Rating: 
Summary: A Masterful Novel That Cannot Be Missed
Review: It is a simultaneous blessing and curse that more people have probably seen the film adaptation of Jeffery Deaver's novel A MAIDEN'S GRAVE than have read the book. This is not unusual; in a less harried age viewers would, I think, be more likely to seek out the novel that was the subject matter of the "Based on the novel" tag that would come appended to the beginning, or end, of a film they enjoyed. This is unfortunate; while A MAIDEN'S GRAVE was a fine film adaptation, there is nothing that can compare to climbing into the lounge chair, cracking the binding on this book, and then restricting movement for the next several hours to the eye, the, hand, and the mind.A MAIDEN'S GRAVE and PRAYING FOR SLEEP are the two novels that really, really "did it" for Deaver; they set the tone for his later books, particularly the Lincoln Rhyme novels, which have brought him the fame, fortune and notoriety that he so long deserved and that was so late in forthcoming. THE MAIDEN'S GRAVE tells a story over the course of 400-plus pages (in the mass market paperback edition) and a little over 18 hours that contains all of those elements that make a Deaver book a DEAVER BOOK: sleights of hand, plot twists, and a suspense level that is ratcheted upward every page or two. Oh, one other thing. Deaver has become well known for building his novels around topics that you want to know more about but have never had the time to delve into. The Man very kindly does the research for you and drops factoids here and there, but never gratuitously. So it is that when, in A MAIDEN'S GRAVE, a school bus carrying students from a school for the hearing impaired is hijacked by a trio of murderous escaped convicts, the reader learns much more than sign language. There are some pretty ferocious political and cultural differences within the hearing-impaired community, and even some class differences based on impairment etiology. Deaver does a masterful job of bringing these out within the subtext of his story, and making them matter as his story unfolds, without tearing and straining at the plot fabric. That one fact alone would make A MAIDEN'S GRAVE a masterful work. But...but...there is a lot more to this novel than the hearing-impaired subtext. When it is learned that the bus has been hijacked, and the students kidnapped and held hostage, the politics involved in the containing and resolving of the situation have enough plot lines for an entirely separate novel. Arthur Potter is the FBI's very best point man in the area of hostage negotiation. Potter approaches every hostage situation as a homicide in progress; those responsible must be apprehended and the damage contained. The jurisdictional disputes among federal, state, and local authorities, even when the line of authority is at least theoretically clear, function more to endanger rather than protect the hostages. What is so remarkable, however, is Deaver's ability, in the midst of jurisdictional chaos, to plausibly create an improbable love affair from afar between Potter and Melanie Charrol. Charrol is a teacher of the hearing-impaired, and one of the hostages. Though she and Potter have never met, and have seen each other only from a fleeting distance, they begin, incredibly, to work together to resolve the situation and to save themselves --- and each other. The result is a tale of suspense and, yes, romance, that is somehow rendered believable. I doubt that anyone but Deaver could ever carry it off. Whether you have seen the film version of A MAIDEN'S GRAVE on HBO or not, the novel, and the reading experience, are not to missed. It is a work to be read, reread, and shared. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating: 
Summary: Plodding, Not Worth the Effort to Read!
Review: I'm a big fan of Jeffrey Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series and eagerly picked up A Maiden's Grave. Unfortunately, this novel simply isn't the same calibre of the Rhyme books. The plot involves the kidnapping of several young deaf girls who are held hostage at an old slaughterhouse in Kansas. The main character in the book is Arthur Potter, an FBI hostage negotiator; he's accompanied by the standard techno-geek, the mousey assistant who faithfully logs info on the bad guys, and the stunningly gorgeous ex-model assistant Angie. For fans of the Rhyme series, you'll recognize this Amelia Sachs-clone immediately...the only change is the hair color. The villains are interesting, but not enough is shared about them to keep this reader interested. Most of the book is spent slogging through countless scenes of tech-talk, political in-fighting, and the developing "relationship" between one of the deaf women and the hostage negotiator. This plotline alone strains the credibility of the book. All in all, it appears that Deaver has done his research, but the plot is hackneyed and too drawn out -- I've even lost count of the number of times the hostage negotiation team "bursts into applause" at the slightest "accomplishment" of the hero, Potter. If you like police procedurals, read A Maiden's Grave. If you want an engaging novel, you'd be better off reading the Lincoln Rhyme series. And for the ultimate hostage negotiation novel, check out Robert Crais' "Hostage" -- that was a phenomenal read!
Rating:
Summary: A tense, heart pounding, novel
Review: I could not put this novel down. I actually saw the movie before ever reading the book. The movie has a different name and is actually somewhat old. It played on T. V., and was really good. Well, what a surprise for me to lift this novel and began reading about the same bus ride, the same outlaws, and the same holdoff. Of course the novel is always 10 times fasinating. Deaver is a fantastic author was a well of talent.
Rating:
Summary: A-Mazing....
