Dr. Death [Paperback]

Dr. Eldon Mate is known as "Dr. Death," because of his work in euthanasia. He calls his clients "travelers" and prepares them for their final trip. At the opening of the story, Dr. Mate is found mutilated and bound to his own apparatus, thus reinforcing the old adage of whoever lives by the sword, dies by the sword. It is up to Dr. Delaware and Detective Sturgis to crack this case.

Their list of suspects is quite long and any or all of them quite likely candidates. One real estate developer, seemingly devastated over the loss of his wife is a suspect. His children possibilities. The decedent's widow and son more possible suspects. An FBI agent with an agenda of his own and several "Angel of Mercy" killers in hospitals are being considered.

Kellerman takes his readers through some rough terrain to crack this case. He throws out some interesting symbols. For example, the name "Mate," can either mean "to reproduce," or it can be interpreted as the Spanish imperative form of "matar," to kill. A twisted artist paints a picture of Mate hooked up to his own machine with a second Mate figure preparing the traveler. Mate as traveler and travel agent -- this lends further support to the double edged sword of the name "Mate." Mate's widow is Latina, so it is possible Mate picked up some Spanish, including the Spanish meaning of the name "Mate."

This is a first rate mystery and thriller. Your spine will tingle throughout the book.

Once again Detective Milo Sturges enlists the aid of his old friend Dr. Alex Delaware to consult on a murder case and once again the pair become embroiled in a search for a killer. First off, they ask themselves, who might have had it in for the death doc? Perhaps family members of those he'd assisted into the great beyond. Perhaps the son he'd abandoned as a small child.

And to make matters more interesting, Alex is counseling Stacy and Eric Doss, the children of Joanne Doss, one of the death doctor's assisted suicides. Alex is a child psychologist, after all. Will this potential conflict of interest come between Alex and Milo? And did Doctor Death really do in Joanne, or had she been done by her hubby in a copycat killing?

As usual Kellerman had me glued to his words as I eagerly read on, dying to see what the next page had in store for me in this intriguing book that kept the suspense high right up until the surprise twist at the end.

I found it well-written, fun to read, riveting, and intelligent--albeit a tad confusing (I kept having to look back to make sure the suspects were who I remembered they were). I read it in a couple of days, and came away intent on reading the next in Kellerman's Alex Delaware series. Therefore, I was very surprised to see that this offering only earned an overall three-star rating from other reviewers. Yes, it's fast-paced, and therefore, the relationships Alex has with his wife Robin and even his friend Milo seem superficial, but that did not bother me overmuch. Some of the characters were fairly improbable, but these days, all I have to do is turn on Court TV to see the same types.

Having read so many, many books in this genre, some of them real stinkers, I think that's a low rating. But, as admitted above, I have not read any OTHER Kellermans, so compared with himself, he may not have done his best work here. I'll know when I read more of his work--and I definitely want to read more.