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Alex Delaware #2
Blood Test
It is a case unlike any psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware has ever encountered. Five-year-old Woody Swope is ill, but the real problem is his parents. They refuse to agree to the one treatment that could save this boy's life.
Alex sets out to convince Mr. and Mrs. Swope--only to find that the parents have left the hospital and taken their son with them. Worse, the sleazy motel room where the Swopes were staying is empty--except for the ominous bloodstain. The Swopes and their son have vanished into the sordid shadows of the city.
Now Alex and his friend, homocide detective Milo Sturgis, have no choice but to push the law to the breaking point. They've entered an amoral underworld where drugs, dreams, and sex are all for sale...where fantasies are fulfilled at any price--even at the cost of a young boy's life.
Alex sets out to convince Mr. and Mrs. Swope--only to find that the parents have left the hospital and taken their son with them. Worse, the sleazy motel room where the Swopes were staying is empty--except for the ominous bloodstain. The Swopes and their son have vanished into the sordid shadows of the city.
Now Alex and his friend, homocide detective Milo Sturgis, have no choice but to push the law to the breaking point. They've entered an amoral underworld where drugs, dreams, and sex are all for sale...where fantasies are fulfilled at any price--even at the cost of a young boy's life.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 25, 1986
1,300 people are currently reading
3,638 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Kellerman
269Ìýbooks5,622ÌýfollowersJonathan Kellerman 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.
Jonathan's first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.
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. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.
Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist and they have four children.
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.
Jonathan's first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.
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. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.
Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist and they have four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 535 reviews
March 26, 2019
The author has one thing going for him...he sure knows how to write. I've never, in my capacity as a reader, come across a writer who can bring forth so much imagery so swiftly and so disconcertingly.
The bare bones of the plot are too febrile for the type of venture that Jonathan Kellerman wants. The book is like Rudyard Kipling's Quiquern. It's a book about storytelling, not about a story.
The treatment is out of the top drawer. Sometimes the author keeps on writing a scene in its details, sometimes he knows how not to tell but show, and sometimes he knows when to imply only. I still want to read this series. I sense better things to come.
The bare bones of the plot are too febrile for the type of venture that Jonathan Kellerman wants. The book is like Rudyard Kipling's Quiquern. It's a book about storytelling, not about a story.
The treatment is out of the top drawer. Sometimes the author keeps on writing a scene in its details, sometimes he knows how not to tell but show, and sometimes he knows when to imply only. I still want to read this series. I sense better things to come.
October 23, 2021
Blood Test delivers more of the same as the first book in the series which is a beach read as shallow as the sand on the beach. I thought the first one was pretty average but I give an author a couple of books before I decide on whether he is worth persisting with. However this will probably be my last Kellerman book. A child suffering from cancer is abducted from the hospital and Delaware is his last hope. The chief suspects are his parents who might be colluding with a cult to provide him futile alternative treatment options instead of chemo. Delaware will uncover a bigger conspiracy but everything here is from Thriller 101.
The first thing that bugged me about the setup was that Delaware is given no motivation to save the child except purely altruistic ones. He has never been affiliated with the cops so he has no technical know-how. He only met the child once before the kidnapping so no emotional connection. Altruism is not a sufficient reason in my book for any sane man to break a dozen laws, almost get killed a few times looking for a child he believes is probably dead.
Kellerman himself is a psychologist and so is Delaware. So both from in story and meta perspective, the protagonist should have asked himself whether he essentially suffers from a god complex. But Kellerman will probably kill himself before he lets on Delaware has any negative traits. It is the biggest problem with the book. Delaware is noble to a point where it gets grating while the villains are heinous with sexual urges so depraved that they are essentially caricatures. The revelations about the cult specially made them comic though Kellerman was probably going for sinister.
This disparity in what the writer wanted me to feel and what I felt continued with his protagonist. It is mentioned quite a few times by other characters that Delaware was a successful shrink because he is an empathic listener. But the readers keep seeing that Delaware might be listening keenly but he pretty much passes smug judgment about every other person he comes across. If Kellerman had acknowledged that Delaware has a degree of disdain for some of his patients, it probably would have made the character more realistic and psychologically richer. But Kellerman never even drops a slight hint that might be the case.
The writing itself is professional and crisp with descriptions being a problem area. They are overburdened with insipid details. Every now and then he uses a ten dollar/technical word that doesn't fit in with the rest of the word choices (like adenoidal instead of nasal) but it is not much of a problem. The usual thriller cliches also pop up. Delaware solves the mystery because of a lucky coincidence - seeing a car driving without headlights on a dark road. At one point the villain also has a gun trained on him and he uses his expert psychological insight to get out of jeopardy. The insight being calling him an idiot and making him angry. Basically years of learning to be a headshrinker = schoolyard insult tactics. No wonder they are called quacks.
If you are new to the genre or young then maybe you will find something to like here. But Kellerman pretty much makes the assumption more discerning readers won't touch his work with a ten feet pole and is very content staying within the boundaries of mediocrity. And as I grow older and the time I can devote to books gets more and more scarce, I am afraid mediocrity just doesn't cut it for me anymore. A run of the mill cliched thriller best left forgotten. Rating - 2/5.
The first thing that bugged me about the setup was that Delaware is given no motivation to save the child except purely altruistic ones. He has never been affiliated with the cops so he has no technical know-how. He only met the child once before the kidnapping so no emotional connection. Altruism is not a sufficient reason in my book for any sane man to break a dozen laws, almost get killed a few times looking for a child he believes is probably dead.
Kellerman himself is a psychologist and so is Delaware. So both from in story and meta perspective, the protagonist should have asked himself whether he essentially suffers from a god complex. But Kellerman will probably kill himself before he lets on Delaware has any negative traits. It is the biggest problem with the book. Delaware is noble to a point where it gets grating while the villains are heinous with sexual urges so depraved that they are essentially caricatures. The revelations about the cult specially made them comic though Kellerman was probably going for sinister.