Review: Jeffrey Deaver has the uncanny ability to step in and out of the skin of Lincoln Rhyme, the hero of his major series of work. Unlike many authors, who stop a series to branch out into new fields, or others who continue only in the same vein, Deaver takes breaks from the rhythm of Rhyme, sidebars into completely different and compelling plots, and still comes home to entertain with Rhyme again!
"A Maiden's Grave" may just be my favorite Deaver novel. From the title pun to the complete curveball that is thrown at the end of the story, Deaver never stops compelling you to turn the pages.
Set in a gruesome slaughterhouse, where escaped prisoners have taken their helpless girl hostages (many of whom are deaf) AMG lets you get inside the minds of some of the hostages, of the captors, and of Arthur Potter, the FBI's main hostage negotiator. All of the characters are flawed, in rich and sometimes curious ways. While stretching the tale, Deaver transports you to the scene as you can visualize what it would be like to be one of the hostages. Friends tell me that Deaver has done phenomenal research into the world of the deaf, in order to be able to describe what life is like for them, and how the camaraderie of groups of hearing-impaired people can sometimes be a burden, when one decides to become more involved with those who hear. Odd intricacies of plot background are a hallmark of Deaver's stories....but this one is hard to put down.
Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent....
Review: This book is so very well-written and descriptive that it gave me chills. I was so interested in this book that it only took me 2 days to finish it. If you want to read a good thriller that will keep you guessing until the end, I would highly recommend this book. I've read quite a few "thrillers" over the years. This is one of Deaver's best.
Rating:
Summary: A knock-your-socks-off nail biter
Review: A MAIDEN'S GRAVE is what every trashy thriller should be. It's the kind of book that you'll want to read undisturbed at one sitting, while telling the boss, spouse, kids, pets, or whatever, "Buzz off!" I wish I could award more than 5 stars. The plot is seemingly straight forward enough. Three cons escape from a federal pen in Kansas, hijack a bus carrying two teachers and eight young female students from a school for the deaf, and hole up in an abandoned slaughterhouse on the bank of the Arkansas River. The leader of the Bad Guys is Lou Handy, a smart, amoral and vicious felon that describes himself as "cold death". And you know what? He is. And what's he going to do with that pliers, screwdriver, wrench and hammer? And is his girlfriend, Pris, going to show up? (Handy is one of those horrific sociopaths that, in our nightmares, lurks just outside our bedroom window in the darkness waiting for us to fall asleep so he can drive a stiletto into our eyes for flipping him off on the freeway that day.) Surrounding the hidey-hole, the local, state and federal team of cops is led by Arthur Potter, a fiftyish and out-of-shape FBI agent, who also happens to be that agency's senior hostage negotiator. Arthur is the Common Man's hero, just your regular shmoe doing a job that he's extraordinarily good at. The strength of this superb novel rests in the distinct individualities of the adversaries, and the non-stop tension as Potter must deal not only with Handy's demands and deadlines, but also with the separate agenda of Kansas state law enforcement that illustrates the saying, "We've met the enemy, and they're us." As a bonus, author Jeffery Deaver, if he did his research right, perhaps gives the reader an insight into the culture of the Deaf. (I mean, how many hearing-impaired people do you know? To my knowledge, I've never met even one.) But certainly the most engaging character of A MAIDEN'S GRAVE is timid and frightened Melanie, the youngest of the two teachers, and who's also deaf. By the end of the story, she's evolved into another person entirely - one that'll leave you stunned. A MAIDEN'S GRAVE is, hands down, the best thriller I've read in a long, long while. I can't recommend it enough. Of course, as I told The Boss to pound sand when he caught me absorbed in its pages instead of preparing the quarterly P&L statement for the stockholders' meeting, I'll now have much more time for reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Not my kind of book.
Review: I know this book got a lot of good reviews, but I would give it 2
Stars. I found that the hostage plot made the novel a chore to read. Perhaps my opinion is this way because I prefer a good murder mystery when the killer/s are completely unknown. Don't get me wrong, there was a twist at the end, but not a big one. A good novel for anyone interested in long hostage negotiations, otherwise try something else.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating!
Review: I started and stopped this book about 3 times, due to other circumstances. But once I got momentum going...WOW. A true thriller, with a little violence tossed in. I thought it was better than The Bone Collector, and on par with The Coffin Dancer (another great book). Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly gripping
Review: This book i believe is one of Jeffery deavers best books. It is a book that you are unable to put down beacuse you are always wondering what is going to happen next to each of the characters. The story line is amazing!!! If you do not like any of his other books you will definately like this one and get hooked on it no problem. It is one of the books you must read by Jeffery Deaver.!!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!!!
Review: This book was amazing one of the best I have read so far form the author. It was a book that you could not put down for second because you always want to know what is going to happen next. This book is a book that you can not put down and is a brilliant insight into how you negotiate with the hostage taker to get out the hostages all in one piece. The characters are amazing in this book. It is nothing like any of the other books he has written!!!!
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