Thursday, May 13, 2010

The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver


Title: The Sleeping Doll
Author: Jeffery Deaver
ISBN: 9780743260947, Simon & Schuster, 2007
Genre: Thriller, #1 Kathryn Dance
Rating: B+
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: The interrogation began like any other.

Special Agent Kathryn Dance, interrogator and kinesics expert with the California Bureau of Investigation, is given the opportunity to interrogate convicted killer Daniel "Son of Manson" Pell. Pell has become the prime suspect in a newly unearthed crime, and the Bureau needs all the information he can give them. All hell breaks loose at the prison where the interrogation is taking place, and Pell manages to escape. It's up to Dance to put all the clues together before the body count begins to rise.

Although this is a plot-driven thriller, there was enough information about Dance's character to keep me interested. She's a widow, has two children, and quite the routine to keep herself grounded and her family running smoothly.

The information Deaver gives about kinesics (body language) is very interesting and easy to apply to real life, although sometimes too much of the detail was repeated. It was fascinating to follow along with Dance and her rather unorthodox line of thinking ("A to B to X") to see if I could figure out Pell's next moves before he actually made them. I also appreciated the fact that the author didn't fall prey to a line of jeopardy that it would have been all too easy to insert into the plot.

As a thriller, this is definitely a cut above, and I have the next Kathryn Dance book, Roadside Crosses on my bookshelves.

10 comments:

  1. This is on my TBR list. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. If you can believe it, I've never read Deaver. I know! Hope to correct that one day.

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  3. I think I've read some of Deaver's books. Do you know if this is in a series or if it can be read as a stand alone?

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  4. Julie-- You're welcome!

    Beth-- It's not all that hard to believe due to the sheer volume of books that are published each year!

    Louise-- This is the first in a series but can definitely be read as a standalone.

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  5. I've read all of the Lincoln Rhyme books and this one is on my shelf, waiting. Glad I won't be disappointed.

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  6. Ooooooh sounds really good!!

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  7. Thank you for the review. I also liked it very much, and now I am about to end Roadside Crosses. GG (from Argentina)

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  8. GG-- I've got Roadside Crosses here to read, too. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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