Back from vacation

Three loads of laundry bring end to the weekend bidding a sad adieu to my vacation. I did take my laptop home with me, but did not even turn it on to work on my poster session posters. While I feel a bit like Scarlet, tomorrow is not only another workday; it also includes extended hours in the resource center for students enrolled in the lab class. I did find time to read and enjoy one of my recreational book purchases.

Obsession, by Jonathan Kellerman, is the latest installment in Kellerman’s series featuring psychologist Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis. When former patient Tanya Bigelow is disturbed by her adopted mother Patty’s deathbed confession of a “terrible thing,” she contacts Dr. Delaware for professional help. Though sure the confession is nothing more than Patty’s pain-filled ramblings, Alex and vacationing detective Sturgis agree to ease Tanya’s mind and unofficially examine what may have happened. Soon the duo are involved in a complex murder investigation that spans over a decade and encompasses a myriad of socioeconomic players.

Kellerman uses his cast well, including secondary characters Rick (Milo’s partner), Robyn (Alex’s live-in love), and Alex and Robyn’s new addition, Blanche (puppy with personality). Unraveling the murder mystery provides many an interesting glimpse into the psyche of these recurring characters. For this particular installment in the series, getting to the end was more interesting than the end itself; it was not all that surprising and, depending on readers point of view, is either a well spun mystery or stretches a bit tying a neat ending bow. Fans of the Delaware novels will enjoy the read.

Tags: Jonathan Kellerman, Obsession, Recreational reading, Alex Delaware Novels, fiction, Mystery