Customer Reviews

The Web

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Of all the books that I have read of Kellerman this is the one that didn't interest me like the other one. It has some suspense in it but not as much as the others. But how Kellerman can keep something so well kept until it is the right time to say it is amazing. how in the end everything just comes together.
From day one Moreland seemed like he had many secrets and he liked to play games with using quotes which at the time didn't make sense. But once Alex confronts Moreland that's when it all just makes sense. What Moreland does is just awkward. But he means to do good even when it affects him, physically and mentally. overall it was a good book

"The Web" is Jonathon Kellerman's eleventh Alex Delaware novel wnd was first published in 1996. Delaware is a psychologist based in LA who earns his living as a consultant - largely working with the courts and the police. However, the action in this book largely takes place on a small island called Aruk.

Alex and his girlfriend, Robin, have been invited to Aruk by Dr Bill Moreland. Moreland, who has gathered a great deal of clinical data in his time on the island, wrote to Alex requesting his assistance in organising and analysing it. Moreland proposes working on the biological aspects of it, with Alex focusing on the psychological aspects. The benefits to Alex include a very nice salary for the duration of the research and, hopefully, joint authorship of a number of journal articles - or possibly even a book.

Aruk is officially part of the Mariana Commonwealth and a self-governing US territory. It is also a very divided island. Moreland lives on the island's leeward side, near Aruk town - the windward side is home to Stanton, a US naval base. The Navy has also blocked the southern beach road, after sailors were blamed by some for the murder of a local girl. This has caused some ill-feeling on the island and has also had a damaging effect on the island's economy. Unfortunately for the Aruk, it's not the last suspicious death the locals will see...

Moreland lives on a 700-acre estate which was originally built by the Japanese and used as their official headquarters when they controlled the island. McArthur forced them out during WW2 and established an American presence. Moreland bought the estate from the government when he left the Navy in 1963 - he had been stationed at Stanton himself. In fact, his former CO is now an influential senator and a possible presidential candidate. Part of the estate now includes Moreland's own `zoo' : the exhibits include a large collection of very unappealing arachnids and a ridiculously large and dangerous centipede. There is also a Banyan forest nearby, which was apparently laid with mines by the Japanese during the war. Alex and Robin aren't the only guests around the house; the others include Jo and Lyman Picker, both scientists. Jo, who works for the defense department, is the reason for their presence - she is on the island to study wind patterns. Lyman, a botanist who works for a wildlife organisation, is a bitter, arrogant and obnoxious man. Moreland's daughter, Pam, is also living there - she has only recently returned from Philadelphia following her divorce.

"The Web" is only the second book by Kellerman I've read - the other being "Flesh and Blood" - and I found this one much better and more credible. However, I wouldn't say it's perfect either. Delaware himself has a tendency to jump to conclusions, desperately clutching at straws in a bid to justify his position. His relationship with Robin is hard to take at times - they make an extremely cheesy couple and some of their conversations can be a little over-dramatic. There's also an occasional bout of pretension, with scientists apparently trying to sound intelligent in front of their peers. However, while I wouldn't call it a classic, it is an easily read and largely enjoyable read.

This is a crime story featuring Alex Delaware. In this story, Alex answers a request to help an old doctor in the South Seas organize some medical records for publication. Once Delaware arrives on the doctor's island, people start to die, and it's up to Delaware to pull together the clues of what's been happening and put an end to the deaths.

I found the story to be exceptionally preposterous as a murder/crime story. Kellerman seems to be writing from far beyond his experience, making up details and descriptions from his imagination rather than from fact or experience. One glaring example is when he has his main characters put on swim fins on the beach and then wander into the surf- -if you've ever tried this yourself, you probably still have the bruises to show for it, and won't forget to wait until you're well into the water to put the fins on next time you go snorkeling. Kellerman also manages to place McArthur at the battle of Saipan during World War II, among other gaffes. But worst is the entire premise of Delaware's trip to the island. Supposedly, Delaware, a psychologist who is notable enough to have stories printed about him in the popular press, receives a request to collaborate on a research and writing project with an unknown medical doctor who has lived on an obscure island in the South Pacific for years. The M.D. doesn't have any particular theories or hypotheses in mind that he is working on. Instead, he has some 40-50 years of unorganized records (from patients whom he has never sought consent to involve or use their records in a research project), and he expects Delaware to come out to the island and sort through the records on the off chance that there might be something worth publishing. This is the strangest notion I have ever read of how scientific collaboration operates- -obviously, Kellerman has never discussed scientific collaboration with any researcher friends that he might have. Much of the rest of the book runs at about the same level of quality and plausibility. The story itself takes a while to get laid out, but then picks up a bit through the second half and may hold the attention of determined readers.

