Billy Straight, by Jonathan Kellerman

Reviewed by: The Blind Monkey

Many of you already know Jonathan Kellerman as the distinguished child-psychologist and Edgar-Award winning author of the Alex Delaware novels, but with his latest project, Billy Straight, Kellerman tries his hand at a more traditional detective thriller. Featuring new characters Detective Petra Connor and 12-year-old runnaway William Straight, Kellerman puts his psych background to more subtle use.



In Billy Straight, Kellerman puts his knowledge of how children develop in the face of adversity to good use without the aid of a handy child psychologist. After witnessing a brutal murder, our hero is on the run from every money-grubbing would-be investigator out for the $25,000 reward offered by the rich victim’s parents. He’s a runaway whose sharp mind and moral integrity enable him to survive the lurid urban jungle of West Hollywood.

In search of the alleged killers is Detective Petra Connor. A talented and beautiful artist-turned-police detective looking for meaning and direction in life.

This OJ-like case is a real page-turner, following famous suspects and twisted side-kicks into the bowels of the serial killer psyche. But if you’ve recently read Connelly’s Angel’s Flight, I’d take a break from the celebrity murder case and read it in a few months. Connelly does it better, and it will detract from your enjoyment of a good story.

I made this mistake, and although this book greatly surpasses the quality of Kellerman’s last two works (Survival of the Fittest and The Web), I had difficulty mustering the motivation to complete this review. But keep in mind, I have read the entire body of Kellerman’s work — and after Time Bomb and The Butcher’s Theater, he’s had an awful lot to live up to.

Hardcover – 467 pages (Jan 1999) Random House; ISBN: 0679459596 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.38 x 9.49 x 6.57