Bad Love was published by Bantam Books in 1994. An audio tape arrives at Alex’s home: a child’s voice screaming “bad love, bad love” over and over. The recording connects to a psychological conference Alex attended years earlier — and the therapists who were at that conference are being murdered one by one. Alex must identify the killer before his own name comes up on the list.
The novel inverts the usual dynamic: instead of consulting on someone else’s case, Alex is the target. His professional past — the patients he treated, the conferences he attended, the decisions he made — has produced a killer whose grievance is rooted in real damage done by therapeutic failure.
Collecting Bad Love
First edition (Bantam Books, New York, 1994): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $15–$30
- Very good: $8–$15
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
The Therapeutic Failure
Bad Love is distinctive in the series because the threat comes from Alex’s own professional past. The novel asks a disquieting question: what happens when therapy fails? When a clinician’s best efforts don’t prevent a patient from being damaged further? The killer’s grievance is rooted in real harm done by well-meaning professionals — a subject Kellerman, as a practising psychologist, treats with empathy rather than dismissal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Alex Delaware series set in real Los Angeles locations? Yes. Kellerman uses real LA geography extensively: specific neighbourhoods, streets, freeways, and the city’s distinctive topography of canyons, hillsides, and flatlands. The series is one of the most geographically precise portraits of Los Angeles in American crime fiction.