its usual highly readable style but also it’s further remove from the real world.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
March 8, 2019
Alex and Milo are back!
The story begins at the wedding reception of a young couple in a unconventional facility named "Saints and Sinners" a redesigned strip joint which became a church and now holds receptions, parties, bar mitzvah 's and probably anything else someone would want to hold there.
A body is found upstairs in a not very clean restroom and immediately halts the reception and has the bride and groom angry as well as upset. The parents of the bride are also very upset that the their daughter's wedding is ruined. There seems to be more anger than compassion that a human being has been found alone and lifeless lying above the party in a dirty restroom.
Milo sturgis is a top notch detective who calls his best friend Alex Delaware who is a psychologist and works with the police on many cases whenever they need some extra help solving cases (especially murders) giving his expertise on understanding the criminal mind.
I usually love all the Alex Delaware books but this book was just mediocre for me. I thought there was too much light banter between the two men for more than a third of the story and I never felt any real suspense. The story seemed more of an effort to read and I can't remember feeling this way about any of the other books in the series. I really enjoy being surprised about the "Who Done It" aspect of a book but this was rediculous! I don't want to give anything away, so I will just say I felt cheated and very disappointed with the ending and the quality of this novel in comparison to many of the previous novels.
I still recommend this book to others because these are my opinions and thoughts about this story and other readers may have very different ideas and feelings towards this book.
I want to thank Netgally and the publisher Ballantine Books and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel!
The story begins at the wedding reception of a young couple in a unconventional facility named "Saints and Sinners" a redesigned strip joint which became a church and now holds receptions, parties, bar mitzvah 's and probably anything else someone would want to hold there.
A body is found upstairs in a not very clean restroom and immediately halts the reception and has the bride and groom angry as well as upset. The parents of the bride are also very upset that the their daughter's wedding is ruined. There seems to be more anger than compassion that a human being has been found alone and lifeless lying above the party in a dirty restroom.
Milo sturgis is a top notch detective who calls his best friend Alex Delaware who is a psychologist and works with the police on many cases whenever they need some extra help solving cases (especially murders) giving his expertise on understanding the criminal mind.
I usually love all the Alex Delaware books but this book was just mediocre for me. I thought there was too much light banter between the two men for more than a third of the story and I never felt any real suspense. The story seemed more of an effort to read and I can't remember feeling this way about any of the other books in the series. I really enjoy being surprised about the "Who Done It" aspect of a book but this was rediculous! I don't want to give anything away, so I will just say I felt cheated and very disappointed with the ending and the quality of this novel in comparison to many of the previous novels.
I still recommend this book to others because these are my opinions and thoughts about this story and other readers may have very different ideas and feelings towards this book.
I want to thank Netgally and the publisher Ballantine Books and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel!
June 17, 2019
What a mess! Lazy writing, inconsistencies, multiple loose ends, abrupt ending, etc. There's also Alex Delaware's snobby attitude. Yuck. I used to be a Kellerman fan.
March 8, 2019
An unexpected guest attends the Saints and Sinners themed wedding. Only this guest was not invited .... she's found strangled in a room that wasn't open to visitors .. and no one seems to know who she was.
The bride is understandably upset about someone having ruined HER day. The groom is trying to placate his new wife .. without a lot of success.
There are over 100 guests and Detective Milo Sturgis pulls Psychologist Alex Delaware with him while they are all being questioned. They must separate the sinners from the saints, the true from the false, and the secrets from those keeping them. The party’s over—and the hunt for whoever killed it is on.
Alex and Milo are back with their 34th adventure in crime solving. The characters are great, as always. The story premise is okay, but it seemed a trifle long and I really hate to say it ... a tad boring. I have read most, if not all, of the previous books in this series ... this one is not one of the best. I'm hoping this one is an anomaly .. and I still look forward to the next in this series.
Many thanks to the author / Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
April 10, 2019
This is Kellerman’s 34th offering in the Alex Delaware police procedural series. The psychologist and LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis team up to solve the murder of a wedding crasher at the Rapfogel-Burdette wedding celebration. Neither family has the slightest clue as to who the beautiful woman in the red dress could be. Indeed, discovering the woman’s identity is more difficult than one would imagine. It seems she used a variety of names over the past few years.
Kellerman’s writing style has a staccato rhythm that serves the police procedural format well. It takes a while for the two investigators to uncover the guilty party. Whenever they think they are getting close, the case just gets more confusing. It doesn’t help that the entire wedding party all seem to be acting a little guilty. Recommend.
Kellerman’s writing style has a staccato rhythm that serves the police procedural format well. It takes a while for the two investigators to uncover the guilty party. Whenever they think they are getting close, the case just gets more confusing. It doesn’t help that the entire wedding party all seem to be acting a little guilty. Recommend.
August 17, 2023
Another great addition to the Dr. Delaware/Milo Sturgis series. An uninvited wedding guest is found dead in the spare restroom. Nobody knows her or why she was there. It's a puzzle, the type that Alex and Milo are good at solving with lots of research and legwork. I really enjoy this series and hope to read the next one soon.
June 17, 2019
This book is too down-market for me. I’m giving it two stars because the writing is clear and professional, and I had great hopes for the storyline. But the content is vapid, the protagonist is embarrassing, the characters are (generally) unlikeable, and absolutely nothing engaged me.
