The Lesson of Her Death

Rating:
Summary: Deaver is capable of better works.
Review: This is the 5th of Deaver's novels I've read and I know that he can do better. There are too many characters in this book and too many sub-plot branches that make it "messy." As a result, they robs the narrative of its precision and tensions that Deaver usually crafts brilliantly (in "bone collector" and in "maiden's grave" for instance).

Rating:
Summary: Jefferey does it again!
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: This is early Deaver and it is great!
Review: This was published just before Jeffery Deaver got "bestseller" status and it is a good, solid read. Better than PRAYING FOR SLEEP but a little below anything after A MAIDEN'S GRAVE. That being said, I enjoyed this book. The first 1/4 is a bit slow with set-ups and a whole bunch of different characters. But once Deaver throws them all together, the ride really picks up! I can see parts of THE EMPTY CHAIR in this novel and even Rhyme's motto about evidence is worshipped of the lead Detective in this one. The plot is basically a whodunit...being who killed a college girl, another girl a year earlier, who's leaving polaroid pictures of the Detective's little girl IN HIS HOUSE and signed with threats? A lot of questions and the 517 paperback pages are needed to answer them all. Just when you think you have it all figured out, Deaver throws in his patented twists and turns and you don't know which side is up! A very solid and enjoyable read. Check it out to see how Deaver got to where he is. I've read all of his books except the 3 before this one. Got get yourself a copy!

Rating:
Summary: A Very Well Told Thriller
Review: When I first picked up this book, I mistakenly thought it was written by Jeffery Deaver, author of The Coffin Dancer. I was not disappointed, however. The characters in this story are immediately captivating and the action seldom lets up. Some of the surprising twists had me gasping out loud. The only thing that slowed the pace was the lack of punctuation in places that made for awkward and unwieldy sentences. These missteps became easy to ignore once the story got going. I really enjoyed this book, and like other reviewers here, would like to read his earlier works.

Rating:
Summary: Could have been better
Review: While the plot was intriguing and had some nice twists, Mr. Deaver was just a bit too fond of his surprise segues from one section to another. It was as if he was testing how clever he could be in duping the reader and leading them down the wrong path before they realized they had switched to a new character. Doing this every now and then is fine, but it happened nearly every other page! Yes, we see how clever you are. Get over it. His later stuff is definitely better.

Rating:
Summary: Could have been better
Review: While the plot was intriguing and had some nice twists, Mr. Deaver was just a bit too fond of his surprise segues from one section to another. It was as if he was testing how clever he could be in duping the reader and leading them down the wrong path before they realized they had switched to a new character. Doing this every now and then is fine, but it happened nearly every other page! Yes, we see how clever you are. Get over it. His later stuff is definitely better.