THE SLEEPING DOLL by Jeffery Deaver
Most people are familiar with author Jeffery Deaver through his series of novels featuring the crime solving team of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. In his last novel he introduced a new character named Kathryn Dance, a Special Agent who is at her best during interview sequences. She is an acute observer of body movement and action and this enable her to be what is called "a human lie detector."
In Deaver's newest novel THE SLEEPING DOLL Kathryn Dance is featured. Rhyme and Sachs have only a very small involvement in the story. This is Kathryn's show and she is the star. The new villain is a man named Daniel Pell, a Manson like killer who is in prison. Kathryn is assigned to interview him about a new murder in which he might have been involved.
After Kathryn meets Pell she is bothered by something. It suddenly dawns on her that he might have set her up to interview him so that he would have to be moved to a central location. And there he figures he might be able to escape. She races to warn the authorities to be careful, but it is too late. Pell escapes and thus begins a race to recapture him.
The fascinating thing about Deaver's writing is that he can catch you totally off guard with an incident or event you never saw coming. Just when you think he is going to do something predictable with his characters he will surprise you and go another way. But still what transpires is perfectly logical in retrospect.
Deaver is also the master of detail. He crafts his words carefully to set up the next event or to justify an occurrence that might not happen for pages and pages after the fact. And each sequence of events is intricately built upon those that went before.
There is also a depth to Deaver's characters that you don't get with other writers. You know their thoughts and their actions in such a way that you can imagine the inner thoughts that aren't spoken. Kathryn Dance might be a new leading character but by the time you finish THE SLEEPING DOLL you feel as though you know her, her children, her parents, her friends and her co-workers.
Never start a Jeffrey Deaver book when you don't have several hours to devote to it. Once you start you will be captured by his gripping plot and his inspired characterizations. You will plunge into his story and keep reading even though you might promise yourself just one more chapter. Books like THE SLEEPING DOLL are impossible to turn loose.
I have to admit I missed Lincoln and Amelia, but that is because they have become like friends to me. I enjoyed meeting Kathryn and I am sure in time we will also become close. And as always I was held enthralled by the writing of Jeffery Deaver. He is one of the best if not THE best mystery writer/suspense writer out there today.
THE SLEEPING DOLL is published by Simon and Schuster. It contains 428 pages and sells for $26.95.