How to write

Rage is the 12th novel by Jonathan Kellerman featuring psychologist Alex Delaware and police detective Milo Sturgis. As usual, Kellerman offers a mix of psychological insights and police procedure to create a suspenseful story.

Eight years ago, two teenagers, Troy Turner and Rand Duchay, abducted and murdered two year old Kristal Malley. The story begins as Rand is released from prison and calls Alex seeking absolution. They arrange to meet at a donut shop, but Rand never arrives. His body is discovered days later and Alex can’t help but wonder if Rand was killed because he knew something about the long closed case. Further investigation reveals almost everyone involved in the case has died, except for the toddler’s father and a couple seminary students who counseled the boys.

While investigating the case Sturgis and Delaware brainstorm possible scenarios. Unfortunately, there is little evidence to actually follow the killer’s trail and the motive is just wild conjecture. With no facts to follow, there is little action and the tidy conclusion is less than satisfying. The thrill of the chase isn’t just finding the bad guy, but catching him too. Rage fails to deliver but it does bring back two of my favorite characters and allows them space to do what they do best - Delaware digging into the psyche and Sturgis strong arming any reluctant witnesses.