A MEASURE OF DARKNESS
Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman
Ballantine Books
ISBN 978-0399594649
Hardcover
Thriller

Any year that brings a collaboration between two of a reader’s favorite authors is a good year. It is by that measure a terrific year for me once again. The father and son team of Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman --- each of whom is individually a master wordsmith --- have returned with A MEASURE OF DARKNESS, a fine and worthy sequel to CRIME SCENE. That worthy book introduced Clay Edison, a deputy attached to the Alameda County Coroner’s Office in Oakland. Both Kellermans have a knack for setting their stories in locales where plot potential lies thick on the ground, and Oakland’s location and chaotic cultural history --- as well as the elements of Edison’s character --- have made this series a must-read since its relatively recent inception.

Edison is a character who is fairly well known within the confines of the background that the Kellermans have set up. He is a former basketball star who had to quit due to a knee injury which continues to plague him. CRIME SCENE provided an introduction to Edison’s world and gave him the opportunity to solve a murder with at trail that had long gone cold. The killing is very fresh indeed, however, in A MEASURE OF DARKNESS. It begins with a party being held in a refurbished mansion in a partially gentrified neighborhood in Oakland. Someone objects to the loud music, someone else objects to the objection, and shots are fired. There is plenty of collateral damage, and not from bullets either. Some of the dead are difficult to identify, particularly a woman who is found murdered in the backyard of the house as the result of an incident apparently unrelated to the shooting. It is difficult to investigate a murder when those trying to speak for the dead aren’t entirely sure what questions they should be asking. Edison does his best, following some really, really thin strings of evidence which seem to go into the wrong direction but are close enough for government work. The trail leads through Oakland and up to northern California and back again, even as it spins back to the past and returns to the present. Edison’s brother, who has recently been released from prison, also enters the picture in some interesting ways that leave Edison struggling with what his reaction is as he attempts to decide what his reaction should be. The plots ultimately dovetail into a couple of endings ---three, actually --- to A MEASURE OF DARKNESS and you probably won’t see any of them coming, but they are all very different but nonetheless equally satisfying.

About those endings...one of them involves Edison’s family. It is worth buying and reading A MEASURE OF DARKNESS just to get to that particular conclusion. I read it over a few times, rocking backward and forward with glee, and not only because it so perfectly captures familial politics and the ever-shifting alliances that occur. I also did so because it is so well and perfectly written. It was either dashed off in one take or labored over for days. I doubt that there was any in-between. Either way, it is a jewel in a book you must read. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2018, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

Another great book from a fabulous writing team! This isn't your action packed crime drama, there is plenty to read and digest here though. This really gives you a lot of the procedures that investigators go through to figure out what happens when someone ends up dead. When the scene involves multiple deaths (from different causes), that makes finding out what happened more difficult, but it makes for a great story!

In this book, Clay Edison works to solve a murder that took place at a party where few of the people knew each other. In fact, more than one murder took place and different coroners and detectives are tasked with figuring out what happened and why. Clay puts in extra time – his personal time – to help one of the detectives work the case. The storyline itself has a great deal of potential, however the execution fell short in my eyes. The writing was disjointed and rambled on at times. The narrative didn’t pull me in this time. No real suspense. Nonetheless, it was an interesting read that might appeal to fans of this genre.

This is the second in the Kellerman father and son team’s Deputy Coroner Clay Edison series. You do not have to have read the first book, although it would help in providing some background for this character. The Kellermans jumped right into this story, with little introduction to Clay. I think that if I had not read the first, I would have spent a lot of time wondering just who he was. There is some additional insight into his history when his brother is introduced.

My opinion of this book improved over time. I thought the beginning a bit choppy, with some unnecessary fillers such as a play by play of a one on one basketball game. About halfway through, this police procedural story grabbed my attention and I didn’t want to put it down.

I always enjoy the descriptive language used by the Kellermans. I find it observant and often amusing. Fans of Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware character will be pleased to see that he makes another cameo appearance.

After I finished the debut book in this series, "Crime Scene," last year, I knew I'd keep going. And sure enough - thanks to an advance review copy from the publisher - I got my chance at the follow-up. It is, I believe, better than the first, thus signaling that the father-son author combo may have found its groove. What it lacks in down-and-dirty action is more than compensated for by interesting, likable characters, a good story and expertly turned phrases.

At its heart, though, it's a fairly basic police procedural; the main character, Clay Edison, is a deputy in the Coroner's Bureau. He's got Amy, his live-in love, a wayward just-out-of-jail brother with whom he has a love-hate relationship and, at the start of this one, some dead bodies that went bump in the night.

But one of those bodies is not like the others; she was found elsewhere on the property, was strangled rather than shot and her identity can't be determined. Intrigued, Clay sets out to rectify that latter point, and once accomplished, begins to work on the whodunit and why. That trail leads to the victim's childhood school - a private one that touts total freedom for the students (think Montessori on speed). As all this is unraveling, Clay continues to work on the case of the other victims, one of whom has an identity crisis of his (or her) own. In the middle of it all, here comes his brother Luke - with a rather brash fiance in tow - claiming to be a changed man and offering Clay an investment deal guaranteed to earn a pot of money.