This disparity in what the writer wanted me to feel and what I felt continued with his protagonist. It is mentioned quite a few times by other characters that Delaware was a successful shrink because he is an empathic listener. But the readers keep seeing that Delaware might be listening keenly but he pretty much passes smug judgment about every other person he comes across. If Kellerman had acknowledged that Delaware has a degree of disdain for some of his patients, it probably would have made the character more realistic and psychologically richer. But Kellerman never even drops a slight hint that might be the case.
The writing itself is professional and crisp with descriptions being a problem area. They are overburdened with insipid details. Every now and then he uses a ten dollar/technical word that doesn't fit in with the rest of the word choices (like adenoidal instead of nasal) but it is not much of a problem. The usual thriller cliches also pop up. Delaware solves the mystery because of a lucky coincidence - seeing a car driving without headlights on a dark road. At one point the villain also has a gun trained on him and he uses his expert psychological insight to get out of jeopardy. The insight being calling him an idiot and making him angry. Basically years of learning to be a headshrinker = schoolyard insult tactics. No wonder they are called quacks.
If you are new to the genre or young then maybe you will find something to like here. But Kellerman pretty much makes the assumption more discerning readers won't touch his work with a ten feet pole and is very content staying within the boundaries of mediocrity. And as I grow older and the time I can devote to books gets more and more scarce, I am afraid mediocrity just doesn't cut it for me anymore. A run of the mill cliched thriller best left forgotten. Rating - 2/5.
December 17, 2021
3 Stars. It's all about a sick little boy, Woody Swope. And broken families. Dr. Alex Delaware, child psychologist with a forensic specialty, gets a call from former associate, Dr. Raoul Melendez-Lynch. Not one he recalls fondly. "I need a favor." The sweet five-year-old has Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma which is usually curable even in the mid-1980s. He's a patient at Western Pediatric and confined to an infection isolation unit, plastic gowns and all. Necessary but so inhumane. The favour? His parents and sister don't believe in modern science and chemotherapy and want to remove him. Do you sense a present day ring? Can Alex speak to them? The Swopes, including Woody's teenage sister Nona who seems to be permanently sullen, are rural people from the area just north of the Mexican border. They have fallen in with a strange holistic cult, the Touchers, who appear to be counseling against treatment. It's not long before the boy is surreptitiously removed from the hospital, and Alex has to call-in his detective friend Milo Sturgis. The book was written just before the arrival of DNA testing, so the meaning of the title is left vague for some time. Yours to discern. (December 2021)
March 30, 2014
The second book of Alex Delaware series definitely DID NOT appeal to me like the first book. Maybe because the first half of the book, it only talked about a kid who suffered cancer and ended up missing with the rest of the family (possibly brought back to this cult who called themselves The Touch) and a minor case about a messed up father who lost custody.
Well, it was boring :(
I guess, when I pick up a mystery / thriller book, I always need a dead body, a case to solve. The dead bodies (as mentioned in the blurb) didn't really show until the second half part, and for me it was a tad too long for me to end up caring.
ALTHOUGH, after Alex became determined to find what was going wrong with the cult and to find out whether the kid was still alive, all dark secrets that were so, SO FUCKED UP came into the surface. It was horrible, horrible stuffs. So the second half balanced out the first half, I still thought this was okay. I really liked Alex. He had compassion and good sense of justice. Plus, even if Alex wasn't a detective, he knew how to defend himself.
By the way, Milo wasn't around much and I missed that guy.
I still want to read the rest of the series though (yes, I know, 27 more). But I'll take it easy ...
PS: You know a book was written in the 1980s because Robin sent a LETTER to Alex to inform that she would be leaving Japan. Today, one just sends text messages, or email, or even leave a status on their social media account
Well, it was boring :(
I guess, when I pick up a mystery / thriller book, I always need a dead body, a case to solve. The dead bodies (as mentioned in the blurb) didn't really show until the second half part, and for me it was a tad too long for me to end up caring.
ALTHOUGH, after Alex became determined to find what was going wrong with the cult and to find out whether the kid was still alive, all dark secrets that were so, SO FUCKED UP came into the surface. It was horrible, horrible stuffs. So the second half balanced out the first half, I still thought this was okay. I really liked Alex. He had compassion and good sense of justice. Plus, even if Alex wasn't a detective, he knew how to defend himself.
By the way, Milo wasn't around much and I missed that guy.
I still want to read the rest of the series though (yes, I know, 27 more). But I'll take it easy ...
PS: You know a book was written in the 1980s because Robin sent a LETTER to Alex to inform that she would be leaving Japan. Today, one just sends text messages, or email, or even leave a status on their social media account
April 20, 2020
Alex Delaware #2 Forensic psychologist and police detective Alex Delaware & investigative partner Milo Sturgis, in the second book in this series, become involved with the family of a five year old boy undergoing intense treatment for cancer, that includes living in a bubble� but his family have a lot of secrets that impact on him and the town that they were originally from. An interesting crime thriller from one of the bestsellers in the genre. 6 out of 12.
July 12, 2020
Blood Test by Jonathan Kellerman is the 2nd book in the Alex Delaware Mystery series. Child psychologist, Dr. Alex Delaware becomes involved in the hunt for a child who is critically ill with cancer when he is abducted from the hospital by his parents, who are then found killed and the child missing. An interesting book, although it seemed to drag a little, especially at the start. Not as good as the first book and a bit dated but still enjoyable.
February 5, 2015
2nd novel in the Alex Delaware series. Dr. Delaware, psychologist and his friend, detective Milo Sturgis, investigate the disappearance from a hospital of a very ill 5-year old boy, who urgently needs treatment. While the story as such is potentially interesting, hardly anything happens in the first part. The continuous lengthy and irrelevant discussions with an overkill of details, are very annoying... E.g."he was wearing a belt with an oversized buckle in the shape of an Indian Chief" or "his feet were large and his toes were long". Every little detail is fully described. The author should have left something to the imagination of the reader. The pages of descriptions of plants are utterly boring.
