Half Moon Bay by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman
For me this book had a lot going on and it took a while to get there. Good fleshed out characters but none that I really had an affinity for,it moved slow. I like these authors so I believe it was me and tge story just did not grab me. It wasn't a bad story just not for me. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this and leave my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book for review.

Deputy Cornoner Clay Edison is a busy man. He has a new baby who demands a lot of his time and he has been called out to a grave in the midst of a demonstration. While excavating to build a new building at the local college, the construction crew has discovered remains of an abandoned child, probably at least 50 years old. While investigating these remains, he gets a phone call from a local businessman who thinks the bones may be of his sister, who disappeared 50 years ago. Problem is, the original bones are those of an infant male, not a female. While trying to discover the origins of those bones, he agrees to help the businessman in his "spare time", of which there is little.

The book goes back to the "good old days" in Berkeley, when love was free, and so were the drugs. It takes a while, and it is not until nearly the end of the story that we find what Half Moon Bay has to do with it, but it is a satisfactory conclusion to both mysteries.

I recommend this father/son writing team's effort and will be looking for more from them.

Clay Edison begins an investigation into remains found in People’s Park, Berkeley Ca . The find begins an official investigation which leads to a very involved missing persons case. We get a look at Berkeley in the 60’s,70’s and 80’s. Young people with the brightest minds experimenting with drugs, subcontracted by the government to harness nuclear power. Growing unrest, civil disobedience now and then all play a role in this mystery. At the heart is the identity of the child’s remains and how those ties lead to today.

Having been a long time Kellerman fan, I was so excited and honored to get my hands on an early release of this book!

The third book in the Clay Edison series may be the best yet! Clay and Amy are your typical new parents. Exhausted, trying to figure out a new normal with an infant, doing the best they can to stumble through their jobs.

Clay's first call comes from the UC Berkley campus. While starting demolition on a local park to be used for student housing, a child's skeleton is found. Determining the bones are old, the second call comes from a local man who fears the bones are those of his little sister. Clay jumps on both cases- investigating on and off the clock.

Chock full of characters, and two interwoven storylines, Edison won't stop until both cases are resolved. Overall, this was yet another great read from the Kellermans. I can't wait to read book 4!

As a deputy coroner, Clay Edison has faced many suspicious deaths with the professionalism gained from experience. This case rattles him as it seems to hit a little too close to home. Clay and his wife are still trying to adjust to life with an infant when a call comes in of a body found in Berkley's Peoples Park, an infamous home base for the homeless. A construction crew has found the skeleton of an infant but it's immediately clear that someone loved the child. As Clay starts his inquiry into the child's death, he receives a very disturbing phone call. A man calls offering information that leads the inquiry into the questionable disappearance of a child 50 years prior. Clay's instincts lead him onto two distinct paths.
This series is definitely one that mystery/ thriller readers will love. The character is well defined, he's human, trying to handle work and a personal life when both are constantly changing. The back stories are interesting, it's obvious the Kellermans researched the local areas. Setting the characters into a community back drop and making them interesting and realistic is a skill few writers develop. 5 stars for this one, when is the next book due?

Years ago I came across Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series, and have been a fan ever since. In fact, I am a fan of the entire Kellerman family, or at least the three Kellerman authors. Wife Faye Kellerman has written 26 books featuring LAPD homicide detective Peter Decker, and son Jesse has written several by himself and several with his dad.

Half Moon Bay is the third in this series featuring Deputy Coroner Clay Edison. In this book Clay struggles with balancing family life (the exhaustion of a new daughter) and working the night shift. He is called to a local park where the decades old remains of a child are found by construction workers. When a local businessman believes that the body might belong to his long missing sister, Clay begins to investigate.

Unfortunately, there is more than one problem that Clay is dealing with while workers are razing the park (a haven for the homeless) so a building can be erected. Protesters become involved, introducing Clay to some not-so-friendly characters. He works on the clock and off the clock looking for answers, and sometimes these trails lead him to places he doesn’t want to be.

The Kellermans have a way of putting everyday people into some really tenuous situations, but these likable characters usually find their way out and “save the day.” The book was a fast read filled with interesting characters, relationships, and twists and turns. Half Moon Bay is the first of this series that I have read, but I will go back and catch up when time allows.

- Beverly

For me this book is a slow burn. There are 2 mysteries to this story to figure out. Clay is a strong, strong main character and as always Kellerman has a well plotted book. I enjoyed reading this and I enjoyed the 60's and 70's woven in. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I'm voluntarily providing an honest review

This is an interesting story with a very likable main character. Edison is good at his job and very conscientious. He's one to always be willing to go above and beyond to get answers. I especially enjoyed the personal aspect, though, of Edison's life with wife Amy and baby Charlotte.

The mystery in this book - or I should say mysteries - are a slow burn. The operative word being slow. If you're looking for a rootem tootem mystery/thriller, you better look elsewhere because this isn't it. What it is, though, is a solidly written story with mystery and detective work that is probably much closer to realism than in most books of the genre. It's a satisfying read!

