Deception

February 8, 2010
Deputy Chief Weinberg assigns LAPD Lt. Milo Sturgis a particularly sensitive murder case at the outset of bestseller Kellerman’s smooth if routine 25th Alex Delaware novel (after Evidence
). Elise Freeman, a teacher and tutor at exclusive Windsor Preparatory Academy in Brentwood, is found dead in her Studio City apartment in a bathtub full of dry ice. Despite Elise’s having left a DVD accusing three fellow teachers at the academy of repeated sexual harassment, Weinberg wants (for personal reasons) the investigation to involve the school as little as possible. As usual, psychologist Alex Delaware takes an active role in the investigation, which finds the victim had lots to hide. A boyfriend, students, teachers, and administrators are all anxious to keep those secrets hidden—and at least one of them is willing to kill again. Milo and Alex form an odd but effective duo as they trade banter and insights while sorting out the lies and deceptions.

February 15, 2010
When Milo Sturgis, the LAPD homicide detective, catches a particularly tricky case, he naturally turns for help to his good friend and frequent partner, psychologist Alex Delaware. At first it looks like a straightforward suicide: a woman records a message on a DVD and then kills herself. But the facts are all wrong. The DVD isnt a suicide message; its an accusation against some of her colleagues at an elite prep school. In addition, the victims home computer is missing, and she died by being submerged in dry ice, a particularly slow and painful means of death, hardly a common suicide method. Milo and Alex think its murder, and theres no shortage of potential suspectsthe victims colleagues, her boyfriend, and othersbut, as usual, getting to the heart of the matter requires plenty of investigation and a certain amount of danger. The Delaware novels follow a pretty straightforward formula, but thats OK: Delaware and Sturgis are engaging characters with whom fans enjoy spending time, as will devotees of Stephen J. Cannell (for the L.A. setting and the procedural aspects), Ridley Pearson (for the cop-psychologist team), and Mark Schorr (for the psychologist as amateur sleuth).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)