Once again preparing for a nice, long road trip, I headed for the library to pick out the day’s entertainment –- a new auidiobook. This time, I thought I’d give Jonathan Kellerman a shot. A good psychological thriller. I always love those…
Monster is yet another in Kellerman’s endless number of novels about Dr. Alex Delaware, a psychologist who somehow finds himself in the middle of crime investigations time and time again. In this case, he tags along with his detective friend, Milo, who’s trying to solve the brutal murder of Dr. Claire Argent, a psychologist at the Starkweather Hospital for the Criminally Insane. As the two dig deeper –- and as more bodies turn up -– they find that one of Dr. Argent’s patients, a mass-killer named Ardis Peake, somehow seems to be predicting the murders.
Take Monster for what it is –- something to keep you awake while you spend a few hours on the road -– and you’ll be fine. Just don’t over-think the details. For instance, if Dr. Delaware is a real psychologist with real patients, how is it possible that he can drop everything whenever Milo comes up with a new lead?
Kellerman also spends a lot of time describing things for no apparent reason -– like the exact appearance of a room or the victim’s sex life with her ex-husband. Considering this is the abridged version, that’s a lot of extra detail.
The story gets off to a pretty slow start, which could make it hard to get into it when things finally start picking up. Fortunately, though, they do pick up.
There may be a few things about Monster that will leave you feeling uneasy if you put too much thought into it. So just don’t put a lot of thought into it, and you may just enjoy it.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
0
0
