Victims

Unraveling the madness
behind L.A.’s most baffling and brutal homicides is what sleuthing
psychologist Alex Delaware does best. And putting the good doctor
through his thrilling paces is what mystery fiction’s #1 bestselling
master of psychological suspense Jonathan Kellerman does with
incomparable brilliance. Kellerman’s universally acclaimed novels blend
the addictive rhythms of the classic police procedural with chilling
glimpses into the darkest depths of the human condition. For the
compelling proof, look no further than Victims—Kellerman at his razor-sharp, harrowing finest.
Not since Jack the Ripper terrorized the London slums has there been
such a gruesome crime scene. By all accounts, acid-tongued Vita Berlin
hadn’t a friend in the world, but whom did she cross so badly as to end
up arranged in such a grotesque tableau? One look at her
apartment–turned–charnel house prompts hard-bitten LAPD detective Milo
Sturgis to summon his go-to expert in hunting homicidal maniacs, Alex
Delaware. But despite his finely honed skills, even Alex is stymied when
more slayings occur in the same ghastly fashion . . . yet with no
apparent connection among the victims. And the only clue left behind—a
blank page bearing a question mark—seems to be both a menacing taunt and
a cry for help from a killer baffled by his own lethal urges.
Under pressure to end the bloody spree and prevent a citywide panic,
Milo redoubles his efforts to discover a link between the disparate
victims. Meanwhile, Alex navigates the secretive world of mental health
treatment, from the sleek office of a Beverly Hills therapist to a
shuttered mental institution where he once honed his craft—and where an
unholy alliance between the mad and the monstrous may have been sealed
in blood. As each jagged piece of the puzzle fits into place, an ever
more horrific portrait emerges of a sinister mind at its most
unimaginable—and an evil soul at its most unspeakable. “This one was different,” Alex observes at the start of the case. This one will haunt his waking life, and his darkest dreams, long after its end.