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Cold Heart [AUDIOBOOK]
Sleeping Partner
Bella Mafia [AUDIOBOOK]
The Shape of Snakes [AUDIOBOOK]
Deceit [AUDIOBOOK]
Betrayal [AUDIOBOOK]
Royal Flush [AUDIOBOOK]
Q Is for Quarry
R Is for Ricochet
Collected Authors: Murder Most Foul... the Collection [AUDIOBOOK]
The Dead of Jericho [AUDIOBOOK]
The Last Bus to Woodstock [AUDIOBOOK]
Last Seen Wearing [AUDIOBOOK]
The Riddle of the Third Mile [AUDIOBOOK]
The Secret of Annexe 3 [AUDIOBOOK]
Service of All the Dead [AUDIOBOOK]
The Ice House [AUDIOBOOK]
The Sculptress [AUDIOBOOK]
The Scold's Bridle [AUDIOBOOK]
The Dark Room [AUDIOBOOK]
The Toff and the Lady
Murder on the Orient Express [AUDIOBOOK]
Sparkling Cyanide [AUDIOBOOK]
The Murder at the Vicarage [AUDIOBOOK]
The Toff and the Curate

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You're a part of the story!
Will Robin never be out of the picture??
Another juicy story
LAPD Investigation of Serial Murders With Help of Psychologist
From another mystery writer

A Cold Heart (Jonathan Kellerman)
Jonathan Kellerman
Manufacturer: Random House Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Therapy (Alex Delaware)
Dr. Death (Alex Delaware)
The Murder Book (Alex Delaware)
The Clinic (Alex Delaware)
Survival of the Fittest (Alex Delaware)

ASIN: 0739303066
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Amazon.com

In Cold Heart, the latest thriller from bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman, Dr. Alex Delaware picks up on clues missed even by his closest friend, LAPD detective Milo Sturgis. Leave it to this canny shrink to figure out that the only thing two otherwise unconnected murder victims have in common (they're both artists making comebacks after early career burnouts) may hold the key to their deaths. Even for Alex, this unlikely link is a stretch, especially since Baby Boy Lee was stabbed outside a nightclub and Julie Kipper was bludgeoned in the bathroom of an art gallery. But when a concert pianist dies on the eve of his greatest triumph, Alex is sure that the murders are not only the work of the same killer but also connected to the unsolved slayings of a Boston ballerina and an L.A. rock singer. By an even greater coincidence, two of the victims were tangentially involved with Alex's former lover, Robin Castagna, which provides the good doctor a few well placed paragraphs to ruminate on what went wrong in their romance as well as rescue her from the serial murderer who's targeted her as his next victim.

As usual, Kellerman manages to make even a far-fetched plot like this one ring true, but after 17 Alex Delaware mysteries, his series protagonist holds few surprises for the reader, who longs for something to shake Dr. D. out of his smooth complacency. Losing Robin didn't do it--maybe the new woman in Alex's life will. --Jane Adams

Book Description

Jonathan Kellerman is a master at creating psychologically nuanced novels of suspense—an author whose name is synonymous with unrelenting action, intriguing plot twists, and penetrating insight into the criminal mind. Now he ventures into bold, new territory with his biggest and best novel yet. A Cold Heart features Kellerman’s brilliant signature style—but in this tour-de-force he mines even deeper the emotional landscape of his characters: psychologist-sleuth Alex Delaware, LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis, Milo’s colleague Petra Connor, and Alex’s ex-lover, Robin Castagna—bringing them all vividly to life as never before.

“I’ve got a weird one, so naturally I thought of you,” says Milo Sturgis, summoning his friend Alex to the trendy gallery where a promising young artist has been brutally garroted on the night of her first major showing. What makes it “a weird one” is the lack of any obvious motive, and the luridly careful staging of the murder scene—which immediately suggests to Alex not an impulsive crime of passion . . . but the meticulous and taunting modus operandi of a serial killer.

Delaware’s suspicion is borne out when he compares notes with Milo’s associate, Petra Connor, and her new partner, a strange, taciturn detective with a past of his own named Eric Stahl. The Hollywood cops are investigating the vicious death of Baby Boy Lee, a noted blues guitarist, fatally stabbed after a late-night set at a local club. What links Baby Boy’s murder with that of painter Juliet Kipper is the shadowy presence of an abrasive fanzine writer. This alias-shrouded critic’s love-the-art/disdain-the-artist philosophy and his morbid fascination with the murders leads Alex and the detectives to suspect they’re facing a new breed of celebrity stalker: one with a fetish for snuffing out rising stars.

