Although the first in the Clay Edison / Kellerman/Kellerman collaboration was a bit weak, I found this new entry very interesting. The main character Clay Edison seems to be evolving and gets more interesting as more of his life enters into the story.

Deputy Clay Edison is called to the scene of a party that’s gotten out of control. People are shot and a woman has been run over by someone trying to get away from the gunfire. The scene is chaotic, and witnesses have already fled. After the scene is secured and the forensics collected another body is discovered on the property.

I have enjoyed Kellerman books in the past but this was not my favorite. I felt like it jumped around too much, made it confusing and at times I felt I might have missed something. If you are a fan of police procedurals you will probably like this book. I was interested enough to finish the book. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

A compelling mystery, but there was something off about it that I just can't put my finger on. I felt there were too many characters and a few weak plot lines. Clay Edison is such a great character, though, and he has some really funny lines. I especially liked how Kellerman wove his relationship with his brother throughout the story. Overall, this series is a solid choice for police procedural fans.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Clay Edison is a coroner. Hehas been called out to a scene of a crime. A raucous party, an argument, turn this party into a disaster. People are dead, some are crying and some are running. Before the end of the night there will be more victims than names. There is one Jane Doe. Who is she, where does she live, who knows her, and why is she dead. All these answers and more in this titillating book by a great team of Authors. Highly recommended!

This book had me hooked from the very first. It is an interesting story about the aftermath of a mass shooting and one of the coroners who works it. It follows him as he does his job, which turns out to be more complex that I ever imagined, and his compassion for the people he stands for. It is a powerful book. #AMeasureOfDarkness #NetGalley

This is a good read for those of us that like police procedurals and crime stories. It kept my interest but seems a little too quiet for a thriller. We meet up with Clay Edison, a Deputy in a California coroner's department. In the middle of the night he is called to a shooting. It is on Almond Street, where most residents are black, however a white artist has purchased a big house and has been having parties on the grounds. There are people everywhere trying to leave, as a fight broke out with shots ringing and some killed! Clay and fellow officers spend a long time getting the bodies out and finding more.
Clay has one young lady run over by a car, and it takes alot of investigation to find that several of the murdered knew each other. There is a good plot, with relationships of Clay, his wife and brother. It is an interesting account with characters who kept my interest through the story.
I received this book from Netgalley, the authors and the publisher who I thank, and I am able to give my thoughts in this review.

I love both authors but I can now say I also love them as a writing team. I have read all of Jonathan Kellerman's fiction and some of Jesse's but I will read all of the Clay Edison books as they come out. I enjoy him on the same level as the Alex Delaware character. Clay Edison is the morgue worker who cannot let something go when the details of a death do not quite add up and during a block party shooting when a body is discovered in the backyard shed as more and more details are revealed something just does not quite add up. Once they identify the body things start falling into place. And it turns out this death is not the result of the shooting but an unrelated event that goes back to the dead girls past and an unconventional upbringing. As always Clay Edison is at the heart of it and it is a great read. I would like to thank Net Galley and the Publisher for a chance to read this ARC.

I always loved the Alex Delaware novels by Jonathan Kellerman. Unfortunately I'm not nearly as impressed with the father-son writing team. This is the first book I've read by the team and Clay could have been a very interesting characters, However, for me, the plot was very slow, the characters weren't all that captivating and the writing was stilted and choppy. I found myself skimming over some sections that seemed to go on and on with little adding to the storyline. Overall, the end of this "police procedural" was satisfactory. I just wasn't that interesting in the slow roll of the story,

WOW at the moving parts and pieces to this book. If you like police procedurals and crime novels you'll really enjoy reading this one. It's a good book and I will be reading more of this series.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the series featuring Alameda County Coroner's Deputy Clay Edison. The father/son writing team deliver another fun, fast-paced thriller that is as interesting as it is compelling. This book takes you inside the mind of the coroner's, examining the crime scene and investigating the cause of death.

As a member of the Sheriff's office, Clay is also at liberty to track down leads and investigate the deaths they catch. He has help along the way from detectives who are investigating the deaths from this latest nightmare crime scene, most of which are happy to cooperate. Clay diligently puts in the desk work and field work in pursuit of truth and justice for his Jane Doe victim, whose injuries are not consistent with the other deceased from the crime scene.

The relationship and banter between Clay and his girlfriend, Amy, is fun to read. There is a subplot that concerns Clay's brother, Luke, and changes that are taking place in his life. All in all this is a very enjoyable read, and I eagerly anticipate the next installment in this series.

I would recommend this book to fans of mysteries and thrillers. I received this as a free ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well written, this book kept my interest and I read until I was finished. The father and son duo of Jonathan And Jesse Kellerman are great together. The twists and turns took me many different places and while I thought I had things figured out, I wasn’t even close. Loved this story!.

