I enjoy every Kellerman book through the years but this one I couldn’t get into. For me the writing was disjointed and it moved slowly
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

A collaboration between two very talented authors who also happen to be father and son.As I expected this s well written a storyline that kept me turning the pages.A book I read late into the night#netgalley#randomhouse

Four and a half stars raised to a five! Clay Edison is a Deputy Coroner with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. He and his wife have an infant child and he is working a night shift while she, a Psychologist, works days and they split caring for the baby. The story starts with bones being found at an excavation site in Berkeley. Clay is called out for the investigation. Readers only have to be somewhat aware of Berkeley’s history to know this will never be simple. In the course of Clay’s attempts to learn the identity of the baby whose remains were found he also learns of a long ago infant kidnapping from a man who believes himself to be the brother of the kidnapped child. Clay agrees to look into this also. The story goes into both cases and has a remarkable cast of characters who will grab the reader’s interest throughout. It is well plotted and well written. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for an ARC for an honest review.

There were a few things going on. Clay Edison is the coroner near Berkeley. During a demonstration at a building site the bones of a small child are discovered. It's determined that they have probably been there for 50 years and Clay needs to find the identity. In the meantime he gets a call from Peter Franchette who says he thinks the bones may belong to his sister. They aren't but Clay decides to investigate and see what happened to that child. Also throw in the fact that the University wants to build a dormitory on the site where the bones were found and it is being contested by local citizens. I found each of the investigations interesting but I had a hard time with all the characters. Between all the individuals involved in each case, the different detectives, police and college security my head was spinning trying to keep track. This is the third in the series but I didn't feel I needed to have read the previous two books to be up to speed.

I will probably read more in the series as I like Jonathan Kellerman's writing and found Clay to be very engaging. I'm interested to see if Charlotte continues to sleep through the night and his family finds a nice house.

This is a book that I devoured in about a day and a half. It is a stunning collaboration between father and son. My full review will follow on my blog.

I tried to read this book as years ago I had enjoyed the series by Jonathan Kellerman. But the beginning of this novel was so bizarrely written that I couldn't continue. Was the publisher hoping to sell this mish mash solely on Dad's name and reputation? I bet he didn't do hardly any writing for this and just lent his name.

Interesting story. I was excited to read it because I used to live in the East Bay CA. It made me homesick.
The book is Written from the deputy coroner’s viewpoint mostly taking place in Berkeley CA and surrounding area.
The bones of a very young child are discovered buried in the People’s Park in Berkeley and its his job to find out the who, and why. The unrest, that is typical of Berkeley, and the University students, is flared up, over the development of the People’s Park. In addition to his search for the child’s origin he is asked to help find a long lost sister who may or may not have even existed. His search for answers could lead danger to him and his wife and new baby.
Deputy Coroner Clay Edison is a well known legend in his successes. He is also a new father and takes both jobs seriously. I liked how much he dived into being a father and the sacrifices in sleep it takes, sharing equally with his wife. The story was a little slow paced for me but has plenty of plot and sub plot to keep you wondering. The characters in the story are likable or disliked as the nature of their characters develop. A realistic story that truly depicts the atmosphere of the area.
Thank you Johnathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman, NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read the ARC of Half Moon Bay. This is my honest opinion of this story. I like a book with more “on the edge of your seat” action but I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this book with its steady pace and interesting plots.

This book was classic Kellerman. I enjoy Clay Edison as a character and I both love and hate that he keeps putting himself into situations which push the edge of professionalism. He's determined and the reader knows that he's going to follow every thread until he gets his answer. This book was a big mystery and a side mystery and the plot was written well. Two mysteries means the reader never gets bored. I was far more intrigued by the "big" mystery of the missing sister than the original mystery of the baby bones and the characters that came along with that mystery. Lots of hidden secrets in this one and it was an interesting read.

I'm predisposed towards liking any book from the talented Kellerman family. This one is no exception. I liked the storyline and anyone who remembers Berkeley in the 1970's will be interested to see how this one plays out. The characters were interesting and though the story line was sometimes confusing in terms of how the characters were related, it was all tied together neatly by the end. And... really good ending!

This is a mystery that I chose because of the title, Half Moon BaY. However the location was minor in the course of the book which is character driven, not setting. There are so many characters, I had trouble keeping track. The protagonist, a likeable person, was at the center of the story, of course, and was trying to manage his career and take care of his child at the same time. The mystery of the kidnapping was convoluted and seemed to be drawn out forever. I wanted it to be solved long before it was...if one is a fan of this author,’enjoy the book. If not, might give it a pass.

Ifound it hard to get involved in Half Moon Bay by Jonathan and his son Jesse Kelerman. Perhaps I was e expecing a mor exciting adventure books since I had read some of hteir other novels. This one jsut seemed flat when comparing toit to. other Kellerman books. Usually their books are q;uite special!

The book was a collaborative effort, and in many cases it read as separate stories trying to find a common ground. Lots of good police procedural insights, but the storyline didn’t pull me through as I would have liked.

I loved this new collaboration between Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman, featuring a police investigator who is sleep deprived due to a new baby. The struggle of new patenting is so realistic, and the plot, trying to identify what happened to the child whose bones have been found, is gripping. The side stories are excellent as well. Truly enjoyable and a fast, engrossing read.

368 pages

5 stars

Clay Edison and his wife Amy now have an infant daughter named Charlotte. They are struggling with being exhausted all of the time.

Clay gets a call about a possible body at a construction site. It is a skeleton. It is a baby, an infant. At the same time, protestors are causing trouble at the work site.

Clay is contacted by a Peter Franchette who says the infant might be his sister. Well, he's not exactly sure...This sets Clay on the trail of the Franchette family and he learns much about Bev, Peter's mother and the volatile Gene her husband. Clay, of course, gets sucked into investigating not only the identity of the baby, but Peter's claims.

The book takes off in two different directions. The baby is a boy and Peter is looking for his sister. Clay pursues these two lines of inquiry. The baby's DNA comes back and a surprise is in store, not only for Clay, but also for the father of the child. Now, he needs to find a relative who might be willing to pay funeral costs for the baby.

Clay's investigation into Peter's story takes him to many places. He meets with many people before he is able to put together the clues. The answer surprised this reader. I was sure that the story would have turned out differently.

Meanwhile the protestors are getting more rowdy and causing damage to construction equipment and to the very park they are supposed to be “protecting.”

Clay, Amy and baby Charlotte have a brush with danger.

This is a very well written and plotted novel. I enjoyed it immensely. The two parallel investigations caught my interest quickly, although at times I became slightly confused. The book reads very quickly. I devoured it in one sitting. It made perfect logical sense, one event follows another apace. I liked Clay and Amy and Charlotte was a gem. It made me harken back to my son when he was that age. And I loved the altered “Stop” signs.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine/Ballantine Books for forwarding to me a copy of this most excellent book for me to read, enjoy and review.

This was not one of my favorites from the authors. The storyline was just okay. The story moved along rather slowly. And there was not much suspense. In addition, I did not find the different storylines smoothly flowing together. This is the only book by the authors which I have not given a five-star rating to.