Clay Edison is a junior coroner in Almeda County, he and his wife live in the Berkley area and are struggling to juggle their work lives whilst bringing up their new baby. Clay is called to recover bones from People's Park, they turn out to be a young child and Clay feels the need to find out who the child is and what happened. He is approached by Peter Franchette who suspects the child maybe his missing sister however he is drawn into a web of misleading evidence which draws attention to him and his family.

I've haven't read the first 2 novels in the series and found that I didn't need to, I have read an awful lot of the Alex Delaware novels which are always solid, readable crime novels. I must say I found the Clay Edison novel entertaining and engaging. Reads well and keeps you turning the page which crime novels should do.

I was so excited to be allowed to read ‘Lost Souls’.Ive read all of Jonathan and Fat Kellermans books. But what a disappointment. This book needed editing. It’s really two books. Both plots were interesting and both rendered boring by too much detail especially the politics around the park.
As usual well written in terms of style .

I enjoyed reading this book and found the story to be fascinating and enthralling. Recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this author.

Lost Souls follows Coroner Clay Edison as he attempts to solve not one, but two difficult cases. One involving the body of a young child discovered at the controversial building site surrounding the Peoples Park, which leads Peter Flanchette to get in touch with him believing the body to be that of his long-lost, missing sister. All while juggling parental duties with his wife for their own new addition to the family.

Clay as a protagonist is great to read about and share the story with. His internal monologue regarding some of the situations he finds himself in add a lot to his character as a whole. His insight into various places, thoughts on people and situations and the little stories he adds enhance the story and his character. He is well developed going into Lost Souls already – as I believe that this isn’t Clay Edisons first novel – but his evolving situation with his young daughter and extended family help him grow throughout the story, but without betraying any principles or character foundations. He drove the story easily to new places without them seeming contrived.

Supporting characters were varied and conveyed well, especially the less favourable ones. There were instances where I found myself disgusted by some of the antagonists and their actions; their lack of humanity and morality was well carried. Especially in the case of the Dormer family; a group of white supremacists, spanning several generations. It was, thankfully, difficult to relate to them and their intense hatred and cold feelings towards Clay Edison's discoveries that involved them.

The plot of Lost Souls was multi-levelled but easy enough to follow despite its depth. We have the story of the body that was discovered in Peoples Park and the investigation instigated by Peter Flechette. The two investigations, although sharing a novel, don’t intertwine with one another all that much. Keeping the two apart made the story more enjoyable, as there was more for the reader to figure out and learn as the pages kept turning. I didn’t foresee any of the plot-twists coming and in the case of the discovered body, I found the big reveal heart-breaking and was almost brought to tears due to the tragic events that unfolded. Only to have my hatred towards some of the characters renewed for their own heartless reactions for the discovery.

I did find the location – San Francisco, California – somewhat difficult to navigate due to a lack of insider knowledge of the area, but it wasn’t enough to make me want to put the book down. I think there were a few references to things that as a non-American I didn’t really get the full enjoyment out of, but again, these weren’t enough to make me dislike Lost Souls as a whole. The scene-setting was atmospheric and tense. Scenes of protest and white supremacy are within the pages of Lost Souls which places the book squarely in the modern era, which some readers may find unsettling – as they are not always sensitively handled.

Considering this book is written by two authors, Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman (Father and son) I found that the book ran together well and couldn’t really tell who wrote what; which I suppose id the point of a joint effort. The two authors worked seamlessly together and executed their writing goals expertly – I am hopeful that they’ll write together again and bring us another fantastic read.

