I received an advanced copy of this book from Net Galley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Mr Kellerman's books and this one didn't disappoint. Engaging and intriguing full of twists and turns. Definitely a recommended read.

I didn’t realise this was a series and enjoyed the main character, however I did keep getting lost a bit in the story. I may go back to the beginning of the series and try again.

An enjoyable read. I had not realised this was part of a series and will now go back and read the others. Its is fine as a standalone book though.

Just as expected this book hits the spot as al Kellerman novels do. Intrigue with socially realistic setting and characters. Plot a bit far fetched and convenient but forgivable in the name of creating a good read.

Usually love All Kellerman stuff. I just can’t get into this right now, sorry.

Thanks for the opportunity.

A mystery written by two men named Kellerman is a guaranteed 5 star read.

Coroner Clay Edison is working grave yard shift so he and his wife can save child care money and he can spend quality time with his new born daughter. While he loves being a father, he'd sure like a nap. When he is called to a construction site, he finds the body of a small child wrapped in a blue blanket. His investigation will find the body has been in the ground for at least 50 years and there is no identifying marks on the body. But Clay receives a call....the caller says the body may belong to a sister that was lost many years ago. As in real life, these two aged cases will be investigated, but the urgency will be less. So Clay investigates himself.

This is the 3rd book in this series. It's an excellent story all by itself, but the backstory is enriched if you have read the first two....plus they are 5 star stories themselves. Lost Souls is another winner in the Kellerman's history of writing excellence.

This book was also written under the title "Half Moon Bay"!

Deputy Coroner Clay Edison and his wife Amy are the proud but sleep-deprived parents of fourteen week old baby Charlotte. Amy has just gone back to work so Clay now works the graveyard shift so they can be with their bundle of joy around the clock with full-time parenting and also to help save money for a home of their own. One morning Clay is called to the scene at Berkley University park where the remains of an infant have been discovered under the park stage buried in a blue blanket that happens to be at at least fifty years old. Clay receives a call from a man who thinks the baby may have been his sister who he cannot give any information about other than a picture but he is willing to do anything to have Clay investigate the mysterious disappearance of this child that he cannot stop thinking about. Clay's interest is piqued and he now begins the long, arduous journey of trying to uncover the the identity of two infants from two different backgrounds where Clay will encounter hatred, racism, callous indifference, poverty, ignorance, bloodshed and unexpected danger being directed toward his own family as he tries to bring justice for the one particular child who was left unknown and forgotten to the rest of the world for over half of a century.

This was an enjoyable slow-burn story of a good man trying to find identities and bring justice for two infants who had seemed long forgotten but Clay knows the answers are somewhere if someone (Clay) would dedicate themselves to the process of not giving up on the search. The story was made very entertaining by the day to day struggles and enjoyment that new parents encounter and how one wrong turn can upset the whole day and how new parents worlds are controlled every day by this tiny person who has disrupted all schedules and any type of organization or well thought out planning and also the great joy and satisfaction that comes with loving a human being who is solely dependent on the parents for their total existence. The parallels between these stories can't help but touch a reader's heart. I also enjoyed how the story went back in time with some history of the era of the 60's and early 70's counterculture with free love, peace not war, drugs fighting the man (the system), racism, bigotry etc. which were key factors when these unknown children were born. I am a huge fan of Jonathan Kellerman books especially the Alex Delaware series so I was impressed with Clay Edison and will be looking forward to reading more in this series as well as other books written by both father and son.

I have used the same review for the title "Half Moon Bay" since they are the same book but with different titles and publishers.

I want to thank the publisher "Random House Uk, Cornerstone" for the opportunity to read this advanced copy and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

The publish date for this book is July 23, 2020

I would definitely recommend this book to other readers and especially anyone who enjoys Jonathan Kellerman novels or would like to take some steps back in time to the counter culture of the 60's and early 70's. I have given a rating of 4 Slow-Burning 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!

I am very sorry and sad to admit defeat.
I've been wanting to read Kellerman for years. And, thanks to Netgalley, I got a chance to read on of the books by Kellerman duo.
However, this book did not take me. I persevered. Honestly. I read on for 37%... but the text was mostly 'white noise' to my brain. I could not be taken in.
The characters seemed to be flat as their relationships. The mystery and suspense was very slow, dead slow to develop. I am still not sure what this book is about (after 37%).
I even caught myself giving 'inside my head' parenting advice to the main character... I failed to figure out the plot...

I definitely need to go back and read the previous Clay Edison books, I like this character! Whilst you don’t need to buy into the series or read in any order, I clearly haven’t, but I did feel like I was missing some background that would’ve meant the book was a slightly easier read, I kept thinking I might’ve missed a page where the author had assumed the reader was familiar with the reoccurring characters.
The plot for the main mystery is one that spans a few decades, in fact almost half a century and sometimes it feels like it’s going to drag for similar lengths of time. However, it is worth persevering a real good mystery. The modern day skeletal remains mystery is quicker to resolve, albeit that one that is also coming through from a death that was a generation ago.
A definite change in pace and character types from Kellerman but one that I recommend picking up to give it a go, definitely not a tired and conveyor belt feel to it anywhere!