Although the brain doctor expresses a genuine interest in the well being of the little boy, and the writer proves he has a solid medical background, the fact htat Alex is playing detective, does not care too much about ethics and becomes violent by attacking his opponents, is negatively impacting the credibility of the story.
Although the brain doctor expresses a genuine interest in the well being of the little boy, and the writer proves he has a solid medical background, the fact htat Alex is playing detective, does not care too much about ethics and becomes violent by attacking his opponents, is negatively impacting the credibility of the story.
September 8, 2014
This is the second book in the Alex Delaware series. A protagonist, hero who drives a Cadillac Seville is not my type even if a talks a good psychological game. Alex� choice of cars takes him down a notch in my view. Makes him a bit ostentatious as far as I am concerned. But that is likely a relatively meaningless quibble in the big picture. In my first two encounters with Alex I liked reading his psychological observations. But this book may have gone beyond the pale as far as I am concerned.
This is my third Delaware book, my second in a row since it is the second half of an Omnibus edition that I scored online. After this one I plan to skip forward quite a few years to the twenty-third book in the series to see how Alex has matured. Jonathan Kellerman has clearly been a successful author with this series although some longtime readers observe that this series has not aged as well as it might have while still getting good reviews. But Kellerman deserves some credit for getting to the twenty-ninth book in the series in 2014. I am not necessarily dedicated to reading them all but I do have a half dozen or so of the midrange series on my shelf from a binge Delaware used book buying episode some time ago.
From the start of Blood Test with a fistfight with newly divorced father, it looks like we will be focusing on manic/depressive. That’s what it was called back in the eighties before it got so popular with the moniker “bipolar,� the wildly popular replacement for what used to be the psychiatric rage: schizophrenia.
Alex is still formally retired from being a psychologist but doing consultant work to keep life interesting. He has enough money at the ripe old age of thirty-four that he really doesn’t have to work for money, just enough to keep his pet author in stories to fill an annual book contract. I am reminded, and remember from the first book, that Alex knows just enough about karate to defend himself against the psychotics who plague the life of our average murder/mystery crime fighter.
There is evidence that this story is rooted firmly in the 1980s, as it is. One reminder of the time frame is the presence of Laetrile, an alternative cancer cure made from apricot pits most commonly obtained in Mexico. The absence of computers and cell phones is another indicator that we are in another era. These symptoms of the era do not noticeably distract from the enjoyment of the early stages of the story any more than the Seville. I would say that the raunch level is ultimately too high for my comfort level � too much junk in the final quarter of the book.
Author Kellerman interestingly explains how he makes his psychotherapist morph into a detective:
This story fails on the “who’s-most-fucked-up?� criteria. There is really no character so redeeming that s/he counterbalances the more than several who are well beyond the pale. It is hard to imagine the hero salvaging anything good from many of the characters in this book. Most of the bad guys in this Kellerman nightmare are dead at the end � and we are happy for that. So, although this book kept me turning the pages, I cannot give it more than three stars. I wanted more humanity and less depravity.
This is my third Delaware book, my second in a row since it is the second half of an Omnibus edition that I scored online. After this one I plan to skip forward quite a few years to the twenty-third book in the series to see how Alex has matured. Jonathan Kellerman has clearly been a successful author with this series although some longtime readers observe that this series has not aged as well as it might have while still getting good reviews. But Kellerman deserves some credit for getting to the twenty-ninth book in the series in 2014. I am not necessarily dedicated to reading them all but I do have a half dozen or so of the midrange series on my shelf from a binge Delaware used book buying episode some time ago.
From the start of Blood Test with a fistfight with newly divorced father, it looks like we will be focusing on manic/depressive. That’s what it was called back in the eighties before it got so popular with the moniker “bipolar,� the wildly popular replacement for what used to be the psychiatric rage: schizophrenia.
Alex is still formally retired from being a psychologist but doing consultant work to keep life interesting. He has enough money at the ripe old age of thirty-four that he really doesn’t have to work for money, just enough to keep his pet author in stories to fill an annual book contract. I am reminded, and remember from the first book, that Alex knows just enough about karate to defend himself against the psychotics who plague the life of our average murder/mystery crime fighter.
There is evidence that this story is rooted firmly in the 1980s, as it is. One reminder of the time frame is the presence of Laetrile, an alternative cancer cure made from apricot pits most commonly obtained in Mexico. The absence of computers and cell phones is another indicator that we are in another era. These symptoms of the era do not noticeably distract from the enjoyment of the early stages of the story any more than the Seville. I would say that the raunch level is ultimately too high for my comfort level � too much junk in the final quarter of the book.
Author Kellerman interestingly explains how he makes his psychotherapist morph into a detective:
I’d been trained in the art of psychotherapy, the excavation of the past as a means of untangling the present and rendering it liveable. It’s detective work of sorts, crouching stealthily in the blind alleys of the unconscious. And it begins with the taking of a careful and detailed history.
Four people had perished unnaturally. If their deaths seemed a jumble of unrelated horrors, I knew it was because such a history was missing. Because insufficient respect had been paid to the past.
That had to be remedied. It was more than an academic exercise. There were lives at stake.
This story fails on the “who’s-most-fucked-up?� criteria. There is really no character so redeeming that s/he counterbalances the more than several who are well beyond the pale. It is hard to imagine the hero salvaging anything good from many of the characters in this book. Most of the bad guys in this Kellerman nightmare are dead at the end � and we are happy for that. So, although this book kept me turning the pages, I cannot give it more than three stars. I wanted more humanity and less depravity.
