'On a slow chilly Sunday in January, shortly after the Lakers overcame a sixteen point halftime deficit and beat New Jersey, I got a call from a murderer.'
Eight years ago, psychologist Alex Delaware evaluated two teenage boys charged with the shocking murder of young Kristal Malley. Now one of the killers is out of prison - and wants to meet up with Alex. But by the time the pair do come face to face again, one of them is dead. Was Rand Duchay just another victim of an LA street crime? Or is something more sinister going on here? Alex and Detective Milo Sturgis mean to find out. To do so, they will follow a trail of blood that will lead them to the depths of cruelty - and straight to the heart of murderous betrayal.
Extract from Rage by Jonathan Kellerman.
On a slow, chilly Saturday in December, shortly after the Lakers overcame a sixteen-point halftime deficit and beat New Jersey, I got a call from a murderer.
I hadn’t watched basketball since college, had returned to it because I was working at developing my leisure skills. The woman in my life was visiting her grandmother in Connecticut, the woman who used to be in my life was living in Seattle with her new guy - temporarily, she claimed, as if I had a right to care – and my caseload had just abated.
Three court cases in two months: two child-custody disputes, one relatively benign, the other nightmarish; and an injury consult on a fifteen-year-old girl who’d lost a hand in a car crash. Now all the papers were filed and I was ready for a week or two of nothing.
I’d downed a couple of beers during the game and was nearly dozing on my living room sofa. The distinctive squawk of the business phone roused me. Generally, I let my service pick up. Why I answered, I still can’t say.
“Dr. Delaware?”
I didn’t recognise his voice. Eight years had passed.
“Speaking. Who’s this?”
“Rand.”
Now I remembered. The same slurred voice deepened to a man’s baritone. By now he’d be a man. Some kind of man.
“Where are you calling from, Rand?”
“I’m out.”
“Out of the C.Y.A.”
“I, uh… yeah, I finished.”
As if it had been a course of study. Maybe it had been. “When?”
“Coupla weeks.”
What could I say? Congratulations? God help us?
“What’s on your mind, Rand?”
“Could I, uh, talk to you?”
“Go ahead.”
“Uh, not this… like talk… for real.”
“In person.”
“Yeah.”
The living room windows were dark. Six forty-five p.m. “What do you want to talk about, Rand?”
“Uh, it would be… I’m kinda…”
“What’s on your mind, Rand?”
No answer.
“Is it something about Kristal?”
“Ye-ah.” His voice broke and bisected the word.
“Where are you calling from?” I said.
“Not far from you.”
My home office was unlisted. How do you know where I live?
I said, “I’ll come to you, Rand. Where are you?”
“Uh, I think… Westwood.”
“Westwood Village?”
“I think… lemme see…” I heard a clang as the phone dropped. Phone on a cord, traffic in the background. A pay booth. He was off the line for over a minute.
“It says Westwood. There’s this big uh, a mall. With this bridge across.”
A mall. Westside Pavilion?”
“I guess.”
Two miles south of the village. Comfortable distance from my house in the Glen. “Where in the mall are you?”
“Uh, I’m not in there. I kin see it across the street. There’s a… I think it says Pizza. Two z’s… yeah, pizza.”
Eight years and he could barely read. So much for rehab.
It took awhile but I got the approximate location: Westwood Boulevard, just north of Pico, east side of the street, a green and white and red sign shaped like a boot.
“I’ll be there in fifteen, twenty minutes, Rand. Anything you want to tell me now?”
“Uh, I… can we meet at the pizza place?”
“You hungry?”
“I ate breakfast.”
“It’s dinnertime.”
“I guess.”
“See you in twenty.”
“Okay… thanks.”
“You sure there’s nothing you want to tell me before you see me?”
“Like what?”
“Anything at all.”
More traffic noise. Time stretched.
“Rand?”
“I’m not a bad person.”
Jonathan Kellerman - Under Interrogation
What was the first crime novel you ever read?
Probably an Agatha Christie when I was eleven or so. Before that, stories by Poe, Verne, etc. I guess The Count of Monte Cristo can be considered a crime novel, as well.
