The third book in the Alex Delaware series is called Over The Edge and was originally published in 1987. While I enjoyed the story overall, I had a hard time getting into this one. This was partly due to the setup of the book and the slow start to the narrative, and partly due to the fact that in this book Kellerman’s descriptive writing kind of got out of hand. Yet once the book got going and I was sucked into the mystery of figuring out what had happened to Jamey, It became another exciting Delaware adventure.To elaborate on the second of my problems, the descriptive writing, I found that it was a twofold issue. One the one hand, much of the scene setting felt overly descriptive; characters’ clothing is described in close-up detail as to make, colour, and fashionability, and the same can be said for home decor and cars. I found this distracting and it felt like it slowed the story down. On the other hand, there was far more psychological detail and theory in this book, with Kellerman/Delaware explaining a lot about the nature of schizophrenia, psychosis, and psychopathy. I loved this detail and learning more about the research on these pathologies and the link to psychedelic drugs, such as PCP and LSD. And while these are two sides of the coin of descriptive writing, the former annoyed me, while the latter did not. Yet I could also understand if someone was put off by the latter, seeing it as info-dumping.In connection to the large chunks of psychological theory described above, I do have to make special mention of one of my favourite scenes in the book. At one point, Alex and an associate go to the UCLA Medical Library to do further research and I freaking loved it. It was a fabulous view of what an academic library would have looked like almost thirty years ago. The research steps they took also felt very familiar, but it certainly made me realise how much more quickly these searches can be done today thanks to the continuing digitisation of both the search and cataloguing systems and the literature itself. To me, as an academic librarian, this section of the story sang, because it so clearly connects to my own experience.What made the set up of the book somewhat uncomfortable, was the fact that in the beginning Alex and Milo are on opposing teams, which is a first in the series and, if I remember correctly, the only time this happened. In fact, Milo is rather absent in the novel as he has withdrawn from Alex and their friendship before the start of the book. While he does turn up later in the novel, he isn’t as pervasively present as he was in the previous novels. One of the Delaware series’ strongest elements is the chemistry between Alex and Milo, which I missed, but I found the way Kellerman explored the tension in their friendship quite interesting and it made the resolution to the situation doubly satisfying.With Milo somewhat out of the picture, we get to see far more of two other police officers, Richard Cash and Cal Whitehead. They are the detectives in charge of the murder investigation and they are rather unpleasant specimens. Bigoted, sexist, and self-absorbed, they don’t exactly inspire confidence. In addition we meet some other fringe characters that will return in future books or, like Mal Worthy and Del Hardy, had a role in the previous books. I especially liked Lou Cestare, Alex’s fast-talking stock broker, who seems both as flash and far-less-flash than you’d expect from a successful 1980s broker. And of course, this book saw the return of Robin from Japan. We get a far clearer view of Alex and Robin together as a couple, which I enjoyed.Jamey is the central mystery of the novel. One of Alex’s former patients, he is also a link to Alex’s past and we get to see a far younger, still-practicing Alex in several flashbacks. I liked learning more about Alex’s past and seeing the kids of the Project 160 he worked and of which Jamey was one of the subjects. The mystery surrounding Jamey and the killings was an interesting one, complicated and ultimately surprising.Overall, I enjoyed Over the Edge, but it’s not one of my favourite Delaware novels; between the overly descriptive writing and the setup with Alex and Milo on different teams, it just didn’t work as well for me. Still, I had fun with the book and I look forward to starting the next one, Silent Partner soon.
