# Is "Silent Partner" by Jonathan Kellerman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Silent Partner by Jonathan Kellerman (Bantam, 1989) is identified by: The fourth Alex Delaware novel, roughly 404 pages. The US Bantam hardcover is the true first, published September 1989.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The fourth Alex Delaware novel, roughly 404 pages
- The US Bantam hardcover has the words First Edition stated on the copyright page together with a number line descending to 1, and the first-issue dust jacket retains its printed price (present, not clipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Kellerman |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The fourth Alex Delaware novel, roughly 404 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The fourth Alex Delaware novel, roughly 404 pages. The US Bantam hardcover has the words First Edition stated on the copyright page together with a number line descending to 1, and the first-issue dust jacket retains its printed price (present, not clipped).

## Is this the true first?
The US Bantam hardcover is the true first, published September 1989. A UK first appeared the same year from Macdonald (simulated black cloth in a pictorial jacket); the two are near-simultaneous, with the US Bantam edition taken as the trade first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None significant noted; a book-club issue, if encountered, would follow the usual pattern of an unpriced jacket and a rear-board blindstamp, and would lack the stated First Edition line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Silent Partner* by Jonathan Kellerman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/silent-partner
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.