Who is your favourite crime writer?
Ross McDonald. But I admire many.
Which crime novel do you wish you’d written?
The Chill.
Why did you choose to write crime fiction?
All good fiction features suspense – propelling the reader through the story. Crime fiction features a crime as the catalyst but the elements of a good novel need to be there as well: characterization, pace, story, graceful, novel use of language. Due to my background as a psychologist, I found that crime novels dealt with life and death themes that intrigued me. The angst of the upper-middle class doesn’t interest me much.
Has any thriller ever made you sleep with the lights on?
When I wrote THE BUTCHER’S THEATRE, I was pretty edgy.
If you were stranded on a desert island – which fictional character would you most want to be stranded with and why?
At the risk of getting in trouble with my wife, Emma Peel would be okay. Need I say more?
If you had to compare your books to any author, who would it be?
I see myself as a second-generation Southern California hardboiled writer – the fist being McDonald, Chandler, et al. Steven King says I reinvented the detective novel. Perhaps he was being kind, but I’d like to think I’ve contributed something unique to the field.
When you begin – do you already know the end?
Yes. But I change lots of things along the way.
What is the most outlandish plot idea you’ve come up with – and did it become a book?
Oh, I’ve got so many. Some have found their way into novels, others are on the drawing board.
What are you working on at the moment?
An Alex Delaware novel titled OBSESSION. Not just a whodunit, not just a whydunit. A didit.
And now for some quick fire questions:
First person or third person?
Both.
US or UK?
Both
Marple or Morse?
Morse
Amateur sleuth or DCI?
DCI
Paperback or hardback?
Hardback
Past or present?
Present
Series or stand-alone?
Both
Chandler or Hammett?
Chandler
Please give your top three crime writing tips:
1) Live life to the fullest and be curious
2) Write, make no excuses.
3) Write some more. Rewrite
You Ask The Questions – Jonathan Kellerman, author of Rage, answers your questions.
Are you inspired by true crimes? Lindsey, Wigan
It’s never a one-to-one correspondence. I do try to familiarize myself with the realities of crime so that the novels are authentic. During my years as a psychologist I did have occasion to have contact with the criminal justice system and that helped inform the books, as well.
I love Spike! Do you have a dog of your own?? Hannah, Edinburgh
I’ve had several dogs – we’re big dog people. Spike was based loosely on our French Bulldog, Archie, who passed away last year, age 12.5, after a rather indulged life. Perfect health until the week before he developed hemangiosarcoma and slipped away painlessly. I also lost my 150 lb. Sicilian Mastiff, Donna. We are down to our 16yr plust Papillon, Dreamy. Blind, deaf, senile, but quite content.
At what age did you start writing? And what was the first piece of fiction you ever wrote? Caroline, Blackburn
I began writing rather compulsively when I was nine. I published humorous columns in the campus newspaper while at university. My first short story was published in the 70’s, my first novel in 1985.
Why did you choose Los Angeles as the setting for your novels? I've never been but I feel I know the streets from your novels! Syed, London
I’ve lived in L.A. for most of my life and love the city. It’s probably no coincidence that many of the finest American crime novels have been set here. L.A.’s somewhat of a third world nation, with huge disparities between the haves and the have-nots. That, of course, leads to tension. Which can lead to crime. Also, the great weather means more opportunities to get into trouble. Even criminals stay in when the air gets too frigid.
What is the best thing and the worst thing about being a crime writer? Jason, Amboise, France
Nothing bad that I can think of. You won’t hear me going on about the rough life of the writer. This is a terrific job that beats honest labor any day of the week.
If a film was going to be made out of one of your books, who would you ideally want to play Alex, Milo and Robin? Paula, Loughborough
I’ve never really thought about that because the characters seem like real people to me and any actor would be a substitution.
Your wife is also a crime writer. Do you ever discuss your plots? Sarah, Aberdeen
We tend to remain private about our books but we will each happen upon a newspaper item or such and tell the other, “This would be good for you.”