Half Moon Bay, set in California, is the third book in the Deputy Coroner Clay Edison series.

Deputy Coroner Clay is a new father to fourteen-week-old Charlotte. He and his wife, psychologist Amy, are alternating shifts watching Charlotte sleep very little and cry quite a bit.

Since Clay works the night shift at work, he is called out when a child’s bones are found at a construction site. Finding the bones sets off a massive takeover of the People’s Park in Berkeley, where they were found.

In the meantime, Clay is helping a friend of a friend, Franchette, find out what happened to his infant sister, who went missing in the sixties. Since the buried bones are determined to be male, they are not his sister. But the case intrigues Clay so he investigates it anyway.

Nothing is stranger than family relationships. They are explored in this book by looking at three different family units, including Clay’s own. While I didn’t enjoy this entry as much as the others, Half Moon Bay is still a fascinating look into family dynamics. However, I did miss the usual quantity of the graphic gore of a Deputy Coroner’s job. This tale was largely a private investigator’s story. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars!

Thanks to Ballantine Books, Random House and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a big fam of the Kellermans. I've read every nonfiction book they've written.

Clay Edison is not my favorite, but the stories are enjoyable. His quick wit and morbid sense of humor helps get him through the tough cases.

In this case, a set of bones are found in a public park and Clay gets called in to help out. When it comes to crazy cases where no one wants to point the finger at a religious group, terrorist group, any race group, Clay Edison gets called in. Clay has a way with sniffing out the facts. He may only be a medical examiner deputy, but he's good.

Told in true Kellerman style, Half Moon Bay will take you up and down the coast of California and into the seedy areas you may not want to go. Buckle up, buttercup and enjoy the ride.

Deputy Coroner Clay Edison and his wife Amy are the proud but sleep-deprived parents of fourteen week old baby Charlotte. Amy has just gone back to work so Clay now works the graveyard shift so they can be with their bundle of joy around the clock with full-time parenting and also to help save money for a home of their own. One morning Clay is called to the scene at Berkley University park where the remains of an infant have been discovered under the park stage buried in a blue blanket that happens to be at at least fifty years old. Clay receives a call from a man who thinks the baby may have been his sister who he cannot give any information about other than a picture but he is willing to do anything to have Clay investigate the mysterious disappearance of this child that he cannot stop thinking about. Clay's interest is piqued and he now begins the long, arduous journey of trying to uncover the the identity of two infants from two different backgrounds where Clay will encounter hatred, racism, callous indifference, poverty, ignorance, bloodshed and unexpected danger being directed toward his own family as he tries to bring justice for the one particular child who was left unknown and forgotten to the rest of the world for over half of a century.

This was an enjoyable slow-burn story of a good man trying to find identities and bring justice for two infants who had seemed long forgotten but Clay knows the answers are somewhere if someone (Clay) would dedicate themselves to the process of not giving up on the search. The story was made very entertaining by the day to day struggles and enjoyment that new parents encounter and how one wrong turn can upset the whole day and how new parents worlds are controlled every day by this tiny person who has disrupted all schedules and any type of organization or well thought out planning and also the great joy and satisfaction that comes with loving a human being who is solely dependent on the parents for their total existence. The parallels between these stories can't help but touch a reader's heart. I also enjoyed how the story went back in time with some history of the era of the 60's and early 70's counterculture with free love, peace not war, drugs fighting the man (the system), racism, bigotry etc. which were key factors when these unknown children were born. I am a huge fan of Jonathan Kellerman books especially the Alex Delaware series so I was impressed with Clay Edison and will be looking forward to reading more in this series as well as other books written by both father and son.

I want to thank the publisher " Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine" for the opportunity to read this advanced copy and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

The publish date for this book is July 21, 2020

I would definitely recommend this book to other readers and especially anyone who enjoys Jonathan Kellerman novels or would like to take some steps back in time to the counter culture of the 60's and early 70's. I have given a rating of 4 Slow-Burning 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!

This was a well-written, entertaining book. The story had interesting characters and a combination of personal information and cases that created depth and suspense. The story moved quickly and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by these authors.

3.5 stars

This is the first book of the Clay Edison series that I've read, though I am a big fan of Kellerman's Alex Delaware series.