April 2, 2018
I have decided to start this series from the beginning, because I have the majority of the books on my TBR so I picked this one up recently. I enjoyed Blood Test, it was quite character driven, and it raised a lot of questions in terms of morals and so on. Tough to read at times, it was engaging and interesting. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
December 9, 2017
There was a great deal of irrelevant information which for me had the effect of overshadowing the real storyline and making the novel somewhat confusing
March 29, 2010
My least favorite Kellerman book to date (I've read a whopping 4 now). Although he merge two unsuspecting story lines together masterfully, the story was riff with incest, sexual exploits of a cult. I did not like the PORNO mixed in with my Murder Death Kill storyline. I SKIPPED many many pages in this novel and surprised I actually finished it. The ending was "too perfect" as everything got tied up in a nice shiney bow. BLAH
I do NOT recommend this book to anyone ... especially NOT for one sexually abused.
I do NOT recommend this book to anyone ... especially NOT for one sexually abused.
June 3, 2018
AUDIO WITH EBOOK
Picky readers probably rate this lower
published over thirty years ago the author of what California was like in the mid-eighties when the state wasn't politically lopsided and the economy wasn't in the red.
Good story with insightful look at medicine, psychology, and crime. a term to understand before you read: "misattributed paternity"
The only thing that is a minus for me is how Delaware and his mate talk to each other.
Picky readers probably rate this lower
published over thirty years ago the author of what California was like in the mid-eighties when the state wasn't politically lopsided and the economy wasn't in the red.
Good story with insightful look at medicine, psychology, and crime. a term to understand before you read: "misattributed paternity"
The only thing that is a minus for me is how Delaware and his mate talk to each other.
December 15, 2018
In this second Alex Delaware series book, Dr. Alex Delaware is asked to consult on a case where a family wants to terminate treatment of their child for cancer. While this is under discussion, the child disappears from the hospital, under mysterious circumstances, and the parents are later found murdered.
A great fast-paced read from beginning to end. Lots of twists and turns and drama around every one of them. I'm loving every word of these books. What else would one expect from Jonathan Kellerman, the master story teller?
May 22, 2018
Love Alex Delaware and the situations he gets involved in....this one had twists and turns galore...great read !!
December 10, 2013
When psychologist Dr Alex Delaware was asked to meet Woody Swope and his family, he had no idea where this meeting would lead him. Woody was five years old and had cancer. His doctor at the cancer clinic was an old friend of Alex’s and valued his expertise; the family were not convinced treatment was helping Woody and they were threatening to remove him from the hospital.
Playing checkers with Woody had Alex realizing he was a sweet, innocent child, one who had a good chance of surviving with the treatment they had down for him. But meeting his sister Nona, a beautiful red head who seemed sullen but volatile made him wonder about the parents; he organised to meet them for a family discussion, hoping he could make a difference. On arrival at the hospital the next morning, Alex discovered Woody had been spirited away in the night; the whole family had just vanished.
With Detective Milo Sturgis, Alex began the investigation into Woody’s disappearance. Time was NOT on their side � Woody would die without medical intervention. But the following days were filled with intrigue, drama, danger and horror! Would Alex and Milo find Woody and his family before it was too late?
This psychological thriller was brilliant! A totally gripping tale with a fantastic plot which kept me on the edge of my seat! I thoroughly enjoy Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series and have no hesitation in recommending this one highly.
Playing checkers with Woody had Alex realizing he was a sweet, innocent child, one who had a good chance of surviving with the treatment they had down for him. But meeting his sister Nona, a beautiful red head who seemed sullen but volatile made him wonder about the parents; he organised to meet them for a family discussion, hoping he could make a difference. On arrival at the hospital the next morning, Alex discovered Woody had been spirited away in the night; the whole family had just vanished.
With Detective Milo Sturgis, Alex began the investigation into Woody’s disappearance. Time was NOT on their side � Woody would die without medical intervention. But the following days were filled with intrigue, drama, danger and horror! Would Alex and Milo find Woody and his family before it was too late?
This psychological thriller was brilliant! A totally gripping tale with a fantastic plot which kept me on the edge of my seat! I thoroughly enjoy Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series and have no hesitation in recommending this one highly.
February 27, 2021
I picked these up due to the prolific book count and the popularity of Jonathan Kellerman, but now that I've finished the first two I'm not sure this series is for me. It can get pretty depressing.
Dr. Alex Delaware gets a call from an old friend, the head of Oncology from the local medical center. The parents of a pediatric cancer patient object to the poisons being pumped into their young son, and want to take him home. Will he try convincing them that without medical treatment, the child won't survive? Alex agrees, but the boy vanishes anyway and the family is nowhere to be found. From here the story kind of sillyly springboards into religious cults, sex workers and people with very bad intentions everywhere.
Believe it or not, I thought this was a notch better than When the Bough Breaks, but only insofar as the writing didn't annoy me as much. These first books are still pretty dated, as evidenced by uncomfortably rampant culture bashing, but I was better prepared for it this time. I'm not sure if later books ever lighten up on the horrible stuff the kid characters go through - I don't see how they could, since the series is centered around a child psychologist - and so this series isn't for everyone, but I'm willing to check out a couple more and see how it goes.
Dr. Alex Delaware gets a call from an old friend, the head of Oncology from the local medical center. The parents of a pediatric cancer patient object to the poisons being pumped into their young son, and want to take him home. Will he try convincing them that without medical treatment, the child won't survive? Alex agrees, but the boy vanishes anyway and the family is nowhere to be found. From here the story kind of sillyly springboards into religious cults, sex workers and people with very bad intentions everywhere.
Believe it or not, I thought this was a notch better than When the Bough Breaks, but only insofar as the writing didn't annoy me as much. These first books are still pretty dated, as evidenced by uncomfortably rampant culture bashing, but I was better prepared for it this time. I'm not sure if later books ever lighten up on the horrible stuff the kid characters go through - I don't see how they could, since the series is centered around a child psychologist - and so this series isn't for everyone, but I'm willing to check out a couple more and see how it goes.
