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Kathryn Dance #3
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Kayleigh Towne is een beeldschone en wereldberoemde singer-songwriter, en Edwin Sharp haar grootste fan. Als Kayleigh een van zijn vele brieven beantwoordt met een standaardbrief, ondertekend met 'kusjes, Kayleigh', weet Edwin zeker dat ze ook van hem houdt en dat ze haar nieuwe hit 'Your Shadow' speciaal voor hem heeft geschreven. Niets wat Kayleigh en haar advocaten tegen hem zeggen kan hem van het tegendeel overtuigen. Dan krijgt Kayleigh een anoniem telefoontje. Het eerste couplet van 'Your Shadow' klinkt in haar oor en vlak daarna komt een van haar crewleden op gruwelijke wijze om het leven. Kayleigh schakelt de hulp in van Kathryn Dance, die als kinesisch expert bij de California Bureau of Investigation werkt. Als er meer telefoontjes volgen, en meer moorden, zet Kathryn al haar vaardigheden in om de dader te vinden. Maar iets zegt haar dat dit niet de gruweldaden zijn van een doorsnee stalker...
431 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2012
885 people are currently reading
4956 people want to read
About the author
Jeffery Deaver
509 books11.7k followers#1 international bestselling author of over thirty novels and three collections of short stories. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He's received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,078 reviews
November 27, 2014
When is a twist not a twist? If you see it coming, certainly. Or if there are so dang many of them that the exercise segues into the realm of absurdity. That is exactly what happens in this stalker tale, in my opinion.
Although I find the study of body language to be fascinating, there is no need to have the word "kinesics" thrown at me with the frequency the author used it in this book. Most of us do not need to be hit in the head with a hammer to "get it". I completely understand that Kathryn Dance's forte is kinesics, and do not need to have even my aged memory refreshed of this fact every few pages. Give the reader at least a little credit here. It was irritating and distracting.
On the upside, there was a brief appearance by Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs.
Although I find the study of body language to be fascinating, there is no need to have the word "kinesics" thrown at me with the frequency the author used it in this book. Most of us do not need to be hit in the head with a hammer to "get it". I completely understand that Kathryn Dance's forte is kinesics, and do not need to have even my aged memory refreshed of this fact every few pages. Give the reader at least a little credit here. It was irritating and distracting.
On the upside, there was a brief appearance by Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs.
December 3, 2019
California Bureau of Investigations agent Kathryn Dance had decided to take a few days vacation to pursue one of her hobbies recording home grown folk music music by amateur groups. After leaving her kids with her parents she travelled to Fresno to record a group of Mexican musicians harvesting the fields. She was also looking forward to catching up with her friend, country music star Kayleigh Towne and going to her concert on Friday night in Fresno.
Lunching with Kayleigh and some members of her team, they were interrupted by an enthusiastic fan who identified himself as Edwin Sharp, a young man who had been bombarding Kayleigh with letters and emails. Despite being told by Kayleigh's lawyers to leave her alone, he clearly wasn't taking No for an answer and tried to engage her in conversation despite the attempts of her team to tell him to leave. When one of her team is later found dead Edwin becomes a suspect. Kathryn is at first shunned by the local police but eventually reluctantly invited to join the investigation due to her expertise in expert in reading facial expressions and body language.
There's a lot going on in this novel and almost too many people with their own agendas involving Kayleigh. Apart from the creepy stalker, there are Kayleigh's past secrets, a controlling father who puts his own interests before his daughter's, a political plot and a jealous woman and there are several diversions in the trail before the finale. Engaging but a little overdone, however it was an enjoyable read. Kathryn Dance is an original and intriguing investigator and I'll be checking out other books in this series.
Lunching with Kayleigh and some members of her team, they were interrupted by an enthusiastic fan who identified himself as Edwin Sharp, a young man who had been bombarding Kayleigh with letters and emails. Despite being told by Kayleigh's lawyers to leave her alone, he clearly wasn't taking No for an answer and tried to engage her in conversation despite the attempts of her team to tell him to leave. When one of her team is later found dead Edwin becomes a suspect. Kathryn is at first shunned by the local police but eventually reluctantly invited to join the investigation due to her expertise in expert in reading facial expressions and body language.
There's a lot going on in this novel and almost too many people with their own agendas involving Kayleigh. Apart from the creepy stalker, there are Kayleigh's past secrets, a controlling father who puts his own interests before his daughter's, a political plot and a jealous woman and there are several diversions in the trail before the finale. Engaging but a little overdone, however it was an enjoyable read. Kathryn Dance is an original and intriguing investigator and I'll be checking out other books in this series.
February 17, 2017
Kayleigh Towne is a rising country pop star. She is gorgeous and she is talented. Her single ‘Your shadow’ has put her under the spotlight of the world – just like she wanted. But it also brings her into the focus of a crazy stalker. Her standard signature ‘XO’ means a bit more than what it is to a particular fan. At her concert the fan warns her that he is coming for her and soon accidents and deaths surround Kayleigh. Luckily Kayleigh has a friend, Kathryn Dance, she can turn to. Kathryn, who is a special agent with a talent for kinesics, is brought into this world of glamour. Kathryn quickly realizes that everyone wants a piece of the celebrity in question. Will she be able to stop the perpetrator before it is too late?
To be frank, this review may be a bit biased because I am a HUGE fan of Deaver’s work. I was introduced to his books when I watched the movie ‘The Bone Collector’ and went on to read the novel. Since then I have read about 3 more books and I could go on and on about them. So needless to say, I was ecstatic when I opened my prize pack and found ‘XO’ as one of the books I had won.