I enjoyed this book, but I must admit I put it down several times before finishing it. Seemed to bog down in places, but I'm glad I made my way through it. I'll have to check out one of the other books in the series to see if I like it any better.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Half Moon Bay is the third book featuring Clay Edison, and while I haven't read the first two, the authors do give sufficient background information. Plus, it doesn't hurt that Clay is a personable character. Despite that, I still struggled with this one. The case was interesting enough, but I felt like it got a bit lost. The writing was dry at times, kind of matter-of-fact, which didn't help, but then we had some lengthy descriptions of things that had nothing to do with the case. I can see the point in some of it. Clay is a new dad and has all the problems that go along with that as well as that new dad, proud as a peacock attitude, so some information about his adjustment gives us something we can connect with. Even if we don't have a baby, most of us have either been a new parent at some point or we know one, so it's easy enough to form a connection and to like Clay. However, I can't see how detailed descriptions of feedings, changings, tummy time, etc have anything to do with the case other than the bones are a child's and as a new parent, that gives Clay a basis for a connection. That doesn't change the fact that it felt like too much, at least to me, but it does create a catalyst for Clay to need to solve this case. In the end, I found this to be a story that had great potential but didn't quite live up to it. For me, it wasn't a bad story, but it wasn't a particularly good one either.

This was a good read but it was slow. It is definitely not an action packed thriller. There wind up being two investigations going on but they both seem to plod along. The characters are good and believable. The mysteries are good and fairly involved. All in all, a good book. I haven't read the earlier books in this series but will give them a whirl as I love the Alex Delaware books that Jonathan Kellerman writes.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

Half Moon Bay was an interesting mystery. Great characters and satisfying conclusion to the parallel investigations. Thank you NetGalley, publisher and authors for the advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Not memorable enough to review. Sorry. Too much emphasis on personal life of main character which distracted from plot and mystery..

Half Moon Bay is exactly the twisty, complex mystery that we expect from the writing team of Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman. The third in a series featuring coroner Clay Edison, it works perfectly as a standalone thriller and is definitely a 5 star read.

This is a story about babies. The first, swaddled in a blue blanket with a teddy bear, is found when demolition begins in San Francisco’s historic People’s Park. Formerly the site of anti-War demonstrations and counterculture in the 70s, it’s now filled with protestors who don’t want to see it turned into college dormitories. As a stage is torn down, the bones are discovered. Clay Edison is called to identify them, a job he finds somewhat difficult because he has a 4 month old daughter at home. That daughter, Charlotte, is still keeping him awake as he as his wife alternate babysitting duties to avoid the cost of day care. Shortly after he identifies the bones as those of a male child, he receives a call from a tech entrepreneur who tells him the bones may be those of his sister who disappeared fifty years ago before he was born. At least, he thinks she disappeared. He can’t prove that she was ever born.

Half Moon Bay describes he tediousness of police work as Clay and his assistant work to discover the identity of the infant in the blue blanket. It also shows how a private detective solves a case when Clay, out of curiosity, tries to find out what happened to the missing sister. There’s also the subplot of trying to work when sleep deprived by a new baby. That rings so true as do Clay’s attempts to find babysitters. Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman’s books are gifts to readers who enjoy books that are puzzles to be solved. This is one of the best. Enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman for this ARC.

*Thank you to Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for a free ARC of this novel*

I want to preface this review by saying that I have been reading Jonathan Kellerman for over a decade. Alex Delaware is one of my favorite literary characters of all time. It is not rational how excited I get over a new novel coming out.

Half Moon Bay is the third book in a new series by Jonathan Kellerman and his son, Jesse. The first two books were amazing and this one did not disappoint in the least. Clay Edison is the Deputy Coroner who is the star of all three mysteries. In this book, he is recently married with a brand new baby. In Berkeley's infamous Peoples Park, there is a set of infant bones found while excavating the park to create a new dormitory. Among protests, Clay is on a mission to find out what happened to this baby. He has also been contacted by another Man who is looking for his sister and thinks these bones might belong to her. The reader might think that ultimately these two cases might intertwine but they don't and the end is both satisfactory and unexpected.

I give this book 5 stars. Both Authors are amazing and I love this new series.

A well written and twisty mystery featuring a coroner- Clay Edison- who finds himself in the middle of two mysteries, one more dangerous than the other. A dig at Peoples Park in Berkley unearths the bones of a baby and Clay, new dad, very much wants to find its parents. DNA leads him to a white supremicist leader in prison - and then to his sons. But if he's the dad, who's the mom? That's a more winding road. At the same time, Clay's taken on a personal case from Peter Franchette, who wants to know what happened to the child he believes was his little sister. His father Gene was a physicist (and all around not nice guy) and his mother Bev his second wife- a woman whose brilliance was subsumed, Peter didn't know about Gene's first family but Clay finds them and with that, a trail to the missing, and initially unidentified child in Bev's arms in a photo Peter found. This second case is really twisty. The Kellermans did a nice job with the characters- Clay's terrific, his wife Amy has a nice way with word, and I was especially impressed with the widow of an FBI SA. One note- FBI SAs are much less likely to join AFIO than one of the several organizations specific to retired FBI but points to the Kellermans for highlighting AFIO as a networking tool. I'll admit that I wasn't a big fan of the first two books in this series but this was wonderful. It's tightly edited, the storytelling is clear, and it kept me guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Now I want to know what Clay will do with what has been designated for Charlotte. z