Jonathan Kellerman Books In Order

Publication Order of Alex Delaware Books

Publication Order of Petra Connor Books

Publication Order of Detective Jacob Lev Books

Publication Order of Clay Edison Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Alex Delaware Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Mysterious Profiles Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Biography of Jonathan Kellerman

Jonathan Kellerman is an award winning psychologist, author, teacher and researcher. He helped to pioneer the field of forensic psychology doing many years of research during his years at the USC School of Medicine. He is the author if the bestselling Alex Delaware series, and has been lauded by both mainstream critics and audiences, as well as the LGBT ( Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender ) community for creating a strong, anti-stereotypical gay character that is a proactive and strong character.

He is married to fellow crime novelist Faye Kellerman, has four children, one of which, Jesse Kellerman, is also a successful novelist. He lives with his family in the Beverly Hills section of Los Angeles.

About Jonathan Kellerman

Born in New York City in 1949, His Father was an aerospace engineer and his mother was a dancer. He grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, before a disastrous move to Queens and the families subsequent flight to Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of California Los Angeles, majoring in Psychology and graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology in the year 1971.

He worked his way through undergraduate school by working as a journalist, editor, and cartoonist. He went on to attend the University of Southern California, and earned his Ph.D. In Clinical Psychology in 1974. While externing and fulfilling his fellowship duties at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, he published numerous papers and researches, most famously on the effects that isolation has on children afflicted with autoimmune disorders and are forced to live in sterile environments, colloquially know as “bubbles”. The effect of the isolation on the mental and emotional development of children with cancer in these same environments were also studied.

Himself a survivor of thyroid cancer, this research was important to him on both a personal and professional level. While working as the founding director of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Hematology Oncology, he conducted research into the harmful effects of the aforementioned treatments and recommended alternative clinical treatment that would be less psychologically damaging to the patients emotional and mental well-being. This research drastically improved the quality of life for pediatric oncology patients and was lauded in the medical and psychological communities.

Early Writing and Fiction

Jonathan Kellerman’s first foray into publishing was a psychological studies entitled Savage Spawn:Reflections on Violent Children. It explored the psychopathology of children with personality disorders and the effects of treatment on children. His freshman attempt at writing fiction, When the Bough Breaks, was published in the year 1985 and was an instant success, quickly climbing the bestseller lists and even being adapted into a made-for-television movie.

It was the first novel to feature the character of Alex Delaware, and won both the Edgar and Anthony Award for Best First Novel in the year 1986. It spawned the series that Jonathan Kellerman has bee most well known for, though he has never stopped practicing psychology as a way to truly invest his characters with a depth and realism that is not often found in the genre.

Alex Delaware

Jonathan Kellerman’s most well known and widely read series, Alex Delaware is a forensic psychologist that works with the Los Angeles Police Department Homicide Division to assist in the analyzing and solution of cases. He is often paired with Milo Sturgis, a gay LAPD homicide detective, and this aspect of the series has been praised by mainstream critics and those from the LGBT community as being not only unabashedly realistic, but also the facet of the novel in which the character development is most evident.

The first appearance of Alex Delaware, When the Bough Breaks, features Delaware in retirement after working on a case of serial child molestation that ends in a tragic suicide in his private offices. He is convinced to come out of retirement by Detective Milo Sturgis top assist with the interview of a reluctant seven year old boy that may or may not have been witnessed a horrific crime. The novel was praised both for its complex relationships between the main characters, the rich plot weaving, technical detail, and fluidity of the prose. It won the Edgar and Anthony Awards for First Novel, and quickly reached the top of many bestseller list throughout the country.

Alex Delaware’s sophomore appearance, Blood Test, sees Delaware acting as consultant during a complicated and potentially hazardous divorce proceedings involving the custody of two children by their bipolar and dangerous father. Exploring themes of abandonment, personal responsibility, and the use of potentially dangerous quack cure for treating children, it also skyrocketed to the top of the bestseller lists, and further developed the relationships that were to become a key feature in the popularity if the series.

Work Outside of Alex Delaware

Jonathan Kellerman has co-written two novels with his wife, fellow crime novelist Faye Kellerman, with Double Homicide and Capital Crimes both reaching national bestseller list and showing the authors mastery of the subject matter. His non-fiction material is still sourced and referred to, with Helping the Fearful Child in (1981) still being used to combat mental instability and feelings of insecurity in children.

When not writing his fiction featuring Alex Delaware, researching or doing psychological studies, Jonathan Kellerman has an active interest in vintage guitars, and has even written a book on the subject, With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars in (2008). This book contains beautiful pictures and fascinating historical examples of some of the rarest and most sought after guitars in history.

Jonathan Kellerman’s unique perspective on the darker side of the human experience and his masterful control of the written word make him one of the most talented and exciting authors working today. He brings a gritty and realistic sense of life to the page, with his sometimes grotesque, sometimes sincere, but always interesting characters and life like scenarios that not only transport but also enlighten his readers. After working to find his name in print for more than 13 years, his prose has gone on to become some of the most thrilling and anticipated writers of the 21st century.

7 Responses to “Jonathan Kellerman”

1. Elene Maginnis: 2 months ago

   what happened to “Ophelia Speaks”? Did you withdraw it from publication? I was one of those girls that had a little bit of boy in my interests. It got me a good-paying and interesting job in the aerospace industry as an industrial engineer at the beginning of the computer era. “Ophelia” really made sense!

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   • Graeme: 2 months ago

     You wouldn’t be thinking of Ophelia Speaks by Sara Shandler would you? I can’t find any evidence of a book by Jonathan called that.

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2. Richard Mosley: 3 months ago

   BEING A DEVOUT LUDLUM FAN, I had looked for years for an author that could hold my interest and low and behold I have finally found “my new author” after many years of searching. I know I have to hurry now because I’m soon to be 84 yrs old and I have only read five books so far. Got two new ones in front of me right now. HAPPY HAPPY

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3. Becky: 6 months ago

   I started reading Jonathan Kellerman books when he wrote the first in the Alex Deleware series. In fact I have read each one several times! There are two things I truly dislike about this author…he doesn’t write fast enough and he has me spoiled so that I can find fault with every other author!

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4. Frances Cangialosi: 1 year ago

   I discovered Jonathan Kellerman when I spent five weeks in Mexico recouperating. I went to the local community center and they had one of his books on the shelf. It was Therapy. As a retired psychotherapist, it caught my eye. I’ve been buying his books and collecting them ever since including a first edition. I haven’t read all of them yet but I am retiring again (age 71) and going back to Mexico so I”m sure I’ll have time to read all the ones I haven’t read yet.

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5. Windchill: 6 years ago

   Jonathan Kellerman is my favorite author – I just discovered his books and am reading all of them in chronological order when possible.

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   • Mary Beth Thays: 2 years ago

     My therapist recomenneded Johnathan’s books. I am an RN but most interested in psychology. Read the first 3 Alex Deleware books in 3 weeks and now I a hunting the rest down. I am trying to read them in order. Many thanks for the great and exciting reading. I’ll let you know when I get to City of the Dead. God Bless.

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