Jeffery Deaver Books

Another great example of the lesson I've learned when exploring thriller writers: always go back to their first books, those early works upon which their reputations were built...Hunter, Burke, Connelly,Deaver,Ross MacDonald,the list goes on. Here Mr. Deaver shows a ferociously understated intelligence in his grasp of character-especially those perversions of character which make this novel read at moments like a fictionalized psychology text from hell....ain't it great??? And, as I said, understated and believable every step of the way. Especially believable are the procedural aspects of small town law enforcement and their inexperience when confronted with atrocities beyond their ken, and the wonderfully wicked views of the dark side of academia. Also a pitch perfect characterization of a decent person of mediocre intelligence, without resort to parody or patronization...not an easy task. Very High recommendation.

This was a very good book. The begining was a little slow, but when it picked up I couldn't put it down. Jeffery has you mistrusting all of the characters. Jeffery has done it again!

I don't know how people get it into their heads that early Deaver books are not as good as his later ones. ALL of his early books are of an incredibly high class, equally as good as his more recent. They are slightly different, in tone perhaps, but the quality remains the same.

This is an idea book...there is so much of interest going on at once. It is the kind of book i adore...the kind with a central core plot, but one with many other subplots (usually to do with simple events in the lives of the characters) all orbiting around that core-plot, but never really touching it. It makes the books rather realistic, and such a feast for the reader. So much is happening, just like real life. (For another brilliant example of this, check out "Cry Wolf" by Tami Hoag, which is one of my favourite books of all time.)

Deaver's writing is very good, and his characters are great. Very human. He gets into everyones head, and shows us inside, so incredibly well that it looks remarkably easy. I have not met an author who actually can get inside his characters heads so well, and make whats in there seem so simple and ration, especially in the heads of his killers.

The plot is good...interesting, exciting, twisting. There are some nice subtle twists, although they are not quite as pronounced or as shocking as in some of his other novels. Indeed, the identity of the killer is discovered in the final 100 ish pages, and there is no real surprise about their identity from then on. (Which, having found out so early, you would expect there to be.)

If anything, this book is perhaps a bit too long. But not much...

This is not Deaver's book, but that doesnt really clarify matters at all. As all of his books are exemplary, and much better than most authors working today. (Hence the fact that it still garners a five star rating.) However, it may not be quite as good as such classics as "A Maiden's Grave" or "The Empty Chair" it is still a hig class, enjoyable read. If you are new to Deaver, this is probably good place to start and ease yourself into the water.

This is a fascinating and intriguing novel with more than one plot twist and surprise! If you are a Deaver fan, I'm sure you'll love this story.
Bill Corde is a deputy in a small midwestern town, New Lebanon. When the murder of a college student, Jennie Gebben, is discovered. Detective Corde is placed in charge of the investigation. Sheriff Ribbon and one of his deputies, Slocum are convinced that this is a cult killing, and that it is connected to a previous murder of another college student, Susan Biagotti. However, Bill Corde is not convinced of this, and continues to pursue the case in his own manner.
Tied in with the murder are two mysterious teenage boy's who call themselves Jano and and Phathar, characters from a science fiction movie that they are obsessed with. As the story continues, the reader wonders if these teenager's are serial killers, or perhaps just troubled youth's.
Detective Corde not only faces the puzzle of Jennie Gebbens murder, and difficulties he faces in the sheriff's department, in his family life he is dealing with a nine year old, learning disabled daughter who is a possible target of the killer, and living in a fantasy world, a teenage son who becomes a suspect in the murder, and a wife who is less than happy with their marriage.
This is an intriguing and fascinating mystery. The characters are well stuctured and believable. Everything is wrapped up and explained by the conclusion of the novel. The reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because I would have liked to know what happened to several of the characters shortly after the mystery was solved. It's a pet-peeve of mine.

This is one of Deaver's earlier works. I'll echo most of the other reviewers and say that this isn't his best. It is, however, still a very strong story. Deaver's weakest is still as good or better than most writer's best.

This is a strong plot, but there are fewer twists than Deaver has become known for. The characters are also very good. He makes you cheer for Corde and wonder how his coworkers can be so stupid.

