Gone

An Alex Delaware Novel

By: Jonathan Kellerman

Narrated by: John Rubinstein

Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

It's a story tailor-made for the nightly news: Dylan Meserve and Michaela Brand, young lovers and fellow acting students, vanish on the way home from a rehearsal. Three days later, the two of them are found in the remote mountains of Malibu, battered and terrified after a harrowing ordeal at the hands of a sadistic abductor.

The details of the nightmarish event are shocking and brutal: The couple was carjacked at gunpoint by a masked assailant and subjected to a horrific regimen of confinement, starvation, and assault.

But before long, doubts arise about the couple's story, and as forensic details unfold, the abduction is exposed as a hoax. Charged as criminals themselves, the aspiring actors claim emotional problems, and the court orders psychological evaluation for both.

Michaela is examined by Alex Delaware, who finds that her claims of depression and stress ring true enough. But they don't explain her lies, and Alex is certain that there are hidden layers in this sordid psychodrama that even he hasn't been able to penetrate.

Nevertheless, the case is closed, only to be violently reopened when Michaela is savagely murdered. When the police look for Dylan, they find that he's gone. Is he the killer or a victim himself? Casting their dragnet into the murkiest corners of L.A., Delaware and Sturgis unearth more questions than answers, including a host of eerily identical killings. What really happened to the couple who cried wolf? And what bizarre and brutal epidemic is infecting the city with terror, madness, and sudden, twisted death?

©2006 Jonathan Kellerman (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The author's ability to convey the unrelenting sadness of his characters' lives and his deep psychological insights will satisfy those looking for more than mere thrills." (Publishers Weekly)

Terrible

This is my first download from this author. I have over 50 different books in my library. Of the 50 I could not finish 2. This is one of them. John Rubenstien’s voice made the characters seem disgusting and creepy. I could not listen to his voice anymore. I hate wasting my credits and I have not downloaded another Kellerman book because of this experience. Don’t waste your time.

only okay

This was a good listen, but fell into predictability near the end. Still, Kellerman tells an excellent tale and keeps you engaged along the way. Alex and Milo remain entertaining.

Disappointed in Narrator

While the actor's normal narrative tone was fine, I found his over-the-top ethnic voices borderline offensive - and, since I've read other books in the series, I didn't understand why an actor would make a detective from the Midwest who has lived in LA for over 20 years sound like some sort of grizzled New Yorker.

I think I will stick with reading Kellerman 'the old fashioned way' from now on, and save audiobooks for when I'm not so familiar with an author's work/characters.

The Absolute Worst

i have been a member of "Audible" for 18 months and have had the pleasure to listen to approximately 40 books and this is the absolute worst one to date. Actually had to finally delete it before finishing. I tried on and off for about a week to listen to this awful thing. It's like raising the garage door, starting the your cars engine and after ten hours never backing out. Don't waste your money on this one like I did. Hope this is not reflective of the author's other work. However, I'll never know, as I have no intention of being duped again.

Dissapointing

I am as great fan of Kellerman, and I am not sure if the writing was dull or if it was the narrator. I was very disturbed when the male narrator would speak as a female....just didn't work for me.