Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Self-Defense (Alex Delaware, Bk 9)

Self-Defense (Alex Delaware, Bk 9)
reviewed on


It's a good bet that all of us would like to have Alex Delaware as our shrink. He's kind, compassionate, and gentle, yet firm when that's what's needed. He's ethical and principled, and he lives a nice, normal life with a nice, normal wife and a nice, normal dog. And nice, normal Dr. Delaware is exactly what Lucy Lowell needs. Delaware's friend, Detective Milo Sturgis, has referred Lucy for counseling after her experience as a juror in the trial of a serial killer leaves her with terrifying nightmares night after night. At first, Alex figures Lucy is just stressed out, but the more he hears, the more he wonders if her frightening dreams are rooted in reality. Ever the full-service psychologist, Delaware delves into Lucy's background to find clues about what's causing the nightmares. What he discovers is that Lucy was the victim of a bizarre childhood: a father who was into poetry, hippies, drugs, and love fests; a mother who died when Lucy was a baby; and a brother who's become a drug addict. A series of puzzling coincidences connected to Lucy's past leads Alex to a hippie commune in the California foothills where plenty of nasty secrets are buried.