Over the Edge (Alex Delaware)
Over the Edge (Alex Delaware) book cover

Over the Edge (Alex Delaware)

Paperback – March 2, 2004

by
Price
$5.99
Format
Paperback
Pages
448
Publisher
Ballantine Books
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0345466624
Dimensions
4.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
Weight
7.2 ounces

Description

“STARTLING . . . CHARGED WITH SUSPENSE. THIS ONE IS SIMPLY TOO GOOD TO MISS.”—STEPHEN KING“HARROWING . . . The work of a novelist of uncommon insight and storytelling skill.” —Los Angeles Times “HIGH-POWERED . . . Alex Delaware is no ordinary psychologist. . . . He is also a born detective.” —The New York Times From the Inside Flap When the phone rings in the middle of the night, child psychologist Alex Delaware does not hesitate. Driving through the dream-lit San Fernando Valley, Alex rushes to Jamey Cadmus, the patient he had failed five years beforex97and who now calls with a bizarre cry for help. But by the time Alex reaches Canyon Oaks Psychiatric Hospital, Jamey is gone, surfacing a day later in the hands of the police, who believe Jamey is the infamous Lavender Slasher, a psychotic serial killer. Wooed by a high-powered attorney to build a defense, Alex will get a chance to do what he couldnx92t five years ago. And when he peers into a familyx92s troubled history and Jameyx92s brilliant, tormented mind, the psychologist puts himself at the heart of a high-profile case. Because Alex knows that in a realm of money, loss, and madness, something terrible pushed Jamie over the edgex97or else someone is getting away with murder. Jonathan Kellerman is one of the world’s most popular authors. He has brought his expertise as a clinical psychologist to numerous bestselling tales of suspense (which have been translated into two dozen languages), including his acclaimed Alex Delaware novels; The Butcher’s Theater , a story of serial killing in Jerusalem; and Billy Straight , featuring Hollywood homicide detective Petra Connor. His new novel is The Conspiracy Club . He is also the author of numerous essays, short stories, and scientific articles, two children’s books, and three volumes of psychology, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards, and has been nominated for a Shamus Award. He and his wife, the novelist Faye Kellerman, have four children. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • When the phone rings in the middle of the night, child psychologist Alex Delaware does not hesitate. Driving through the dream-lit San Fernando Valley, Alex rushes to Jamey Cadmus, the patient he had failed five years before—and who now calls with a bizarre cry for help. But by the time Alex reaches Canyon Oaks Psychiatric Hospital, Jamey is gone, surfacing a day later in the hands of the police, who believe Jamey is the infamous Lavender Slasher, a psychotic serial killer. Wooed by a high-powered attorney to build a defense, Alex will get a chance to do what he couldn’t five years ago. And when he peers into a family’s troubled history and Jamey’s brilliant, tormented mind, the psychologist puts himself at the heart of a high-profile case. Because Alex knows that in a realm of money, loss, and madness, something terrible pushed Jamie over the edge—or else someone is getting away with murder.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(1.1K)
★★★★
25%
(887)
★★★
15%
(532)
★★
7%
(248)
★
23%
(817)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

leaves me speechless every time

As a writer, and as someone who reads 100 books a year, I can usually spot where writers are going before they even get there. I've read several of Kellerman's books, but this one is not predictable and never gets old, and is so skillfully written that no matter how many times I read Over The Edge, I can't figure out how he ties everything up in such a neat package and ends the story with such a meaningful last sentence, which makes me cry every time I turn the last page.

As for the plot: How could the imprisoned and nearly comatose (when we first meet him face to face, and for most of the novel) Jamey Cadmus have strangled and mutilated a handful of prostitutes? But all the evidence points toward him. When we eventually find out why he is the only suspect, we have uncovered some of the rottenest, meanest forms of inhumanity towards the most vulnerable in our society.

Kellerman has filled Over The Edge with larger than life, colorful characters, even the secondary ones: Tully Antrim is kinda hip and cool; the art store owner has a major attitude; even the players in the Mexican restaurant seemed to have full lives beyond their short scene. I imagine Kellerman had a lot of fun with the two cops and all their scenes; I crack up every time they show up. As for the major characters, Alex Delaware is always a delightful pleasure to meet and get to know; Milo is a sweetie; Robin is a pleasant mystery; and Jamey, every time we meet him, is an uncomfortable reminder of whether or not he is guilty of extreme violence.

Kellerman tapped into some of my deepest fears: I was considered highly gifted at an early age, was aware of the term "genius/madness" shortly thereafter, and subsequently terrified that something horrible would go wrong with my brain, as happens to Jamey. The ride Kellerman takes me on every time I read this is frightening, thrilling, interesting and ultimately satisfying. I will never forget Jamey's story.
13 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Sorry, Dr. Delaware!

