Publishers Weekly
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Sleuthing psychologist Alex Delaware discovers that a respected scientist's offer of an expense-paid vacation is too good to be true. Kellerman's latest thriller spent 11 weeks on PW's bestseller list. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Library Journal
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Psychologist Alex Delaware, last seen in Bad Love (Audio Reviews, LJ 5/1/94), is invited by the famous but eccentric scientist William Moreland to organize years of medical paperwork in preparation for publication. When Delaware arrives at Moreland's estate on the tropical island of Aruk, there are immediate signs that all is not right. Unusual house guests, Moreland's dark and dangerous insectarium, and a particularly gruesome murder add to Delaware's unease. When another local is murdered, Delaware finds himself unwittingly thrust into a psychological and political maze that culminates in a discovery far beyond his wildest fears. Kellerman's ability to weave an intriguing story with tantalizing hints of horror and breathtaking suspense makes this an unforgettable tale that will be popular with the author's fans as well as general fiction listeners. Reader John Rubenstein's mastery of a variety of character voices, coupled with occasional ominous background music, makes this an entertaining program.-Susan McCaffrey, Legg Middle Sch. Lib., Coldwater, Mich. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This marks the tenth novel in Kellerman's series starring child psychologist Alex Delaware. Alex and his paramour Robin land on Aruk, a tiny Micronesian island, and unwittingly begin the vacation from hell. Alex has been invited by Dr. Moreland, the island's richest and most influential resident, to collaborate on a writing project. The eccentric Moreland, who keeps a zoo of large, creepy insects, seems literally to vanish after sunset, leaving Alex written clues based on the works of great thinkers. Alex learns of several unusual cases on Aruk, including a cannibalistic murder. Suddenly, Moreland's young protégé, Ben, is arrested for a similar grisly murder of a young woman. Are the doctors good guys or monsters? This outing lacks the pacing of others in the series, particularly Bad Love (LJ 10/15/93), but its intricate, sticky web of a plot surprises. For popular collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/95.]-Susan A. Zappia, Maricopa Cty. Lib. Dist., Phoenix (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Kellerman's done it again! Of course, to say that his latest will be a megahit is only to say that his name on the cover guarantees sales; in Kellerman's case, however, the name guarantees great reading as well. This time, the story has psychologist Alex Delaware and wife Robin traveling to a remote island in Micronesia, where Alex has been invited to help Dr. Bill Moreland organize his case files and write a series of articles on his research in the South Pacific. But the peaceful island paradise Alex and Robin expected isn't so peaceful after all. Shortly after the couple arrives, another guest of Dr. Bill's is killed in a suspicious plane crash, Robin and Alex find four giant, venomous Madagascar cockroaches in their room, two local women are violently murdered in suspiciously cannibalistic style, and Bill's protege is accused of the murders. Alex and Robin decide to bail out--they can find stress like this back home in L.A.--but Dr. Bill has other ideas. He's determined to reveal a shocking secret, and Alex and Robin are to be his special confidantes--whether they want to or not. An intriguing, keep-'em-guessing plot, Kellerman's usual mix of psychologically fascinating characters, a megadose of suspense, and that always reliable heartthrob, Dr. Alex Delaware, make this one a must-have for all mystery collections. (Reviewed Oct. 15, 1995)0553089218Emily Melton

Publishers Weekly
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His 11th adventure takes Southern California psychologist/sleuth Alex Delaware to a remote Pacific island where hidden evils of the past and present are gradually, harrowingly, brought to light. While his L.A. house is being renovated, Alex, his guitar-making lover, Robin Castagna, and their doted-upon French bulldog, Spike, depart Malibu (home base in the most recent Self-Defense) for a four-month stay on the island of Aruk, where Alex has agreed to help Bill Moreland, a doctor who has lived and worked there since the end of WWII, organize his decades' worth of notes. Aruk, not far from the Bikini atoll, has only the look of paradise. While sorting through Moreland's files, which are stored near the eccentric doctor's extensive spider ``zoo,'' Alex learns of the recent mutilation death of a young local woman, with its suggestions of cannibalistic ritual. Another Moreland guest dies while flying over the island's off-limits U.S. Navy base; a sleazy U.S. senator, once in the service with Moreland, visits the island on a base-closing mission. Then a second local woman is gruesomely murdered, and a member of Moreland's staff is charged with the crime. Adroitly blending arachnophilia and psychological suspense, Kellerman leads Alex and Robin through a maze of coded messages before they finally unearth Moreland's island secrets and the political wrongdoings linked to them. Series fans may miss LAPD detective Milo Sturgis as Alex abandons his beloved koi for reef-dwelling tropical fish, but loyal familiars and Kellerman newcomers alike will turn these pages compulsively. Major ad/promo. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved