Breakdown by Jonathan Kellerman

 

It's been six years since Dr. Alex Delaware has thought of the actress Zelda Chase.  Then, she was working on a comedy series but a complaint had been filed and he was called in to evaluate her parenting.  Zelda had a five year old son, smart beyond his years and talented and Ovid seemed fine to Alex.  After his evaluation, he put Zelda and Ovid out of his mind.  

But now she is back.  The six years have not been kind to Zelda.  Her series ended soon after Alex met her and before long, her mental disturbances took everything from her and she is now homeless.  Someone found Alex's name in her files when she was arrested for going into someone's yard, shouting and screaming and digging up bushes.  By the time Alex sees her, she is sedated and unresponsive.  Although she was never his patient, he finds her shelter for when she is released from the short mental hospital hold.

But the next time he hears about Zelda, the news is worse.  She stayed in the shelter for only a short while then walked out.  The next she was heard from, it was her body, found in the yard of a gated estate.  The homeowner, an elderly widow, had returned from a stay in Palm Springs to find Zelda's body when she strolled in her garden before bed.  No one knows how Zelda got there, ten miles from the shelter.  No one knows where Ovid is or where he has been while Zelda has been on the street.  Did something happen to him and was that what sent Zelda over the edge?

As Alex and his friend, Detective Milo Sturgis, try to find the answers, more mysteries occur.  The maid at the home where Zelda was found is missing, and soon they find that another maid is missing as well.  A man they talk to is found dead.  What is happening and how is Zelda connected?  Can they find the answers as well as finding Ovid or what happened to him?

This is the 31st novel in the Alex Delaware series.  While most series cannot carry the weight of so many novels, this one is always fresh and interesting.  The mystery is compelling and the reader wants to find out what happened to Zelda and where Ovid could be.  The interplay between Alex and Milo is always fascinating and the mystery comes to a satisfactory resolution.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.