Monster (Jonathan Kellerman novel)
 First edition | |
| Author | Jonathan Kellerman |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Alex Delaware novels |
| Genre | Mystery |
| Publisher | Random House |
Publication date | 1999 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover), ebook, Unabridged Cassette |
| Pages | 416 pp |
| ISBN | 978-0-345-41387-1 |
| OCLC | 45253917 |
| Followed by | Dr. Death |
Monster is a psychological thriller and murder mystery novel by Jonathan Kellerman. It is the fourteenth novel in the Alex Delaware series.
Plot introduction
The mutilated body of an aspiring actor is found in the trunk of a car parked near an industrial area. Weeks later, another body appears in similar condition at another location. This time the body is a female psychology doctor who was working in a state facility for psychotic criminals. One similarity of the mutilations is obvious. The eyes were targeted. The case goes to LAPD detective Milo Sturgis, assisted by Dr. Alex Delaware, an old friend and psychological consultant.
The two find out that similar eye mutilations were infamously performed in the case of a family mass murder some years ago, and the culprit is now in the same facility where the female doctor worked. The media had described him simply as a 'monster' following his arrest. Facing him, Milo and Alex find the 'monster' in a deteriorated condition locked within a highly secured cell. To add to the drama, the detectives get a tip-off that the killer, who hardly speaks, had said something that implied knowledge of the doctor's mutilated eyes.
Characters
- Dr. Alex Delaware – psychologist
- Milo Strugis – LAPD detective
- Richard Dada – first murder victim
- Dr. Claire Argrent – second murder victim
- Ardis Peake alias 'monster' – prime suspect
- Heidi Ott – employee in the facility for psychotic criminals