February 8, 2021
This is the second book in the Alex Delaware series, I read lots of the books in this series many years ago and I'm now making my way through them all to cover what I missed and include all the recent ones I didnt get to. I really enjoyed it, the story was interesting and although I found some parts slightly predictable I did really enjoy it. Excited to start book 3.
Read
July 28, 2017An excellent series, the beginning of a long standing saga with Alex and Milo working to solve detective crimes with a psychological bend.
May 27, 2020
4...I am really enjoying these novels...Maybe because it has to do more with psychology, on the child side...which I am new to...BUT I am devouring these books...so well done! Quick read, for sure!
February 23, 2022
Good book with very good characters, dated references but, overall enjoyable.
November 1, 2024
Well done installment though the ending was disturbing.
June 25, 2018
Second in the Alex Delaware thriller series based in Los Angeles and revolving around a child psychologist and Milo Sturgis, a detective friend.
My Take
This is a much smoother story � with the perspective from Alex's first person protagonist point-of-view. And by smoother, I mean that Alex's life has so few bumps. Sure, someone is trying to kill him�mmm, I do sound jaded, don't I? The story's primary focus is on the Blood Test-specific characters while feeding us dribs and drabs on other core characters including side bits about Alex's life as it is now and bits of his back story.
It's a horrendous scenario that Kellerman twists in the last half, taking us from one perspective on faith-based healing by fearful people to a condemning truth that will make you sick.
Melendez-Lynch makes a useful observation about Alex being both scientist and humanist, a judgment based on Alex's work in an early study on how to prevent psychological damage to children in isolation chambers, which led to the start of Alex's "fame". I am curious as to how closely Alex's "life" and character mirrors Kellerman's?
There's a theme in here all right: nutjobs 'r us. Between Raoul, Valacroix, Moody, Noble, Houten, and Swope…oh, boy. That Raoul needs to step back and take a, well, lots of deep breaths.
Robin doesn't appear much in here, as she has a new, lucrative angle looming. Milo is not moaning about his improved standard of living, but he is comparing his lot with women who make less than their significant others. As for Ezra Maimon, I adored him. His manner and intellect sent me into a swoon…sigh� I sure hope he'll appear again, as he was a bright spot.
Lord, that description of Swope's botanic monstrosities sounds like plants that the Addams family would love. Yuck! Roses covered in moist fur with a rancid smell�?? Garland's thoughts on his abominations were that they were "evidence of the Creator's essential hatefulness". Sure puts the lie to Noble's statement, lol. An odd bit of foreshadowing that I missed. As for Garland's "cultivation" of Annona zingiber…jesus christ� It does lead to the truth behind Nona's "trip" that summer.
The Story
Woody has a chance. His cancer is curable, if his parents consent to his treatment. Until they kidnap the boy and run, leaving behind their nympho daughter.
When his parents are found dead, the only leads are the boy's older sister and a holistic-meditative cult called The Touch based in an old monastery in a small town near the Mexican border.
It's a search that will unearth deep, dark secrets of men run mad, an angry cult leader, and those attempts to assassinate Alex.
The Characters
Dr Alexander Delaware (PhD) is a child psychologist who burnt out ( When the Bough Breaks , 1) and plays guitar. He still takes the occasional case � if it interests him. Or that Milo can talk him into. Robin Castagna is his girlfriend who crafts exquisite guitars.
LA PD
Homicide Detective Milo Sturgis is Alex's burly gay detective friend. Detective Delano Hardy is Milo's occasional work partner and a guitarist who gigs after hours with an R&B group; Dr Rick Silverman (he works ER at Cedars) is Milo's significant other. Officer Brian Fierro takes Beverly home. Officer Fordebrand has the worst breath ever.
Agent Siegel is with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. Agent Severin Fleming is Siegel's boss.
Western Pediatric Medical Center is�
…in Hollywood where Alex used to work. Dr Raoul Melendez-Lynch, a Cuban oncologist, has been married four times � he's a workaholic. The Laminar Airflow Unit is a four-module suite of rooms in Oncology with a plastic bubble for the patient to maintain germ-free isolation. Dr Helen Holroyd is the post-doc with whom Raoul is collaborating on a study. I think Boorstin is the head of the psychology department and quite possibly has a death phobia. Dr August "Augie" Valcroix is the clinical Fellow interested in alternative medicines whose ethics are very questionable. Ellen Beckwith is a nurse in Oncology. Beverly Lucas is a social worker.
The Adam and Eve Messenger Service is�
…a thinly disguised hooker service that delivers party gags, drugs, and any extras someone might want. The owner is Jan Rambo whose daddy is in the mob. Leon is her loyal Jamaican bodyguard, but not too bright. Douglas Carmichael is one of Jan's employees, and he used to work as a stripper at Lancelot's until he was busted. His father owns Carmichael Oil.
La Vista, California, is�
…where the five-year-old Heywood "Woody" Swope is from; he has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Emma Swope seems to be a mouse of a woman. Her husband, Garland Swope, is the "King" of his castle and a misogynistic nutjob horticulturist. The oversexed Annona "Nona" Blossom Swope is Woody's nineteen-year-old sister. Woody's friends include Jared, Michael, and Kevin.
Sheriff Raymond Houten is in charge of the small department. His wife, Maria, and his daughter, Marla, died a few years apart. Walt Bragdon is one of his few deputies. Zack Piersall is a mechanic who knows how to fix foreign cars. Ezra Maimon used to be a lawyer, and now he owns a rare fruit nursery.
