Part of Alex Delaware, book 31
First published 2016
Psychologist Alex Delaware first meets Zelda Chase when he evaluates her five-year-old son Ovid. The beautiful TV actress is emotionally unstable, struggling with demons that eventually lead to a psychotic break. Years pass before Alex encounters Zelda again during her involuntary psychiatric commitment. Soon after her release, someone murders her on the grounds of a Bel Air mansion. Alex turns to LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis to help solve the case. The investigation becomes more urgent when Zelda's son Ovid disappears and other people from the same wealthy neighborhood vanish. Alex and Milo uncover a web of family corruption and betrayed innocence as they track the killer. The case forces Alex to examine the brutal realities behind Hollywood glamour, where shattered dreams and broken lives hide beneath the surface.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Bel Air, LAPD, Los Angeles
Period: Present Day
386 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: mental-illness, murder, violence