Tracking down the killer proves to be maddening, with the twisting trail leading from halfway houses to palatial mansions and from a college campus to the last place Alex ever expected: the doorstep of his ex-lover Robin Castagna, whose business association with two of the victims casts her as an unavoidable player in the unfolding case. As more and more killings are discovered, unraveling the maddening puzzle assumes a chilling new importance—stopping a vicious psychopath who’s made cold-blood murder his chosen art form.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

Jonathan Kellerman is a master at creating psychologically nuanced novels of suspense¿an author whose name is synonymous with unrelenting action, intriguing plot twists, and penetrating insight into the criminal mind. Now he ventures into bold, new territory with his biggest and best novel yet. A Cold Heart features Kellerman¿s brilliant signature style¿but in this tour-de-force he mines even deeper the emotional landscape of his characters: psychologist-sleuth Alex Delaware, LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis, Milo¿s colleague Petra Connor, and Alex¿s ex-lover, Robin Castagna¿bringing them all vividly to life as never before. ¿I¿ve got a weird one, so naturally I thought of you,¿ says Milo Sturgis, summoning his friend Alex to the trendy gallery where a promising young artist has been brutally garroted on the night of her first major showing. What makes it ¿a weird one¿ is the lack of any obvious motive, and the luridly careful staging of the murder scene¿which immediately suggests to Alex not an impulsive crime of passion . . . but the meticulous and taunting modus operandi of a serial killer. Delaware¿s suspicion is borne out when he compares notes with Milo¿s associate, Petra Connor, and her new partner, a strange, taciturn detective with a past of his own named Eric Stahl. The Hollywood cops are investigating the vicious death of Baby Boy Lee, a noted blues guitarist, fatally stabbed after a late-night set at a local club. What links Baby Boy¿s murder with that of painter Juliet Kipper is the shadowy presence of an abrasive fanzine writer. This alias-shrouded critic¿s love-the-art/disdain-the-artist philosophy and his morbid fascination with the murders leads Alex and the detectives to suspect they¿re facing a new breed of celebrity stalker: one with a fetish for snuffing out rising stars. Tracking down the killer proves to be maddening, with the twisting trail leading from halfway houses to palatial mansions and from a college campus to the last place Alex ever expected: the doorstep of his ex-lover Robin Castagna, whose business association with two of the victims casts her as an unavoidable player in the unfolding case. As more and more killings are discovered, unraveling the maddening puzzle assumes a chilling new importance¿stopping a vicious psychopath who¿s made cold-blood murder his chosen art form.

Customer Reviews:

You're a part of the story!.......2007-06-13

Kellerman's descriptive talents are incredible. Every character, landscape, building and room is a picture in your mind's eye. Add that to his mastery of psychology and his talent for twist and you have a novel that you just don't want to put down.

Will Robin never be out of the picture??.......2006-07-16

Yeah, Robin irritates me. Okay, this one starts with the murder of Blues guitarist Baby Boy Lee in Hollywood - that's Detective Petra Connor's turf and she features prominently in this one. (She has a new partner now and I like Eric Stahl - hope he sticks around. Yeah, he's weird, but so what?) A short time later, a talented young painter is murdered and Milo Sturgis is handling this case. Milo was recently promoted to Lieutenant, but isn't tied to a desk like most Lieutenants - special deal worked out with the previous Chief of Police before he retired. He works alone and usually handles cold cases, but this dead girl was from his home town and he was specifically asked to look into it. He calls his good friend Dr. Alex Delaware in to help and Alex begins to suspect the two cases may be connected. And there may have been others - artists cut down just as they're about to become famous.

Robin Castagna, Alex's former lover, is a guitar craftsman (craftswoman?) and she had worked on Baby Boy's instruments for years. She and Alex both are listed on the liner notes of Baby Boy's most recent CD - will that make them both potential victims too? Alex goes digging, as usual - starts making broad connections, but he is also dealing with a new relationship and all the uncertainty that entails. We met Psychologist Allison Gwynn in The Murder Book and now he is pursuing her affections - it's nice being with someone who gets it, as she puts it. Robin has a new guy too, but she just irritates me so bad - she wants her nice quiet life with Tim, but she wants to be able to run to Alex whenever she feels like it too - keeping him trapped in emotional limbo.

They're dealing with a very clever and vicious killer and Alex ends up in danger, as usual, but this time it is Robin who puts him there. Allison actually helps keep him safe. I like Allison - hope things work out with her and Alex. Another great twisted tale from the king of great twisted tales.

Another juicy story.......2006-05-03

I really enjoyed this book, especially listening on tape. The reader was excellent as well. So glad Alex has finally found someone that understands his work and has parted from Robin. His new love seems more like a realistically portrayed woman character than Robin ever did. Great story, pretty spooky whodunit!

LAPD Investigation of Serial Murders With Help of Psychologist.......2005-09-13

With a cast of former fictional investigators of the LAPD, Author Kellerman adds a sleuth-psychologist to assist in solving Serial Murders. It is a compelling story, entailing good police work, and believable investigators, who solve a difficult murder mystery. A book hard to put down.

From another mystery writer.......2005-08-07

I am always delighted to discover a new Alex Delaware novel on the book stands, and I almost always buy it the moment I see it. What I find so wonderful about this series is that it always seems fresh, as if I am reading Kellerman for the first time. While the plots are strong and move along well, what intrigues me most are the relationships among the characters. I like Alex for his quick wit and for his compassion for victims, but I love his human failings, too. The wonderful thing is that Delaware's inherent goodness may be jarred, but is never overcome by the violence he sees in his work with Sturgis.