Again, it's not his best, but you still won't be disappointed by it.

The book's plot goes out of the main story so many times that you'll forget what were you reading. You'll know how the book'll end in the sixth chapter and that's a book's turn down. There are much better books written by JD than this one. So pick another book instead of this one.

The final of the three "Rune" novels (sadly - I liked this heroine!), "Hard News" is absolutely full of unforeseen twists and turns that will keep you guessing right up until the final reveal. Tight pacing kept me turning pages way past my bedtime.

Rune is working for a network affiliate as a camera operator when she is given a letter sent from a prisoner - Randy Boggs - protesting his innocence and saying that he fears for his life and must be released from his wrongful imprisonment. Deciding that she absolutely must do this story, Rune pushes her way into the anchor's - Piper Sutton - office and convinces Piper to let her do the story. However, as Rune learns more information, it seems that someone doesn't want her to do the story - just like someone doesn't want Randy to survive, as he is subjected to repeated attempts on his life.

To make things a bit more difficult, Rune's roommate Claire left for Boston to live with her mother and get her life together - leaving behind her 3-year-old daughter with Rune. Therefore, Rune has to balance taking care of Courtney with everything else.

Lots of humor as well as breath-taking suspense. I definitely recommend this for fans of Deaver and suspense/thrillers.

This last novel was the best out of the other three with Rune.
Rune is more mature and has a much better job this time.The
storyline kept my interest, but was far from reality (in my opinion),which gave the novel a downside.

Women write excellent novels about women. This should not be startling news. Some men write well about women, but not that many. This also should not be news. Baldacci does an excellent job. He stays away from sex and clothing. LeCarre does a magnificent job. Robert B. Parker on occasion hits nothing but net with his new 'Sunny Randall' series, but not all the time. Too often, they're male characters who are a size 5. This is the case with Deaver and 'Rune.'

First of all, the one name bit. Who are we kidding? Have you in your personal lives ever known a human being with one name? I have not. I don't know anyone who knows any one named persons. So at the very outset, it's incredible.

Then she's an assistant camera person who talks her way into the major talent on a news program, and talks herself into an assignment of major consequences. That happens every day. She worked in a video store before this! She was a salesgirl!

She lives on a houseboat in Manhattan. Now you know that Manhattan, insofar as Real Estate goes, makes Ann Arbor, Lincoln Park and Santa Barbara look like the ghetto. So . . . how? How does she afford this? She has a $50,000 dollar camera . . . how?

Her tastes are promiscuous, she's caring for a 4 year old abandoned child, feeding her cheetos and sardines, she get's a murderer out of prison on guile and deception.

It was a struggle, Mr. Deaver, to finish this book. And finally, most readers CAN'T STAND when the agent says 'Hey, you're really selling now. Got anything you wrote 20 years ago?' That's what this is. It's just a republication of a republication. Come on. We deserve more than that. We are your faithful fans. 1 star. Larry Scantlebury

Rune is simply wonderful. I love her to pieces. She's quirky, fun, naive in childlike way, and just a wonderfully likeable character.

The Rune books are not the deepest books you will find. Nor are they the most exciting and thrilling. (Although they are quite.) But, they are quite atmospheric tales of New York and complex crime.

They are quirky, immense fun to read, and light hearted. Don't take them too seriously (this is what most people do with their reading...they take it far too seriously. Which spoils what would otherwise be enjoyable fiction.) and you will really relish them.

The plots are complex, the twists completely unguessable. (As is the norm with Deaver.) He is currently my favourite writer, and these little gems from the past only further convince me of the fact that he is probably the best storyteller i have come across in a very long time. Great characters, great plot, stunning writing. (I adore his style.)

If you like quirky, fun, lighthearted books with a tense edge, his Rune series is definitely for you. (I hope he ressurects her in the near future for a fourth novel.)

