Book #4 in the Clay Edison series written by father/son Kellerman. Each book has a center focus case that is investigated and solved but they also have some over arcing story lines. So while you can read each as a stand alone, you'd miss some very good mystery/thrillers by skipping the first three books.

Clay Edison is a deputy coroner for Alameda County. He has been called to the scene of a suspicious death only to find evidence that points to his brother's involvement in the death. This discovery will lead Clay to tamper with evidence as he desperately searches for his brother. It was very easy to give this book 5 stars and recommend it to my reading circle.

Jonathan Kellerman is famous for his excellent writing. Most fans would easily point to his Alex Delaware series as an example of his skills. With the popularity of the Clay Edison series, it is obvious he has passed his considerable talents along to his son.

Having read all of the books in the series, this one did not disappoint. While i don't seem to move as quickly through this series as I do through the Alex Delaware books, i found it to be an enjoyable read and look forward to the next one(s)

THE BURNING – by Jonathan & Jesse Kellerman

‘A raging wildfire. A massive blackout. A wealthy man shot to death in his palatial hilltop home.’

“We climbed a steep, peaceful residential neighborhood crammed with split-level wood-frame ranch homes built in the late fifties. Long before anybody could imagine that million-acre fires, killing winds, and weeklong blackouts would become a season unto themselves.’

Having lived in California my whole life, I am vastly familiar with the many wildfires throughout the state, specifically those in Northern Cal, the setting in THE BURNING, by Jonathan & Jesse Kellerman, Book Four, and the first novel I have read in the Clay Edison series.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel, though based on the intense setting, not the Thrill-ride I expected.

I had no difficulty reading THE BURNING as a stand-alone; however—san spoilers—I recommend diving into the previous book(s) in the series as this one alone will leave you wanting to know more.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine Books (Penguin Random House LLC.), for providing me with an eARC of THE BURNING at the request of an honest review.

Always a pleasure to read a book by the Kellermans. I haven’t read a single one that has been disappointing. Don’t hesitate to read them all.

The Burning by Jonathan Kellerman and his son Jesse Kellerman is the 4th in the Clay Edison series.


Series Background:  (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
Clay Edison is a Deputy Sheriff, working for the Alameda Coroner's  office in California. His job is to care for the victim's body, determine the manner of death, notify next of kin, and make sure the premises are secure.  But he often takes things a little further than his job description allows, and finds their murderer.  He majored in psychology, and has a bum knee that ruined his basketball career.   He and his wife Amy have a young daughter Charlotte.  His brother Luke, married to Andrea, is an ex-con who now works in a successful marijuana business.  Clay and Luke don't always see eye to eye.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
A wildfire is raging in California, and there is a massive blackout.  Amy has taken Charlotte further south, so that they can breathe cleaner air,  and have a somewhat normal life.  Amy is 14 weeks pregnant, and a little concerned with all the smoke and ash.

Clay is called out to the enormous home of Rory Vandervelde where the man had been found dead from three gunshot wounds.  While investigating the estate, he finds that one of the 30 vehicles in the "garage", belongs to his brother.  This case could get a little personal, and when he can't reach is brother for an explanation, he starts to worry.  No one seems to know where he is, but no one but Clay seems too concerned.


My Opinions:   
This was a good book, and I continue to like the relationship between Clay and Amy, although I'm really not a fan of Clay's disregard for the law and authority.    Still not a fan of Luke or Andrea.

The plot was well-developed, but there was too much back-story involving basketball, and too much about the past.  Although learning more about Luke's past was interesting, that story was a little long.   I started skimming.  I understand that Clay thought that Luke's past may have something to do with why Luke was missing, but it was just too much.  This seems to be a problem I have with all the books in t he series -- too much information that isn't relevant.  This moves the book along at a really slow pace.

I did find it interesting that a lot of the story looked at how Clay related to his brother, and how his suspicions, resentment and anger led to assumptions.  The family dynamics is interesting.

Overall, the  plot was very good, and the pace did pick up at the end.  The writing, of course was great.  They are all good books, but a little lacking for me.  I keep putting off reading them.  Part of me wants to be done with this series, and yet.....

Clay has always known Luke his brother is famous for wrong place, wrong time. Friends in low places, and holding the bag. Here brotherly love is put to the ultimate test. It is heart pounding and pulse racing. A real thriller of a read.

Awesome thriller and suspense story. It was very well written and I look forward to more of this work.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Father-son writing duo have done it again with the next installment in the Clay Edison series. The characters are well developed and the series is set up to continue for years to come. I really appreciate the main character, Clay Edison. His characteristics are appealing and I appreciate the way he pushes the envelope to do his job. The ending was amazing. You will be sucked into the storyline and it will be a satisfying ride as you race through the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is my second Clay Edison book. I read Half Moon Bay but not the first two in the series. Perhaps I would better understand Clay's motivation and his relationship with his brother if I had.

