Friday, December 13, 2024

Review - The Burning


Title:
  The Burning
Authors:  Jonathan Kellerman, Jesse Kellerman
Series:  Clay Edison #4
Publisher:   Ballantine Books
Genre:   Mystery/Thrillers
Format:   Kindle
No. of pages:   304
Date of Publication:  September 21, 2021
Rating:  5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Things get personal for Deputy Coroner Clay Edison when a murder hits close to home in this riveting, emotional thriller from the bestselling father-son team who write “brilliant, page-turning fiction” (Stephen King).

A raging wildfire. A massive blackout. A wealthy man shot to death in his palatial hilltop home.

For Clay Edison, it’s all in a day’s work. As a deputy coroner, caring for the dead, he speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves. He prides himself on an unflinching commitment to the truth. Even when it gets him into trouble.

Then, while working the murder scene, Clay is horrified to discover a link to his brother, Luke. Horrified. But not surprised. Luke is fresh out of prison and struggling to stay on the straight and narrow.

And now he’s gone AWOL.

The race is on for Clay to find him before anyone else can. Confronted with Luke’s legacy of violence, Clay is forced to reckon with his own suspicions, resentments, and loyalties. Is his brother a killer? Or could he be the victim in all of this, too?

This is Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman at their most affecting and page-turning—a harrowing collision of family, revenge, and murder.

MY THOUGHTS:

Things just got very personal for deputy coroner Clay Edison. More accurately, the murder he is investigating reveals something shocking almost immediately. His brother Luke’s 11969 Camaro is at the scene of the gruesome murder scene. The car is unmistakably Luke’s, a convicted felon. Quite naturally, Clay needs to talk to Luke. Immediately. Here’s the rub - Luke is nowhere to be found.

There is also something else going on. There are multiple widespread wildfires, and a huge blackout. Clay’s wife and daughter are away, so one might think that Clay would be able to work on this case. However, as it was his brother’s car at the scene, Clay’s approach is less than ethical.

Oh boy! This fourth book in the Clay Edison series was truly a page-turner. While the background of the fires and the power outages add depth to the story, Clay’s personal and ultimately lack of professional approach made this book a compelling read. 

Many thanks to Random House/Ballantine Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jonathan Kellerman was born in New York City in 1949 and grew up in Los Angeles. He helped work his way through UCLA as an editorial cartoonist, columnist, editor and freelance musician. As a senior, at the age of 22, he won a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for fiction.

Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.

IN 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan's former students, continues to break ground.

Jonathan's first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.

In 1985, Jonathan's first novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.


Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman and they have four children.


I'm a writer. I've published five solo novels; five novels in collaboration with my father, Jonathan Kellerman; a bunch of plays; and a handful of essays.



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