This story is good from several aspects, the best being his realistic portrayal of psychosis and psychological illness. He is not a journalist of the 20/20 variety trying to get it right--he's got the knowledge and experience to make the details believable. Kellerman is a nice narrator, and he has some characters we can really root for--Detective Sturgis, Alex himself, and the true victim in this story, Jamey.

Unfortunately, this book is twice as long as it needs to be. You can skim so many paragraphs that don't contribute to character or plot development--you know, all the times Dr. Delaware goes to feed his fish, or the descriptions of some tract of houses off some California freeway.

In the end, the plot is fairly contrived. The final scene has all the suspects in the same room. The villain is unmasked, those characters we thought were benign turn out to be malignant, a few gunshots ring out--but just who shot who?!! The plot is also implausible as well. If you sit down and summarize how the bad guy(s) pulled off the plot, it seems pretty silly.

All in all, it's a pretty good read, but it's an early enough effort to still have significant drawbacks. Delaware sure is a nice guy, though!
10 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Ok but not the best from Kellerman

I have been reading all of the Alex Deleware books in order and actually had a hard time finding this one. The story intself will keep you interested. There is A LOT of technical jargon and big words used when talking about different types of drugs. If you can get past all that and get the main point it is a nice little book. Not one of his best but he is still better then most authors.
3 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Just OK..

This book was just ok. It was soooo long. It was extremely "wordy". I thought there were so many things that were said that really didn't need to be. Sort of redundant. I hated that you only got one small look at the "killer". Just wasn't as impressed as I hoped I would be.
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Okay, I really like Alex Delaware

This is the third Alex Delaware novel written by Jonathan Kellerman, but
it's the second one I've read. The first one I read was a much more
recent novel (Therapy) and was kind of slow going at first, but this one
had me hooked on page one! Alex Delaware is an intriguing character and
it makes a nice twist to have a crime novel told by someone more on the
fringe of the investigation. Delaware is a Psychologist who sometimes
does consulting for the police department. His good friend Milo Sturgis
is a homicide detective, so Delaware is often drawn into complicated and
grisly cases.

This book starts with a phone call in the wee hours which turns out to
be a crisis call from a former patient. James Cadmus had been a child
genius, but now has evidently gone off the deep end. When he is found
with two mutilated bodies and the bloody knife in his hand, it seems
obvious he's a homicidal maniac. But Delaware isn't so sure. It's a
wickedly tangled web, but Delaware finds help in some unexpected places
and the truth slowly becomes clear. Great stuff.

I love the dynamic between Alex and his friend Milo. Poor Milo has a new
captain who doesn't like him, so he's going through hell at work at the
moment and that leads to the bottle and trouble at home too. But you'll
just have to read the book to find out how that turns out.

And now I must go read all the other volumes in this series. There are
TWENTY of them! ARGH!
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Hard to put down

I only recently became a Kellerman reader, and I have enjoyed this book quite a lot. I am an avid mystery reader and, even though I find Alex Delaware pretty unbelievable, I enjoy him. In this series this one came second only to the Murder Book. My favourite Kellerman so far, however, is Billy Straight (possibily even more unbelievable but, then, I simply devour Harry Potter, despite being a grown-up). Just be sure to start this book when you have a free weekend...
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Another Great Tale By Kellerman!

This is the sixth Johnathan Kellerman novel that I've read, and he has never dissapointed me.

This story revolves around a teenage genius (who also happens to be homosexual) who has been diagnosed schizophrenic. After placing a very desperate and confusing phone call to his former Therapist (Alex Delaware)he disappears from the institution he has been placed in. Shortly after this he is found, dazed and confused, with his lovers freshly murdered corpse. The police believe him to be the Lavender Slasher, a serial killer responsible for a number of slayings in California. Is he the killer? Is he really mentally ill? Read the book and find out!!
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

So intensely good

This is the first Kellerman novel I have read. I picked it up having no idea what it was about and could not put it down. It is so intense from the first page to the last. The plot is great, it grabs your attention right away. I highly recommend this book. I think I could probably say this is the best mystery/thriller I've ever read!
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Very Good Effort from Kellerman

For the most part, I enjoyed OVER THE EDGE. It's a very effective psychological thriller about a young man who may or may not have committed a horrible series of murders. It works well as a whodunit, and Kellerman knows how to keep the suspense alive in his stories.

OVER THE EDGE does suffer from many of the flaws that characterize Kellerman's work. The storyline is not particularly realistic, and is very complex and convoluted (Kellerman takes 50 pages to explain it at the end). This novel also contains a lot of pages of technical jargon, including some rather incomprehensible discussions about how certain drugs affect the limbic system of the brain. While I'm impressed by the depth of Kellerman's research, I think he dumps way too much of it in his novels, leading me to skip over quite a number of paragraphs.

Still, I really enjoy Kellerman's writing style, and I found OVER THE EDGE quite engaging for the most part. While it isn't as good as WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, I think this is definitely one of the better Alex Delaware novels that I've read.
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Five Stars

As advertised

Related Books