The Murderer's Daughter - Jonathan Kellerman

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for writing an honest review. I honestly wasn't expecting too much from this book. I've never read anything of Jonathan Kellerman's before and knew nothing about him as an author. I've since read that he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and that totally makes sense. 

This story follows Grace Blades, a clinical psychologist whose mother kills her father and then herself while Grace, age 5, looks on. Following this terrifying ordeal, Grace winds up in the foster system and is bandied about for a while until she arrives at the Stage Coach Ranch under the watchful eye of Ramona. Ramona's brother in law, Malcolm Bluestone, a renowned psychologist visits to assess Grace and determines she has above-average intelligence.

These past scenes are scattered throughout as Kellerman builds the mystery portion of the tale, Grace, a grown woman working as a psychologist to "The Haunted," people who have experienced extreme trauma in their lives, prepares to take a two week vacation from her practice to recharge. She meets a man in a bar, a man she intends to engage in a one-night stand with, who then walks into her office the next day as her new patient. Both of them are awkward and the man leaves only to be found murdered the next morning with Grace's business card in his pocket. 

And so the mystery of who killed the man unfolds as Grace sleuths out the truth, with a little help from her past. The merger of the two stories, Grace's past and the present-day mystery really work to build Grace into a 360 character, something that is sometimes missing from mass-market fiction. She's a fully developed character, with quirks that feel right, rather than just tacked on to try to give her depth. 

I really enjoyed following Grace, a super smart, super confident woman who doesn't question. She's tough, does not need to be saved by a man, but also is human and can be vulnerable. I don't want to say too much more on the plot but all the elements of a good mystery are there. Even up to the 99% mark on my Kindle I was wondering how this was all going to end and couldn't believe it would all be wrapped up in such a short time. (Not that it's quite a whodunit, it's more that you were never quite sure what Grace was intending to do). 

Great surprise read.

4/5 Stars.