Alex Delaware receives a call from Detective Milo Sturgis regarding a dead female dropped off in front of a hospital.
Through interviews with the dead female's friends, a suspect is identified. When the suspect is murdered, the bullet
from his body turns out to be from a rifle that was used in another unsolved murder. As the investigation continues,
the rifle is identified as the murder weapon in other cases. Will Alex and Milo be able to piece the information
together to identify the murderer before he strikes again?
Love the interaction between the characters, Enjoyable addition to the series.
#OpenSeason #RandimHouse #Ballantine #NetGalley

Open Season is the 40th book in the Alex Delaware series from Jonathan Kellerman. Think about that - Forty books with one character! Kellerman still manages to write fresh stories for Alex and Milo.

"An aspiring actress is found dumped near an ER. She doesn't make it and a suspect quickly appears. He is found dead from a sniper shot. Soon other crimes are linked to the sniper. Alex and Milo suddenly find themselves searching for a vigilante and they will need all of their skills to find him."

This is a procedural. Alex and Milo keep hitting dead ends but eventually find a lead they can pry apart. Kellerman is a clinical psychologist so his stories always include a heavy dose of motive. The killer in this book has some deep-seated issues but Delaware is always going to prevail. There's some commentary on the Hollywood dream here.

All of these can be read as stand-alones. Always glad to read the new Alex Delaware book at the beginning of the year. Another good story from Kellerman.

I do love reading a new Alex Delaware novel, and the 40th outing is no different. After forty stories, one gets to know Alex and Milo and how they work together. This time a sniper is killing people that don’t seem to have any connection. They more Alex thinks about it the more he learns. This story does not see us in Alex’s profession as a psychologist, except for brief mentions of right notes and filing. Also, doesn’t delve into his personal relationship much with Robin. It’s all abluot these murders and how they can be solved. It’s not one of the best, but still the author keeps it refreshing and I will keep reading.

Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman is a very highly recommended procedural and the fortieth novel set in LA featuring Psychologist Alex Delaware joining Homicide Detective Milo Sturgis in an investigation.

The body of a young woman who was drugged and murdered is dumped near an emergency clinic. As soon as they seen to be narrowing in on a suspect, the man is found murdered, shot in the neck by a bullet with a full metal jacket from a .308 rifle. A sniper is suspected, but who and how does it tie to the murdered young woman. Soon, based on the weapon used, the case expands to previous incidents with similarities.

As expected, the writing is excellent, the pace is fast, and the journey to the finding the killer is compelling. Following the investigation to the different cases, directions, and questions that arise with the detectives is intriguing. All of this is naturally accompanied by Alex's keen insights that assist in discovering what is really going on with these cases. It is a pleasure to follow the disclosure of new information and where each new clue leads the team.

At this point, fans of the series know these characters well and what to expect from them. For anyone not following the series, this can be enjoyed as a standalone procedural. You won't have the history, but you will still be able to appreciate the twists the investigation takes on the way to a surprising final denouement.
Thanks to Random House/Ballantine Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Thank you NetGalley.

Another great installment. Starts off with a body and they keep accumulating. Are they connected? The victims don’t appear to have anything in common and are from all walks of life, both personally and professionally. As we know, somewhere along the line, we’ve met the killer but where and when? I was engaged throughout the book and was surprised at the end when the killer was revealed. As always, I look forward to the next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

This is the only book series I’ve remained 100% committed to over the years and auto buy each new installment! As always, author Jonathan Kellerman creates an entertaining and engaging murder mystery in this latest book in the series. I love that Alex and Milo are such consistent characters and I enjoy their relationship and banter. If you haven’t read any of the books in this series, I recommend you do so! I listened to the audiobook and have listened to so many of these now that when I read instead of listen, the character voices in my head are the same as in the audiobook 😝

Open Season is number 40 in the Alex Delaware novel series. I have read all of the others as well, and I was excited to read this one as well. All of these books are police procedural. Alex and Milo are back and this installment didn't disappoint. I love watching these characters over the years. I gave this book a 5 star rating.

Yet another exciting book from Jonathan Kellerman. I am always entranced by his stories with all their twists and turns. This one does not disappoint.

I’m really struggling to find anything positive to say about this novel. Maybe it’s because I couldn’t connect with the characters, or perhaps it’s the painfully slow pace of the story. Either way, it just didn’t work for me.

The characters had absolutely no personality—not a single one. I couldn’t bring myself to care about the victims, the crime, or anyone involved. The whole thing felt extremely monotone and, quite honestly, boring.

As someone who reads a lot of crime novels, I know not every story has a strong hook, but even so, I expect the plot to pick up at some point. This one never did. Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. If you’re looking for an engaging crime novel, I’d suggest skipping this one.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to Random House Publishing Group - Ballatine and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alex Delaware is back helping his detective pal, Milo Sturgis, with another puzzling case and can you believe this is his 40th go-round?! I hadn't realized this going in and I am happy to report the writing remains as fresh and engaging as ever, I genuinely had a hard time putting this one down once I started it. You need not have read the prior 39 novels to enjoy this one, it really does stand alone but if you have read them all, this one adds one more layer of depth to Alex and Milo's characters.

No spoilers here to ruin the riveting mystery for others beyond there are murders that need solving and much as the amateur detective in me wanted to figure things out before they were revealed, this excellent mystery kept me perplexed until Alex's ah-ha! moment. Per usual, Milo's detectives are featured and Petra from the Petra Connor books also makes a few appearances once the murders turn into a joint case between their departments.