I've read a lot of Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme novels and like them and I thought The Devil's Teardrop which had a different protagonist was excellent. So when I saw this one in the bookstore, I snapped it up. Big waste of money! I couldn't even finish the book, and that is not something that I do very often. At the very beginning I didn't like the main character at all because he didn't seem the least bit sympathetic to me, although I realize that's simply a matter of personal taste and not something that you can give a bad review for. More serious was the total "no thought" stereotyping of "bad cops" and local townspeople. Still not enough to deep eighty-six it, but it was starting to get there at that point. No, the thing that made me toss this book is that while it is supposed to take place in upstate rural New York, Deaver tried to write this using colloquial English. Not a problem if he'd used the colloquial speech for the area. He didn't. He used the speech of rural areas of Virginia and other areas to the south of NYS. As a life long resident of upstate rural NY, I felt it insulting to get something that basic wrong and it opened up the whole suspician that nothing else in the book could be right, either, if that's the amount of research he put into it. It's incredibly lazy writing, and I don't have time to read poor writing. Too many other really good books out there to waste on a disaster like this one. Save your money and pass it by, or at least get it used if you feel you must read it.

I just love Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme books and began reading some of his other books. This one was easy to get into and very heart-jerking when character John Pellam's friend is blown up in a van and accused post-mortem of being involved in drugs. As seems a bit unusual, the death causes Pellam to be fired from his film producing job, but that's OK because it gives him time to solve his friend and co-worker's death. He's certain it's murder, and he's right. He also gets a taste of small town life in the process. Highly recommended!

Shallow Graves is a story in a small country village. The main character John Pellam is shooting site for films here, until all the trouble starts to begin. He get's involved in a shooting involving drugs. The local police isn't supporting and he is even been trown in jail. It's my first read of J. Deaver and I expected more from him. I hope the other book I got from him will be better, called: The coffin dancer.

This book was amazing, it took me a matter of days to finish it because I could not put it down. I strongly recomend it! Its entertaining from start to finish!

John Pellam is a film location scout who thinks he has found the perfect setting for a new flick. The problem is that there are some key town players who dont want the Hollywood big wigs disturbing their small town environment.....or are their reasons more sinister. What seems to be a series of warnings turns into a deadly game and Pellam must deal with wanna be movie stars, crooked cops, and even a romance or two to find out who is out to get him.

The pretense of the book has possibilites but the dedicated Deaver fan will be left a little gloomy from the shallow plot of SHALLOW GRAVES. The roller coaster thrill ride that usually marks a good Deaver novel is nowhere to be found. The character development is almost non existant and the subjects remain....shallow. There is one sudden flip at the end of the book that gives you a glimpse of the master suspense writer that Deaver was destined to become.

Sadly the book is average. It wont bore you to tears but it doesnt keep you on the edge of your seat either. A worthwhile read for a true Deaver fan but others should stear clear.

Bloody River Blues by Jeffery Deaver gives the reader what they expect from a Deaver novel. There are lots of suspects and motives to sort out and though some seem a little "ho, hum" in the end it all matters. The book has a good pace, but you can put it down and pick it up again when you have time to read, unlike some of Deaver's work that cost you sleep because you can't put them down.

As many books the beginning of this one is excellent. But as you go over and over it gets boring and boring. The book has four stories that at the end will meet and all of them are stark boring. And at the end... just skip it. Better'd be if you skip this book.

This book just sucks you in on the life of Pellam, a scout for a film company. He was a witness to a shooting that he wishes he never witnessed.

i've been enjoying these early thrillers from Deaver a lot. (especially his RUNE series) this one is no exception. Its not exactly high-brow, but its a fast, entertaining read, as all his early thrillers have so far been. They have good plots, which are not very complex, and are easy to get your head around, they are also full of twists, as is the norm with Deaver.

however, this one is a tiny bit disappoinging, because the cahracters are not as fleshed out as he is capable of.

but, the writing is very good once again, the plot sustains interest, its a quick and enjoyable read, and is reccomended to all fans of Jeffery Deaver.

I'm a huge Jeffery Deaver fan and until this book had never read one of his tomes that I didn't absolutely love. Bloody River Blues was anything but spectacular in my opinion and it was a struggle to even get to the end.

