Rating: 
Summary: Not Kellerman's Best
Review: "Billy Straight is Kellerman's best work yet. An engrossing tale in lean, straightforward prose," says Kirkus Reviews. Twelve-year-old Billy Straight lives in a trailer park with an alcoholic mom and a scumbag biker, Moron, who beats Billy and Mom. Tiring of abuse, Billy runs away to Los Angeles and become a homeless kid, sleeping in a park. One night, a car stops near his hideaway. A man and woman get out and talk for a few minutes. Suddenly, the man starts slashing and stabbing her. Twenty-four wounds. Though Billy can't see a face, but does memorize the license plate, PLYR 1. The car belongs to TV star and celebrity, Cart Ramsey, and the murdered woman is his ex-wife, Lisa. Investigating is Petra Connor, a Los Angeles homicide detective. Through a series of small clues, she discovers that an unknown boy watched the murder, but has no clue where to find him. Lisa's father offers a $25,000 reward for Billy's capture and now all of Los Angeles searches for him. He's in a quandary; fears the police and afraid the killer will find him. Kellerman slips in enough red herrings that I didn't know who the bad guy was until the climatic ending. His writing style is unique; first person from Billy's viewpoint and third person with other characters. I enjoyed that. The characters are well developed, scenes descriptive, but the plot plods right along (you're right, I said plod). This novel barely held my attention, though the ending was thrilling and ended on a high note. Take heart, Kellerman fans, Billy Straight enjoyed eight weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list, so guess I'm a maverick on this review. To show you that I'm not the only dissenter, "Entertainment Weekly" said, "This ambitious new novel by an old pro lacks the gritty feel of Hollywood sleaze that writers like Elmore Leonard live and breathe. . .In the end, the busy but thin plot can't shake the underlying saccharine tone. Billy's surname says it all." Kellerman has authored twelve Alex Delaware novels, including, When the Bough Breaks, Devils Waltz, and Survival of the Fittest. His wife, Faye Kellerman, is also a novelist. (Harry Odum is a published author and president of The Literary Review Service)
Rating: 
Summary: Murder/ cruelty/ pathos/a 12 yr. old & Petra Connor
Review: Want to find out about Kellerman's newest sleuth? Pick up this book and enter the terrifying world of a runaway boy who has witnessed a murder. I disagree with a lot of statements in the reviews I have read. First of all, it is not a refreshing change from Alex Delaware. That implies that I am tired of Alex Delaware. I have read all Kellerman's novels and could read about Delaware constantly. It is altogether different from his former novels - so it IS a change and a cleverly woven mystery that wins my applause. That Kellerman can just change his tack and produce as equally scintillating a mystery as he ever has is mind boggling to me. Petra Conner IS refreshing, different, not all brain, not all beauty but an astonishing mixture of both. Her thought processes in solving the many involved aspects of this mystery are fascinating to follow. And Billy Straight is right behind her. He is an intelligent, moral kid whose background does nothing to help him become a survivor, but somehow he manages his day to day life in a scary adult world. His character is very believable - if one is a survivor his/herself and Kellerman has a very good handle on that. A terrific read - no, the killer is not obvious - you just THINK you know. And the end is slam-bang! Kellerman is the consummate writer. I particularly am impressed, in all his novels, by the desciptions of people, places and things. He does it in such a way that you do not realize it - and suddenly the entire picture is in your mind-down to the color of a man's tie and the shape of flowers on the hillside. How interesting that he managed to insert Alex and Milo in between the cracks of his new mystery. I am curious if they will all be together one of these days. All of his books are great- I have already ordered his next book on Delaware: MONSTER - but I am looking forward to more of Petra Connor. Kudos to Kellerman for giving something different a try - and SUCCEEDING!
Rating:
Summary: Super Thriller by a Superb Writer
Review: Spunky twelve-year-old Billy Straight is a runaway managing to survive in L.A.'s Griffith Park. Billy is a remarkable boy who ran away from an abusive home life in a mobile home. He spends his time sneaking into libraries to read and planning and plotting how he'll get an education and get along in the world. Then he unexpectedly witnesses a brutal murder. He decides not to reveal what he has seen for fear he will be returned to the trailer with his alcoholic mother and her brutal boyfriend. Los Angeles homicide detective Petra Connor is the lead detective on what turns out to be a high profile murder case. The victim, Lisa Lee Ramsey, is the gorgeous ex-wife of a prominent TV actor, Cart Ramsey, who stars in the syndicated TV detective show "The Adjuster." The investigation takes a lot of delving behind the scenes of the precarious, competitive, sometimes sleazy world of television and the police administration is terrified of a media circus. Petra is told to solve the killing quietly and quickly, but while she is trying to do just that Billy is being pursued by a pair of wackos in the park who scare him into hiding. Then a media slip reveals there has been a witness to the murder and he is in deep trouble. BILLY STRAIGHT, a solid mystery adventure loaded with suspense and good, old fashioned police work. It's a super way to while away a quiet evening by the fire.
Rating: 
Summary: Great read! Can't wait for further developments.
Review: While I still love Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, I was really kind of glad that he brought out some new characters. At first, I didn't much care for Petra but as time wore on, I found myself warming up to her. (Note to Jonathan: next book, I'd like to see her self-confidence boosted from solving this one!) Billy Straight. I really found myself rooting for him! (Guess I was supposed to, huh?) I expect to see a lot more of him in future books. Perhaps teaming up with Alex and giving him a teen's perspective on whatever they're working on and maybe following in Alex's or Petra's footsteps. There's a lot of potential here! Great ending. Throughout the book, I found myself flip-flopping from one suspect back to the other, trying to cipher little clues which would reveal the culprit. Then WHAM! Keep it up. Don't retire Alex, but bring back Petra and Billy!
