Half Moon Bay is the third book in the series written by both Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman. The main character is Clay Edison, a dogged deputy coroner. Clay and his wife Amy have just had a beautiful baby girl who doesn’t really follow any sleep schedule, so they are both dragging without enough sleep. Clay works nights and stays home with the baby during the day, while his wife does the opposite.

Clay is a person who just can’t let something go. He has to nudge it and ask more questions and really find all the answers. He is first called to a scene where a baby is found buried in a park where protests happened all the time. The baby died years ago and he is determined to figure it out. Meanwhile he is approached by a man also looking for a baby - his baby sister who disappeared years ago.

Clay Edison’s novels are not a type of thriller where a lot is happening and people are ducking for cover. These novels are more of a slow uncovering of facts and asking lots of questions until a door opens. I love the pace and the investigatory elements. To me, Clay’s investigations are interesting as he teases out facts from simple sources and seems to find a way to weave them together. Half Moon Bay by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman is a good read.

Half Moon Bay is a slow moving story describing the work being done by an assistant coroner who is attempting to discover the past surrounding a small corpse found at the excavation of a construction site. The authors slowly describe the various steps taken by the assistant coroner in pursuing this investigation. I found no intrigue or excitement in the story as it unfolded. Instead I found long detailed descriptions of the surrounding areas in which the assistant coroner traveled without any relevant connection to the story.

Being a fan of the Kellerman’s, it’s hard to say that this book was a slow burn, a very slow burn. One that needed a bit more kindling to light the flame. Clay Edison is a great, fleshed out character and the interaction with his family is quite endearing. The history of Berkeley was informative, but rather dull. There were high hopes when it was discovered that there were two separate mysteries, but alas, the story plodded in many places. The mysteries did tie up well, but the overall book was a bit underwhelming.

A multi-million dollar construction project is called to a halt when bones are found on the site. Deputy Clay Edison from the Alameda County coroner’s office is called in to help evaluate the bones. Peter Franchette contacts Clay to say he thought the bones could belong to his sister. The investigation regarding the bones goes a different direction, but Clay continues to try to help Peter determine what happened to his sister decades before. The cold cases heat up and soon Clay is in fear for his and his family’s safety which makes him all the more determined to get resolution for Peter.

“Half Moon Bay” is the third book in this series and the second I’ve read, but that isn’t necessary to enjoy this book. Clay is an easy character to like. He is dedicated to his job and loves his wife and infant daughter. I quickly became fully engrossed in Clay’s search for Peter’s sister. During his investigation, the reader gets immersed in the Berkeley area both current and in the past and meets several interesting characters. Even characters who make brief appearances are well-rounded and that realism really transforms the book. On the downside, with two different storylines going on in the book, all of the side characters can start getting confusing. Having to figure out who’s who detracted from my enjoyment of the story. For the most part, I liked how things turned out. The Kellerman father/son writing team has another success in this book and I look forward to the next one in this well-written series.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Ballantine Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Another great read by this father and son. Clay is a great character. He is interesting, determined, and has a dry wit that is charming.
At the heart of this one are cases that are complex. They are emotional and full of twists. The outcomes are satisfying as well as tearjerkers. Well done.

Clay Edison is a likable character, trying to balance work and home life with an infant. He is a coroner /police officer who doesn't do autopsies. Who knew this was possible? He is called to a park undergoing construction where infant bones are discovered. He tries to find out the identity of the child when another call takes him in a different direction.

Too confusing and too many characters in the second half. This collaboration with his son is just okay.

HALF MOON BAY by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman is the third book in the Clay Edison mystery series. I am a fan of the Alex Delaware series and I expected this to be just as good. Deputy Coroner Clay Edison is working the graveyard shift and has a new baby that doesn’t sleep. He gets the call when workers demolishing a stage in a park find a child’s skeleton. Who is it? How old is it? A local businessman thinks it could be his sister who went missing fifty years ago.

The story line was interesting and had great potential. I thought Clay was a compelling character that I could root for. He had clear goals as well as flaws and virtues and his motivations seemed believable. However, the story seemed to plod along during the middle part of the book. It was not always as engaging as I wanted it to be. The ending had a couple of plot twists that seemed believable, but unexpected. Themes include parenting, racism, kidnapping, protests, arson, and much more.

