People say that 40 is the new 30. When a book series reaches that number, it’s a sure sign of aging well. In his latest novel, Open Season, Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware isn’t shedding years, but being immersed in another fast-paced and twisty case.
Delaware, a forensic detective, is once again joined by LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis. For those unfamiliar with the series, the two go back to the very first book, When the Bough Breaks, in 1985. Their relationship, and trust in each other, has evolved. It is a dynamic that Kellerman has carefully crafted over the years.
“Both men are focused and highly intelligent,” Kellerman says. “And despite the occasional use of humor in the books, they are anything but comic figures. There is a definite Sherlockian quality to Alex, e.g., his acute powers of observation, but rather than engaging in whiz-bang theatrics and the trumpeting of esoterica a la Holmes, he’s a quiet, deliberate and brilliant assembler of facts who puts them together at the perfect time to create a coherent solution.
“On the other hand, Watson is used as a foil for Holmes and Milo is far more than that. Though he’s come to rely on Alex’s brilliance and psychological background, he is a seasoned, highly effective detective. Bottom line: these are two smart guys who solve tough cases.”
The longevity and continued popularity of the series illustrate how well readers have responded to the dynamic between the two, as well as Kellerman’s portrayal of Los Angeles. The city is often thought of as the City of Dreams thanks to its connection to the film industry, but it can just as often be a place of nightmares. Kellerman’s novels take full advantage of its dark side.
“L.A.’s a company town where the product is fantasy,” he says. “I can’t say that this book employs that more than usual, but it’s certainly there: people, often lost souls, flocking to the city in search of often poorly thought-out dreams. And, sometimes, tragically, paying for that in the worst sense.”
Open Season hits you with the grit right at the start: “The images were grainy and blurred. But they told a story.” Delaware and Sturgis are reviewing security footage of a woman’s body being left near an emergency room. What seems at first like a simple case to solve quickly becomes a tangled web of victims with no apparent motive.
Mr. Kellerman notes that he doesn’t work on his sharp opening lines consciously. “They just seem to come to me. I do spend a lot of time thinking about and outlining a book – as much time, sometimes, as actually writing the book. I find that being intimately acquainted with my novel – characters and plot – tends to smooth things out.”
We should all look so good at 40! Here’s to aging well with Kellerman and Alex Delaware.
