True Detectives: A Novel

Jonathan Kellerman

Mar 2009 · Sold by Ballantine Books

About this ebook

In Jonathan Kellerman’s gripping novels, the city of Los Angeles is as much a living, breathing character as the heroes and villains who roam its labyrinthine streets. Sunny on the surface but shadowy beneath, this world of privilege and pleasure has a dark core and a dangerous edge. In True Detectives, Kellerman skillfully brings his renowned gifts for breathless suspense and sharp psychological insight to a tale that resonates on every level and satisfies at every turn.

Bound by blood but divided by troubles as old as Cain and Abel, Moses Reed and Aaron Fox were first introduced in Kellerman’s bestselling Bones. They are sons of the same strong-willed mother, and their respective fathers were cops, partners, and friends. Their turbulent family history has set them at odds, despite their shared calling. Moses—part Boy Scout, part bulldog, man of few words—is a no-frills LAPD detective. Aaron, sharp dresser and smooth operator, is an ex-cop turned high-end private eye. Usually they go their separate ways. But the disappearance of Caitlin Frostig isn’t usual. For Moses, it’s an ice-cold mystery he just can’t outrun, even with the help of psychologist Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis. For Aaron, it’s a billable-hours bonanza from his most lucrative client. Like it or not, Moses and Aaron are in this one together–and the rivalry that rules them won’t let either man quit till the case is cracked.

A straight-arrow, straight-A student from Malibu, Caitlin has only two men in her life: her sullen single father and her wholesome college sweetheart, who even the battling brothers agree seems too downright upright to be true. Reluctantly tag-teaming in a desperate search for fresh leads, Moses and Aaron zero in on Caitlin’s white knight as their primary “person of interest,” hoping that, like most people in L.A., he has a secret side.

But they uncover more than just a secret as they descend into the sinister, seamy side of the City of Angels after dark, populated by a Hollywood Babylon cast of the glamorous and the damned: a millionaire movie director turned hatemongering eccentric; a desperate Beverly Hills housewife looking for an exit from the fast lane; a heartthrob actor being eaten alive by personal demons; a hooker who’s probably seen it all . . . and might just know too much. And at the center, a dead young woman whose downward spiral and brutal end loom over Moses and Aaron like an omen of what may come to be if the dark end of the street claims another lost soul.

Ratings and reviews

I probably shouldn't write this review, but as a lad raised in Los Angeles, I couldn't resist the title - and in this regard, I disregarded my first rule on buying books; read the first 75-pages. In this I was remiss, and subsequently the book proved to be lacking too. The dialogue, police work, and unbeliveable sibling rivalries were beyond the pale. In short; the novel appeared to be shallow, bland, and an under-researched work, instead relying on the author's name for sales. It appears the author published, for publishing sake's only.

I'm on disc1 of 10, I don't know if I'll go any further I'll try disc2. Did you ever have an audio book or book in print that just plainly does not grip you? I don't know what turned me off the most. Without knowing that this was a spin off of Kellerman's favorite crime fighting duo Alex & Milo. Or that you have no current time stamp as a reference point. Parliament Cigarettes & Jimmy Carter comments lead you to believe your deep in the late 70's. Ok I have to admit it but both the book & the reader tanked on this one.. Jonathan go back to Alex & Milo!! Either get another reader to help Rubenstein out with female voices & other older men voices. I know he's been the narrator for almost all your Alex Delaware books but PLEASE ~ DO SOMETHING WITH HIM. Besides Alex all the characters are starting to sound like Milo's nasally relatives.

Loved every word. As usual Mr Kellerman delivered.

About the author

Jonathan Kellerman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than three dozen bestselling crime novels, including the Alex Delaware series, The Butcher’s Theater, Billy Straight, The Conspiracy Club, Twisted, and True Detectives. With his wife, bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman, he co-authored Double Homicide and Capital Crimes. With his son, bestselling novelist Jesse Kellerman, he co-authored the first book of a new series, The Golem of Hollywood. He is also the author of two children’s books and numerous nonfiction works, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children and With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards and has been nominated for a Shamus Award. Jonathan and Faye Kellerman live in California, New Mexico, and New York.