Character development was fair but not the usual style I've come to enjoy from Deaver. I never really knew John Pellam like an intimate friend and was only given tidbits of information about him. Along the way a few more scraps were thrown out but most seemed unimportant. Subcharacters were also underdeveloped - even the villain was so underdeveloped that when the identity was known it was anticlimactic. One of my favorite characters was the paralyzed cop but his story was often short changed - his doctor could have been developed to give so much more to the story but she never was and it left me lacking enthusiasm for the storyline. And his chanting, nutsy wife could have been fun but again she was almost mentioned in passing and nothing more said.

The main plot was fair but not something that would grab the reader and not let go. In fact, I kept putting this book down and it was difficult to muddle my way through it. The subplots were tossed in with no clear reason behind them. For example, the subplot that has John Pellam trying to sell his own movie script so he can make it into a film himself had me scratching my head and saying, "So what!" I really didn't care and didn't see what relevance it had in the big picture. The other subplots were similar and left me wondering why they took up page space.

Overall this book was just a tad below average but for a Jeffery Deaver book to even be average is a very unusual thing. His books usually grab me from the beginning and I lose sleep trying to finish them. If anything, BLOODY RIVER BLUES put me to sleep! I'd definitely skip this one and read anything else by Deaver.

This novel was initially written in 1992 and the author modified it and updated the work ten years later. It is one of his better works, yet does appear to have a limited audience. The book is well researched and centers around the personalities in a large Wall Street Law Firm. The characters have depth and become richer as the work progresses. A good part of the book is spent in introducing the reader to the main vharacters and establishing the plot. Once the reader passes this, the book takes off rapidly and mixes suspense with a legal thriller that is difficult to put down. The writer is able to skilfully bring the reader into the world of his characters. When it appears that one has figured out the dorection of the writer, he is able to throw in unexpected twists that keep this book moving along at a rapid pace.

This book is nowhere near as good as Deaver's other work, before or after this novel. The "goings on" at the lawfirm are too exaggerated to make the story believable. Rather than serious fiction, it seemed more like bad comedy at times. Read one of Deaver's other novels for a treat, but skip this one.

This book seems to have been written by Jeffrey Deaver just prior to his full acquisition of the unique style, creativity, pace and humor that marked his later works. The Lincoln Rhyme novels, for example. All of them employ Jeffrey's formidable writing skills, and are tremendously entertaining on many levels. Mistress of Justice falls short of these expectations, however. I got only halfway through it, skimmed the rest, then went right to the ending - which was predictable. Never thought I'd do that with one of Jeffrey's books, and I have read nearly all of them. The problems with this book are many. The pace is very slow. The plot - not very strong. Too many characters are introduced, too quickly. Too much writing space devoted to non-essential details. But there also seems to be a snooty, snobbish tone to the entire book - almost as if Jeffrey had written it to impress his cronies in the lawyering arena of NYC. While I was reading - I failed to find anyone in the story to admire, to cheer for, and more importantly, to identify with. Although some may be fascinated by that particular class-based New York / New England culture of old money, politics and snobbishness, I am not. Yet Jeffrey revelled in laying this all out in a manner that suggested the reader should love and embrace this culture. Fortunately, Jeffrey moved away from this style in his later novels - all of which are marked by rich characters, from life's many diverse walkways. Mistress of Justice reinforced my belief that you cannot hit a home run every time up - and that's fine. And, I am grateful that the mistakes made in this novel are not found in any of Jeffrey's later works. If you are as big a Jeffrey Deaver fan as I am - and you have not yet read Mistress of Justice - steel yourself for possible disappointment.

This is my first Deaver book I have read. Good thing, I borrowed the book from the library. First half of the book was slow and not real interesting until the plot gets more interesting from second half of the book till the end. I didn't figure out the correct suspect until I almost reached the end. The suspense is great, but the story and wordings could have been better. I guess that's understandable since this one was one of author's earlier books. I hope his later books are better as other people say.

these early Deaver re-issues are turning out as real gems among his back-catalogue. I can say with complete confidence that Jeffery Deaver has not once written a bad, unenjoyable book.

Deaver's writing style is concise and addictive. It's clever, quirky and enjoyable. His plots are well devised and well structured. They run smoothly and without a hitch.

