Monster (Jonathan Kellerman novel)
Encyclopedia
Monster is a psychological thriller
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...

 and murder mystery novel by Jonathan Kellerman
Jonathan Kellerman
Jonathan Kellerman is an American psychologist, and Edgar and Anthony Award winning author of numerous bestselling suspense novels....

. It is the fourteenth novel in the Alex Delaware
Alex Delaware
Alex Delaware is a literary character created by Jonathan Kellerman. The Alex Delaware detective series begins with When the Bough Breaks, published in 1985. Delaware appears in 23 of Kellerman's popular murder mysteries. Kellerman sets the series in Los Angeles...

 series.

Plot introduction

A mutilated body of a wannabe actor is found in the trunk of a car parked near an industrial area. Weeks later, another body appears in similar conditions at another location. This time it's a female psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

 doctor working in a state facility for psychotic criminals. One similarity of the mutilations was obvious. The eyes were targeted. The case goes to LAPD
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...

 detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...

 Milo Sturgis, assisted by Dr. Alex Delaware
Alex Delaware
Alex Delaware is a literary character created by Jonathan Kellerman. The Alex Delaware detective series begins with When the Bough Breaks, published in 1985. Delaware appears in 23 of Kellerman's popular murder mysteries. Kellerman sets the series in Los Angeles...

, an old friend and psychological consultant.

The two find out that the eye mutilation was infamously performed in the case of a family mass murder
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...

 some years ago, and the culprit is now in the same facility where the female doctor worked. The media had described him simply as a 'monster' following his arrest. Facing him, Milo and Alex find the 'monster' in a deteriorated condition locked within a highly secured cell. To add to the drama, the detectives get a tip-off that the killer, who hardly speaks, had said something that implied the doctor's mutilated eyes.

Characters

  • Dr. Alex Delaware
    Alex Delaware
    Alex Delaware is a literary character created by Jonathan Kellerman. The Alex Delaware detective series begins with When the Bough Breaks, published in 1985. Delaware appears in 23 of Kellerman's popular murder mysteries. Kellerman sets the series in Los Angeles...

    – psychologist
  • Milo Strugis – LAPD Detective
  • Richard Dada – first murder victim
  • Dr. Claire Argrent – second murder victim
  • Ardis Peake alias monster – prime suspect
  • Heidi Ott – employee in the facility for psychotic criminals
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