Time for some lighter entertainment after Ionesco and Robinson. I just began last night. My first Kellerman read though I've got another one on the shelf. Both came from the rescue/recycle trailer at the town dump. Pretty good so far. A therapist/ sleuth tale and the third in the "Delaware" series I guess. The tour of the L.A. County Jail was impressively gruesome.Second day... Past the halfway mark now and the more "vital" secrets are gradually coming to light. The conventions and restrictions of the genre come into play. One wants to leap ahead and get more info. One assumes that what everyone in the story is assuming(boy guilty) is not going to be the case at the end. A wider-spreading sort of conspiracy seems to be emerging. All pretty typical I guess. I've read a few of these L.A. and California based stories: Wambaugh, Connelly, Boyle(not crime), Denis Johnson("Nobody Move") and I appreciate the cultural and geographic details. The plot is somewhay similar to R.B. Parker's "School Days": a troubled young male victim/suspect and a pile of bodies. Some "Chinatown" type of corrupt municipal water politics seems to be involved now too. Our sleuth Alex is resourceful, dogged and persistent. The author compares the roles of therapist and criminal investigator and finds plenty of common ground. Then there are the trappings of the ideal SoCal lifestyle: beautiful and creative girlfriend, fine wine and other booze, good food, nice clothes and spiffy cars. All described in unflagging detail by JK. Lots of odd-balls, low-lifes, rich people, powerful people, idiot cops and traffic. What's missing is the 95% of the population there leading "normal", boring lives. Oh well... It's tough for any of these books to get more than a 3 star rating because they're usually not about anything worth caring about and the writing is sort of functional and no better. There are exceptions of course. "Nobody Move" is enlivened by Johnson's writing gift. "The Nine Tailors" is a low-key epic and Willam Trevor's "Death in Summer" and "Felicia's Journey" are emotional powerhouses. "Red Harvest" is just plain crazy. In case you read this book and were wondering about who "the Bear" is(p. 269), that would be Bob "The Bear" Hite, the late lead singer of Canned Heat. Many people assume that the lead singer of that fine group was Al "Blind Owl" Wilson because he sang lead on "Going up the Country" and "On the Road Again", CH's two biggest hits, but The Bear was the lead singer most of the time. Personal favorites(mine) ... "Fried Hockey Boogie" and "Amphetamine Annie". Wilson, Hite and Henry "The Sunflower" Vestine, the lead guitarist, are all passed away now.Day three and finished. The wicked are caught and punished. The innocent are saved(or at least accounted for) and all is explained. A very winding and complicated plot with tons of detail about abberant psychology and drugs. My and Alex's suspicions from the git go were comfirmed. The finale is ridiculously over the top but I guess that's what the fans are paying for. JK's a decent writer but this is mostly high gloss pulp. Why didn't he call the book "The Glass Canyon"? Sounds better to me. There was an afterword by the author for this edition which was published 14 years after the 1st edition. He sounded a little too pleased with his talents as a writer. Dude... this is not serious fiction... 3 stars.
What do You think about Over The Edge (2004)?
Psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware received a phone call in the wee hours of the morning from a former patient, the call so unsettling Alex was unable to return to sleep; he drove to the hospital to check on this patient, Jamey Cadmus. Alex remembered Jamey for his intelligence and soon discovered Jamey was diagnosed as severe paranoid schizophrenia. Jamey was arrested for murder and believed to be the serial killer, the Lavender Slasher. Curiosity pushed Alex to investigate what happened in the past five years to alter Jamey to such an extreme degree. Extensive digging for information led Alex to surprising twists further encouraging his search for the truth triggering unforeseen dangers.“Over the Edge” was a complex story sure to answer most questions about psychotherapy. The depth of information covering schizophrenia, geniuses, investments and drugs was interesting however at times a little exhausting to read. It was easy to get distracted after a point from being over saturated. If your interest lies in this field, this book will be intriguing and very satisfying. Good development of characters, concise writing and a great ending for hope, patience and understanding for mental illness produced a wonderful mystery.
—Lynda
Continuing with the need to re-read one of my favorites, Jonathan Kellerman, Over The Edge is an earlier novel that reminds me again why I'm so hooked on Dr. Delaware and his sarcastic friend Milo. This time the mystery isn't easy to figure out, and the psychological injections are fascinating. Jamie is a former patient with a history between the good old doctor that's unusual for Alex, with life working out the kinks and allowing him to once and for all make up for the past.We still have Robin as the cuddly companion that's starting to fret too much. She's there to be pretty and do her thing, I suppose. Milo is as trashy-classy as always, paired up with two detectives who make interesting - if not appalling - reading. I would have liked more Milo than we got, and his reaction over his assignments seemed a bit too dramatic, BUT he was here and so it's all good. The two best friends didn't pair up as an official team on the case till toward the end, and even then the communications would kept relatively brief compared to later works, but it was still good times to be had.As for the 'villain' of this story, as is typical Kellerman many are involved. The end result is a surprising one, although not the 'drop the jaw to the floor' type. It would be a bit better if maybe Kellerman had introduced more suspects into the pot, but this worked out well too. As always, excellent characterization and smooth dialogue that propels the story forward into psychologically-turmoiled heaven.Mysteries and suspense novels rate up there on my harder-to-review list, especially with Kellerman's stuff. You have great writing, a good story I can't share details on, and addictive characters - that's all you need to know to pick this one up. So why four stars rather than five? Compared to other Kellermans, this doesn't blow me away as some of them did. Still, it will curb those lonely nights away.
—Erin (Paperback stash) *is juggle-reading*
Okay, I don't normally read crime novels. Crime novels give me the willies as the plots are true to life... and I may never leave home again!But, I picked up this psychological thriller years ago and I still vividly remember it. Alex Delaware receives a phone call from a former child patient who desperately needs his help. Alex doesn't hesitate due to his guilt for letting Jamey down. There are many questions that arise from the beginning. Why does a teenager, a genius one at that, contact Alex after all these years? Why choose Alex who was dropped from his case? And, when Alex arrives to help Jamey, he finds himself defending Jamey against accusations of atrocious crimes. Did Jamey really do it? Then comes the family...These characters truly burrowed deep into my head space. The story stayed with me and its effect is evident when I say I highly recommend it. That coming from a reluctant crime reader to boot!
—Hobbes
