The Golem of Hollywood, Jonathan Kellerman
The Golem of Hollywood, Jonathan Kellerman
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The Golem of Hollywood

Author: Jonathan Kellerman, Jesse Kellerman

Narrator: John Rubinstein

Unabridged: 18 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 09/16/2014

Synopsis

“An extraordinary work of detection, suspense, and supernatural mystery. I spent three days totally lost in the world Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman have created. This is brilliant, page-turning fiction with mythic underpinnings that give it a special resonance; a rare collaboration where the sum is truly greater than the parts. The book is like nothing I’ve ever read before. It sort of took my breath away.”—Stephen King
 
From Jonathan Kellerman, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author and master of psychological suspense, and Jesse Kellerman, the international #1 bestselling author of The Genius, comes one of the most remarkable novels of the year.
 
A burned-out L.A. detective . . . a woman of mystery who is far more than she seems . . . a grotesque, ancient monster bent on a mission of retribution. When these three collide, a new standard of suspense is born.

The legend of the Golem of Prague has endured through the ages, a creature fashioned by a sixteenth-century rabbi to protect his congregation, now lying dormant in the garret of a synagogue. But the Golem is dormant no longer.

Detective Jacob Lev wakes one morning, dazed and confused: He seems to have picked up a beautiful woman in a bar the night before, but he can’t remember anything about the encounter, and before he knows it, she has gone. But this mystery pales in comparison to the one he’s about to be called on to solve. Newly reassigned to a Special Projects squad he didn’t even know existed, he’s sent to a murder scene far up in the hills of Hollywood Division. There is no body, only an unidentified head lying on the floor of a house. Seared into a kitchen counter nearby is a single word: the Hebrew for justice.

Detective Lev is about to embark on an odyssey—through Los Angeles, through many parts of the United States, through London and Prague, but most of all, through himself. All that he has believed to be true will be upended—and not only his world, but the world itself, will be changed.

About Jonathan Kellerman

American author, Jonathan Kellerman, comes from a decisively different viewpoint when writing his novels, than most authors. Kellerman was born in New York City to parents who were successful authors themselves. His journey began when his family moved to Los Angeles California. He grew up there and received a BA in Psychology from UCLA. He paid for his education by various jobs as cartoonist, illustrator, journalist, and editor, as well as teaching guitar. An unpublished novel that he co-wrote won him a Samuel Goldwyn writing award. Screenplays were readily available to him, but he chose not to get into that venue. He received his PhD from USC in clinical psychology. His research thesis was entitled.....attribution of blame for childhood psychopathology. Kellerman is currently a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine.

The first published book from Kellerman was a medical text book entitled.....Psychological Aspects of Childhood Cancer. His extensive research and hands on experience while working at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles prepared him for the knowledge needed to write his first published book.

He published a book for parents titled Helping the Fearful Child. Through many cases and observations, came his first novel.....When the Bough Breaks, which became a bestseller and was adapted for a TV movie. His career in medicine continued all throughout his writing. He was a consultant and expert witness in the legal system which impacted the characters in his novels.

The psychologist and novelist has been very vocal in speaking out against the "misguided" release of mentally ill people into the community without benefit of counseling, psychotherapy, as well as medication. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, who is also a bestselling crime writer. They have four children, two of whom are also novelists.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Maxine

Wow! Where do I start in reviewing this book, this was certainly something I was not expecting and really is the type of book you are best exploring with no expectations of it being like Jonathan Kellerman's other books, if you can do that, you will probably enjoy it more, as it's different. The boo......more

Goodreads review by Mike (the Paladin)

I don't know exactly how to phrase this review. I like the book. On the whole I thought I'd give it 3 stars but it's a better story than that and I do plan to follow it up. I'll be spending a few lines telling you why I can't give it a more rave type review. First let me say that the story itself is......more

Goodreads review by Scott

This is a fantastically absorbing and complex novel and a radical departure for Jonathan Kellerman from his Alex Delaware novels. If you picked up this book expecting another schmooze with Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, put it down. This is an entirely different genre. You will either be fascinated......more

Quotes

Praise for The Golem of Hollywood
 
“An extraordinary work of detection, suspense, and supernatural mystery. I spent three days totally lost in the world Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman have created. This is brilliant, page-turning fiction with mythic underpinnings that give it a special resonance; a rare collaboration where the sum is truly greater than the parts. The book is like nothing I’ve ever read before. It sort of took my breath away.”—Stephen King

“One of the craziest, wildest, and most compelling works of popular fiction in years. . . It traverses genres, blasts them wide open, and moves on to explode yet another cliche. It’s a pretty remarkable thing, this Golem of Hollywood. Give it a go.”—Commentary Magazine

“I had very high and, yes, unrealistic expectations for THE GOLEM OF HOLLYWOOD . . . [and] the Kellermans met my expectations and blew the roof off of them. . . THE GOLEM OF HOLLYWOOD transcends genre. It’s a whole that exceeds the sum of its very considerable parts, creative and otherwise. It’s a religious tale that doubters and non-believers will love, a mystery that literary snobs will appreciate, and a story so wonderfully told that your bookshelf must have it.”—bookreporter.com

“Two masters of psychological suspense weave a sprawling contemporary whodunit steeped in religious mythology, gruesome violence and the supernatural. . . . [This] is a witty, propulsive and frequently chilling read; its phantasmagorical elements are blended seamlessly enough with its up-to-the-minute crime-genre trappings to give its imaginative speculations some eerie plausibility.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
 
“Combining the procedural structure of Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware novels with the character-driven plotting of son Jesse’s fiction, the novel is a solidly plotted thriller that takes its compelling lead character, Detective Lev, deep into some Old World mysteries. Very nicely done.”—Booklist

“Jonathan Kellerman and his son Jesse Kellerman have already distinguished themselves as ace storytellers, but they’ve outdone themselves with this genre-bending, impossible-to-put-down epic. . . . a rare and original novel, one that upsets and transcends expectations and manages to surprise more often than one has the right to reasonably expect in a work of fiction. And it never disappoints. The story moves along with an urgency and intelligence that marks it as a work that is superior to most and worthy of the legacy that both authors have already established for themselves. For a work of its scope and length, it probes as many questions and beliefs and hopes and fears as it raises, and thus reveals itself as a work in which not one word is wasted.”—popmatters.com

“They have a way of scaring you, of chasing sleep away, these psychological thrillers that send your heart thumping. Imagine, then, what you are in for when two masters of the genre decide to collaborate. The result is The Golem of Hollywood. . . . [a] a complicated, often chilling journey of discovery.”—Huffington Post

"Shaped by biblical and historical mythology as well as the supernatural, The Golem of Hollywood is essentially a story of love, of the bonds between father and son, of family secrets and mysteries. Rich in detail, originality and depth, the book is a pleasure to read.”—Hadassah Magazine

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