Billy Straight: A Novel

By Jonathan Kellerman

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
 
A resourceful runaway alone in the wilds of Los Angeles, twelve-year-old Billy Straight suddenly witnesses a brutal stabbing in Griffith Park. Fleeing into the night, Billy cannot shake the horrific memory of the savage violence, nor the pursuit of a cold-blooded killer. For wherever Billy turns—from Hollywood Boulevard to the boardwalks of Venice—he is haunted by the chuck, chuck sound of a knife sinking into flesh.
 
“Taut, compelling . . . Everything a thriller ought to be. The writing is excellent. The plotting is superior. The characters ring true.”—USA Today
 
As LAPD homicide detective Petra Connor desperately searches for the murderer, as the media swarms mercilessly around the story, the vicious madman stalks closer to his prey. Only Petra can save Billy. But it will take all her cunning to uncover a child lost in a fierce urban labyrinth—where a killer seems right at home.

BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Jonathan Kellerman's Guilt.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 1, 2003
• ISBN: 9780345463678

Jonathan Kellerman

Jonathan Kellerman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty bestselling crime novels, including the Alex Delaware series, The Butcher’s Theater, Billy Straight, The Conspiracy Club, Twisted, and True Detectives. With his wife, bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman, he coauthored Double Homicide and Capital Crimes. He is also the author of two children’s books and numerous nonfiction works, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children and With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards and has been nominated for a Shamus Award. 

Reviews for Billy Straight

[dickmanikowski · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of Kellerman's few novels not focusing on forensic psychologist Alex Delaware, this one tells the story of a bright runaway boy who witnesses a brutal murder. Well-written and suspenseful, with adequate character development. But not up to the caliber of his Delaware books.

[anniemod · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Billy is 12 and lives in a trailer park in Watson, California - a small town, north from LA. He had never known his father and his mother had made all kinds of bad choices, including the latest man she decided to live with - a man who amused himself by abusing and hitting Billy to the point where the boy decides that he had had enough and runs away. When the novel opens and we meet Billy, he had been in LA for 4 months and had found a way to survive. Until the night he sees a woman being killed anyway. The murder is in the Hollywood division and get assigned to Petra Connor (who we met in "Survival of the Fittest") and her senior partner Stu Bishop. The boy is long gone by the time the police shows up so it takes awhile for them to realize that they have a witness, let alone who he is. The victim is Lisa Ramsey, the ex-wife of a famous TV actor - and nothing in her death adds up. Stu Bishop is unusually distracted so Petra ends up doing most of the work. With the victim belonging to the famous and powerful set, the investigation soon gets out from the division and other detectives need to be pulled in. Clues and details pile up, things get more and more complicated when people start disappearing before the police can talk to them. And somewhere in there, the target is painted on Billy (because Petra's superiors are more concerned with image than with his well-being). He is already running but that adds an additional layer to it. Kellerman uses a double POV here - Billy in the first for half of the chapters, Petra in the third for most of the rest plus a few non-POV chapters to get us some details that neither of the two see (plus a few killer's chapters). There is a very limited number of people who could have done it but it is a throwaway line in the thoughts of the killer very late in the novel that finally let us know who the killer really is - a few pages before Petra discovers it (and a few hours after Stu start having suspicions that the story they think they know is not what it seems). As much as the murder and its consequences are the base of the novel, Billy and Petra are as important and we get a lot of background on both of them - some of it heartbreaking (most of it in Billy's story), some of it just moving. And somewhere in all that ugliness, there is also love and laughter, people who do good just because they can and family reunions and drama (with all they entail). But there are also villains - some of them comically stupid, especially if they are compared with the main villain. Milo Sturgis is name-checked by Petra a few times, Alex Delaware shows up in the last chapter to help Billy. It is a good start of a new series but if anyone expects a less gory series than the main Delaware series, that won't work for them.

[lamour_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An twelve year old boy witnesses a murder in a park. He has already fled an abusive home situation and now he is on the run from a murderer. Petra Connor, a beautiful, tough and talented LAPD detective is assigned to the case with her partner who is distracted because his wife has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. All leads point to the victim's husband but it all looks too pat.We are also introduced to the boy's background where we witness the life his mother has created for the two of them. The man she now lives with is brutal to both of them and eventually the boy, Billy flees to LA hiding in parks which is how he happened to see the murder. Even in flight, he has the misfortune to run into crazies who want to take his money or use him for sex. Kellerman sure paints an unattractive picture of life in LA after dark.An intriguing read that has many characters who come in and out of the narrative much like they would in real life. A page turner.

[wareagle78 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jonathan Kellerman's books are always compelling to me and this one is no exception, although it's not an Alex Delaware novel.

[bookish59 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite Kellerman books. Much better than many of his others.

[justininlondon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not as strong as the Delaware novels but a decent crime novel.

[darrol_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

On the fringes of the Alex Delaware series. Not quite enough of the title character, and too much other stuff. Too many other plot lines. I am not a fan of this particular way of approaching the perpetrator. Somewhat sappy twist at the end, but you knew something like that was coming.

[debavp · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is my first Kellerman. I don't know why I haven't picked one up before but after seeing lots of recommendations I sought this one out. Fairly middle of the road fare, nothing earth shattering new for the genre. There were a few little plot twists that kept it interesting. Petra reminded me on occasion of a female Harry Bosch, which made me laugh a few times. Kellerman doesn't overdo introducing her so I'm interested enough to read the next one.