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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780345458834
ISBN number: 0345458834
Label: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 528
Printing Date: October 01, 2002
Publishing house: Ballantine Books
Release Date: October 01, 2002
Sale Popularity Level: 11802
Studio: Ballantine Books
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Dr. Alex Delaware doesn t see many private patients anymore, but the young woman called Lucy is an exception. So is her dream. Lucy Lowell is referred to Alex by Los Angeles police detective Milo Sturgis. A juror at the agonizing trial of a serial killer, Lucy survived the trauma only to be tormented by a recurring nightmare: a young child in the forest at night, watching a strange and furtive act.
Now Lucy s dream is starting to disrupt her waking life, and Alex is concerned. The power of the dream, its grip on Lucy s emotions, suggests to him that it may be more than a nightmare. It may be the repressed childhood memory of something very real. Something like murder.
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Rated by buyers 
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One of Kellerman's better books in his Alex Delaware/Milo Sturgis series (Book 9 out of 22 - to date). The narrator of this audiobook version, Alexander Adams, is very good. The plot has many twists and turns, as well as a largely interesting cast of dysfunctional characters. Milo Sturgis is further fleshed out through his friendship with Lucy Lowell. He befriends Lucy after she serves as a juror for the trial of a vicious murderer. The trial causes Lucy to develop nightmares. These turn out to be repressed 21-year old memories of the burial of a young woman which she witnessed at age 4. Milo, of course, refers Lucy to his psychologist friend Alex Delaware. Delaware does more detective work than psychotherapy, inevitably nearly getting himself and his patient killed, but for Milo. Nonetheless, Delaware does unravel the mystery to a satisfying conclusion. Kellerman's use of hypnosis on Lucy is a weak point, but keeping Delaware's stick figure girlfriend, Robin, in the background a plus. She rarely adds anything to this series. Fans of Kellerman's Delaware/Sturgis series will like it, as well as other fans of the genre. I purchased this book from [...]. The unabridged version is 11 hours and 45 minutes in length.
Rated by buyers 
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Psychologist Alex Delaware takes on a new patient when a policeman friend refers him to a young woman who served on the jury of a serial murderer's trial. Lucy Lowell has been having a recurring dream wherein she is four years old, in the woods, watching three men carry a young woman who appears to be sleeping. When Lucy also starts sleepwalking, she goes to visit Dr. Delaware, who begins investigating the events in the dream.
Lucy's father is M. Bayard Lowell, a celebrated author turned recluse when his well of talent dried up. Once, his books were required reading in high schools, but his last published piece was a critically savaged flop. He found a patron and started an artists and writers' retreat called Sanctum, where the spirit of free love reigned supreme in the 1970s. Now, it is rundown and all but abandoned, and the once Great Man is a shriveled, incontinent cripple. Lucy denies ever having been to Sanctum, but her older half brother Ken remembers a summer when all four of Lowell's children from both of his marriages were there.
Dr. Delaware starts investigating missing young women from the same summer Lucy was at Sanctum and uncovers one missing Karen Best, who had been working as a waitress at a restaurant only a few miles from Sanctum. Delaware realizes he's raising old ghosts from his investigation and a lot more than one body has piled up over the years. People disappear when they get involved in the disappearance of Karen Best. Dr. Delaware uncovers an intricate web of betrayal and deceit that could very well take him down with it.
Though it moved at a methodical, plodding pace, the story was intriguing enough to hold my interest. I wanted to know what happened to Karen Best. In the end, her disappearance wound up having unexpected circumstances that got a bit muddled in the convoluted ending. Another detraction was the smug arrogance of Dr. Delaware, who apparently believes he alone knows how Lucy should deal with the hand life dealt her, and her only way of going on is under his care. He also seems rather offhand with the woman in his own life and their dog, which did not make me warm to him any further. It is, however, possible to ignore these details, and some prefer a slow-paced mystery to savor. I could be persuaded to read another Alex Delaware novel, but I won't strain myself to do so.
Rated by buyers -
Self-Defense by Jonathan Kellerman is yet another solid mystery tale, loaded with psychological profiles. Alex the psychologist is asked by friend Milo, the gay detective, to help a woman he has befriended. This part of the story is particularly well done, showing Milo as the protective male. Lucy, the patient has lots of problems, but what makes her a unique character is that she bought none of the problems on her self. Her father and those he's associated with are aging men who illustrate the dark side of the hippie movement. They each used the sentiment of the times to exploit those around them and what Alex learns from Lucy's therapy sessions lead him to believe they are involved in a twenty year old murder. Finding out who died, and how, leads Alex and Milo on a trail peppered with unusual characters as they uncover long buried truths. Definately a good read.
Rated by buyers 
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I am a big fan of Jonathan Kellerman. And, I have read nearly
every one of his books. They are always a complicated journey of
twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. And, some
sadness at the end because you have to wait some time for his next
book. All of his books are top-notched. Big recommendation!!!!
Rated by buyers -
Jonathan Kellerman once again draws us quickly into the world of Child Psychiatrist Alex Delaware and Detective friend Milo Sturgis. A former patient has trouble sleeping due to a recurring nightmare that may or may not be based on suppressed memories.
Once again the whodunit is a well kept secret and finding the answer means twists and turns that keep you guessing. Self Defense is another hit from Kellerman, whose Alex Delaware series are all must-reads for anyone who likes the mystery genre.
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