Silent Partner

An Alex Delaware Novel

By: Jonathan Kellerman

Narrated by: Alexander Adams

Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

The best-selling author of When The Bough Breaks, Blood Test, and Over The Edge delivers the most stunning novel yet, featuring psychologist-detective Dr. Alex Delaware.

At a party for a controversial Los Angeles sex therapist, Alex encounters a face from his own past: Sharon Ransom, an exquisite, alluring lover who left him abruptly more than a decade earlier. Sharon now hints that she desperately needs help, but Alex evades her. The next day she is dead, an apparent suicide. Driven by guilt and sadness, Alex plunges into the maze of Sharon's life - a journey that will take him through the pleasure palaces of California's ultra-rich, into the dark closets of a family's disturbing past, and finally into the alleyways of the mind, where childhood terrors still hold sway.

Also available on BDD Audio Cassette.

©2003 Jonathan Kellerman (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"A complex and haunting story of tangled personalities, deeply buried family secrets, and of violence lying thinly under the surface ... Hits the reader right between the eyes." ( Los Angeles Times Book Review)

Bad So Cal pronunciations

Narrator needs to learn how to pronounce street and place names in So Cal Very distracting.

Prolonged, improbable, yet I listened

Each time I start a new Kellerman, I'm minutes from giving up on it. Yet, I always finish them, and am left with the same questions -- what did this really say about our protagonist or anyone else in the story? As complex and evolved as the characters seem to be, I'm never quite sure about them. The plot does not lack detail, but I find myself backing up to the portion I missed -- I do that a lot anyway, but in Kellerman's books, I'm very likely to miss more and perhaps to never figure it out. Yet I still hang in there. I keep thinking. I'll learn something new about the protagonist, his gay friend, his girlfriend the luthier and the social mores in general. I never quite break through though.

In this one, the temporary separation from Robin allows our hero to not re-engage with an old flame and to feel guilty nevertheless. Wonder what Robin did in the meantime?

There's twins, or perhaps triplets due to administration of some hormones, because why again? These twins may be Howard Hughes' or perhaps his partner's?

So sometimes we think there are twins, then perhaps triplets, and in the end, twins again? I confess to being unsure even of that resolution. One kills the other, or maybe she doesn't.

In the end, I can't figure out if its my inattention, over attention, or what that made this so difficult. As always, I wonder if I'll be back for more.

Great author and characters

Would you listen to Silent Partner again? Why?

No, I usually only go through a book once

Who was your favorite character and why?

Alex Delaware

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

No

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

No

Any additional comments?

It was a little slow at times, but overall a great book

Probably the one I hate the most

I have listened to and read all of the Alex Delaware series and I knew going in what I was getting with this series. Murder, suspense, a bit of action, and some interesting character work. Kellerman is an entertaining writer and when he writes a story he can deliver some diverting work. As usual Kellerman's Alex Delaware finds the solution by interviewing a lot of different people and the writing delivers a lot of interesting perspectives. Kellerman is very good at different perspectives.

I feel this story fails miserably. The overall solution to the mystery can be guessed from the title even though a red herring is placed in the way to distract from it. That isn't always a bad thing and a predictable story told well can still be good. I just don't think it was told well. I question what the point of this story was in how it came across. Also Alex's best friend Milo Strugis is barely in this book and that undercuts the novel as Milo and Alex bouncing thoughts and ideas off each other is some of the best stuff in the series.

Having read all the books in the series I can honestly say this was the most tawdry of the lot. A lot of graphic sexual encounters that don't really move the plot forward, and these graphic sex scenes aren't that interestingly written. I won't hazard to guess why Kellerman felt he needed to write this many sex scenes or writ them this way but almost none of his other books do this and I want to chalk it up to being one of his earlier novels.

I'd honestly say skip this one. Kellerman has done better and Alex Delaware has had better adventures.

Good story, but....

Good story but too many gratuitous graphic female anatomy references. Leave out unnecessary sexual language and get on with it! I am not a prude but enough is enough. There is such a thing as common decency.

As for the narrator... sounds older that Alex is perceived, and leaves many overly long pauses, often in mid sentence, which leads one to believe It is the end of a chapter. Totally wrong for Davenport. Won’t purchase further books narrated by him.

I did not finish book. Too many distracting factors. Wasn't THAT Interesting.

More complexity

This story twists and turns with the best of them. Just when I thought I understood, I realized I did not understand. This is another fascinating Jonathan Kellerman Alex Delaware listen!

One voice for all doesn't do it for me.

I love the book, but it could use more than one narrator. One for men and one for women. However, I will continue to buy this series because I just love Alex and Milo.

BORDERLINE

guess I am just spoiled. but struggled to finish this one. plot just went past my head and I had difficulty keeping track. dont get me wrong. it's still good writing.

Very characters

Excellent, excellent, excellent book! Nearing the middle and end I could not put it down because I was too busy trying to hurry up and find out how many heck did this happen and who did it, LOL

Antiquated/needs disclaimer: BPD are throw aways

What would have made Silent Partner better?

A heads up disclaimer that this is a very old book that stigmatizes and perpetuates throwing people with Borderline Personality Disorder (term and diagnosis no longer used) under the bus, to the curb, or just away.

Would you ever listen to anything by Jonathan Kellerman again?

No, tho I've already accrued quite a collection of JK books and have always enjoyed the mystery adventures with Alex and Milo, I won't be wasting my time or purchasing anymore. I'm not sure what Jonathan Kellerman's background is other than writer. Perhaps he is a pyschologist and should know better than to advocate its okay to throw anyone away but quite frankly, I no longer care to look.

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

Yes, one other time, think it was a Kellerman book as well. The reader/narrator is fine.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Silent Partner?

Oh, you know, the hateful, hurtful parts indicating BPD folks are worthless and your best bet is throwing them away.

Any additional comments?

If you or a loved one has ever been diagnosed the antiquated, no longer accepted or diagnosed BPD, avoid this book. You will only be hurt and appalled by Mr. Kellerman's hateful disdain. As I said previously, I've been a fan for years and have many other Alex and Milo mysteries in my collection, but they are newer. I believe this one was supposed to take place in 1987 and was released in 1989, however/whenever, this book needs some serious "fix in". I don't know if I'll ever listen to a Kellerman book again. I am shocked and sickened by "Silent Partner".