As someone who has read all 40 books, I was pleased to find that the descriptions of driving from place to place were reasonable. I get driving in LA can be slow and complicated and in some past books these descriptions were a bit long-winded and excessive, but this one offered a good balance.

Disclosure: Received an uncorrected ARC of this book from NetGalley and Ballantine /Penguin Random House LLC (Thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

A great end to the 2024, diving into the most recent Alex Delaware novel. I have been reading this series for years and don’t think that I have missed any yet. This one follows the usual Kellerman formula for these books. This sounds negative, but in some ways, is actually comforting. I enjoy knowing that I will revisit the gang of characters that surround Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, hear about the supporting characters, and hear about the area around LA and its local food.
This installment began with the death of a young woman, appearing to be an overdose. Her friends did not believe that this was a possibility because she was not a substance user. As Milo and Alex investigated this death, Petra is notified of the death of a man who has a connection with the previous victim. The difference is that he was shot while on his balcony by a skilled marksman. What is the connection? Were these deaths related? Are there other murders that match the characteristics of these crimes? The usual investigating and consideration of the case follows a Delaware and Sturgis pattern. This is a fun and readable series, with fast moving stories that keep the reader turning the pages.
My only negative comment is that the last 20% seemed to wrap up too quickly and easily, with all the connections being too perfectly connected and answered. I enjoyed this but I found it less believable as a realistic detective story.
Endulge yourself and enjoy this latest installment of Alex Delaware and company.
#OpenSeason #NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine

This book is part of the ongoing Alex Delaware series. Although this was my first foray into the series, I found it quite enjoyable. The novel follows a traditional format with a solid story arc and well-developed characters. While the book was engaging and well-written, it didn't particularly stand out as exceptional to me, but it was a satisfactory introduction to Alex Delaware's world.

Jonathan Kellerman does it again! Another book with two of my favorite characters Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis.

A young woman is found dead. The main suspect is found murdered. Follow along as Alex and Milo work together to find the murderer.

This is book 40 in the series. If you haven’t started the series, now is the time to do so. You won’t regret it!

When a random shooting in Milo’s district matches one in Hollywood, old friend Petra asks to team up to solve the cases. Milo, Alex and Milo’s “D’s” who we’ve met before (Alicia, Sean, Moe) hit the ground running.

As always, I enjoy the interaction between Milo and Alex, the mutual friendship and respect they share. This helps them to put clues together faster. The books in this series are very well written, move along fast but also have more of an intellectual bend. The characters are complex, there’s no easy foreseeable path to the criminal. Highly recommend.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis are back with another whodunit.

We follow murder after murder as Milo and Alex thread the clues together to solve the case. I love how they have theory after theory that sound plausible until it's not. But they persist looking at all the evidence and clues until they arrive at the correct answer.

This book was not as gory as some previous ones have been but was still intriguing and engaging. This was a book I couldn't put down because I wanted to know how it ended.

I recommend this book for anyone looking for a good thriller. Prior books are not necessary, although I really think you should read them all.

I was given this ARC by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange of my honest and fair review. All opinions are my own.

My first book by Kellerman and I think I would have benefited from reading some previous books in the series to give more of the back story. Decent story but not sure if this author would s for me.

This was entertaining enough, but seemed to lack some of the magic of other books by the author. I enjoy the collaboration between Milo and Alex, but this plot just seemed to drag a little. Hopefully the next will be up to the regular amount of excitement!

This is the 40th book in the Alex Delaware series and I hope the series keeps on going! I think it can be read without reading other books in the series but it’s better having read the others as you understand more of the Milo/Alex friendship and work relationship. Milo Sturgis is a LAPD homicide detective and Alex Delaware is a child psychologist that works on cases with Milo to offer insights and always seems to do a lot of investigating on his own and gives Milo ideas and suggestions on people to look into and reasons for motives. This book starts with a body of a woman left near a small hospital. She was drugged and her dead body left there so it is now a homicide case for Milo . Milo bings Alex in to help offer insight and soon they have a suspect but he ends up dead and the bullet that killed him is linked to a murder from much earlier. It is interesting to see the process and procedures used to try and put the case together and ultimately figure out who is behind the killings. Alex and his brilliant mind always seems to come up with some information vital to solving the case. The relationship between Alex and Milo keeps the series rolling along - you can’t help but enjoy the interactions between them. A few parts of the book drag as the team searches and plods along looking for clues but overall it flows well and I enjoyed the book very much. I give the book 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on February 4, 2024.

As always, I loved the characters in this series - this is the 40th, which is hard to believe since I don't think I've missed a single one. On the other hand, the story was more than a little hard to follow and connect the dots.

The whole thing starts when a woman's body is dumped - a wannabe actress who's a caregiver at an elder facility. As is customary, Los Angeles PD lieutenant Milo Sturgis calls his friend, psychologist Alex Delaware, to take a look and share his usual insights. But just when they think they've identified the killer, they get another surprise: the dead body of that suspect. Complicating matters even more is the fact that he was killed sniper-style by a rifle that was used in a previous unsolved murder.

Not satisfied that they're not looking at a serial killer, Milo, Alex and their team start digging into cold cases to find similarities; it takes a while, but slowly, bits and pieces come together that yes, scream that it's a single killer - but anything that connects the murders remains elusive.

Also as is customary, Alex puts his mind on the psychological clues while Milo and the others dig into the facts and figures - and slowly but surely, a whole picture emerges that leads the team in the direction they need to go. All told, it's a familiar (and always welcome) pattern, and as always, I look forward to the 41st adventure. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.