This is a very good, very hig-class legal thriller, better than almost anything by John Grisham. the plot is complex and intriguing, and the lead character is very human and very likeable, with some very distinctive quirks which make her a pleasure to read about.

The book moves at great pace, and is a true page-turner. There are a couple of nice twists along the way, and, as is usual with Deaver, one final wallop right at the end.

Another very good book from Deaver...not quite his best, but i still reccomend that you read it. As i do with all his books.

The time spent writing this book should have been time spent on vacation, family time, or even time reading. This was crap! Wish I had my money back.

I enjoyed this audio book. It was excellent highway fodder and made the time pass quickly.

However, the serial nature caused some authors to countermand each others directions with killings and changes of direction that seemed a bit hokey ("Dang! I forgot my briefcase!")

On the other hand, it was a fun book and a great way to see the styles of a wide variety of authors.

This probably isn't the deepest international intrigue novel out there, but I think the twists and "I forgot my briefcase" moments alluded to by another reviewer were obviously intentional as each author picked up the tale. That said, I think the book was better edited than most single-author ventures are these days. I did enjoy the different styles, some of which stand out more than others. I read this in one day, and, if there was another, I'd read that one, too.

This is fun. It held my interest throughout the book. Knowing a new author would have to pick up the pieces at the end of each chapter added mystery and anticipation. I wish it had been longer.

The style of Deaver's "Manhattan" is not overly different to those of his peak phase (for mine, Maidens Grave - Coffin Dancer) in that it is simply written and developed, and with twists. However the twists themselves were anti-climactic (i read the whole book for that? come on), the attempted metaphors of New York as a fairyland and the connections to movies were lost on me, and the characters did not attract. I think I'll leave my Deaver collection to rest for awhile, 2.5 stars.

This is one of the author's earlier works, and while it is not one of his best efforts, it is still a cut above what is currently proffered by other writers of this genre. Jeffrey Deaver writes with a decidedly contemporary feel, his prose always spare and lean. While he does not dwell unduly on character development, it does not deter from the book, as it is wholly plot driven, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the last minute. It makes for a quick, enjoyable read.

The book revolves around a decades old bank robbery in which the million dollars heisted was never recovered. This robbery was memorialized in an old bete noire film entitled "Manhattan is My Beat". Enter the story's unlikely heroine, twenty year old Rune of the purple hair, who works in a video store, squats in an abandoned loft that she calls home, and has an imagination that doesn't quit.

When one of her video customers is killed execution style in his apartment, Rune is drawn into events of the past, as they converge upon the present. The now dead customer had repeatedly rented the film, "Manhattan is My Beat", and Rune firmly believes that there is a connection between his death and the age old bank heist. Her do-or-die resolve to discover why her customer was killed leads the moxie endowed Rune on a merry and dangerous chase. It is one that keeps the reader fully engaged and entertained.

An early twist sets the tone for this tribute to the power of words, which in this case are used mostly to deceive. Deaver takes us on a twisting journey that may or may not spell doom for the protagonist. The story kept me engrossed the whole way. The brutality is raw in a couple of spots, but the reader is rewarded with a satistfying ending. After reading this story, you might think twice about excessive flattery.

I finished this book quick it was so good, I couldn't sleep, just kept reading it. This is my 1st novel by this auther. Since I am a Christian my wife saw this while we were in Catalina Island, and she said look "Spoeaking in Tongues" thinking it was a Christian novel, pero it was a suspense novel and it got me curious. Good book and not too much profanity, though any is too much.

One of my favorite crime thriller authors is Jeffery Deaver, and I just recently had the chance to finish his book Speaking In Tongues. Great stuff...

Aaron Matthews, a former psychologist with a knack for talking people into things, is out to destroy the life of Tate Collier. Collier is a trial lawyer who prosecuted Matthew's son for a killing when he was a teen. A short time after the teen went into prison, he was brutally murdered. Matthews wants to take the life of Collier's teenage daughter in revenge. He does this by kidnapping the daughter after a counseling session and makes it look like a runaway. She's taken to an old abandoned mental hospital where Matthews plans on murdering her. Collier suspects that his daughter's disappearance is not what it seems, but everyone who can provide answers is either dying or being framed for other crimes. The story is a race to see if Collier can figure out who is doing all this, and to find his daughter before harm comes to her.

