- Hardcover: 416 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday; Lrg edition (Nov 1990)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385415788
- ISBN-13: 978-0385415781
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.7 x 5.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Time Bomb: Alex Delaware 5
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Review
"A meticulously constructed thriller." --"Publishers Weekly"
"Virtually impossible to put aside until the final horrifying showdown." --"People"
"Though a time bomb is ticking away at the heart of this novel, readers will forget to watch the clock once they begin it." -- "Chicago Sun Times"
"Scythe -sharp...a great, good read."-- "New York Daily News" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"Virtually impossible to put aside until the final horrifying showdown." --"People"
"Though a time bomb is ticking away at the heart of this novel, readers will forget to watch the clock once they begin it." -- "Chicago Sun Times"
"Scythe -sharp...a great, good read."-- "New York Daily News" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Edgar Award winner Jonathan Kellerman once more explores the corruption of California's golden coast and produces a novel of complex characterizations and nonstop suspense. By the time psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware reached the school the damage was done: A sniper had opened fire on a crowded playground, but was gunned down before any children were hurt. While the TV news crews feasted on the scene an Alex began his therapy sessions with the traumatized children, he couldn't escape the image of a slight teenager clutching an oversized rifle. What was the identity behind the name and face: a would-be assassin, or just another victim beneath an indifferent California sky?
Intrigued by a request from the sniper's father to conduct a "psychological autopsy" of his child, Alex begins to uncover a strange pattern of innocence, neglect, and loss. Then suddenly it is more than a pattern -- it is a trail of blood. In the dead sniper's past was a dark and vicious plot. And in Alex Delaware's future is the stuff of grown-up nightmares: the face of real human evil.
Also available on BDD Audio Cassette.
From the Paperback edition.
Intrigued by a request from the sniper's father to conduct a "psychological autopsy" of his child, Alex begins to uncover a strange pattern of innocence, neglect, and loss. Then suddenly it is more than a pattern -- it is a trail of blood. In the dead sniper's past was a dark and vicious plot. And in Alex Delaware's future is the stuff of grown-up nightmares: the face of real human evil.
Also available on BDD Audio Cassette.
From the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"Time Bomb" is Jonathon Kellerman's fifth Alex Delaware novel wnd was first published in 1990. Delaware is a psychologist based in LA who earns his living as a consultant - largely working with the courts and the police.
Alex is contacted at the book's beginning by Milo Sturgis, his trusty pet detective from the LAPD. There's been a shooting at the Nathan Hale Elementary School, in Ocean Heights - thankfully none of the children have been hurt. However, Milo feels that it would be a good idea for Alex to come down and help the kids work through the aftermath. The school had been in the news relatively recently : suffering from a siginificant drop in pupil numbers, it had started admitting inner city kids. This has caused a problem for for certain people, as the majority of these kids are Latino - broken windows, racist graffiti on the school walls...even pickets at the school gates. This `problem' has brought two local politicians to the school - State Assemblyman Samuel Massengil and City Councilman Gordon Latch - who had opposing views on the presence of the kids. It's believed that Massengil - who was far from happy about the kids attending the school - may have been the target.
The would-be assassin, a young woman called Holly Lynn Burden, was killed by one of Latch's men. The police can only guess as to who she intended to hurt, though the most ovious target would have been Massengil. This leap has also been made by LAPD's anti-terrorist department, which means that Milo's time on the case is going to be very limited). However, Alex is subsequently given an alternative line of inquiry when he is approached by Holly's father - who is convinced she wouldn't have been capable of acting in this manner. When he accepts, Alex discovers there's more to the race angle than he may have thought...
The book started out from an interesting - and not an entirely implausible - angle, and was pretty enjoyable for quite a while. I've only read two others by Kellerman, and thought - maye, just maybe - I'd found one of his books that didn't rely on a certain amount of daftness. (Well, as further I got into the book, I realised that wasn't going to happen). The writing is pretty lame at times, too : Kellerman tends to get overdescriptive and labours on what a room looks like, or what somebody is wearing. (In the case of Dr. Linda Overstreet, the school's principal, Alex tends to focus on her long white legs). There's even a fair number of typos and spelling mistakes in the book - well, at least in this edition I have. (Given that the edition I have was printed in 2002 - 12 years after the book was first published - I'd doubt that I'm alone). It's therefore a little funny that Alex criticises a book written by another character - Terry Crevolin - for being `typos and grammatical errors'. Easily enough read, but no classic.
