The initial portion of the book felt somewhat sluggish and occasionally perplexing, possibly due to an excess of dialogue that lacked sufficient contextual information. However, the latter half significantly improved, aligning more closely with the engaging style found in Kellerman’s police procedural novels that I have previously enjoyed. I am a fan of his Alex Delaware series. Overall, I rated this work 3.5 stars, which I rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine books for the ARC to read and review.

I can’t believe it’s the 40th Alex Delaware book! I’ve been reading them for probably the past 25 years and my excitement when a new one comes out never diminishes. This was another strong book that I flew through. I love the character interaction. While the mystery is always good, is the relationship between Alex and Milo that always brings me back!

The most beloved and enduring duo in American crime fiction is back. Psychologist Alex Delaware and Homicide Detective Milo Sturgis race against time to find a twisted killer!! Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few twists and turns. The story was interesting! I do recommend reading this book it wasn’t one of my all time favorite, it was confusing at times but still worth reading! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Nice story with Alex and Milo. It's refreshing that Deleware keeps his novels timely and readable after 40 years. Nice story with Alex and Milo. It's refreshing that Deleware keeps his novels timely and readable after 40 years.

Is there anything better than a new Jonathan Kellerman book?? I don’t think so! Open Season is his latest and it was fantastic!

This was a good entry in the Delaware/Sturgis series. Delaware’s knowledge of the human psyche allows him to pull some pretty impressive rabbits out of hats!

I love Alex and Milo. You always know it's going to end well for them and not the bad guys. This has a great ending Everything else is really very formulaic. Good summer read. It's like getting together with old friends!