The Wedding Guest: An Alex Delaware Novel (Alex Delaware, #34)

by Jonathan Kellerman

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Psychologist Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis unravel a shocking crime at a raucous wedding reception in this gripping psychological thriller from the bestselling master of suspense.

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

LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis is a fine homicide detective, but when he needs to get into the mind of a killer, he leans on the expertise of his best friend, the brilliant psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware. While Sturgis has a knack for piecing together the details of a crime, Delaware can decipher the darkest intents driving the most vicious of perpetrators. And there’s no better place for the doctor’s analytical skills to shine than a rowdy hall full of young men and women intoxicated on life and lust . . . and suddenly faced with the specter of death.

Summoned to a run-down former strip joint, Delaware and Sturgis find themselves crashing a wild Saints and Sinners–themed wedding reception. But they’re not the only uninvited guests. A horrified bridesmaid has discovered the body of a young woman, dressed to impress in pricey haute couture and accessorized with a grisly red slash around her neck. What’s missing is any means of identification, or a single partygoer who recognizes the victim. The baffled bride is convinced the stranger snuck in to sabotage her big day—and the groom is sure it’s all a dreadful mistake. But Delaware and Sturgis have a hundred guests to question, and a sneaking suspicion that the motive for murder is personal. Now they must separate the sinners from the saints, the true from the false, and the secrets from those keeping them. The party’s over—and the hunt for whoever killed it is on.

“As usual, [Delaware and Sturgis] form a formidable team. Also as usual, the characters here are varied and described with gritty clarity, and the puzzle facing the duo involves a delightful mix of L.A. culture, this time from its dive bars to its much more serious side.”—Booklist

• ISBN10: 052561849X
• ISBN13: 9780525618492
• Publish Date: 5 February 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: Ballantine Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Mystereity Reviews]

Wow, this one proves that Kellerman's still got it.

A wedding guest discovers a dead woman in an out of the way bathroom at an old strip club turned party venue. No one at the wedding party claims to know her and without identification, no way to determine who she was, why she was there or who she knows. Enter Milo and Alex, who work to track down an elusive killer.

This one did not follow Kellerman's usual pattern of figuring out who done it. (I won't spoil that formula for those who haven't figured it out, but suffice it to say there's usually an easy way to figure it out.) No, this was entirely different and I loved it. I was just as in the dark as Milo and Alex were as they meticulously tracked down every lead and as it turns out, what a tough case it was. This was hard to put down, each chapter pulling you deeper into the mystery, culminating in that AHA moment and a turbo driven finish. If you haven't read any of the other Alex Delaware mysteries, this is a great entry and if you're already a fan, this one will re-ignite your passion for it.