When the Bough Breaks

by Jonathan Kellerman

Book Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Dr. Morton Hander practiced a strange brand of psychiatry. Among his specialties were fraud, extortion, and sexual manipulation. Hander paid for his sins when he was brutally... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553569619
• ISBN13: 9780553569612
• Release Date: December 1993
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Boring

Probably one of the most boring books I have ever read. Couldn’t finish it, nothing going on most of the time.

Very impressive debut

This is my first book by Kellerman. And i was very impressed. It's a very good debut novel. The plotting is tight and the writing is sharp. The book is, basically, incredibly fun to read. (As another reviewer has said, you get the sense that all Kellerman was doing was writing for his own amusement and fun, and it really comes across in the writing. Very fun, enjoyable story, despite its focus on child-abuse.) Alex Delaware is a great character. He is well drawn and realistic. instantly likeable, immediately an everyman who most readers will be able to identify with. He is supported by some other great characters. Milo, his police-detective friend. And Robin, his partner. (A likeable character at first, but if she carries on as she is, she may get a tad annoying in a few books time) The plotting is clever, and the climax great. I see a strength in the series, available in his ability to portray likeable children very well. Unfortunately, in this book little Melody Quinn (the child in this book) seems to drop out of the story about a quarter of the way through, only to re-appear in a privotal role at the end. The child-abuse is depicted well, the plotting is strong and realistic. The effects of the child abuse are also described well. Peadophillia is dealt with tactfully, and this book does not sensationalise it. In the end, the villains all get their commupeance, and Milo Strugis really shows his true colours. This is a very good debut novel. A fast paced pageturner, with an addictive writing style, i fairly raced through this book. I am hugely looking forward to getting my teeth into other books by Kellerman.

NEATLY WRAPPED PACKAGE

This mystery starts and ends as a very neatly tied bow on the package. There are no loose ends.Psychologist Alex Delaware and his sidekick, Officer Milo Sturgis crack their first cases together as a sleuthing duo. A Dr. Morton Handler is killed and the only person with keys to unlock that first mystery is 7-year-old Melody Quinn. An overmedicated child, Melody lives with her single mother in a run down apartment with a ban on children. Fearful of being evicted, Melody's mother feeds her tranquilizers and reduces Melody into a druggy stupor.Dr. Delaware is called in to consult with Melody and take the first step in cracking a Chinese box of mysteries. His detective trail takes him from Southern California to Washington State. He and Sturgis discover a child-porn ring, murder, deception and extortion. The end is a tad anticlimatic because all the loose ends are neatly tied up with a perfect bow.I didn't care for Dr. Delaware's live in girlfriend, Robin. An accomplished luthier, Robin is described as fiercely independent. She does some pretty inane things, though. I didn't like it when she wore a picture of Lassie around her neck to atone for offending Alex. I thought that was stupid. I never really cared for Robin in the first place. Note the names: Handler, for the psychiatrist. Handler of psyches and in his case, matters less than wholesome or above board.

A gut-wrenching, heart wrenching drama. Well done.

This was the first book I read by Kellerman, and I still feel it's his best. The author spins a well-woven drama, with important characters and a steady build. It was at times difficult, but really more sad, only because of what happens to a child. The tale is gripping. It got me hooked on Alex Delaware novels. I've read most of them since reading "When The Bough Breaks". If you haven't read any of Kellerman's Alex Delaware novels, and read but one, make it this one. Then you'll find you've made a liar out of yourself. It'll hook you.

he's great

this was the first of his books that i read, as soon as it was in paperback....got me hooked!!

A speed-read

This book is so engrosing that you can't put it down! The characters are real, and you just can't wait to find out what happens to them! I am so glad Kellerman made this a series! Great writing! Fun! Interresting! Exciting! Alex and Milo's relationship is cool! You totally feel for the kid in the book.