Summary
Throughout Lost Souls I felt a great affinity for Coroner Clay Edison and his growing family struggles, I felt it made him a relatable and enjoyable character. His insights and additional commentary gave him more depth. The plot was complicated, but not confusing, keeping the reader guessing the end results – at times the plot touches on some really emotional topics. The two authors work seamlessly together and I am eager to read more from them in future instalments should they pair up together again.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the arc of Lost Souls by Jonathan Kellerman❤️

Thanks to Jonathan Kellerman for writing such a gripping fast paced book❤️


Clay, is called out to a crime scene of 1960's, Berkely campus there is a park is in which now lived in by the homeless but there are plans to rejuvenate the park, and update it and place a building. While this is going on their are local protests from the local people and while this was going on they have been a shocking discovery of bones of a small person.. 😩😱, Clay and his partner decide it's is of a young child's skeleton 😩, Questions are raised of course the identity of the child how it got here and when?😱

They decide to launch a huge investigation into this and they end up getting a phone call off a man claiming it might be his younger sister whom he never met who went missing 50 years ago😱 Evidence starts building up and up and this splits it into two directions with Clay investigation both , one officially and one on his lonesome!

Things gets harder for him as he searches for answers and meet some locals and ask questions, things gets hard to cope with and it interrupts his personal life with his child and his own wife which brings up secrets of the past and much more..

This is my first Jonathan Kellerman book and to say I am rather impressed I loved how it all twisted and turned and how it was written and how it left you guessing and making you want more and males you couldn't resist turning the page..

Well done Jonathan Kellerman ❤️

Definitely recommend ❤️
5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy of Lost Souls, the third novel to feature Coroner’s Deputy Clay Edison, set in Berkeley, California.

A local park is being developed for housing when the builders find the bones of a child. At a rough guess the bones are 50 years old so Clay has a cold case. Then he receives a call from Peter Franchette who thinks the bones might belong to his long lost sister.

I enjoyed Lost Souls which is an interesting read with an emphasis on social commentary. It is not high octane and the crimes are few and far between, instead it concentrates on unravelling two cold cases, the bones and what happened to Peter Franchette’s sister. I found both storylines quietly compulsive, even as I thought that the answers came fortuitously easily to Clay.

With both cases dating to 1970 approximately the authors take the opportunity to compare two troubled eras. There was a lot of social unrest in 1970 and they compare it with a protest movement surrounding the park to be developed. Many things don’t change. I found it very interesting in light of the recent Black Lives Matter protests that the authors chose to highlight the current trend for protest long before the current movement, they even manage to mention police brutality. They are equal opportunity commentators so they also run their eye over policy differences and the trouble they cause on the left wing. I found it apt and to the point, to the extent that it made me laugh. I thoroughly enjoyed the commentary parts of the novel.

I find Clay Edison quite a bland protagonist. He is determined and resourceful as an investigator and has a happy marriage with a baby but I didn’t feel that I got a good idea of what lies beneath the surface. This is not such an issue in a thriller but in this kind of novel which relies on human contact and interaction it’s a bit of a loss.

Lost Souls is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

The son of 2 powerhouse crime authors, Jesse Kellerman was always going to have great crime writing genes. I have read his previous 2 books and whilst they were good I must say I expected better. I think with Lost Souls he has finally come out from underneath the shadow of his parents and has written a great novel worthy of the Kellerman name.

Have not read anything from the Kellerman family for some time and was looking forward to this father and son duo creation. It did keep me interested from beginning to end although not an easy read I didn’t find it especially exciting.

Clay is barely functioning since the baby has come and he is trying his best to keep out of dangerous situations at work but he is a coroner and he really has no choice but to get involved in cases. So when bones are found at the People's park and everyone just wants everything to go away as they want to finish tearing down the old to start with the new. But now Clay has to figure out who the baby is and why they were buried in the park. But this isn't about to be an easy case as he has been asked to see if he can find out about another baby that went missing many years ago he knows that he should be concentrating on his family but knowing that someone else out there is lost he knows that he needs to do something.
He has found out who the father is of the baby but he doesn't care about the dead child but who is the mother? and will they be able to find out why he died?
Clay is making progress with the missing sister case and he can't believe that he has actually found her but what now? Will Clay be able to keep his family safe as someone has put all his info onto social media and he knows that he needs to make changes to keep his family safe but he can't give up his job this is all that he has ever wanted to be so what can he do to make things better?
A good read. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC
Very disappointed in this book- it sounded so good. Written by two people it does feel like they are pulling in different directions and hence comes across as very disjointed. I didn't really connect with Clay the lead character. There are some very offensive words in the book (and I don't mean the F word or C word), I also had to spend a lot of time looking up Americanisms to understand their meanings-having to do this so frequently really broke the flow of the book. Some of the words I couldn't find which was frustrating. The book was very slow paced with long descriptions of irrelevant things such as how to feed a baby.
Sadly this book failed to hold my interest and was hard to finish
There are some layout issues and repeated sentences which will hopefully be addressed before publication

