Dr Eldon Mate, aka Doctor Death, has been the bane of the Los Angeles DAs existence, the bête noir of all opposed to assisted suicide and the angel of mercy to countless "travellers" who have found their reward via Mates dubious vocation. Hes also turned up in the back of his van, attached to his own death-dealing "Humanitron" machine and too far away from most of his blood and a certain external organ. Enter Milo Sturgis, LAs only openly gay homicide detective and for the 14th time in 15 years (1985s award-winning When the Bough Breaks through to 1999s Monster), enter also his good friend, child psychologist and LAPD consultant Dr Alex Delaware. Unbeknown to Sturgis, however, is a potentially case-stymieing doctor-patient conflict of interest. The mother of one of Delawares young patients was the beneficiary (or victim, depending upon your point of view) of Dr Deaths services. The father, Richard Doss, is firmly in the latter camp, giving Delaware ample pause for reflection: After hearing the details of the murder, I felt better. The butchery didnt seem like Richards style. Though how sure of that could I be? Richard hadnt disclosed any more about himself than hed wanted to. In control, always in control. One of those people who crowds every room he enters. Maybe that had been part of what led his wife to seek out Eldon Mate. Maybe. But the fact is that theres no shortage of motivated suspects from both within and outside the late doctors circle of influence. And as usual, Jonathan Kellerman (himself a child psychologist and recognised authority in childhood psychopathology) guides Delawares engaging first-person narrative with expertise, keeps Detective Sturgis real and rudders his taut story to its satisfying end with sharp, true-to-the-ear dialogue. With Dr Death, Kellermans legion of Delaware fans will be very well pleased and first-timers will almost certainly join the legion. --Michael Hudson, Amazon.com
