Review of "The Ghost Orchid: An Alex Delaware Mystery" by Jonathan Kellerman

In this 39th book in the 'Alex Delaware' series, the psychologist Alex Delaware helps his friend, LAPD detective Milo Sturgis, investigate a double murder in an upscale Los Angeles neighborhood. 

The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a plus. 

*****

Gio Aggiunta and Meagin March are preparing for a little illicit poolside nooky at Gio's ritzy Los Angeles home when someone shoots them both dead.



LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis......



.....and psychologist Alex Delaware, who consults for the LAPD, examine the crime scene and determine this was a premeditated murder, not a robbery gone wrong.



Looking into the background of the victims, the investigators learn that 29-year-old Gio Aggiunta was (nominally) an executive at the Aggiunta luxury shoe company, but Gio actually did no work. The Aggiunta family supported Gio, and paid for everything in his playboy lifestyle.



Gio's lover, 42-year-old Meagin March, was a nouveau-rich (by marriage) playgirl.



Meagin was wed to millionaire executive Douglass March, who claims he didn't know his wife was having an affair. Moreover, Douglass was out of town on the day of the murders. So unless Douglass ordered a killing-for-hire, Milo and Alex have to look for other suspects.



Milo and Alex proceed to interview people who knew the victims, and they learn that Gio has been dating 'older women' for years, ever since he was jilted by an 18-year-old girl. Gio has had many lovers, some of them married, so this seems like a rich suspect pool.



A deep dive into Meagin's history reveals that she's used many different names in the past, and was struggling financially until she married rich-boy Douglass March.



Alex and Milo use the backstories of Gio and Meagin to try to determine who was the primary victim and who was collateral damage. The investigators go back and forth about this until another murder occurs, which points them in the right direction.

Meanwhile, psychologist Alex - whose day job is consulting on court cases involving children - agrees to interview an adopted boy whose parents are divorcing. It seems neither parent wants custody of the child, which leaves Alex (and the judge) with a difficult dilemma.



As always in this series, Alex spends time with his girlfriend Robin and their cute French bulldog Blanche;



and Milo eats a lot, often raiding Alex and Robin's refrigerator for sustenance.



The earlier books in the Alex Delaware series, with perpetrators who were weird psychopaths, were more interesting in my opinion. Still, readers familiar with the Alex Delaware novels know what to expect, and this is an enjoyable suspense story.

Rating: 3 stars