Blood Test

An Alex Delaware Novel

By: Jonathan Kellerman

Narrated by: Alexander Adams

It is a case unlike any psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware has ever encountered. Five-year-old Woody Swope is ill, but the real problem is his parents. They refuse to agree to the one treatment that could save this boy's life.

Alex sets out to convince Mr. and Mrs. Swope--only to find that the parents have left the hospital and taken their son with them. Worse, the sleazy motel room where the Swopes were staying is empty--except for the ominous bloodstain. The Swopes and their son have vanished into the sordid shadows of the city.

Now Alex and his friend, homocide detective Milo Sturgis, have no choice but to push the law to the breaking point. They've entered an amoral underworld where drugs, dreams, and sex are all for sale...where fantasies are fulfilled at any price--even at the cost of a young boy's life.

Critic reviews

"A suspenseful thriller whose solution lies in the darker recesses of the human soul." -- The Wall Street Journal

Decent mystery storyline, but . . .

I read this book in library hardcover years ago, and now whilst in #ShelterinPlace mode, I listened to the Audible version. At first, I didn’t have a problem, but as the book progressed, narrator’s voice-acting reminded me of a very-dated, hard-boiled detective book.

The mystery storyline is decent, but at first the book was depressing because of child cancer paired w the patient’s unlikable parents. I didn’t like the last third, because of the horrendous amount of child abuse, sexually deviant churchers, heavy drug use, bizarre botany experiments, and an unbelievable DEA-type action w a psychologist as the star. Mr. Kellerman has done much better.

Disappointed

I have not listen to one of Jonathan Kellerman’s books for quite a while. Apparently, if this is representative of his current books, I no longer care for his style. It was odd and distasteful.

Blood Test Grabs you and holds you until The End. Fast paced, and good story line.😬 Loved It.

Alex is still my favorite character. One of the only books my husband has read and even finished. He enjoyed plot, story, and finish. I would recommend this book to anyone and be proud of my choice.

A tad short

Honestly this entry in the Alex Delaware series is a bit weak in my opinion. I at first thought I had gotten an abridged version but it turns out this is just the shortest of the Alex Delaware mysteries. Short is not bad and you can tell an involved story in a nine hour mystery. However, this one felt extremely rushed in several places with some intuitive leaps on the part of the characters that make little sense. Milo Sturgis, a major character in the series, makes only brief appearances and the novel suffers from it as Milo and Alex tend to have excellent interplay. It also seemed that while Milo is pursuing a much darker and more disturbing crime it might also be a much more interesting story.

I feel like this novel needed a bit more time in editing and workshopping and while it has some interesting characters and moments its just not that strong. Kellerman has written better novels and you can skip this one in the series unless you're a completest.

2nd in series.

Nice book. Good story with plot twists that make you keep thinking. Second in series of Delaware novels! It’s fun “reading” them again!