This is an excellent story with numerous plot twists and tight story-telling. The interaction between Collier, his ex-wife, and the daughter (who has numerous issues) provides all the necessary color to allow the characters to struggle with both family feelings and the on-going crime investigation. Definitely not a book that is easy to put down.

Megan is a 17 year old rebel who finds herself discussing her less than adequate parents while at court ordered therapy. But this shrink is substituting for her regular doctor. What she soon realizes, is that he needs therapy of his own since he proceeds to drug and kidnap her. Enter her self centered parents. They soon realize that something is amiss and begin their new careers as self appointed detectives as they follow up on clues that seem to magically fall from the sky. But somehow the bad guy is always one step ahead of the good guys, thwarting them from their attempts to reclaim the daughter that they now realize they have overlooked and taken for granted.

The sarcasm in my above description, I think, pretty much sums up my feelings on this book. Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme books have always been page turners for me and I look forward to each one with great anticipation. But his non-Rhyme books are always a recipe for disaster. This plot is too contrived, the bad guy too capable of keeping the good guys off his trail, and the good parents completely unbelievable in the efforts they throw together to attempt to get their daughter back. Overall, the writing actually keeps the story going because it flows so well, but the story is sorely lacking.

I love the way Jefrey Deaver constructs his psychological suspense thrillers. He weaves such a complex web with twists and turns that keep me glued to the book, afraid to turn the page to see what happens next, but also afraid not to turn the page.

This book features a vicious type of revenge toward attorney Tate Collier. His daughter, Megan, is kidnapped by a psychologist, Dr. Aron Matthews, who blames Tate for the death of his son years before. Tate and his ex-wife, Bett, are forced to team up and work together to try to rescue their daughter.

However, it is not their story that is particularly interesting, but rather the story of teen-age Megan Collier. Megan has definite psychological problems, but manages to work through and sometimes with her issues to thwart her kidnapper. Dr. Matthews hides her in a decrepit, unused insane asylum, but she manages to escape from the room in which she is held and, although she is unable to get out of the asylum, she finds plenty of places to hide and try to outwit her captor. She is the true hero of the book, and the narrative works best when it is focused on her.

Forget all the nonsense between Tate and Bett and their long scenes of exploring what went wrong in their relationship and how both of them have abrogated their duty as Megan's parents. That is unnecessary, boring filler that doesn't really add anything to the book. Skip those pages if you like and read the scenes with Megan. That's where the crux of the story is, and a very exciting story it is, too.

The name of this book is very deceptive and makes it sound like it contans follow up stories in the vein of those in Deaver's book "Twisted" (which is also available in audio format). Lo and behold, it's actually just more stories taken from that book. This audio book should have been named something like "Nocuturne and other stories from Twisted". Based on other reviews I've read, I'm not the only one to have been duped. The stories in "Twisted" are good, but jeers to the publisher for pulling this fast one.

This is a terrific book I stumbled upon by accident. If you enjoy "Twilight Zone," then you'll love these. Each story had an ending I didn't see coming. And each time I finished one, I ended up with a giant grin on my face and a big "WOW, cool!!!" I must say, I rarely like books of short stories. They're usually very uneven in quality and readability. This is the exception. This is a great book by Jeffery Deaver. Don't miss it!

The Vanished Man starts out as an excellent fast paced , technically accurate account of an unusual murder case. I loved the "posterboard" of the evidence and clues involving the profile of the perpetrator. Perfect explanations of the instruments used to analyze evidence, beautiful development of the suspect, and classic following the directions given by the evidence.
However, then the plot gets so involved, so outrageous, that after a while the credibility of the story loses its appeal. Too, too many nebulous connections and co-incidences. The original story line was just fine- crisp, taut, evidence oriented.. and then- just too bizzarre! Stopping about page 300 would have been a great idea! Keeping the reader engaged is one thing , but the game gets stacked totally against any odds of creating a level field for the reader and author to "play" together!