Overall, this was a slow-burner with two parallel investigations. However, with such an engaging main character, I plan to read more of the series.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books, Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

This is the third book in the Clay Edison series written by father and son team Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman. I have not read either of the earlier volumes in the series. Clay Edison is a coroner with a newborn who won't sleep. He is working two cases, one officially and one on the side, both over 30 years old.

I found the two cases running together, with the writing unclear and confusing. I don't know if the problem stems from two authors or if there is another problem, but I could not get into the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing an ARC.

Interesting book, with twists. Not familiar with these authors, but enjoyed it. Would recommend this book and the authors. Good way to pass the time.

I love Jonathan Kellerman and this time he and his son had me from page 1. This is a great read! Put it on your list.

Well-written, well-paced and holds interest!

Half Moon Bay is a well written suspense. A great plot that is a real page turn and kept me on the edge of my seat. Fans of suspense will not be disappointed. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

I enjoyed this interesting and well threaded mystery. Clay is an interesting male lead, and I appreciate the real life feel of the experience of a new dad. Many times in novels, babies are invisible, but not here and I thought that was well done. The mystery itself was great and took a realistic timeline to solve.

I am a huge fan of the Kellerman duo and their most recent does not disappoint. Plenty of great dialogue, a great storyline and a twist at the end you don’t see coming!

Lots of twists in this one.
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I love that the authors chose to create a main character with a unique point of view as a coroner. The fact that he does some side work as a matter of intrigue makes him even more interesting and the stories more appealing.

Set in the Bay Area of California, this murder mystery takes wild twist with its setting in the infamous Peoples Park in Berkeley. The authors add so much detail and unique twists that it is almost like peeling an onion.

Layers upon layers of evidence must be opened and examined, leads traced, and tense situations defused. Clay’s calming presence does help but his persistence to follow every avenue is what finally gets the case solved.

With plenty of twists to this remarkable story you will find yourself wondering how it will all come together in the end. I did find myself lost in the family names a bit as Clay scrapes away at the evidence. But hang in there. The windup and the ending is so real, it could be right from the headlines today!

I love anything written by the Kellerman family and am really liking the Clay Edison series. With that being said, feel like with two different investigations going on,, both involving babies, for me it got confusing. I loved the descriptions of the area in the book, it was so easy to picture and feel like I was there. The overall descriptiveness was great, too. A good solid read.

As a longtime fan of J. Kellerman's books, I have enjoyed his segue into this new character authored with his son Jesse Kellerman even more. I didn't think this was the strongest so far, but it was readable. The story of Burbank's history appeared well researched and definitely added to the plot.

When the main character is a coroner, you can count on gore. Thankfully the Kellermans didn’t overdo it. They added twists and turns that carried me along and made me want to continue reading to find out what happened next.
Lots of linked characters and stories and each one interesting. I’d read more about these characters

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I was very excited to receive this book as I have read all of the authors previous novels.
This book introduces a new character who works for the coroner's office. He s juggling work and sharing childcare at the same time. He is tasked to determine the identity of a child's bones discovered in a park by a construction crew.
Unlike the author's previous books, I did not find the plot so engaging that I would not put it down. It took me a while to finish. It took me longer to finish than it would normally take me.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me this ARC in return for an honest review. Half Moon Bay attracted my attention solely because my friends used to live there. I generally don’t read police procedurals but I had read a Kellerman story in the past. Deputy Coroner Clay Edison becomes involved in a Berkeley (heavily picketed) construction site because a long buried child’s skeleton was unearthed. In his investigation to find the identity and family of this child, he follows two leads, both of which are interesting stories. I might try to find another book in this series now that I know some of the characters. It will be published on July 21, 2020

I have read several books by the Kellermans, and really enjoyed them. This story is about remains of a child being found and the search for the parents. At the same time, a new building is planned for the site and so they need to solve the case quickly. This book seemed to be written by 2 people who had their own ideas and then tried to merge it into one story. For me it was disjointed with too many characters and it just did not hold my focus. Shame really as I have enjoyed many of their previous books.