I was disappointed with this book. Having read books by Jonathon Kellerman and Faye Kellerman in te past I was looking forward to this collaboration of John and Jesse. But it didn't hit the spot for me. The premise was good but there were too many Americanisms for this Brit - and what camea across as a need for insider knowledge of the area. I also didn't realise it was part of a series, I thought it was a new charatcer in Clay, not a new outing for him. With thanks to the puplishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

An ongoing series in Deputy Coroner Clay Edison’s career, though can be read as a whole. Historic infant bones are found, and Clay, while juggling the night shift and a new baby daughter only a few months old, is determined to track down the baby’s identity in his usual dogged fashion. He is contacted by someone who thinks there may be a connection to them and a parallel story emerges.
The main characters are really well drawn, as are the everyday details and the plot works well. However, I found some confusion in the minor characters and the whole book is set in a political and scenic context which is very American. This detracted from the story somewhat for me but I enjoyed it overall. All the Kellerman are a delight and well worth reading.

I have read several Jonathan Kellerman’s novels and thoroughly enjoy the plots and characters.

Bones are found in a local park when developers are demolishing it, leading to the investigation involving Deputy Coroner Clay Edison. This brings to light an unsolved cold case. Clay is working the graveyard shift and added to this has a new born who refuses to sleep through the night.

As always with this author the characters are real and well-developed along with an enthralling plot which twists and turns along the way.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House, UK, Cornerstone, Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman for my ARC of ‘Lost Souls’ in return for my honest review.

Good read and recommended.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone Century and the author, Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Lost Souls in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Such a great read. I was drawn in initially by the premise of the story and can honestly say that the authors have delivered in spades.
The storyline was well thought out and written with characters that are well drawn and relatable. Highly descriptive imagery.

Well worth a read.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. It has been ages since I have read a John Kellerman book and had forgotton how good they are. Great storyline, great characters and basically a good read.

An interesting,new character in Clay,who shows great determination and resourcefulness in trying to solve this mystery. I'm hoping there will be more.

I'm a fan of the Kellerman family of writers generally speaking and when Jonathan and Jesse write together I know I'm in for a treat.

This novel finds Clay juggling new family commitments and the hunt for the identity of a baby, whilst facing political upheaval and a lot of surprises along the way.

The story flows outwards with a gorgeous addictive quality and some clever insightful storytelling, with plenty of emotional themes that keep the reader involved throughout.

Once again I loved it. I look forward to more from this talented bunch of authors.

I'm so disappointed! I'm such a fan of Jonathan Kellerman and would read anything he has written, so, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to preview this, written in collaboration and I think it shows and not in a good way.

Some bones are found in a park in California. The description of the area is very much written as if known by the reader and in my case, it isn't. This made for some hard going from the start. The story then meanders along and feels clunky and disjointed. There are parts I really enjoyed such as the building of the lead character and his family but there was just too much going on and too many characters to maintain any thread.

It's not a bad read and if you go into it knowing that it's complicated and almost a build of a number of stories, you'll likely enjoy. For me it's a 2* OK read.

#LostSouls #NetGalley
Thriller at its best.
Deputy Coroner Clay Edison is juggling a new baby who won’t sleep with working the graveyard shift. For once he’s trying to keep things simple. When infant remains are found by developers demolishing a local park, a devastating cold case is brought back to light.
Clay has barely begun to investigate when he receives a call from a man who thinks the remains could belong to his sister – who went missing fifty years ago.
I finished it in just two hours.its so thrilling that I finished it in a single sitting. I would definitely recommend this to everyone.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Cornerstone Century for giving me an advance copy.