The Murderer's Daughter

A Novel

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From the creator of the acclaimed Alex Delaware series comes a tour de force standalone novel that illustrates perfectly why “Jonathan Kellerman has justly earned his reputation as a master of the psychological thriller” (People).

A brilliant, deeply dedicated psychologist, Grace Blades has a gift for treating troubled souls and tormented psyches—perhaps because she bears her own invisible scars: Only five years old when she witnessed her parents’ deaths in a bloody murder-suicide, Grace took refuge in her fierce intellect and found comfort in the loving couple who adopted her. But even as an adult with an accomplished professional life, Grace still has a dark, secret side. When her two worlds shockingly converge, Grace’s harrowing past returns with a vengeance.

Both Grace and her newest patient are stunned when they recognize each other from a recent encounter. Haunted by his bleak past, mild-mannered Andrew Toner is desperate for Grace’s renowned therapeutic expertise and more than willing to ignore their connection. And while Grace is tempted to explore his case, which seems to eerily echo her grim early years, she refuses—a decision she regrets when a homicide detective appears on her doorstep.

An evil she thought she’d outrun has reared its head again, but Grace fears that a police inquiry will expose her double life. Launching her own personal investigation leads her to a murderously manipulative foe, one whose warped craving for power forces Grace back into the chaos and madness she’d long ago fled.

Praise for The Murderer’s Daughter

“[A] taut thriller . . . with the richness and resonance of literary fiction.”—Washington Independent Review of Books

“A stunning page-turner with a truly fascinating femme fatale at its fast-beating heart . . . packed with ingenious, razor-sharp plotting, mesmerizing mind games and nail-biting suspense.”—Yorkshire Evening Post

“A tight, fast-paced narrative [with] a brilliant, kick-ass heroine.”—Library Journal

“Kellerman doesn’t let off-the-charts genius Grace become one-dimensional. Her backstory and challenge to fit in, even into adulthood, are an engaging part of this satisfying mystery, which, though billed as a stand-alone, could certainly make a spin-off series.”—Booklist

“An amazing tale of survival and adaptability in the face of neglect and murder.”—RT Book Reviews

Praise for Jonathan Kellerman

“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

Reseñas de la Crítica

Praise for The Murderer’s Daughter

“[A] taut thriller . . . with the richness and resonance of literary fiction.”—Washington Independent Review of Books

“A stunning page-turner with a truly fascinating femme fatale at its fast-beating heart . . . packed with ingenious, razor-sharp plotting, mesmerizing mind games and nail-biting suspense.”—Yorkshire Evening Post

“A tight, fast-paced narrative [with] a brilliant, kick-ass heroine.”—Library Journal

“[Jonathan] Kellerman doesn’t let off-the-charts genius Grace become one-dimensional. Her backstory and challenge to fit in, even into adulthood, are an engaging part of this satisfying mystery, which, though billed as a stand-alone, could certainly make a spin-off series.”—Booklist

“An amazing tale of survival and adaptability in the face of neglect and murder.”—RT Book Reviews

Praise for Jonathan Kellerman

“Jonathan Kellerman has justly earned his reputation as a master of the psychological thriller.”—People

“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

Not what I was expecting, but I loved it!

Where does The Murderer's Daughter rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've listened to hundreds, including all of Jonathan Kellerman's, and this is one of my very favorites

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Murderer's Daughter?

When the Grace and Andrew have their scheduled appointment and realize it was not the first time they've met.

Have you listened to any of Kathe Mazur’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't think so, but I thought she did a wonderful job. I plan to look for other books performed by her.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it was. Wish I'd taken longer, but was so intrigued I finished it in two days.

Any additional comments?

Not at all like the recent Jonathan Kellerman novels. I've enjoying them all, but found this one particularly intriguing, and enjoyed the narration too.

Strangely Compelling

Kellerman introduces a new character; Clinical Psychologist Grace Blades, basically a female Alex Delaware with a little more of an edge. The book uses flashbacks to relate the character's history and background as a woman's hardscrabble past returns with a vengeance in the form of a psychopath killer and one of his victims. I had a difficult time slogging through the interminable first couple of hours of this one and had it been a different author I would have given it up and slated this one for return; don't. It begins to slowly pick up the pace in hour number three and much of the mid-portion of this book is five star worthy. It loses some momentum on the back end and the ending would have been better left unwritten but I still recommend this one heartily.

A definite departure from the expected...

I can understand why some Kellerman fans would not like this book; it is much more cerebral than what we are used to, with a complex protagonist who we get to know intimately and a rather complicated plot full of interesting segues and twists. In some ways, I found the storyline a bit contrived, but in others, I was pleasantly surprised by an interesting and unexpected element. I was mostly intrigued by the development of Grace's character; she is very complicated and multi-faceted, and I am as thoroughly invested in her, now, as I am Alex and Milo, maybe more so, because I feel like I know her better than I know them. I definitely recommend, but be prepared for the fact that you may have mixed feelings about the characters and the plot, because it's not what you're used to.

This wasn't bad...

...until the ending and then it just stopped. Guess Kellerman was on deadline and needed a wrap-up on the quick.

Missed Alex Delaware

I missed Alex Delaware and his police buddy. The story was not ss exciting as some of the past ones and it was a little hard to follow with people halving several names.