Touchers are�
…members of a religious sect focused on self-sustenance in La Vista. Noble Matthias is the head guru; he used to be "Stormin'"Norman Matthews, a high-powered super-aggressive divorce lawyer in Beverly Hills. Cult members include Baron, a.k.a., Barry Graffius, who was a loudmouthed, pretentious, rich snot a year behind Alex in graduate school; Delilah, a.k.a., Desiree Layne, the queen of budget noir films pre-1951; and, Maria.
Darlene Moody is desperate for a divorce and custody of their two children: nine-year-old Ricky and three-year-old April. Carlton Conley, a carpenter for Aurora Studios and Darlene's boyfriend, had been a friend of Richard's. Mal Worthy of Trenton, Worthy & La Rosa is her lawyer. Richard Moody is a depressed nutjob contesting the divorce. Elridge Durkin is Moody's lawyer. Diane Severe is the judge who understands children. Dr Lawrence Daschoff is the other expert psychologist.
Kathy is one of the operators at Alex's answering service. Jaroslav is Alex's martial arts instructor. Fahrizbadeh is a clerk at the Sea Breeze Motel. The Unicorn is a mirrored bar with horrible food. Professor Seth Fiacre teaches at UCLA and is a psychologist who has been studying cults for years. Anita's Café is an excellent vegetarian restaurant in Oceanside. Prince "Stinky" is Saudi Arabian and accused of rape-murders.
Melendez-Lynch's ex-wives include Nina, who is a concert cellist, and Paula. His eleven children include ´³´Ç°ù²µÃ©, his second oldest who's going to medical school. ´³´Ç²õé had been an old family servant who would grind their coffee beans. Raoul's scum-sucking pig of a cousin is Ernesto, known to us as Ché Guevara.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a white background with red blood spatter between the author's name in an embossed and black-shadowed light royal blue centered at the top and the title in an embossed purple left aligned at the bottom. Several info blurbs and the series information are in black.
The title is what could have proved the truth, a Blood Test.
My Take
This is a much smoother story � with the perspective from Alex's first person protagonist point-of-view. And by smoother, I mean that Alex's life has so few bumps. Sure, someone is trying to kill him�mmm, I do sound jaded, don't I? The story's primary focus is on the Blood Test-specific characters while feeding us dribs and drabs on other core characters including side bits about Alex's life as it is now and bits of his back story.
It's a horrendous scenario that Kellerman twists in the last half, taking us from one perspective on faith-based healing by fearful people to a condemning truth that will make you sick.
Melendez-Lynch makes a useful observation about Alex being both scientist and humanist, a judgment based on Alex's work in an early study on how to prevent psychological damage to children in isolation chambers, which led to the start of Alex's "fame". I am curious as to how closely Alex's "life" and character mirrors Kellerman's?
There's a theme in here all right: nutjobs 'r us. Between Raoul, Valacroix, Moody, Noble, Houten, and Swope…oh, boy. That Raoul needs to step back and take a, well, lots of deep breaths.
Robin doesn't appear much in here, as she has a new, lucrative angle looming. Milo is not moaning about his improved standard of living, but he is comparing his lot with women who make less than their significant others. As for Ezra Maimon, I adored him. His manner and intellect sent me into a swoon…sigh� I sure hope he'll appear again, as he was a bright spot.
Lord, that description of Swope's botanic monstrosities sounds like plants that the Addams family would love. Yuck! Roses covered in moist fur with a rancid smell�?? Garland's thoughts on his abominations were that they were "evidence of the Creator's essential hatefulness". Sure puts the lie to Noble's statement, lol. An odd bit of foreshadowing that I missed. As for Garland's "cultivation" of Annona zingiber…jesus christ� It does lead to the truth behind Nona's "trip" that summer.
The Story
Woody has a chance. His cancer is curable, if his parents consent to his treatment. Until they kidnap the boy and run, leaving behind their nympho daughter.
When his parents are found dead, the only leads are the boy's older sister and a holistic-meditative cult called The Touch based in an old monastery in a small town near the Mexican border.
It's a search that will unearth deep, dark secrets of men run mad, an angry cult leader, and those attempts to assassinate Alex.
The Characters
Dr Alexander Delaware (PhD) is a child psychologist who burnt out ( When the Bough Breaks , 1) and plays guitar. He still takes the occasional case � if it interests him. Or that Milo can talk him into. Robin Castagna is his girlfriend who crafts exquisite guitars.
LA PD
Homicide Detective Milo Sturgis is Alex's burly gay detective friend. Detective Delano Hardy is Milo's occasional work partner and a guitarist who gigs after hours with an R&B group; Dr Rick Silverman (he works ER at Cedars) is Milo's significant other. Officer Brian Fierro takes Beverly home. Officer Fordebrand has the worst breath ever.
Agent Siegel is with the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. Agent Severin Fleming is Siegel's boss.
Western Pediatric Medical Center is�
…in Hollywood where Alex used to work. Dr Raoul Melendez-Lynch, a Cuban oncologist, has been married four times � he's a workaholic. The Laminar Airflow Unit is a four-module suite of rooms in Oncology with a plastic bubble for the patient to maintain germ-free isolation. Dr Helen Holroyd is the post-doc with whom Raoul is collaborating on a study. I think Boorstin is the head of the psychology department and quite possibly has a death phobia. Dr August "Augie" Valcroix is the clinical Fellow interested in alternative medicines whose ethics are very questionable. Ellen Beckwith is a nurse in Oncology. Beverly Lucas is a social worker.
The Adam and Eve Messenger Service is�
…a thinly disguised hooker service that delivers party gags, drugs, and any extras someone might want. The owner is Jan Rambo whose daddy is in the mob. Leon is her loyal Jamaican bodyguard, but not too bright. Douglas Carmichael is one of Jan's employees, and he used to work as a stripper at Lancelot's until he was busted. His father owns Carmichael Oil.