Jonathan Kellerman's portrayal of Clay Edison solving another mysterious death is excellent. A Measure of Darkness is realistic, great read.

Clay Edison, An Alameda Country Coroner’s Deputy is called to a shooting in the middle of the night right before Christmas. Several dead on the street and one lone girl, a Jane Doe, found dead in a shed. Her injuries are nothing like the gun shot victims, so was she part of the spree, or another, different killing? Is it even a murder at all, but a simple overdose?

Those questions plaque Clay, who’s the kind of guy who can’t let anything go.
Working with one of the department’s detectives to try and find out who the Jane Doe actually is, and what part if any she played in the in holiday murders, takes Clay on a twisted journey over several months. A progressive school, a cast of shady UnSubs, his current girlfriend and the appearance of his brother back in his life all make Clay juggle: his time, his resources, and his even his patience.

Dr. Alex Delaware makes an appearance via phone to help Clay solve the mystery before him.

An enjoyable novel. Jesse Kellerman’s writing style is a lot like his fathers’ – quick, succinct, and descriptive ( all good things!) and this book was a pleasure to read.
Thank you to Netgalley for the Arc.

4.5 stars.

Almond Street was in the heart of Oakland. Most of the neighborhood residents were black so there was much interest when Rhiannon Cook, a white artist, moved into an abandoned mansion and spruced it up. Then she started holding wild parties for young folks in the area.

One such party took place a few nights before Christmas and a fight broke out between a group of white kids and a group of black and Asian kids. When the shooting was over there were 5 dead: 3 partygoers, a 6 year old hit with a stray bullet and a transgendered person trying to flee who was hit by a car.

Deputy Clay Edison worked for the county Coroner’s office and it was his job to identify the dead and inform their next of kin. While at the scene of the party, Edison and a uniformed officer discovered the dead body of a young woman in a shed at the property. The body contained no identification and so Clay was responsible for finding her identity as well as that of the transgendered person. He teamed up with detective Delilah Nwodo who was hunting for the killer of the young woman in the shed.

Together the two of them explored the world of transgendered homeless folk in Oakland and an unstructured Private boarding school to find the identities of the deceased as well as the reason for their deaths.

The authors did their research on protocol at the Coroners office as well as the Homicide division of the Oakland police.

Another fascinating five star read. Clay, a coroner in Oakland, is called out along with his coworkers to a shooting that occurred at a pay your way party in a neighborhood that was gradually being regentrified. It is a horrible scene with a number a people shot, one run over and a child accidentally killed in his home by a stray bullet. Clay also learns of another murder victim hidden in a shed in the back yard. The plot is remarkably complex and as interesting as it is complicated. The characters are believable, something that is often missing in the genre. It was an excellent novel (the Kellerman’s make amazing writing teams) and one I would highly recommend. Thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine for an ARC for an honest review.

Another interesting addition to the Clay Edison series by the father/son team. Good characters, engaging storyline with a winding, compelling road to the ending.

Add to your list!

Crazy good book!
So many crazy twist and turns, with the dark side of people showing up.
Surprise ending for me!

This is the second Clay Edison book and I did like it, maybe not quite as much as the first one. The plot was a little confusing and the ending was decent but not like page-turning, edge-of-my seat excitement or anything as just kind of happened....I love Clay. He is a great guy, funny, smart, observant, good at his job and just totally decent & nice. He is investigating a shooting at a party where several people are shot, one is run over by a car and one is found strangled in the shed, making it appear like that last victim was not included in the initial party shooting. The whole story is about Clay trying to identify the victims who don't have ID's and figure out what happened. It is very interesting, his thought process and how he figures things out. The story just lacked a little suspense and mystery. Well-worth reading for someone who really enjoys a thorough invesitgation. I really love the writing of both of these authors and have read tons of their other books. I was super glad to get an ARC--thank you NETGALLEY!

Not as intriguing as the the first one. More of a family relationship on the part of Clay and also on the theme of story. It did convey the hazards of not doing a thorough and effective Internet search before analyzing results.

More than anything, I want to say it’s fun reading Jonathan Kellerman’s books again. Personally, I just couldn’t keep reading the Alex Delaware series, and although this is set in that world, it’s fresh and intriguing. I’ve found that to be true with all the books I’ve read that he’s co-authored with his son Jesse.
In this book, a Deputy Coroner Clay Edison gets involved with a shooting that turns out to be multiple cases interwoven in one fateful night. As Edison gets (over)involved, he unravels the threads and follows up to reveal answers that I didn’t see coming. I enjoyed the plot, these characters and look forward to more.
As someone who has not yet read the first book in the series, I will attest that this is definitely a good “stand-alone” book. Any references to the past book shed light on characters without making me feel like I was missing anything or that the entire first story was being re-told. I look forward to going back to read the first book.