Heartbreak Hotel: An Alex Delaware Novel

Jonathan Kellerman

Feb 2017 · Alex Delaware Book 32 · Sold by Ballantine Books

About this ebook

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Alex Delaware and LAPD detective Milo Sturgis investigate the death of Alex’s most mysterious patient to date in the sensational new thriller from the master of suspense, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman.

At nearly one hundred years old, Thalia Mars is a far cry from the patients that child psychologist Alex Delaware normally treats. But the charming, witty woman convinces Alex to meet with her in a suite at the Aventura, a luxury hotel with a checkered history.

What Thalia wants from Alex are answers to unsettling questions—about guilt, patterns of criminal behavior, victim selection. When Alex asks the reason for her morbid fascination, Thalia promises to tell all during their next session. But when he shows up the following morning, he is met with silence: Thalia is dead in her room.

When questions arise about how Thalia perished, Alex and homicide detective Milo Sturgis must peel back the layers of a fascinating but elusive woman’s life and embark on one of the most baffling investigations either of them has ever experienced. For Thalia Mars is a victim like no other, an enigma who harbored nearly a century of secrets and whose life and death draw those around her into a vortex of violence.

Heartbreak Hotel is classic Delaware and classic Kellerman.

Praise for Heartbreak Hotel

“Easy to dive into for mystery fans unfamiliar with the series, and a welcome treat for readers who have been with Officer Sturgis and Dr. Delaware since the beginning.”—Booklist

Praise for Jonathan Kellerman

“Jonathan Kellerman’s psychology skills and dark imagination are a potent literary mix.”—Los Angeles Times

“Kellerman doesn’t just write psychological thrillers—he owns the genre.”—Detroit Free Press

“A master of the psychological thriller.”—People

Ratings and reviews

I love Kellerman's books and first got interested when I was in Mexico and read Therapy. At first it was because Alex and I were in the same field but I've grown to know and love these characters. This book is fascinating with a lot of twist and turns. You have no idea who was behind the murder but can slowly put it together towards the end.

Alex Delaware receives a call from a woman who is just weeks away from turning 100. Since Alex is a child psychologist, he fails to see just why she wants to see him. Somehow she charms him into agreeing to see her at the hotel where she lives. Thalia Mars lives in a cottage, of sorts, and has been there many many years. What she wants is for Alex to answer some rather disquieting questions .. but she doesn't really go into details. She promises those details when she next sees Alex .. the next day. But alas, when Alex keeps their appointment, he finds that Thalia has died. Suspecting a little more than dying in her sleep, he contacts his good friend, Milo Sturgis. Once more Alex and Milo are involved in a homicide .... but who would want to kill a 100-year-old woman. What secrets did she have? A lifetime of crime, corruption, and death seemed to have followed her to her grave. This has been such an incredible series featuring characters that have grown to be almost family. I started reading this author almost 30 years ago and have never tired of the adventures of Alex and Milo. Kellerman pays such close attention to his character development ... there is always something new I learn about them. His descriptions are easily seen with the mind's eye. The investigation itself is fluid and the endings are not always easily seen before the last page is read. One of my favorite series by one of my favorite authors. Many thanks to the author / Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Netgalley for the uncorrected ebook file. The opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thank you to netgalley and random house for the early read. As always Jonathan Kellerman delivers. It was a great book as usual. I read it in one sitting. If you love Jonathan Kellerman than this book is great and if you haven't read him you should.

About the author

Jonathan Kellerman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of forty-one crime novels, including the Alex Delaware series, The Butcher’s Theater, Billy Straight, The Conspiracy Club, Twisted, True Detectives, and The Murderer’s Daughter. With his wife, bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman, he co-authored Double Homicide and Capital Crimes. With his son, bestselling novelist Jesse Kellerman, he co-authored The Golem of Hollywood and The Golem of Paris. He is also the author of two children’s books and numerous nonfiction works, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children and With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards and has been nominated for a Shamus Award. Jonathan and Faye Kellerman live in California, New Mexico, and New York.