Clay goes to a crime scene. A wealthy man has been found dead and as Clay covers the scene he finds his brother's beloved green Camaro in the garage. Luke had been a screw up and served time in prison. He isn't close with Clay and Clay immediately believes the worst thinking his brother may be the murder. He tries investigating on his own while the power has been out for days due to wild fires and his wife and daughter are out of town. I kind of like Clay but in this outing some of the things he did baffled me. I'll continue reading the series and go back and read books 1 and 2 for more clarification.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for providing me with this book.

I really love the kellermans. Their books are exciting and imaginative. The suspense usually has me on the edge of my seat. This one did not. I thought it to be a slow moving story with not much going on.

this is #4 in the Clay Edison series and as with the others I love this latest installment. Long been a fan of Jonathan Kellerman and this father-son team for this series can't be beat! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I LOVED this Kellerman book! Clay Edison is one of my favorite literary characters and I'm so glad he is back for another novel!

Clay's life is busy. His wife is expecting, wildfires are raging, and now he's got a new case. When called to the neighborhood of the uber-rich, Edison discovers more than just a dead body. His brother's one-of-a-kind car is in the garage of the murdered man. Anxious, angry, and nervous, Clay begins looking for his brother but he's vanished.

No one in the family or at his brother's job knows where he is, and Clay has a conundrum- is his brother a victim here, or the suspect?

Racing against the clock to help solve the murder and find his brother, this novel will keep you on the edge of your seat as you accompany Clay on the journey of a lifetime- one that's life or death for his brother.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. I'm a huge fan of Jonathan Kellerman, and have read 3 of the Clay Edison series he's written with his son Jesse. I don't like this series nearly as much as Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels, but this was I think the best of the Edison series to date. The wildfires set a potent atmosphere for this thriller that kept me engaged until the end.

This is another installment of the Clay Edison, deputy coroner, stories for Jonathan Kellerman and his son, Jesse. At first, I was not a fan of Clay, but he is growing on me. The story starts with a unfortunately familiar situation for those who live in California - a raging wildfire and a massive blackout. But added to that is a wealthy man shot to death in his palatial hilltop home. The murder becomes personal to Clay when he discovers his brother's car in the man's garage. His brother, Luke. is fresh out of prison and struggling to stay on the straight and narrow and now he has gone missing. Clay works to solve the mystery of the man's murder and find his brother at the same time. I like Kellerman's books and this one does not disappoint.

Clay Edison is called to a scene where a wealthy man has been shot meanwhile the area has been hit by wildfires. There is also a huge blackout going on in the area making living hard on the locals. Clay is working the scene when he discovers his brothers car in the mans garage. Shocked by the discovery he doesn't know what he should do, his brother just recently got out of prison. When Clay goes to his brothers house to get answers he finds him missing. Calling him leads nowhere but Clay knows he has to figure out what is going on before anyone else discovers the connection. Will Clay find his brother and gets the answers he needs before anyone else does or will he find that his brother is truly guilty in the end?

I enjoyed the way the authors incorporated the events of the California fires into the story without being about the fires. It was an event that affected every part of life to those in the area, but life and work had to continue. The family dynamics was also interesting, showing how our perceptions influence how we see things.

For the Kellermans writing is the family business and everything they put out is professionally done. The Burning, the fourth book in the Clay Edison series, is no exception to that rule. Edison is a deputy coroner in Alameda County though sometimes he’s like a cat and let’s his curiosity get the best of him. Here, Edison skirts the line between personal and professional and, when he suspects his ex-con brother is somehow involved in a crime, kind of leaps over the line of ethical behavior. The thing is there is no explanation for his brother’s car being at the site of a homicide and his brother has disappeared and Edison nearly loses it trying to find his brother before all hell breaks loose. All this is set against the backdrop of the massive Northern California fires and the resulting power outages. The novel is well-written and compelling. It’s a quick easy but impactful read.

Clay becomes embroiled in a case that hits close to home. This one really gives Clay new depths as a character. The story is gripping and keeps you questioning. There is plenty of tension. This wasn't the best of the series but it definitely adds to it. The pacing was a bit slower but once it got going it sucked me in. I'm looking forward to more from this father son duo.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Things are not always what they seem. This author never disappoints - I love reading about my local hometown and I absolutely love murder mysteries which is what this book is! This will have you guessing until the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was very skeptical reading this book as I am a devoted fan of Jonathan Kellerman. However, Jonathan and his son’s writing is not only complimentary but creates a different voice – and it works. This is a page turning thriller that I couldn’t put down. Needless to say, I’m going back to read the first three Clay Edison books! Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy. I loved it