Amateur sleuths
While not uncommon for offspring to follow in their parents’ footsteps, it is unusual in the literary field. The sons and daughters of authors are either uninspired or uninterested in taking up the quill. Hence, exceptions stand out (Alexandre Dumas père and fils.)
In contemporary America the Kellerman family stands out: dad, Jonathan; wife, Faye; son, Jesse. Jonathan is the most popular of the trio, mainly because of his literary creation Dr Alex Delaware, based on himself.
The venue of their plots is in and around Los Angeles, paying an occasional visit to Las Vegas. All are into crime thrillers. In Crime Scene, by Jonathan and Jesse, the sleuths aren’t carryover dicks but new ones — unlikely, I think, to be used again. Amateurs with little merit.
A retired psychology professor, Dr Renner has been found dead in his home, a bullet to the heart, a half-empty bottle of whisky nearby.
Suicide to the police, murder to his daughter. Tatana’s objections are picked up by some of his friends and colleagues.
No one more so than assistant coroner Clay Edison. None has law-enforcement training, but they proceed to investigate. The most likely suspect is a huge hunk of a man. Treller is mentally challenged and claims to have been the late doctor’s friend. But why does he have a gun?
For over 400 pages they find people and ask questions. Such as the receptionist of his private practice. To be sure, Renner had secrets and was a complex man. To their credit, the authors don’t throw in drugs, the CIA or terrorists or bombs going off.
The twist isn’t a big shocker.
With a half-hundred novels over the years, the Kellermans know how to write smoothly. Crime Scene isn’t a psychological brain-buster. Fans of the family can get through it in several hours.
A number of their books have been adapted for the big screen. This reviewer doesn’t think this one will be, but I can’t read cinemoguls’ minds.