Studying the Masters of Crime/Detective Fiction Part 7 – Jonathan Kellerman

This post is the seventh in a series that I’ve been writing about the individuals that I view as the masters in my genre of choice, crime/detective fiction. I am a firm believer that you become better in whatever field you pursue by following those that excelled and paved the way before you.

 

Studying the Masters of Crime/Detective Fiction

Part 7 – Jonathan Kellerman

 

Jonathan Kellerman is a classic example of writing what you know. He has written a series of novels where the main character is a California psychologist that treats children. This mirrors his own life. He is a trained psychologist and has written 48 fiction novels to date along with 5 non-fiction works on psychology, crime reporting, and guitars (he’s also a musician).

Jonathan Kellerman has been a huge influence on an aspect of my own writing. Kellerman has developed two characters, Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis that have stood the test of time. He takes these same characters and puts them in various situations where Sturgis is a Sherlock Holmes type homicide detective with the LAPD and Delaware is a consultant that often helps Sturgis solve crimes with his insight. Delaware is a more active ‘Dr. Watson’ type character and the 31 novels in the Alex Delaware series are told from his perspective.

Over the course of these stories, Delaware and Sturgis actually age and go through relationship changes. Another wrinkle is that Sturgis has gone from a closeted to an openly gay member of the LAPD. This was a source of oppression for him in the early novels. The more recent novels, however, much like our modern culture, has allowed him to be openly gay and successful.

One of the things that is different about Kellerman’s writing when compared to other writers in his genre is that his characters are not the story. The cases are the story and his characters react to them. You can take these two strong characters and put them in any crime situation and watch them react. I can relate to this as a writer. I have developed similar characters and I enjoy writing books that put them into new situations so I can watch how they react.

Besides his Delaware and Sturgis series, Kellerman has also branched off into another series with a strong female detective named Petra Connor. He has also collaborated on novels with his wife, Faye Kellerman, and his son, Jesse Kellerman.

Kellerman is also a strong advocate for more effective treatment of the mentally ill.