Rating:
Summary: The best Jonathan Kellerman book yet, don't miss
Review: I have read all of J. Kellerman's books, but was getting a little bored with the same characters, even though they were very likable. In Billy Straight, I loved the new characters, especially Petra Connors, the homicide policewoman. I identified with her character and loved the partnership she had, I hope she is back in his next book. Also loved how a little bit of romance was included along with other great side characters. I loved Billy, and disagree with other reviewers, that he was to good to be true. In alot of cases, kids that come from alcoholic backgrounds, are very much the adult and very intelligent, because they have to grow up sooner than most. I even wrote Mr. Kellerman telling him how much I enjoyed this book, and hope this is a start of a new series, and still has cameos with Alex Delaware. The story itself was very suspenful and I loved the subject matter. Read like something right out of the news. Mr. Kellerman, please bring these characters back, its the start of a good thing!
Rating:
Summary: Billy Straight
Review: Billy Straight is a thrilling, story that manages to carry two plots at once. Its about a 12 year old boy that runs away from his abusive home to the streets of L.A.. During one of these homeless nights in a L.A. park he witnesses the murder of women. The books turns in to a man hunt to find the killer of Lisa Ramsey, and the search for Billy Straight. The women murdered happens to be the ex-wife of a television celebrity, with a history of abuse. Billy soon come to the center of attention in the media, and begins to run for his life. This book will catch your attention at page one and keep you hooked till the end.
Rating:
Summary: A First Rate Page Turner from Jonathan Kellerman
Review: When the ex-wife of TV star Cart Ramsey is found stabbed to death in the parking lot of Griffith Park, Detective Petra Conner is called on to investigate the case. It doesn't take long for her and her partner Stu Bishop to focus on the actor, as the dead woman had accused him of abuse during the past. O.J. is on everybody's mind. The powers that be don't want to go through that again. They find that there was probably a witness to the murder, twelve-year-old Billy Straight, a runaway who had been living in the park. When the victim's parent's offer a reward for him, Petra realizes the boy in danger, because now the killer will be looking for him as well. BILLY STRAIGHT is a page-turner of the first order and though some Kellerman fans might be disappointed that it's not an Alex Deleware novel, they shouldn't be, because this novel is as good, if not better than anything Kellerman has ever done. Review Submitted by Captain Katie Osborne
Rating:
Summary: Pleasing and proficient thriller
Review: Billy Straight is a 12 year old homeless person ,living on the streets and in the open spaces of Los Angeles .He is escaping an abusive homelife with a feckless mother and her numbskull boyfriend. Billy witnesses a murder ,and the book then becomes essentially a tale of two hunts.The hunt for the killer of Lisa Ramsey ,under the leadership of LA detective Petra Connor ,and there are two principal suspects--her former husband ,the TV star Cart Ramsey and his business manager ,Greg Baulch.Then there is the search for Billy ,a srearch involving the killer ,the boy friend , the police and others after the reward posted for information on the killing.The case is not solved until there have been further killings and some narrow escapes for Billy. Kellerman is a big seller with a loyal readership and has not achieved these feats without being able to produce page turners of some quality .The book is strong on narrative and there is a good depth of characterization not to mention some sharp criticism of police bureaucracy and the way in which fear of publicity in potential high profile cases can retard a police investigation.The juggling of the two searches is dexterously handled
My only real reservation is an old bugbear of mine -excessive length .The book runs nearer 600 pages than 500 and much of this is due to what strikes me as padding --for instance ,the domestic worries of Petra's partner contributes nothing to the evolution of the plot and merely serves to slow proceedings down. Good solid read and fans of the regular series character Alex Delaware may like to know he makes a cameo appearance in the last chapter
Rating: 
Summary: Too Many Plot Holes to Recommend
Review: I thought the premise of this novel sounded similar to Grisham's, The Client but I thought maybe Kellerman could craft a better novel out of the intriguing premise. Unfortunately, this novel, although much better written than The Client, covered much of the same territory and had many of the same shortcomings as that book. Billy Straight the character was well written and was by far the most believable character in the novel. Unfortunately, the murderer, whose thoughts and crimes become increasingly unbelievable made some deductions and guesses that put the Psychic Hotline to shame.The ending of the novel was so far fetched and improbable you'll be glad that you can move on to another author say Harlen Corben or Jeffrey Deaver who really know how to close the deal.
Rating:
Summary: Has potential but falls flat
Review: Fine writing style, quite creative really, with good character development. But the story was a bit weak. The situations and resolutions were a bit too convenient. Flipping back and forth between the sub plots was ok, but they didn't cohere very well. Billy Staight's situation had little contribution in the end. The Ramsey investigation was small. What did Stu's character have to do with anything other than an attempt to show a considerate, domestic side of Petra. I really expected Stu to play a major role but he became unnecessary to the story. So some of the sub plots went nowhere. The Grandmother? Overall there was some real potential with this book but too many loose ends and lack of build up. However, I am really looking forward to starting on the Alex Delaware series. Looking forward to finding a character as strong as Sanford's Lucas Davenport.
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