Very enjoyable book. Great storyline and characters. I would highly recommend this book. I was hooked from the start!

This is the third installment in the new series from Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman. It was a great read even if the middle seemed to drag a bit. I did not enjoy it as much as the first two novels in the series. I am looking forward to the next installment of the series.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books, Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review.

I have read only a small part of this book but found it really good. I have been quite busy but this is a book that I can pick up and get straight back into the storyline, very interesting.

Just finshed reading Lost Souls by Jonathan Kellerman He had a differentt major character and as a result this book was. more interesting.

My thanks to Random House U.K. Cornerstone/Century for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Lost Souls’ by Jonathan & Jesse Kellerman, in exchange for an honest review.

Like many other reviewers, I found there was rather too much going on in the novel by new characters and side plots. That made the story overly complicated, and I felt it hard to keep focus.

I had not read either of the earlier two books in the series, so I liked the change of focus from police procedural to the County Coroner’s office investigative work. I also found Clay Edison an absorbing and likeable character.
Overall, this was a solid read that helped my knowledge of the lesser-known investigative work associated with coroners in the USA.

However, it did not compel me to rush out and read the earlier two novels.

This is my first book by this author duo and will definitely not be my last.

This story follows two parallel investigations after the body of a baby is found in a park and the deputy coroner receives a call claiming to identify the baby.

I really enjoyed the writing style and was hooked from start to finish. What I loved the most was that there was enough of an outright explanation given by the characters to be satisfying but not so much as it revealed every thought process in a patronising way.

The setting was great and I can't wait to read more.

A murder mystery with a bit of a twist

This is the third in the series, and as I hadn’t read the previous two, I can vouch for the fact that it’s quite readable as a stand-alone novel as there are few if any references to the previous books. The title of this in the USA is “Half Moon Bay” although neither title really makes a lot of sense, in my opinion.

Clay Edison is a deputy coroner and is working strange shifts so that he and his wife, Amy, are around at different times to look after their new daughter. This complexity adds nothing to the plot or the background so could well have been dispensed with.

During the excavation of footings for a new college building on a local site, the bones of a young child are found. Clay must attend. As happens so many times these days, the location is the subject of very vocal attention by protesters who want to halt the development and Clay also gets dragged into this side of local politics.

Having dealt with the formalities, Clay is contacted by a man who believes the remains might belong to his long-lost sister who disappeared in infancy. As a result, the plot then diverts into two. One part follows the investigation into the bones found, and the other is the private investigation by Clay into the story behind the disappearance of the man’s sister. Will the two merge as the result of his investigations?

Although the novel is well written and the plot flows along very well, it didn’t really grab my attention in the way that I expected. The two plots running side by side were on occasions difficult to separate in my mind, each having a separate cast of characters and I sometimes got perplexed as to who was related to whom etc.

The characterisation was also disappointing. Clay’s having to work the graveyard shift to look after his daughter suggested that Amy would feature much more in the story, but she’s very much a background character. The introduction of his looking after their child also adds very little to his character. Maybe it links to his investigation into what happened to the two missing children?

The was no real passion in the book, and whilst it was an easy read, it didn’t make me want to read the previous two in the series.

mr zorg

Elite Reviewing group received a copy of the book to review.

This book is written by Jonathan Kellerman and his son Jesse. It features Clay Edison as the main protagonist.
The story begins when the remains of a child are discovered during building works. There is also another storyline that runs alongside this as Edison is asked to investigate a missing child. At times it did feel a little confusing moving between the two plots especially with all the different characters.
Personally I prefer Kellerman's books featuring Alex Delaware but this was still a good read.

A jaw dropping crime, a story that takes your breath away. This book was so well told with rich character and a great flowing storyline. It oozes suspense and bone chilling twists and turns. This is one of those books that gets your heart racing till the very last page. This one needs to go on your list. I adore this author and this book was no disappointment. Phenomenal

Johnathon Kellerman has done it yet again. I was thrilled to see one of his books on netgalley and so I requested it. Here we are an hour after I have finished the book and I am still craving more. This book has it all, a dead baby, a missing sister, a coroners work. The story is full of twists and just when you think you have it figured out, the ball drops. The story begins with a developer who demolishing a local park and there are no shortage of protesters. Two items were found that halted the work being done, one was a Blue is teddy bear that was missing an eye, the second was the remains of an infant. Clay Edison, coroner, is assigned to the case. Clay must figure out if the two are connected in any way and at this time a man comes in asking for help in finding his sister. Edison must figure this out before it is too late. Kellerman knows how to write a psychological thriller and does so in a way that keeps you enthralled and entertained the entire time. The characters are well developed and feed off of each other in such a way that you will either love them or hate them. I want to read more with Edison. Hopefully, my wish will come true.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This took me an age to read for some reason but I really enjoyed it. There was a story rather than second guessing twists and turns.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.