The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman
| The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman | |
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| Category: Crime | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A man and a woman are found murdered at a remote Bel Air property, but who was the prime target? A good, quick and engaging read with all of Kellerman's psychological skills on show. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 304 | Date: February 2024 |
| Publisher: Century | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1529900361 | |
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It hadn't been Lt Milo Sturgis's fault that Alex Delaware had been badly injured but he felt responsible and even after Alex recovered, Sturgis was reluctant to ask for his help on difficult cases. His assertions that there were only open-and-shut cases which didn't need the help of a psychologist only worked for a while. Finally, it was Robin, Delaware's partner, who nudged Milo into asking for help again. She knew that the involvement was something that the man she loved needed. The next case did look simple, though. Two lovers were murdered in the swimming pool of a remote property in Bel Air. He was the heir to an Italian shoe empire and she is married to an extremely rich man and it's not the Italian. But which of them was the primary target?
It's the thirty-ninth book in the series and it would be easy to assume that the story lines have been exhausted but that's certainly not the case with The Ghost Orchid. Both victims have 'difficult' backgrounds. Giovanni Aggiunta had a history of liaisons with older, married women who posed no threat to him, after being badly hurt when an engagement to a younger woman ended in heartbreak. Could a jealous husband be responsible for the killings?
Meagin Lea March was married to a wealthy property magnate. He was away a great deal - and had been away when the killings took place, so he was quickly ruled out as being directly responsible. But why is he so worried about getting his wife's jewellery back? Trauma affects people differently but Douglass March is acting very strangely. And why does his late wife seem not to have existed until quite recently? There almost seems to be too much to be investigated and too few useful clues.
When you read a Jonathan Kellerman book, you know that you're in safe hands. You can settle down to a story which will keep you guessing until the end with characters you feel you know. If you're a regular reader of the series, you'll know them of old but if you're new to the franchise, then you'll have no problems. The writing's good. If I had to be picky, I'd say that some of the jargon isn't quite as obvious to the UK market as it might be but it never makes reading difficult and you certainly feel as though you're in Los Angeles.
I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.
You could read this book as a stand alone, but it's a series which benefits from knowledge of what's gone before. Reading the earlier books is not going to be a trial. There's a list of the books here.
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