Why do you choose to write in the first person? Elizabeth, Oxford
I was influenced by the hard-boiled detective novels of the previous generation – Macdonald, Chander, etc, and admired the immediacy created by first-person. Since my books tend to feature a lot of internal thought, first person seems right. The non-Delaware novels have been written in third-person, mostly so I could stretch and in order to feature multiple points of view.
Do you read any British crime writers? Andrew, Bristol
Oh, sure. John Harvey, Ruth Rendell, P.D. James. And of course, Arthur Conan Doyle. I’m a big fan of the British crime novel.
I heard your next novel is called Gone. What’s it about? Sophie, London
GONE is about beautiful people disappearing – would-be actors, etc. In addition to being (I hope) a fast-paced crime novel, it says something about the desire for notoriety and where that can lead.
As one of the world's most popular authors Jonathan Kellerman expertly combines page-turning plots that grab you by the throat, with psychological insight and vivid characterisation. From the master of psychological thriller writing comes a compelling new novel featuring psychologist Alex Delaware. Jonathan explains more…
Like Alex, you worked in clinical psychology for a number of years. So how much of him is in you?
Alex is thinner, younger, handsomer, and braver than I am. He’s a single guy who lives up in the hills and can’t seem to settle down with one woman. I’ve been married for 33 years, have 4 kids, and live on flat land. He’s probably a bit more serious than I am. And, of course, he’s a lot more sensitive because I get to rewrite his dialogue.
When did you decide to give up your practice to become a full-time writer?
I enjoyed child clinical psychology and tried to work both jobs, but the demands were incompatible – as a psychologist I needed to be in town to meet patients’ needs. At the same time, publishers were asking me to do long book tours. Eventually, something had to give and, after practicing psychology for 15 years, I decided to give full-time writing a try. I took 2 years to finish with all my patients – easing out, rather than terminating prematurely. I continue to read up in the field and to do a bit of teaching at the doctoral level, but I haven’t seen patients since 1990 or so.
Critics often comment on how strong and rounded your characters are – even the subsidiary ones – do you think your background in psychology has helped you develop your characterisation?
Obviously, I’d never write about a real patient because of ethical issues. However, I do believe that having witnessed the human condition in a variety of settings has helped me in that regard. Or perhaps I chose psychology and writing because of a deep curiosity about human behaviour. The difference, of course, is that psychology, like any other science, attempts to construct rules. Fiction, on the other hand, deals with the exceptions. And in the case of crime fiction, some rather nasty exceptions.
In Rage we see how easily innocence can be manipulated and corrupted. Is this a theme close to your heart?
That and the tragedies that arise in the present when one fails to deal with the past.
Los Angeles, in all its different forms, is so vivid in your novels it’s almost a character in its own right. What is it about that city that inspires you?
L.A. is basically a Third World nation, with extreme discrepancies between the haves and the have-nots. It’s also a company town dominated by the film business – an “industry” whose product is fantasy. Toss in temperate weather, and so many opportunities for mischief abound. First-class fodder for a crime novelist. It’s no coincidence that many of the greatest American crime novels have been set here.
Which authors do you enjoy reading and do you have a favourite book?
I hesitate to list favourite authors because I admire so many other writers and unintentional omissions are inevitable. Writers of a previous generation whom I like include James T. Farrell, Dumas, Hugo, Dickens, Ross McDonald, Jim Thompson, and many of the lesser known “hard-boiled” crime novelists. On a more contemporary level, Ruth Rendell is an astonishing talent, as is my wife, Faye Kellerman. James Lee Burke and John Harvey imbue their books with tremendous emotional depth. The list could go on and on. I should add that mostly I read non-fiction because I’m curious about a wide range of topics.
Can you give us a taste of what your next novel will be about?
I hate to talk about my novels – past, present or future – because I feel the books speak for themselves. Having said that, Gone deals with the buying and selling of image, the frantic striving for notoriety at all costs that can produce dire consequences, and some of the most twisted psychopaths I’ve ever depicted.
For more information please contact Becke Parker on 020 7010 3259 / becke.parker@uk.penguingroup.com
