Evidence

Jonathan Kellerman

Alex Delaware is a clinical psychologist based in Los Angeles and one of his clients is the police department. Lt Milo Sturgis of the homicide department calls on Alex when the murder he is dealing with is ‘interesting’, that is to say, hard to solve. Alex and Milo are opposites in every way, Alex being lean and fit and happily married, and Milo overweight, homosexual and generally more likely to snarl than to smile.

The interplay of Milo’s down-to-earth killer instincts and Alex’s keen psychological insights as they work together on solving a convoluted crime is one of the many pleasures of the series. Another is Milo’s wry sense of humour; politicians, for example, are described as having “the attention span of gnats on crack”.

Kellerman is unusual among crime writers in that his characters are as convincing as his highly intricate plots. Every character, no matter how minor, is brought to life. The latest story starts with a security guard checking an empty unfinished building in Holmby Hills, an upmarket residential area in LA, and discovering a young couple who have been killed in flagrante. As soon as Milo gets to the scene, he calls in Alex, wanting the psychologist to see first-hand the way the corpses have been posed.

The male is quickly identified as Desmond Backer, an eco-friendly architect, known for his seductive powers. The problem lies with identifying the female corpse. The leads are so lacking that Milo immediately suspects FBI involvement, and he is right: the victim had been given a fresh identity for turning informer. So starts a plotline so full of twists that you are left stunned with admiration by page 441 when every last loose end is neatly tied into place. If you like a fast-paced, intelligent thriller, look no further.