December 11, 2018
Ah, what could be better than another get-together of two of my favorite characters - police consultant and psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware and his curmudgeonly but lovable cohort Milo Sturgis? In this one, their back-and-forths seemed more frequent and provided greater insights into their characters (and their relationship) than usual - for me, much appreciated. Besides that, Alex's long-time love and guitar-maker Robin landed a more featured role - still another plus.
As the title suggests, this one begins with a wedding guest who didn't appear on the invitation list - not even as a plus one - and who for sure didn't get a great reception. In fact, she turns up dead; murdered with a combination of injected knockout drug and wire garrote reminiscent of a guitar string. No one can come up with an identity, and Milo calls Alex for help with the case. Fairly early on, it is learned that the somewhat unconventional venue used to be a seedy bar known for its equally seedy pole dancers, thus expanding the search beyond the rich and not-so-rich who enjoyed wedding guest-list status.
Despite their denials of anything connected to the victim, the families of the bride and groom - and the bride and groom themselves - remain on the suspect list (some very near the top). That in turn leads Alex and Milo down a number of aisles, most of which don't lead to blissful solutions. Finally, a previous case comes to light that rings bells in harmony, lifting the veil under which the real killer has been hiding.
And that brings me to the part that bothered me just a tiny bit. I can't be specific without spoiling things, but the ending seemed somehow disjointed - as if the usual suspects just weren't cutting it and a new ending was needed to deliver a more effective punch. That said, I enjoyed the book as a whole as always - Alex is in absolutely zero danger of dropping off my Top 10 list of all-time favorite book heroes. Given that this is the 34th in the series (all of which I've read), that's gotta be some kind of record. My undying gratitude goes to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.
As the title suggests, this one begins with a wedding guest who didn't appear on the invitation list - not even as a plus one - and who for sure didn't get a great reception. In fact, she turns up dead; murdered with a combination of injected knockout drug and wire garrote reminiscent of a guitar string. No one can come up with an identity, and Milo calls Alex for help with the case. Fairly early on, it is learned that the somewhat unconventional venue used to be a seedy bar known for its equally seedy pole dancers, thus expanding the search beyond the rich and not-so-rich who enjoyed wedding guest-list status.
Despite their denials of anything connected to the victim, the families of the bride and groom - and the bride and groom themselves - remain on the suspect list (some very near the top). That in turn leads Alex and Milo down a number of aisles, most of which don't lead to blissful solutions. Finally, a previous case comes to light that rings bells in harmony, lifting the veil under which the real killer has been hiding.
And that brings me to the part that bothered me just a tiny bit. I can't be specific without spoiling things, but the ending seemed somehow disjointed - as if the usual suspects just weren't cutting it and a new ending was needed to deliver a more effective punch. That said, I enjoyed the book as a whole as always - Alex is in absolutely zero danger of dropping off my Top 10 list of all-time favorite book heroes. Given that this is the 34th in the series (all of which I've read), that's gotta be some kind of record. My undying gratitude goes to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.
April 1, 2019
I enjoyed this. I especially enjoyed the way the author brought all sorts of seemingly unrelated threads together.
Our characters were quirky and I ended up liking some of them so much more than I thought I would - especially one Bridezilla.
It was a little weird how so many characters reacted to people with books. (Hint: people who read are weird and abnormal.)
But, a good, quick read!
Our characters were quirky and I ended up liking some of them so much more than I thought I would - especially one Bridezilla.
It was a little weird how so many characters reacted to people with books. (Hint: people who read are weird and abnormal.)
But, a good, quick read!
February 6, 2021
Reading kellerman is like seeing an old friend after being away for awhile. We pick up where we left off in the reader’s relationship with Alex, Milo, Robin and others (even the Koi are doing well). Interesting as always, never guessing the correct ending and enjoying the journey. Although I don’t care for most author’s scenic descriptive writing, Kellerman has such a deft hand you know the atmosphere/location with a minimum of words with maximum impact. As a visual reader everything from characters to situations come alive
March 24, 2023
3.5/5, rounded down.
April 25, 2019
The Alex Delaware series is one of my favorite, however, this book is a little tamer than others in the series. You could not figure out the killer from the beginning because he isn't mentioned until halfway through the book. It is good to see Alex and Milo back in the chase. Recommended to Delaware fans.
February 9, 2019
I have questions. How was the victim lured to the wedding? Who really killed the prostitute in Poland? What was Amanda's story? Why was her mother not killed? Too much was left unresolved with the death of the perp.
February 21, 2019
A spoiled girl and her brainy but reserved husband are getting married at an unusual venue, Saints and Sinners. One of the bridesmaids runs back to the bridal suite to discover a dead woman in the bathroom, choked out with a garrotte. The woman is gorgeous, and dressed to the nines in a red Fendi dress. Nobody knows her, and discovering who she was and how she happened to be at the party is a central theme of the novel. Interestingly, the venue has previously been a strip joint. Milo Sturgis brings in Alex Delaware who helps him work the case, offering his usual insights into the case and personalities. Things get more interesting when they determine the identity of the victim, and her background, but have to work many angles to finally connect her to the wedding and eventually the killer. 3.5 stars.
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