La Vista, California, is�
…where the five-year-old Heywood "Woody" Swope is from; he has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Emma Swope seems to be a mouse of a woman. Her husband, Garland Swope, is the "King" of his castle and a misogynistic nutjob horticulturist. The oversexed Annona "Nona" Blossom Swope is Woody's nineteen-year-old sister. Woody's friends include Jared, Michael, and Kevin.
Sheriff Raymond Houten is in charge of the small department. His wife, Maria, and his daughter, Marla, died a few years apart. Walt Bragdon is one of his few deputies. Zack Piersall is a mechanic who knows how to fix foreign cars. Ezra Maimon used to be a lawyer, and now he owns a rare fruit nursery.
Touchers are�
…members of a religious sect focused on self-sustenance in La Vista. Noble Matthias is the head guru; he used to be "Stormin'"Norman Matthews, a high-powered super-aggressive divorce lawyer in Beverly Hills. Cult members include Baron, a.k.a., Barry Graffius, who was a loudmouthed, pretentious, rich snot a year behind Alex in graduate school; Delilah, a.k.a., Desiree Layne, the queen of budget noir films pre-1951; and, Maria.
Darlene Moody is desperate for a divorce and custody of their two children: nine-year-old Ricky and three-year-old April. Carlton Conley, a carpenter for Aurora Studios and Darlene's boyfriend, had been a friend of Richard's. Mal Worthy of Trenton, Worthy & La Rosa is her lawyer. Richard Moody is a depressed nutjob contesting the divorce. Elridge Durkin is Moody's lawyer. Diane Severe is the judge who understands children. Dr Lawrence Daschoff is the other expert psychologist.
Kathy is one of the operators at Alex's answering service. Jaroslav is Alex's martial arts instructor. Fahrizbadeh is a clerk at the Sea Breeze Motel. The Unicorn is a mirrored bar with horrible food. Professor Seth Fiacre teaches at UCLA and is a psychologist who has been studying cults for years. Anita's Café is an excellent vegetarian restaurant in Oceanside. Prince "Stinky" is Saudi Arabian and accused of rape-murders.
Melendez-Lynch's ex-wives include Nina, who is a concert cellist, and Paula. His eleven children include ´³´Ç°ù²µÃ©, his second oldest who's going to medical school. ´³´Ç²õé had been an old family servant who would grind their coffee beans. Raoul's scum-sucking pig of a cousin is Ernesto, known to us as Ché Guevara.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a white background with red blood spatter between the author's name in an embossed and black-shadowed light royal blue centered at the top and the title in an embossed purple left aligned at the bottom. Several info blurbs and the series information are in black.
The title is what could have proved the truth, a Blood Test.
September 14, 2014
This is only the second book I have read from this author. The first was also part of the Alex Delaware series. The book started out in the court room where a crazed father loses visitation rights to his children. He confronts or solicits help from Alex to help regain his visitation rights. When Alex will not help, his pled for help turns into threat. The story then quickly shifts gears to an 11 year old boy who has cancer. Alex is contacted by an old friend to consult on the case. However after Alex visited the boy (Woodey) once, he and his family disappears. Alex spends the entire book solving the mystery of the family's disappearance. I gave it three stars. This was not a long book, however it never really turned into an action packed I-can't-put-this-book-down thriller until the last 100 pages. Up to that point, it was all background and dialogue. To be fair, the last 100 pages tied everything together and was ended up a very good story line. I just almost got bored before I got to that point. Also, it was two story lines going. The story in the beginning about the child visitation hearing had nothing to do with the main story line. I kept thinking the author would tie the two together, but it never happened. I almost felt like he started with this first story and then changed his mind and wrote a completely different story. Then he did not start over. He just kept going and could not tie the two story lines together.
Not sure how I feel about this series now. This one was early in the series, maybe just not well written. Any opinions on this series / author?
Not sure how I feel about this series now. This one was early in the series, maybe just not well written. Any opinions on this series / author?
December 27, 2019
Blood Test is book two in the Alex Delaware series by Jonathan Kellerman. When a friend of Dr Alex Delaware asked him to meet one of his patients Woody Swope he did not hesitate to say yes. However, after playing with the child, Woody Swope Dr Alex Delaware started to suspect more to the story and set up a meeting the next day to talk to the parents. When Dr Alex Delaware arrived at the hospital the next day, he found out that the family had vanished overnight. Dr Alex Delaware and his friend Detective Milo Sturgis started to investigate Woody's disappearance. The readers of Blood Test will continue to follow Alex and Milo to find out what happened to Woody.
The Blood Test starts slowly. However, preserve reading The Blood Test it does become an exciting and enjoyable book to read. I love Jonathan Kellerman portrayal of his characters and the way they intertwine with each other. The Blood Test is well written and researched by Jonathan Kellerman and an excellent addition to this series.
The readers of The Blood Test will learn about the role of a child psychologist in law enforcement investigations. Also, the readers of The Blood Test will learn about the devastation
I recommend this book.
The Blood Test starts slowly. However, preserve reading The Blood Test it does become an exciting and enjoyable book to read. I love Jonathan Kellerman portrayal of his characters and the way they intertwine with each other. The Blood Test is well written and researched by Jonathan Kellerman and an excellent addition to this series.
The readers of The Blood Test will learn about the role of a child psychologist in law enforcement investigations. Also, the readers of The Blood Test will learn about the devastation
I recommend this book.
July 10, 2009
I enjoyed Blood Test. Johnathan Kellerman is a fabulous writer. This is the second book in the Alex Delaware series, and I can honestly say that it was better than the first, which in my experience isn't usually true. I've almost always thought that the first book or movie in a series is the best.
I really like Kellerman. There was one instance in the book that Alex had the flu, and his great description had me feeling like I had the same thing Alex did (in my head). His descriptions of locations and people really help you visualize things as they happen.
My brother once asked me why I would rather read a book than watch a movie and I told him that when a writer, like Kellerman, describes something, I visualize it, I use my imagination to see what he writes. It's so much better because I make my own conclusions and go whatever speed I want to.
