Blood Test (Alex Delaware series, Book 2): A spellbinding psychological crime novel

Little Woody Swope was gravely ill. Treatment was possible, if painful. But his parents, members of a bizarre sect called the Touchers, threatened to take him out of hospital. Then Woody was gone. So were the Swopes, leaving their motel suite heavily bloodstained. Enter Alex Delaware, child psychologist, young, burned out and semi-retired. He and his LA cop friend Milo find a heap of suspects - an ageing ex-hippy doctor; a back-country police chief; a male stripper; even Nona, Woody's sister, a flame-haired Lolita with hate in her eyes and larceny in her soul. But the truth was more bizarre than even Alex could have imagined... When a cancer patient Dr. Delaware was called in to evaluate disappears, he searches for answers in this thrilling second novel in the New York Times bestselling Alex Delaware series. Dr. Alexander Delaware, a child psychologist in Los Angeles, is called in to evaluate the case of a leukemia patient whose parents want to discontinue chemotherapy. When the boy disappears from the hospital and his parents are found dead, the only leads are the boy's sensual older sister and a holistic-meditative cult called The Touch. Delaware's search for the child takes him to a small town near the Mexican border where he finally unearths the dark secrets kept by the boy's family and the townspeople. He also uncovers drugs and group sex in the commune and survives a few harrowing attempts on his life. (Particularly well-drawn is a failed assassination at the tale's end, which has intriguing mythic echoes.) As in his praised first novel, When the Bough Breaks , Kellerman draws on his experience as a clinical psychologist to enrich and broaden his considerable storytelling talents. Imbued with a vivid sense of place and featuring a strong supporting cast, including Milo Sturgis, Delaware's burly gay detective friend, this second adventure points happily toward an Alex Delaware series. Doctors believe that they can successfully treat five-year-old cancer patient Woody Swope. But Woody's parents, members of a cult called "The Touchers", are not only refusing the treatment, they're also threatening to remove him from the hospital. Psychologist Alex Delaware is called in to talk the parents round. But before he can, the Swopes are gone and so is Woody 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 Delaware is faced with a family being torn apart by dark secrets in this terrifying and gripping thriller from Jonathan Kellerman, the master of psychological suspense I sat in the courtroom and watched Richard Moody get the bad news from the judge.