‘The Murderer's Daughter’ by Jonathan Kellerman

Published by Headline,
18 August 2015,
ISBN: 978-1-4722-06572

Grace Blades is a very well respected doctor of psychology but she leads a double life. After her daily sessions with patients she likes to head off to bars or hotel lounges to pick up men just for the sex and strictly one night stands.

One day into her therapy room comes a man she recently picked up. As they had both given false names each is as shocked as the other when he walks in.

As the story unfolds Grace's traumatic childhood is revealed, when she was five and a half years old, she witnessed her parents' murder and suicide. Thereafter she was placed with several different foster parents.

Grace comes to realise that the patient she recently had sex with has connections to her past and when he is murdered she sets about trying to find out why. This leads to her being followed and very nearly murdered herself.

All her life she has had to live by her wits and this stands her in good stead to survive the many attempts on her life.  The action builds nicely and ends on a very satisfactory note.

I am a great fan of Jonathan Kellerman, he can always be relied upon to write an absorbing psychological thriller and The Murderer's Daughter is no exception. From beginning to end I wondered how Grace would come through each traumatic episode in her life and for her to make it as a doctor of psychology shows determination and character.

I found myself silently cheering her on and when the book reached such a satisfying ending I actually cried out a triumphant “YES”!

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Reviewer: Tricia Chappell

Jonathan Kellermann was born in New York City in 1949 and grew up in Los Angeles. He helped work his way through UCLA as an editorial cartoonist, columnist, editor and freelance musician. As a senior, at the age of 22, he won a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for fiction.Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.In 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan’s former students, continues to break ground. In 1985, Jonathan’s first novel, When the Bough Breaks, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman and they have four children.

Tricia Chappell. I have a great love of books and reading, especially crime and thrillers. I play the occasional game of golf  (when I am not reading). My great love is cruising especially to far flung places, when there are long days at sea for plenty more reading! I am really enjoying reviewing books and have found lots of great new authors.