Part of Alex Delaware, book 12
First published 2002
The murder of fifteen-year-old Irit Carmeli shocks Los Angeles. The daughter of the Israeli consul lies dead, and psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware finds himself drawn into the investigation. Within days, two more young people are killed. Alex discovers the victims share one terrible connection: each had a disability. The killer seems to take pleasure in challenging the police while justifying murder in the name of science. Alex teams up with his friend Milo Sturgis from the LAPD and Inspector Daniel Shavari, the Israeli detective who previously solved serial murders. As the case grows darker, Alex realizes he must go undercover to expose a group of people who believe they represent an elite. They use pseudo-science to rationalize their brutal actions. Alex confronts a killer who combines cruelty with arrogance, someone obsessed with proving a twisted theory about human worth.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, enemies-to-allies, serial-killer
Setting: Israel, Los Angeles
Period: Contemporary
544 pages · Paperback · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: ableism, murder, violence