Book Review- Jeffery Deaver- The Twelfth Card

Jeffery Deaver- The Twelfth Card (Pocket Star Books 2006) 4.75 Stars

When a young girl researches her families past for a school project, her life suddenly explodes into a twisted web of danger. Now Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs must stop this cold-hearted killer before he succeeds in his mission. Found at the scene, is the twelfth card from a tarot pack, the hanged man. They must figure out what everything means. Is the girl being hunted down because of the possible changes to civil rights this girl’s project might dig up, or is there some other reason they have yet to discover? Can they end this man’s killing spree before it ends this young girl’s life?

The Twelfth Card grabbed my attention from the first page and refused to let go. I enjoyed how intense the plot was and how smoothly the storyline flowed. It was set up so that the reader would only figure things out when the investigators figured it out. Some of the decoys the killer set up were really well done and left the reader on the edge of their seat, guessing what might come next. I also enjoyed characters; all of them are very intriguing and fit in very well with the storyline. At times I do get a little annoyed with the constant mentioning of the fact that Lincoln Rhyme is paraplegic, but this is so minor it is hardly worth mentioning. I also thought that the book could have ended sooner, cutting out the last thirty or so pages. It was a cute ending, but unnecessary. Overall though I really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Jeffery Deaver- The Vanished Man

Jeffery Deaver- The Vanished Man (Pocket Books 2004) 4.25 Stars

Police consultant Lincoln Rhyme and his police contact Amelia Sachs are called in to assist in the investigation of an illusionist who is committing murders and vanishing before the eyes of witnesses. Each victim is posed in a different illusionist’s trick. Just when they think they have the killer figured out, everything changes. The pair must unravel the illusionist’s tricks in order to find out the true meaning behind each piece of evidence. Can they trust anything or anyone? Can they solve the case before the killer succeeds in his master plan?

Jeffery Deaver has outdone himself with The Vanished Man. The villain is a brilliant illusionist who makes the case a very interesting one. There are so many twists that you are just never sure what is what, at times there appear to be almost too many twists. The investigative details are really well done and you can tell that Deaver did his research. I loved the characters in this one, including the villain. They were all very well put together and I even felt that I got to know the villain, although in the end I discovered that I really did not, which worked well into the book. I did find that Lincoln Rhyme figured out some of the details out of the blue, I would have liked to see a little bit more reasoning behind why he came to these conclusions, and how he figured things out, the explanations given at times seemed a little bit flaky. Overall I was very impressed and enjoyed reading this book, making it a difficult one to put down.

I recommend The Vanished Man to anyone who loves thrillers, mysteries, and Deaver novels.

For more of my reviews check out my website, www.tonypeters.webs.com

Tony Peters

Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/

Book Review- Jeffery Deaver- The Empty Chair

Jeffery Deaver- The Empty Chair (Pocket Books 2005) 3.75 Stars

Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are asked to assist a small town police force in hunting down a brilliant kidnapper aptly named Insect Boy. Finding the boy may not be so difficult, but keeping him within their grasp may just be the toughest thing they have ever done. This may be their toughest case yet, pitting these allies on opposite sides.

Although The Empty Chair is described as a thriller, I feel it fits better into the mystery genre. I enjoyed the brilliance of the Insect Boy and loved the fun facts about insects. The characters I felt were kind of weak, and some of the events were not all that plausible. That being said I think that the plot is well done and keeps the reader’s interest at all times. I also enjoyed the section right before the end, as it was very creative.

I recommend The Empty Chair to mystery lovers and Deaver fans.

For more of my reviews check out my website, http://www.tonypeters.webs.com/

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html

Book Review- Jeffery Deaver- The Cold Moon

Jeffery Deaver- The Cold Moon (Simon & Schuster 2006) 3.75 Stars

The Watchmaker has come to New York City and he is leaving brutal murders in his wake. Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic criminalist is hunting him using Detective Amelia Sachs to do the police work. Sachs however is on her first solo case and does not have a lot of time to help out, leaving Rhymes to look elsewhere for help.
This was a good solid mystery/thriller. The characters were strong and I found it interesting that the lead character was a quadriplegic criminalist. The novel had some good twists and turns that were great and not foreseen, although I was hoping for a little bit more that would grab my attention. It just was not as good as other Deaver novels, not having that ‘draw you in, shake you up and never let you go’ attitude.
I recommend The Cold Moon to mystery readers, and Deaver fans, not the greatest thriller if that’s what you are looking for.

For more of my reviews check out my website, http://www.tonypeters.webs.com/

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping

www.eloquentbooks.com/kidsonacase.html