The Golem of Paris by Jonathan Kellerman, Jesse Kellerman

The Golem of Paris (Detective Jacob Lev Novel)

by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman

The Golem of Paris by No. 1 New York Times bestselling authors Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman is an extraordinary thriller about secrets that refuse to stay buried, sure to appeal to fans of The Stranger by Harlan Coben and James Patterson's Alex Cross series. 'Brilliant, page-turning fiction' - Stephen King.

It's been over a year since LAPD detective Jacob Lev learned the remarkable truth about his family, and he's not coping well. He's back to drinking, he's not talking to his father, the LAPD Special Projects department continues to shadow him, and the memory of a woman named Mai haunts him day and night.
And while Jacob has tried to build a bridge to his mother, she remains a stranger to him, imprisoned inside her own tattered mind.
Then he comes across the file for a gruesome, unsolved murder that brings the two halves of his life into startling collision.
Finding the killer will take him halfway around the world, to Paris - the city of romance, but also its gritty streets, behind the lights. It's a dangerous search for truth that plunges him into the past.
For Jacob Lev, there is no place more frightening.
Jonathan Kellerman has long been known for his mastery of criminal psychology, and his ability to create thrilling novels of nuanced drama and suspense. But in The Golem of Paris, he and Jesse Kellerman raise that suspense to a whole new level.

Reviewed by ayla_abbott on

4 of 5 stars

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Despite the first book spending a great deal of time on Mai's origins, I'm still not entirely certain how she and the giants all fit in. Like, there's these horrible murders, they're sort of loosely connected to the mythology that's taking shape, but the murder mystery almost stands alone as does the mytharch. Nevertheless, both strands are interesting. The authors can clearly twine together two plots over the course of 500 pages; I've no doubt that if this is trilogy or longer it will eventually all make sense.

It would really help if there was a "where we left off" recap at the start of this book though. The story lines are complex enough and the gap between the first book and this one long enough that I was desperately searching for a book 1 synopsis including spoilers.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 15 November, 2015: Finished reading
  • 15 November, 2015: Reviewed