Of all the books that I have read of Kellerman this is the one that didn't interest me like the other one. It has some suspense in it but not as much as the others. But how Kellerman can keep something so well kept until it is the right time to say it is amazing. how in the end everything just comes together.
From day one Moreland seemed like he had many secrets and he liked to play games with using quotes which at the time didn't make sense. But once Alex confronts Moreland that's when it all just makes sense. What Moreland does is just awkward. But he means to do good even when it affects him, physically and mentally. overall it was a good book

This is a worthwhile read to fill in time on a plane or somewhere. It is not a forget what's on TV, can't put down till the last page book but is a good read. Alex Delaware, his wife Robin and what they think is a dog, Spike are being kicked out of their LA rented home. Their own home will not be ready for a few months so a mysterious letter from Dr. Woodrow who lives on a small Pacific island offering Alex a few months of all accommodation expenses (Robin and Spike included) and high salary paying job for a couple months seems too good an opportunity to pass up.

At first the work seems pretty easy and the opportunities for recreation such as snorkelling quickly make Alex and Robin think they have made a pretty good decision. Giant spiders, insects, death and disgusting locals quickly make them question their decision as does bits of information Alex keeps discovering about their host and employer Dr. Woodrow. There is a cannibal serial killer living on the island and the town folk resent what is going on up in Knife Castle.

Needed another chapter at the end finalising the Ben character, as the situation is not answered involving him but apart from that, if this is a good price buy it.

This is an extremely quiet, moody book that builds interesting characters in an interesting setting, but doesn't allow much to happen to them. It was my first Kellerman book, and despite my 2-star review, it won't be my last. Ideally, I'd have given it 2.5 stars. It's better than two, but not up to three.

Don't read this book for the mystery. The story deals with an extremely shocking crime, but somehow, the answer to, "Who done it?" is a big, "Who cares?" I think the problem is that the shocking mystery has an extremely pedestrian solution, producing an imbalance between the murder and its solution. That imbalance-which you can sense coming 100 pages in advance--pulls most of the tension out of the plot.

Far more interesting are the book's sub-themes. Kellerman-presumably because of his psychological training-is an astute observer of the dysfunctional manners in which people often interact. And this book is full of dysfunctional relationships, ranging from an embattled couple to an oddly disengaged father/daughter relationship. All of this plays eventually into the finale, but I found watching these people in action to be much more interesting than wondering about what secrets they were hiding.

One note, though, struck badly-not falsely, but irritatingly, in a way I fear might be characteristic of the series. Kellerman's psychologist-detective, Alex, is always addressing other characters by their first names, as in: "I don't think I can do that, Bill," or "Why do you ask, Jo?" That type of first-name engagement helps the reader keep abreast of who's speaking, and it rings true for the psychologist character, but it feels very aggressive. It's as though Alex, by the false intimacy of calling everyone by their first names, is always trying to provoke them. Or maybe he's continuously "shrinking" them. Whatever the reason, after a while I wanted someone to stand up to Alex and make him stop doing it. Since he's otherwise one of the nicer-guy heroes in the detective genre, it's a particularly irritating habit.

This is not Kellerman's grand mastrpiece he was aiming for, but still a decent and enjoyable read! The premise is really original and could have been developed better, but hey cut him some slack! Some reviews out and out blasted him!

Somebody that has never tried writing a novel does not know the difficulty in doing such. People that just read for the pleasure of reading is fine, but the creative process is quite a grind!! So I allow a little lee-way when writing a review. It's not as easy as it looks by a long shot!!

Having said that, Kellerman hits and misses with this one. His characterization is first-rate, but the novel drags a little at times. The action is good and the ending comes fast and furious; our senses are almost overloaded with all the info thrown at us.

Kellerman may have been experiencing a tight deadline opr any number of things, but still worth the price of admission. I don't think Jon could write a truly "bad book" if he tried.

To the skeptics, try writing a novel. Better yet, try to get one published!

After reading Jonathon Kellerman's "Priviate Eyes" I got a good taste of what kind of wounderful books this man writes. But give me a break! Whatever happened to the psychological suspence that I adored in "Prviete Eyes"? I think Mr. Kellerman put a little twist into this book and went to a setting that not what most people were expecting.

Having just finished Over The Edge, I can't believe the same author wrote The Web. This book lacks the intensity and drive I've come to expect from Kellerman. I could not get into it and on page 40 or so still nothing of interest had happened. I kept skipping pages, hoping I would get to the "real" story soon, but I didn't. If you are a diehard Kellerman fan, by all means read this book, but don't expect to find the interesting relationship between Milo and Alex or any of the usual psychological intrigue because it's just not there.

I was leary of starting this book after reading the reviews on this web-site but I sailed right threw it. I found it a relaxing easy read. It is different then his other wonderful books but sometimes change is good. I didn't go into it thinking it was like his other books so I think that kept me from being the least bit disappointed. It was a little sci-fi but I handled it (I hate sci-fi). I enjoyed it and found it a relaxing read where as his other books keep you on constant pins and needles. I agree with the others on not starting out with this book. I would start with his first one of the series.