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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
My first Jeffrey Deaver book & won't be my last. Really enjoyed this book...plot twists, characters...relatively quick read.
Jeffery Deaver has introduced a new Protagonist after writing for years about Lincoln Rhyme, the quadriplegic forensic expert. Kathryn Dance was introduced in Cold Moon as a kinesic expert (namely one who is an expert interrogator and can be used almost like a human lie detector) helping Lincoln Rhyme, but in this novel she is the main character. (Lincoln Rhyme appears for a page or two...)
She is interrogating Daniel Pell, the self-proclaimed cult leader who had killed almost all the members of a family along with women in his "Family" who would follow him bravely. He has been in jail for many years, but there has been a new development which makes him a suspect in another case. He escapes, and Kathryn is in his trail, in a destructive search in the California landscape.
Unlike Lincoln Rhyme who works with scientific equipment and a knowledge of most materials man-made, Kathryn Dance uses psychology, body language and clues during an interrogation, and an analysis of human behaviour to guess Pell's next move. Pell in turn tries to shake her loose, but she is always following him very closely.
It is a quite enjoyable novel and Dance seems to be a good candidate to stay around for more books. I think Deaver has done quite some research about cult leaders and how they control the people around them.
The book still has twists and turns typical of Deaver, but much less than in the Lincoln Rhyme books. It is a bit similar to the story - in its development - in The Blue Nowhere, but it has its uniqueness as well. Next in line is the new Lincoln Rhyme book, The Broken Window.
She is interrogating Daniel Pell, the self-proclaimed cult leader who had killed almost all the members of a family along with women in his "Family" who would follow him bravely. He has been in jail for many years, but there has been a new development which makes him a suspect in another case. He escapes, and Kathryn is in his trail, in a destructive search in the California landscape.
Unlike Lincoln Rhyme who works with scientific equipment and a knowledge of most materials man-made, Kathryn Dance uses psychology, body language and clues during an interrogation, and an analysis of human behaviour to guess Pell's next move. Pell in turn tries to shake her loose, but she is always following him very closely.
It is a quite enjoyable novel and Dance seems to be a good candidate to stay around for more books. I think Deaver has done quite some research about cult leaders and how they control the people around them.
The book still has twists and turns typical of Deaver, but much less than in the Lincoln Rhyme books. It is a bit similar to the story - in its development - in The Blue Nowhere, but it has its uniqueness as well. Next in line is the new Lincoln Rhyme book, The Broken Window.
Enjoyed the shift to the west coast and an area I have visited. Sooooo many twists, but clever plotting as ever, and I liked that none of the characters were all good or all bad. Dance was a good lead following her introduction in a Rhyme novel earlier.
I didn't realize that Jeffery Deaver had a 'character' other than Lincoln Rhyme, but I think I like Kathryn Dance a little bit better. It may be because I haven't read a Lincoln Rhyme book in awhile or it may be that I like female lead characters more. That being said, this was a good read overall. My only complaint is that there may have been a couple of twists and turns too many for the book to be believable. Recommended.
Kirkus was right on the money calling this book “a professional, forgettable barn-burner.” I requested it because of the weak and hardly there
Manson element.
Manson element.
Jeffrey Deaver knows how to write a mystery and Kathryn Dance is one of my favorite series!
I was really intrigued by the character of Kathryn Dance in "Cold Moon." Having a character that uses kinesics in order to get witnesses and suspects to open up and or confess.
In "The Sleeping Doll" we get more information on the character of Kathryn Dance. She works at the California Bureau of Investigation (think of a state office set up like the FBI) and is about to interrogate a man who murdered a family decades earlier (Daniel Pell). Pell is seen as similar to Charles Manson due to having his own family (teenage girls) who he commanded to steal from stores and homes in order to support the family. When new information comes up linking Pell to a murder Dance is set in to break him and get him to confess. Too late Dance realizes that Pell is up to something and then he escapes. This books follows Dance's efforts to track down and stop Pell as well as following Pell as he continues to wreck havoc.