This book is an eye opener to the lives and behaviors of children and adults who live a tormented life. It's a lot of analyzing human characteristics with the added edge of suspense and events that keep you turning the pages.
I really like Kellerman. There was one instance in the book that Alex had the flu, and his great description had me feeling like I had the same thing Alex did (in my head). His descriptions of locations and people really help you visualize things as they happen.
My brother once asked me why I would rather read a book than watch a movie and I told him that when a writer, like Kellerman, describes something, I visualize it, I use my imagination to see what he writes. It's so much better because I make my own conclusions and go whatever speed I want to.
This book is an eye opener to the lives and behaviors of children and adults who live a tormented life. It's a lot of analyzing human characteristics with the added edge of suspense and events that keep you turning the pages.
October 15, 2019
This book was reliable, like the others I have read by this author- nothing extremely awesome, but good nonetheless. This book was slow taking off, however. Typically, I give a book 30 or so pages and if it hasn't grabbed me I bail out. I stayed with this book for a considerably longer period than that since I had faith in the author. The book did eventually turn itself around and start to pick up- so much so that I gave it a four-star rating instead of five. It is interesting to see these characters in the early stages of development, and this sophomore outing in the series sputters a bit before taking off, yet eventually the author shows the polish and refinement that have led to his success.
The cult aspect is interesting, and there are some insightful psychological comments on religion and its cultish aspects that I found interesting. Part of what drives me to continue reading this series is the main character, Alex Delaware. It is interesting seeing the world through his eyes, and the author's background in psychology helps the verisimilitude of the book.
four stars
The cult aspect is interesting, and there are some insightful psychological comments on religion and its cultish aspects that I found interesting. Part of what drives me to continue reading this series is the main character, Alex Delaware. It is interesting seeing the world through his eyes, and the author's background in psychology helps the verisimilitude of the book.
four stars
March 31, 2016
Alex is called in to help a former colleague when the parents of a child with cancer want to remove him from treatment (they have an older daughter who is rather wild). Before he can speak to them though they disappear with the little boy. Then the parents turn up dead.
Where is Woody and his big sister Nona? Are they dead too? Did a local cult (called The Touch) have anything to do with it?
I certainly enjoyed this more than the first book (although I did guess Nona's real relationship to Woody quite early on). Again, most of the characters are rather unpleasant and Alex goes into hero mode quite quickly. I'm not entirely certain what the cult aspect of the story brought to things overall (I'm not sure the leader would have fallen for Alex's act at the end - especially when one of the members knew Alex).
The subplot concerning a divorce case gone bad seemed a convenient way to use a case of mistaken identity to put Alex in further danger - didn't seem quite right.
Let's see what happens with the next one.
Where is Woody and his big sister Nona? Are they dead too? Did a local cult (called The Touch) have anything to do with it?
I certainly enjoyed this more than the first book (although I did guess Nona's real relationship to Woody quite early on). Again, most of the characters are rather unpleasant and Alex goes into hero mode quite quickly. I'm not entirely certain what the cult aspect of the story brought to things overall (I'm not sure the leader would have fallen for Alex's act at the end - especially when one of the members knew Alex).
The subplot concerning a divorce case gone bad seemed a convenient way to use a case of mistaken identity to put Alex in further danger - didn't seem quite right.
Let's see what happens with the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2021
This is a very early Delaware/Sturgis mystery, only Kellerman’s second in a long list. Alex is alone, Robin being in Japan on business, when he gets roped into talking to a family with a young son who has cancer. Alex’s old colleague, Dr Melendez-Lynch is a world expert on childhood cancers and he’s really frustrated that this little boy’s parents seem to be balking at all the treatments Woody needs. Then there’s the daughter, Nona, a willowy red-haired beauty, hyper-sexualized and obviously a handful. Then the family disappears, Melendez-Lynch is convinced they’ve been kidnapped by a cult group who live outside the same town. In addition to this plot-line, Alex is being threatened by a man against whom he had testified in a contentious custody case. From there, the plot picks up pace, and hurtles towards the climax. Once I got used to people smoking wherever they wanted, and having to find pay phones to contact each other (how easily we all adapt to what’s new), I found the plot as compelling and well constructed as all the many other books I’ve read by this author.
February 11, 2015
An entertaining read, but not one of his best. There are three different plots. The author attempts to tie them all together, but the book has a stop-and-go, "meanwhile, back at the ranch," feel. Once the reader settles into one storyline, an old one rears its head. The characters are nevertheless fully fleshed with dialogue, appearance, actions, and reactions, making Blood Test, for the most part, an enjoyable read.
I did not enjoy the scenes designed to horrify or titillate. I thought they could have been more skillfully handled. It is enough to know that evil exists; the reader doesn't need to be bludgenoned with it. Kellerman's prose in these scenes felt disturbingly voyeuristic: heavy-handed and hedonistic.
That said, I read it from start to finish and may re-read it again.
I did not enjoy the scenes designed to horrify or titillate. I thought they could have been more skillfully handled. It is enough to know that evil exists; the reader doesn't need to be bludgenoned with it. Kellerman's prose in these scenes felt disturbingly voyeuristic: heavy-handed and hedonistic.
That said, I read it from start to finish and may re-read it again.
April 14, 2021
This one was pretty good. I didn't love it - I didn't hate it. I read a few of the books in this series years ago and remember enjoying them so I started over. I did think it was a bit odd that the book about a child psychologist didn't have much to do with children. It is what started the whole plot but it is mostly about adults and there is little to no actual child psychology going on. That doesn't automatically make the story bad or anything. I just thought it was odd. I do like the main character - he comes off as very smart. I know there is a supporting character (Milo, the homicide detective) that I remember liking but he is barely in this one. There is also a girlfriend (who I don't remember much about) who was also barely in it. I will continue with the series for now and hope the next book is a little better.
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