Beyond that, the whole thing is a fairly straightforward look at how all of Clay's professional and personal scenarios are resolved (including his relationship with Amy). Although I'd personally like fewer characters to keep straight, most things get sorted out by the end (leaving, perhaps, one or two little issues unresolved, presumably to be continued in the next adventure. For sure I'll be watching for it!

Picture this: beautiful old home languishing as a crack house in West Oakland, purchased and renovated into its original beauty and now the frequent site of some pretty weird parties. Words passed between the uninvited and attendees, bullets flying from both sides, and bodies left behind. Deputy coroner Clay Edison is pulled in to sort it all out. One body's a surprise however. A young girl strangled and left in the backyard shed who nobody remembers from the party and no identifying information. Edison makes it a mission to determine just who this girl is and in unraveling the thread, finds a connection to an 'alternative' school and back again. A great story with fantastic connections of all the key players.

This is the second book in a series and both books were phenomenal. The authors do amazing work together and I am looking forward to a third book!

I have been a fan of Jonathan Kellerman's writing from his early days to his current works and have read and enjoyed most, if not all, of Jesse Kellerman's offerings also and have never been disappointed. Unfortunately that was not my experience with A Measure of Darkness. I found it to be mediocre at best. The story itself may have been a good one had it not been that the telling of it seemed choppy and nothing seemed to flow naturally from one scene to another. I was also turned off my the unnecessary one time mention of Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, characters from an extensive series of books written by Jonathan Kellerman. It seemed like they knew the story was not very good and threw them in there as a last ditch effort to win over fans of that series.

Overall, this is the first book written by this Kellerman family, Jonathan, Jesse, Faye and Aliza, that I would not recommend. Sorry.

I've been a fan of the Kellermans for years and while I enjoyed this book, it wasn't a WOW feeling reading it. I like the character of Clay and all the other characters are well described. The writing is good, but the story - for me - bogged down a bit in the middle. It was fairly interesting but there weren't any moments when I felt shock or even surprise.

So - I liked the book; but I didn't love it.

Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman, both great popular novelists in their own rights, have combined to produce some first-rate works in the last few years, including the first book in this series. I cannot detect any trace of Jesse in this one and it has some flaws that have crept into many of Jonathan's solo efforts. The main character has no business or motivation for investigating, and his police partner seems to operate in a vacuum. His romantic partner is little more than wallpaper. Even in Jonathan's best work, traditional mystery elements like clues take a back seat to psychology; in his sloppier work it's all psychology and not as compelling as it needs to be for its importance to the story. And the guy is getting awfully curmudgeonly about young people, gentrification, architecture, people who practice psychology without doctorates, people with too much money and now libertarian educators.

Mediocre Jonathan Kellerman is still far better than most authors' good books, so there's a lot to like here. The initial descriptions of the crime scene are enlightening and gripping. There is a delightful variety of well-sketched characters, interacting in unexpected and interesting ways. The dialog is sharp and the story moves at a good pace despite the main mystery advancing in circuitous fits and starts. The best parts of the story are dramatic visual scenes and although the complex descriptions are handled competently, this would make a better screenplay than novel.

But this sequel is missing important elements from the original, elements I attribute to Jesse's influence. The workplace interactions helped drive the earlier book, in this one they are dialed in. There was a brooding menace in book 1, and the hero had credible motivation to solve an intriguing old mystery, that had parallels to his own life. In book 2, we never really care much about resolving the mild and non-menacing mystery, nor understand why the hero does. Both books start with a bang, but only the first one delivered thrills along the way and a climax. This book never again reaches its initial heights.

This second book of the series varies quite a bit from the style of the first one. I had a hard time getting into the first book, where as this story drew me in quickly. The details and descriptions of the settings and procedures were less drawn out in this book keeping the focus on the story itself. The only real complaint I have is the litany of characters. There are so many names mentioned between those at the scene of the crime, and detectives involved, that it was sometimes difficult to keep track. As with Crime Scene, fans will be pleased by a cameo from Alex Delaware and shout out to Milo Sturgis. I am beginning to be more invested in Clay with his sly sense of humor. The relationships between him and Amy and his family are interesting and almost more compelling than the case he is working on. Once again, in these scenes though, there is an over-abundance of characters named that just confuses things. I am interested to see how this father/son team continues the series. I like that we get a look at a different side of things with the coroner's office. It makes for an intriguing departure from the type of police procedural most fans of the genre are used to.

This is an interesting departure for the Kellermans; moving the story from their usual Las Angeles locale to northern California and adding a new cast of characters. The characters are medical examiners; morgue workers. THe murders are set in an interesting old neighborhood in Oakland. The action involves some lively characters that have interesting and complicated relationships, and they play out against the backdrop of a night of murder and intrigue in an historic old mansion. I was totally involved with the story because Kellerman is a literate, descriptive writer that keeps you involved with the locale, the characters and the investigation to the last page. Probably not a book for all readers; but for mystery fans that enjoy reading all the gory details, this is a winner.