There are multiple POVs in this book per usual for a Deaver book. We get Dance, Pell, and some of the teens (now older women) who came under Pell's spell decades earlier. We also get a POV from a writer who is going to write about the family that was murdered and the lone survivor of that murder (the so called Sleeping Doll). Deaver manages to do a good job shifting from each POV. I was honestly surprised since I thought it be too much.
I can say I wanted more of Dance though. Deaver was slow to reveal details about Dance, but at least I had questions answered about her from "Cold Moon." Due to Dance being a widow she has a lot of trouble trying to establish a new relationship without dealing with her kids disapproval. And because of Dance's special abilities she does a lot of analysis of her friends and family. It's kind of like being around a human version of a Vulcan.
Deaver gets a bit too in depth at times when explaining Dance's methods when interrogating cooperative and uncooperative witnesses. We also get to see how Pell manipulates people around him. And we definitely focus more on people's motivations, thought processes, and even body movements. I found this whole thing pretty fascinating.
The flow worked nicely in this one and of course we get typical Deaver twists, though they work in this one. Unlike with the Rhyme books I didn't feel like these were meant to shock. If you're paying attention you realize that Deaver was giving clues all along the way.
The setting of this one takes place in California. What I wish we had gotten more details about is the areas near Dance. Deaver provides details on Dance's home and her deck (which features prominently in this book) but I would have liked the same attention of detail regarding the history of the state and town they are in like he does in the Rhyme books.
The ending left me with some questions regarding Dance, her romantic relationships, and her family. I can't wait for the next one.
In "The Sleeping Doll" we get more information on the character of Kathryn Dance. She works at the California Bureau of Investigation (think of a state office set up like the FBI) and is about to interrogate a man who murdered a family decades earlier (Daniel Pell). Pell is seen as similar to Charles Manson due to having his own family (teenage girls) who he commanded to steal from stores and homes in order to support the family. When new information comes up linking Pell to a murder Dance is set in to break him and get him to confess. Too late Dance realizes that Pell is up to something and then he escapes. This books follows Dance's efforts to track down and stop Pell as well as following Pell as he continues to wreck havoc.
There are multiple POVs in this book per usual for a Deaver book. We get Dance, Pell, and some of the teens (now older women) who came under Pell's spell decades earlier. We also get a POV from a writer who is going to write about the family that was murdered and the lone survivor of that murder (the so called Sleeping Doll). Deaver manages to do a good job shifting from each POV. I was honestly surprised since I thought it be too much.
I can say I wanted more of Dance though. Deaver was slow to reveal details about Dance, but at least I had questions answered about her from "Cold Moon." Due to Dance being a widow she has a lot of trouble trying to establish a new relationship without dealing with her kids disapproval. And because of Dance's special abilities she does a lot of analysis of her friends and family. It's kind of like being around a human version of a Vulcan.
Deaver gets a bit too in depth at times when explaining Dance's methods when interrogating cooperative and uncooperative witnesses. We also get to see how Pell manipulates people around him. And we definitely focus more on people's motivations, thought processes, and even body movements. I found this whole thing pretty fascinating.
The flow worked nicely in this one and of course we get typical Deaver twists, though they work in this one. Unlike with the Rhyme books I didn't feel like these were meant to shock. If you're paying attention you realize that Deaver was giving clues all along the way.
The setting of this one takes place in California. What I wish we had gotten more details about is the areas near Dance. Deaver provides details on Dance's home and her deck (which features prominently in this book) but I would have liked the same attention of detail regarding the history of the state and town they are in like he does in the Rhyme books.
The ending left me with some questions regarding Dance, her romantic relationships, and her family. I can't wait for the next one.
Typical Deaver. He brought back a secondary character from his last novel and makes it work for the most part. I didn’t think it moved as seamlessly as his Rhyme series but it’s not bad for the first novel of a “spin-off” series that will be alternated with books about Rhyme and Sachs. If you like the Rhyme/Sachs series, you’ll probably like this.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't like the ending, it is a enjoyable book nonetheless.