NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A former star athlete turned deputy coroner is drawn into a brutal, complicated murder in this psychological thriller from a father-son writing team that delivers “brilliant, page-turning fiction” (Stephen King). Natural causes or foul play? That’s the question Clay Edison must answer each time he examines a body. Figuring out motives and chasing down suspects aren’t … chasing down suspects aren’t part of his beat—not until a seemingly open-and-shut case proves to be more than meets his highly trained eye.
Eccentric, reclusive Walter Rennert lies cold at the bottom of his stairs. At first glance the scene looks straightforward: a once-respected psychology professor, done in by booze and a bad heart. But his daughter Tatiana insists that her father has been murdered, and she persuades Clay to take a closer look at the grim facts of Rennert’s life.
What emerges is a history of scandal and violence, and an experiment gone horribly wrong that ended in the brutal murder of a coed. Walter Rennert, it appears, was a broken man—and maybe a marked one. And when Clay learns that a colleague of Rennert’s died in a nearly identical manner, he begins to question everything in the official record.
All the while, his relationship with Tatiana is evolving into something forbidden. The closer they grow, the more determined he becomes to catch her father’s killer—even if he has to overstep his bounds to do it.
The twisting trail Clay follows will lead him into the darkest corners of the human soul. It’s his job to listen to the tales the dead tell. But this time, he’s part of a story that makes his blood run cold.
Praise for Crime Scene
“You could drive yourself crazy trying to figure out who wrote what. . . . But whoever came up with the fine line, ‘When I meet new people, they’re usually dead,’ should pat himself on the back.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A terrific book . . . Put Crime Scene at the top of your reading pile.”—Bookreporter
“A character-driven, intricately plotted whodunit . . . Mystery readers will devour the book and look forward to the next father and son collaboration.”—Press Republican
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Clay Edison is a deputy coroner. With every body he examines he must determine if the death was natural or if it was foul play. His latest crime scene victim, Walter Rennert, seems to be a natural death. until his daughter insists it wasn’t. As Clay investigates further disturbing facts come to light. Who wanted the man dead? Why? A definite page turner! Highly recommend!
A slow-moving, dull, plodding story with no tension and as engaging as a grocery list.
Since I am from the CA Bay Area, where the scenes were set, the novel was more relatable. Enjoyed the book from beginning to end and wished to know more about the future of the fictional characters. Wish there was sequel.
His plots are always intriguing and character development is made so believable
I enjoyed this book immensely. I have been a fan of Jonathan Kellerman’s “Alex Delaware” novels for decades, and was not sure what to expect from the father & son writing team, but I could not put it down. The characters were well defined and made me care about them; the story was complex and intriguing; the plot was a great puzzle, which kept me interested; and the twist at the end, while not a complete surprise, was very satisfying. I will be reading more of their collaborative works.
Jonathan kellerman has always been my favorite mystery writer and this book written with his son did not disappoint.
Good read. I would love to see another book with this character.
Appealing narrative voice; good mystery
Have always enjoyed his father’s writing. His son has done a fine job for his first novel. Really enjoyed the main character and hope this is the first in a series.
Read all of Jonathan. Adding Jesse made this a very intriguing and fun read.
Great and fast read!
Too wordy. Filled with unimportant detail that does not help move the story.
I love both Kellermans, so this book is a dream come true! Fast-paced, witty, with a twisting story that keeps you riveted!
I wasn’t impressed
slower paced than usual but a fun read
I enjoyed this book but had a few issues that kept me from giving it more stars. Although I enjoyed the new character, Clay Edison, I had difficulty keeping up with some of the characters. Some were introduced in earlier chapters and then appeared again in later chapters without any reference allowing me to recollect how they fit into the storyline. Also, I did not like the Tatiana character at all. There was something about her that I found particularly offensive and I fail to understand why Clay Edison would be so motivated to get so deeply involved with her issues. I hope she does not reappear in future books. Finally, the ending was not satisfying– too many loose ends.
So slow and dull, I am not sure I can finish it. And that is really unusual! I will give another 50 pages….
Not up to the usual standatd
Love Jonathan Kellerman and love Faye Kellerman. Just could not get into this book at all! I was very disappointed, thought I had a new favorite author.
This book is not up to the literary standards I expected from Jonathan Kellerman. Slow read, slow moving,unfinished.