I found A Measure of Darkness was overly complex, slow moving and difficult to follow. Numerous characters were introduced at a large costume party at which many deaths occurred. The story then revolves around identifying the decedents and their killers. In a methodical, slow moving manner the story describes the procedures used to uncover the information. However, there was no suspense or mystery to the story.

Five people are killed after a house party gets lethal in Measure of Darkness.

A confrontation between neighbors kills three including one of the combatants. A six-year-old is hit in his bed from crossfire. In the ensuing uproar, another party guest is run down in the street by a panicked young girl. But what of the girl found hidden in a shed strangled?

Coroner investigator, Clay Edison, is trying to determine the former name of the car victim to find her next of kin. Born a male and living on the street as female, the trans community shuts down Clay’s search for her parents. In the meantime, Clay hunts for the strangulation victim’s identity and the reason for her death.

Isaiah is targeted as the shooter when he goes to the hospital for a gunshot wound. He, one of the dead and their childhood friends Tuan can be seen on the many YouTube videos showing the confrontation. Tuan has fled. In the video, returning Tuan’s fire is Dane who is also in the wind.

Clay and Amy have their parents over for Christmas dinner. Luke, Clay’s just out of prison brother announces his engagement to surprise guest Andrea.

This is second book in the Clay Edison series after Crime Scene. The books do not have to be read in order. The conclusion is twisty and satisfying. Giving a coroner investigator’s viewpoint within a traditional police procedural, Measure of Darkness is highly recommended to mystery fans. 4 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, Ballantine, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

3.5 Stars

Clay Edison, Deputy Sheriff for the Alameda County Coroner's office, has just had a banner year. He solved a decades-old crime and redeemed an innocent man. However, his job was put in jeopardy as he went beyond the bounds of his duties. Things are falling into line again for Clay, and as this novel begins, he receives a call in the middle of the night. Shots were fired at a party and innocent people were killed. After all of the identifications are made, there is one woman who cannot be accounted for, and she was strangled, not shot. She is a Jane Doe, and Clay is determined to identify her.

Something curious - and I double-checked - I got to 46% before I fully understood Clay Edison's job. The blurb states that he is a deputy coroner, but his keen investigations had me curious. If he were indeed the coroner, would he have had the leeway to investigate as he did? Please pardon my ignorance. Although I generally strive to read series for that ideal sense of continuity, I did not have the opportunity to read the first in the series, Crime Scene, and so I wonder if indeed A Measure of Darkness served well as a standalone.

Due to a rather stilted delivery, the patently obvious fact that the majority of the writing was done by the younger Kellerman, and a surprising lack of the suspense that I imagined would be in this story, I had a bit of difficulty staying engaged. However, as this is a joint venture between father-and-son writers, and this is indeed my favorite genre, I will be reading the next in this series. I hope that when I do that I will have enough of a connection with Clay Edison to better enjoy the story, as I actually do like Clay's character. By the way, Child psychologist Alex Delaware, from Jonathan Kellerman's NYT bestselling series, has a cameo in this book.

Many thanks to Random House/Ballantine Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

This police procedural is kind of a slow burn mystery that came up a bit short on the burn. Clay and those around him make up an interesting group of characters, but there are quite a lot of them to keep up with. Then we have several storylines going on at once, which I think was the main reason this one fell flat on the mystery for me. The suspense of Jane Doe's identity and what happened to her gets lost in the many other things going on in Clay's professional and personal life. So, while each part of this one is interesting in its own right, it becomes a bit convoluted when everything is crammed together. Sometimes less is more and I felt like we could've done with some of that here.

Jonathan Kellerman is a very good mystery writer. This book was a little different from his other books.
The twists and turns were there and the surprises were too. There were a lot of characters and it was hard to keep track of everyone.
I liked the ending and the wrap up of the characters.

Measure of Darkness by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman

Measure of Darkness by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman is the second book in a series called Clay Edison #2. The authors are father and son who bring a strong element of suspense, curiosity and interesting characters and situations to this novel. I was bummed when I realized that this was the second novel in a series, because I missed the first one! I have been a fan of Jonathan and Faye Kellerman and now I need to add Jesse Kellerman to my list.

The main character is Alameda County Coroner's Deputy Clay Edison. As a coroner he has a different way of looking at a murder and how they might have occurred. Clay is also a man who struggles with letting something go when it does not make sense to him. His most recent case starts with a huge party where things got out of control and there were victims of gun violence. However, there was one victim that did not fit the crime. As Clay goes out to investigate, we learn more about what has happened as well as more about Clay. I found the mystery, the characters and Clay’s life fascinating. I actually waited to finish the novel when I had time alone so I could savor the resolution and conclusion.

I am looking forward to reading the first novel, Crime Scene and following this series into the future! It didn’t hurt that Dr Alex Delaware had a small cameo appearance, which I loved! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. A Measure of Darkness by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman was a great read!

It’s dry and oh so grim. But it’s a good police procedural and an interesting story. The author’s have woven together a seamless plot and of course the writing is stellar. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

A Measure of Darkness started out well but it just wasn't the book I expected from these two. Sorry, it dragged on. I nervous I it up again and if so will review it again.