Gone

by: Jonathan Kellerman

Published by: Ballantine Books

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

Psychologist Alex Delaware and homicide detective Milo Sturgis become entangled in a complex, dangerous and puzzling case in his latest psychological thriller, Gone.

Two young actors, Dylan Meserve and Michaela Brand, disappear following a rehearsal at the playhouse where they attend classes. Three days later they are found when Michaela jumps onto the road, naked, in front of a car. They appear terrified, disoriented, battered and bruised.

They say they were carjacked and held by a sadistic gunman. But their story doesn't ring true and soon it unravels as a hoax. The two are charged criminally and Alex is ordered to do a psychological examination on Michaela. Alex can't put his finger on what is wrong with Michaela's story, but he knows there is much missing.

The case is closed and then reopened when Michaela is murdered. Then they discover that Dylan is missing. Alex and Milo begin their own hunt that takes them to people and places they'd rather not visit and thrusts them into past murders that seem connected to Michaela's death.

I believe that I am only one of a dozen or so people in the United States who have not previously read anything written by Jonathan Kellerman. I am shaking my head in disbelief, but also realize that has changed.

Kellerman writes a crisp, fascinating, fast-paced psychological thriller with twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages. His characters are interesting and some, like Milo Sturgis, are so loveable that the reader wants more and more of his character.

Armchair Interviews says: If you enjoy thrillers, Kellerman's Gone is an exciting read that drops the reader in the midst of the raw ugliness of Los Angeles and takes them on a breathtaking ride to its conclusion.