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Breakdown  By  cover art

Breakdown

By: Jonathan Kellerman
Narrated by: John Rubinstein
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Publisher's summary

Best-selling author Jonathan Kellerman has been universally hailed as the master of psychological suspense, and the blockbuster new thriller featuring Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis confirms his status as today's preeminent practitioner of saber-sharp storytelling.

Psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware meets beautiful and emotionally fragile TV actress Zelda Chase when called upon to evaluate her five-year-old son, Ovid. Years later, Alex is unexpectedly reunited with Zelda when she is involuntarily committed after a bizarre psychotic episode. Shortly after Zelda's release, an already sad situation turns tragic when she is discovered dead on the grounds of a palatial Bel Air estate. Having experienced more than enough of LA's dark side to recognize the scent of evil, Alex turns to his friend, LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis, for help in finding out who ended Zelda's broken life.

At the same time, Alex is caught up in another quest: the search for Zelda's missing son. And when other victims vanish from the same upscale neighborhood, worry turns to terror.

As Alex struggles to piece together the brief rise and steep fall of a gorgeous, talented actress, he and Milo unveil shattered dreams, the corruption of a family, and a grotesque betrayal of innocence. With each devastating revelation and damning clue, Alex's brilliant mind is challenged as never before - and his determination grows to see a killer caged and the truth set free.

©2016 Jonathan Kellerman (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Jonathan Kellerman's psychology skills and dark imagination are a potent literary mix." ( Los Angeles Times)
"Kellerman doesn't just write psychological thrillers - he owns the genre." ( Detroit Free Press)

What listeners say about Breakdown

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    845
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Nuanced....subtle ... heartening

Different from what I expected. a dark world but as a long as Alex & Milo keep going beyond the call of duty!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another enjoyable listen!!!

Been reading JK for over 20 years. Not bored yet! Rubinstein is the best!!! JK is marvelous writer!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

Once I started couldn't stop . Love these characters - always interesting Totally engaging and plausible story

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good read

Great narration story line not as fast paced as others in this series but I still enjoyed it very much

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Boring

You're 18 chapters in before anything happens, except with one interesting character. It's about asking people questions they don't have answers to, to try to find a little boy...There's nothing drawn about Robin, etc. as if we should have read the other books first. Read the first couple of Kellerman's books; they're better.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A little long

Not the best Kellerman but will do in a pinch. Ending was great but it seemed to take forever to get there. I had to listen to the first half a second time to make sense of what was happening

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Alex Delaware is a great character

I love this series. the plots and characters get better all the time. I have been reading series from the start. love this book.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really Enjoyed my First Audible

A little different twist than some of his books. Had to pay close attention to some of the characters whose names sounded similiar. I got the ending I hoped for.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Ruined by the narration

What did you like best about Breakdown? What did you like least?

Sorry, John, Alex and Milo just don't sound the same with you reading.

What did you like best about this story?

What I don't much like is that with every passing book the ridiculously unlikely dots that Alex and Milo join (and subsequently solve the murder/s) become even more ridiculously unlikely.

Would you be willing to try another one of John Rubinstein’s performances?

Not if I could avoid it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Approaching Too Many Characters

Voices blended together after a while. John did a great job as always, but with this many characters, perhaps additional readers would make the transitions smoother.

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