Plot introduction

The mother of a former patient (Lauren Teague) calls Alex Delaware

Alex Delaware

Alex Delaware is a literary character created by Jonathan Kellerman. The Alex Delaware detective series begins with When the Bough Breaks, published in 1985. Delaware appears in 23 of Kellerman's popular murder mysteries. Kellerman sets the series in Los Angeles...

to tell him that the patient is missing. Alex had treated Lauren briefly as a teenager, and feels as if he failed in reaching her. He plans to make up for it by finding and helping her. After Lauren's body is found, Milo and Alex begin to unravel her past to find her killer.

Explanation of the novel's title

Lauren was killed by Cheryl, her newfound father's ex wife, as it turns out the family she grew up with was not her own. The phrase "flesh and blood" is often used to refer to family.

Plot summary

Alex receives a call from the mother of an ex-patient, Lauren Teague. Considering it unresolved business, Alex contacts Milo and they ask around to see if they can find her. Her body turns up and the missing person case turns into a murder investigation.

Alex and Milo visit her parents, former co-workers, roommates, and employers. They follow connections back and find that Lauren had $350,000 saved up, probably earned from prostitution. She had recently started to attend college, and was part of an intimacy experiment. When a former co-worker ends up dead after speaking to them, they know the murder was no ordinary mugging. Then Lauren's mother is killed, presumably by her husband.

While kayaking along the beach near the Duke mansion, Alex rescues a boy who had swum out too far. This gets him invited in, and he makes the acquaintance of Duke's ex-wife, Cheryl. They flirt, and when a rendezvous is arranged, the killer shows up and shoots Cheryl. Alex is saved by Lauren's brother, Ben Dugger.

Characters in "Flesh and Blood"

• Alex Delaware - Psychologist
• Milo Sturgis - Police detective
• Lauren Teague - Delaware's patient and murder victim

Release details

• 2001, U.S., Random House, ISBN 0-679-45962-6, Pub date 1 December 2001, Hardcover
• 2002, U.S., Ballantine, ISBN 0-345-41389-X, Pub date 1 October 2002, Paperback

Sources, references, external links, quotations

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