Alex is contacted at the book's beginning by Milo Sturgis, his trusty pet detective from the LAPD. There's been a shooting at the Nathan Hale Elementary School, in Ocean Heights - thankfully none of the children have been hurt. However, Milo feels that it would be a good idea for Alex to come down and help the kids work through the aftermath. The school had been in the news relatively recently : suffering from a siginificant drop in pupil numbers, it had started admitting inner city kids. This has caused a problem for for certain people, as the majority of these kids are Latino - broken windows, racist graffiti on the school walls...even pickets at the school gates. This `problem' has brought two local politicians to the school - State Assemblyman Samuel Massengil and City Councilman Gordon Latch - who had opposing views on the presence of the kids. It's believed that Massengil - who was far from happy about the kids attending the school - may have been the target.
The would-be assassin, a young woman called Holly Lynn Burden, was killed by one of Latch's men. The police can only guess as to who she intended to hurt, though the most ovious target would have been Massengil. This leap has also been made by LAPD's anti-terrorist department, which means that Milo's time on the case is going to be very limited). However, Alex is subsequently given an alternative line of inquiry when he is approached by Holly's father - who is convinced she wouldn't have been capable of acting in this manner. When he accepts, Alex discovers there's more to the race angle than he may have thought...
The book started out from an interesting - and not an entirely implausible - angle, and was pretty enjoyable for quite a while. I've only read two others by Kellerman, and thought - maye, just maybe - I'd found one of his books that didn't rely on a certain amount of daftness. (Well, as further I got into the book, I realised that wasn't going to happen). The writing is pretty lame at times, too : Kellerman tends to get overdescriptive and labours on what a room looks like, or what somebody is wearing. (In the case of Dr. Linda Overstreet, the school's principal, Alex tends to focus on her long white legs). There's even a fair number of typos and spelling mistakes in the book - well, at least in this edition I have. (Given that the edition I have was printed in 2002 - 12 years after the book was first published - I'd doubt that I'm alone). It's therefore a little funny that Alex criticises a book written by another character - Terry Crevolin - for being `typos and grammatical errors'. Easily enough read, but no classic.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Starts off well and ends reasonably well but in the middle are 300 pages of tedium. Sorry but this book is overly long and did not hold my interest. I struggled to finish it but did so on a matter of principle and so that I could review it
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is my first foray into the works of Jonathan Kellerman and let me make it clear I will read more of his output in future.
The Alex delaware chararacter and his Decective cop buddy, Milo Sturgis, make an intersting team.
Dr. Alex Delaware is a psychologist/sleuth and JK writes very well about a subject he knows extremely well.
The action is set in California where a sniper is shot before committing an act of carnage at a local school.
The history of the school is laced with many issues and is seen by some quarters as a place of little hope.
In this process of developing this story Alex Delaware is recruited by the Sniper's father to help unravel the reasons for what happened and exonerate his "child" in this potential nightmare killng spree.
It continues at a fast pace and the journey takes into the murky side of Politicians a number of clearly dysfunctional individuals and the Nazi Party!
There is romance thrown, in but not in a schmaltzy way.
The final denouement is worth the wait but it misses the full 5 star treatment for a couple of reasons.
JK drags out this book at times beyond what an author might feel is his/her artistic rights.
Although I enjoyed it there was a degree of inplausabilty in some aspects sof the plot which were a bit of a stretch for me.
However there was enough there to encouarge me to go out and buy a couple more of his Delaware books which I look forward to reading with eager anticipation.
The Alex delaware chararacter and his Decective cop buddy, Milo Sturgis, make an intersting team.
Dr. Alex Delaware is a psychologist/sleuth and JK writes very well about a subject he knows extremely well.
The action is set in California where a sniper is shot before committing an act of carnage at a local school.
The history of the school is laced with many issues and is seen by some quarters as a place of little hope.
In this process of developing this story Alex Delaware is recruited by the Sniper's father to help unravel the reasons for what happened and exonerate his "child" in this potential nightmare killng spree.
It continues at a fast pace and the journey takes into the murky side of Politicians a number of clearly dysfunctional individuals and the Nazi Party!
There is romance thrown, in but not in a schmaltzy way.
The final denouement is worth the wait but it misses the full 5 star treatment for a couple of reasons.
JK drags out this book at times beyond what an author might feel is his/her artistic rights.
Although I enjoyed it there was a degree of inplausabilty in some aspects sof the plot which were a bit of a stretch for me.
However there was enough there to encouarge me to go out and buy a couple more of his Delaware books which I look forward to reading with eager anticipation.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Jonathan Kellerman - Time Bomb
It's a warm Autumn day in a Los Angeles school yard when suddenly the day is shattered by a snipers gunfire. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2010 by molko
Very well written with excell good psychological insights.
My first Kellerman novel and the one that lead me to love this author and also psychological english crime books (as a non-native speaker). Read more
Published on 26 Sep 2001
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