Silent Partner

by Jonathan Kellerman

Book Overview

The bestselling author ofWhen The Bough Breaks,Blood Test, andOver The Edgedelivers the most stunning novel yet and featuring psychologist-detective Dr. Alex Delaware. At a party for a controversial Los Angeles sex therapist, Alex encounters a face from his own past--Sharon Ransom, an exquisite, alluring lover who left him abruptly more than a decade earlier. Sharon now hints that he desperately needs help, but Alex evades her. The next day she is...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553053701
• ISBN13: 9780553053708
• Release Date: September 1989
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 404 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.

Customer Reviews

One of JK's best

Twists, turns and a lot of deviant (though not gratuitous) canoodling. What more could you want from the peculiar mind of Jonathan Kellerman. His Alex/Milo stories are always good -- this one was great. The only things missing? The dog and the girl (Robin's away). At least Milo had his head in the fridge, thankfully! There's a lot to keep track of, but if I'm not a bit confused, it's not a JK book!!

Definitely worth a reread

This is the first I've read from this author, and I am satisfied. Crazy story with unexpected twists. Only gave 5 stars because the book was not really in good condition. There are stains everywhere. Other than that, I would recommend.

WOW!

This one is scary! The climax is scarier than that of Bad Love - and that one is SCARY! Even though Alex ... well, I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just leave it at that. Alex sure does get himself into spooky situations. And he can't keep his mouth shut! Who would have thought Alex would be such as smartalec? In this one Alex and Robin are seperated and she's off finding herself or something. In his boredom and despair, he agrees to attend a faculty party celebrating the appointment of a new department head. Alex and his friend Larry attend just to make snide remarks about Paul Kruse, the man of honor. At the party, Alex spots an old flame and that's when all the trouble starts. Sharon corners him and all his conflicting emotions flood to the surface. She says she is not doing so well and wants to get together with him - just to talk. He agrees, but later, he regrets it and calls to cancel, leaves a message on her machine. The next day, she is dead - an apparent suicide - and Alex blames himself. He flashes back to their relationship in Grad School - which is pretty darned steamy - and then starts digging - into her past as well as into his own soul and what he finds isn't all that pretty. At the start, Milo and Rick are off on a fishing trip and Milo's description of this trip is pretty darned funny. Alex gets his friend involved in all the mess, though, and then goes off on his own, leaving poor Milo out in the cold. I hope he makes it up to Milo in the next book. Another book I couldn't put down - another sleepless night - I should charge the author for my sleep deprivation therapy.

A taut character driven drama and psycho-thriller!

In a word, Silent Partner is magnificent! Child psychologist, Alex Delaware, is living life in the dumps temporarily separated from his lover, Robin, who has asked for some space and time to find herself. On a last minute whim, he attends a society soirée and encounters Sharon Ransom, a former girlfriend who makes it abundantly clear that she'd like to meet and re-connect with Alex. Uncertain of either of their motives and feeling to do so would needlessly complicate his life, Alex declines but is horrified to discover the next day that Sharon has taken her own life. No doubt driven by intense feelings of guilt, Alex embarks on an investigation of the circumstances of her suicide and walks into a tangled weave of multiple murder, corporate shenanigans, drugs, sex, pornography and psychological mayhem that only a writer of Kellerman's skill could conceive of and actually keep under control. Over and over again, Kellerman catches his readers with a delicously nasty habit - the details seems complete, the explanations are in hand and the story appears headed for a dénouement - then the twist happens and we're tossed back into the thick of things. And, this happens not just once but two or three times in the space of the final hundred pages. Despite the fact that this is a fine murder thriller, perhaps Kellerman's best, the violence actually takes second place to the psychological drama and the narration of a wealth of detail about the art of psycho-analysis. Sharon Ransom's case study, for example, that she submitted as her PhD thesis was positively chilling and I have no doubt could be a reflection of the distressing reality that analysts encounter with more seriously disturbed clients. If you're going to start Silent Partner, make sure you've got a few spare hours carved out and already set aside. You won't want to put it down!

Powerful view into the psychotic mind

This is my first J. Kellerman book, and WOW, this writer has me hooked already. The book has it all -- romance, rejection, confusion, a woman involved in pornography, there's blackmail, problems at the job level, issues with professional personalities in scholastic settings that are not so professional, and an interesting question -- which woman do you believe? And both women appear to share the same body. This had me going from the first page to the last. Foreshadowing even kept you guessing -- you knew what was going to happen, or did you? Just when you thought, "I got it!" he added another twist to the plot. I was unprepared for the ending, as was the author's intention. I recently obtained another J. Kellerman book and am trying to hurry through my other stack of books so I can get to it! (Oh, I might just have to sneak it in there sooner....) The characterization -- awesome. You feel like Alex is your best friend, or maybe even YOU, in another life. The descriptions make the reader feel THAT close to Alex. Excitement in this book never ends. I was annoyed when it ended because I wanted more, more, more! You must read this book and have the ride of your life, or at least your book-reading life. I have students who think reading is boring. Clearly, they've never read Jonathan Kellerman!

I thought that this was one of Kellerman's greatest books

From the beginning of the book until the end, the suspense killed me. The story of the good/bad twin was excellent. I also love following his romance with Robin. I got upset when they broke up and was happy when they got back together. I am hooked on Kellerman and Alex. If anyone also is out there reading this, do they know if Kellerman has written any more Alex Deleware books after Survival of the Fittest. Please e mail me.

The very Best of the Alex Delaware Series!

I have read all of the Alex Delaware books by J. Kellerman to date, and am eagerly awaiting his next, but "Silent Partner" is the first one I read, and it was such good reading, it made me want more of this interesting character! I have since read all his fiction novels, and love them all, but still think "Silent Partner" the best. So many odd twists and turns, not even the best arm chair detective can anticipate the plot. It held my attention from first word to the last, and I hated to see it end. It was the book that hooked me on Jonathan Kellerman novels. You find yourself wishing that you knew Alex Delaware as a real person. But it is the mystery that captivates and keeps us interested.