Average customer rating:

Way too simple
Predictable, cliche filled garbage
Brutal..fast paced..satisfying!
A Must Read
Not The Best Ever

Cold, Cold Heart
James Elliott
Manufacturer: Random House Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Nowhere To Hide

ASIN: 0553473077
Release Date: 1994-08-01

Book Description

He's a Russian defector given a new life in America by the U.S. government. Now he's exploded into violence--driven by a mad lust to kill young women.

An embarrassed CIA knows it must stop him--and that only one man can do the job. But former agent Mike Culley is in prison, sold out by his bosses, stripped of his family and everything he holds dear. Now they'll free him: to hunt down a killer before he kills again.

The CIA has betrayed Culley once. It won't happen again. He will find his man. And with the help of a beautiful reporter, he'll bring him down. But suddenly the rules change. Culley's target has answered back: snatching the one person who means more to Mike Culley than life itself.

Customer Reviews:

Way too simple.......2006-04-03

A Russian defector who is on a killing spree in the USA with FBI and police fighting each other over hunting him down while officially the CIA cannot be involved because the agency want to avoid embarrassment since they brought the killer into the country years before.

The basic idea of the book is really great. Unfortunately the author manages completely fails by using really boring sequences or illogical events and especially by using only bits and pieces of promising possibilities.

First, characters in the book offer a lot of potential (like the killer being a second Hannibal Lecter) but the author does not really develop these characters in full or did not use them efficiently enough to contribute to a great idea.

Second, the internal fight between CIA, FBI and police is neither adequately described nor exploited in full - another wasted area to create a complex story.

Third, potential for another great plot in this book about top counterfeit money and the robbery of its paper is also wasted because it is just thrown in with a few lines instead of using it in full detail.

Fourth, right from the start this book represents "the big coincidences" when the killer and his hunter run into each other three times in two major USA cities! (Hello? What is the likelihood of that?) This is just way too simple and coincidences happen too often - no real detective work.

Fifth, despite being completely down and on the verge of insanity due to the suicide of his wife when he went to jail, it takes less then a week before the ex CIA man falls in love with another woman as soon as he is out of prison! (Hello?!)

Bottom line is that a great opportunity to write a highly thrilling book was wasted by writing a more comic book style than a novel where everything is just way too simple to be plausible. (Maybe the author was running out of time quickly when he wrote the book?)
WAY TOO SIMPLE

Predictable, cliche filled garbage.......2006-01-29

From the beginning, when a widowed male, ex-CIA agent, meets a beautiful ex-cop (now a newspaper woman), who just happens to look like the girls the protagonist loves to mutilate, this book was predictable,filled with cliches and uninspired writing.
I skimmed and even skipped through most of the book and never missed a beat. Do not bother reading this unless you really enjoy romance novel plots under the guise of blood and gore to make it more palatable for some members of the male species. There are a lot of writers out there who do the same thing with a lot more class and who definitely have a better vocabulay. I enjoy a good murder mystery and thriller, which this definitely was not. I'm very grateful I picked it up at the library.

Brutal..fast paced..satisfying!.......2005-07-30

Hi all,
I actually read 'Cold Cold Heart' about 2years ago, and have re-read it 4 times since.
Being a fan of all crime/thriller novels, I have also read many novels by Michael Connelly,.Lee Child,..Joseph R.Garber,..Lorenzo Carcaterra,..John Case, and especially enjoy some classics such as Fyodor Dostoevsky and plays by Arthur Miller..I quite simply enjoy simple stories told with richly defined characters,..of which James portrays in spades!
Late congratulations James..a fine piece of well researched,well paced work..I only wish more writers could maintain your quality.

A Must Read.......2004-07-07

This is my VERY First time ever reviewing a book. So I don't know quite what to say.
I do know that I have not read too many books cause none of them ever held my interest till now.
This Book Cold Cold Heart, by far is the best read I have had in a long long time. The title alone drew me in.

I found myself reading when I should have been doing housework.
I could not put it down.
Culley was a great character, and I was glad it had a semi-happy ending.

Malik was truly one of the most evil personalities on the planet.
This is a must read for any fan of the morbid and Bizarre.

Being a housewife I enjoyed Houser's character as well.
She took no crap from no one not even Culley.
And That was great to read.

I too wish to find more books From James Elliott.
If anyone knows of one please
E-mail me at brainfart54@excite.com
Thanks
CC

Not The Best Ever.......2002-04-09

The book sure did get a lot of hype, so much so I thought it was going to prove to be one of the better ones I have ever read. The positive this is that man this book is fast, you get going and it just keep clicking along. I found my self routing for the hero of the story in a kind of "go get um - more violence" kind of way. The action rich story line is well put together and read like it was going straight to Hollywood. The only real down side for me, and the reason I did not think it was a great book, is that the hype I heard made me get really excited to read it. I was disappointed with the relationship of the two lead characters, also too off the self for me - They could not get the good cop, bad cop combo so they went with the vigilante / reporter. That really is a bit nit picking on my part, the book is quite cool, really holds your attention and is fun to read - after all that is probably why we buy the things.

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