This is the third book of Kathryn Dance but the first that I have read. So, for me this was an introduction to a new lady protagonist. And what a lady she is! Kathryn Dance is a Special Agent with the California Bureau of Investigation. She is an expert in Kinesics and thus is an expert interrogator. Her detection skills are just as good and she can give anyone a run for their money. I just loved her! Kayleigh is a talented singer and is the daughter of another country music legend. Her good looks are an added advantage for her. But not everything is what it seems to be on the surface. She has a deep secret of her own. And Edwin Sharp is a stalker, or no he is not, yea he has to be the one, no may not… Yes I can be devious too; did you all really think that I would give you any spoilers?
Jeffery Deaver has his own style of writing that is bound to take you on the greatest rollercoaster ride. As a mystery lover, I know that the answer is anything but the most obvious choice and as a Deaver fan I know that there are going to be number of twists before you actually find out the truth. Yet, Deaver always takes me for the most amazing ride. This book was no exception. His language is impeccable and the story is fast paced. At no point did I feel that ‘nothing is happening’.
This is a must read for all Suspense/Thriller Fans.
To be frank, this review may be a bit biased because I am a HUGE fan of Deaver’s work. I was introduced to his books when I watched the movie ‘The Bone Collector’ and went on to read the novel. Since then I have read about 3 more books and I could go on and on about them. So needless to say, I was ecstatic when I opened my prize pack and found ‘XO’ as one of the books I had won.
This is the third book of Kathryn Dance but the first that I have read. So, for me this was an introduction to a new lady protagonist. And what a lady she is! Kathryn Dance is a Special Agent with the California Bureau of Investigation. She is an expert in Kinesics and thus is an expert interrogator. Her detection skills are just as good and she can give anyone a run for their money. I just loved her! Kayleigh is a talented singer and is the daughter of another country music legend. Her good looks are an added advantage for her. But not everything is what it seems to be on the surface. She has a deep secret of her own. And Edwin Sharp is a stalker, or no he is not, yea he has to be the one, no may not… Yes I can be devious too; did you all really think that I would give you any spoilers?
Jeffery Deaver has his own style of writing that is bound to take you on the greatest rollercoaster ride. As a mystery lover, I know that the answer is anything but the most obvious choice and as a Deaver fan I know that there are going to be number of twists before you actually find out the truth. Yet, Deaver always takes me for the most amazing ride. This book was no exception. His language is impeccable and the story is fast paced. At no point did I feel that ‘nothing is happening’.
This is a must read for all Suspense/Thriller Fans.
August 12, 2012
This is the third in the Kathryn Dance series, and in my opinion, the best!
Beautiful young country music singing star, Kayleigh Towne, signs her standard fan mail return letters with ‘XO’… But Edwin Sharp is certain Kayleigh loves him, and only him, he is obsessively devoted to her, sending her gifts, emails and letters continually.
Special Agent Kathryn Dance is a long-time friend of Kayleigh, and is heading to town for her concert on Friday night, but in the meantime, she will tape some music from not so well known musicians, which she does from time to time, to help them get a ‘leg in the door’ of a possible career. Kathryn is also on vacation, a well-earned week off after her last case was concluded. Her two children are being cared for by her parents.
When Kathryn met up with Kayleigh for lunch on the day she arrived in town, Kayleigh was late for the luncheon, which was totally unlike her, and when she did arrive, she was accompanied by a big, burly bodyguard, Darthur, as well Alicia and Bobby, who were part of her team…she was also extremely stressed. Kathryn had no idea what was going on. When Edwin approached her in the restaurant, calm, friendly and creepy, Darthur and Bobby ejected him quickly, but Kayleigh was freaked out! Kathryn insisted they tell her everything, and so she learned all about the stalker named Edwin Sharp, how he was sure the songs Kayleigh wrote and sang contained messages for him, and the horrors of the past few months, which included lawyers and police, all who seemed unable to do anything.
Suddenly, things began to accelerate, with the murder of one of Kayleigh’s roadies, after she had received an eerie phone call; local Detective Pike Madigan not too happy to see a member of the California Bureau of Investigation on his turf and Kathryn was trying to use her considerable skills in interrogation and body-language analysis to get into the mind of the suspect.
Can they get into the killer’s mind before he murders again? Have they got the correct suspect or is there another murderer out there? With the many skills Jeffery Deaver possesses, this intense thriller keeps you spell-bound until the shocking finish! Incredibly suspenseful, highly recommended!
Beautiful young country music singing star, Kayleigh Towne, signs her standard fan mail return letters with ‘XO’… But Edwin Sharp is certain Kayleigh loves him, and only him, he is obsessively devoted to her, sending her gifts, emails and letters continually.
Special Agent Kathryn Dance is a long-time friend of Kayleigh, and is heading to town for her concert on Friday night, but in the meantime, she will tape some music from not so well known musicians, which she does from time to time, to help them get a ‘leg in the door’ of a possible career. Kathryn is also on vacation, a well-earned week off after her last case was concluded. Her two children are being cared for by her parents.
When Kathryn met up with Kayleigh for lunch on the day she arrived in town, Kayleigh was late for the luncheon, which was totally unlike her, and when she did arrive, she was accompanied by a big, burly bodyguard, Darthur, as well Alicia and Bobby, who were part of her team…she was also extremely stressed. Kathryn had no idea what was going on. When Edwin approached her in the restaurant, calm, friendly and creepy, Darthur and Bobby ejected him quickly, but Kayleigh was freaked out! Kathryn insisted they tell her everything, and so she learned all about the stalker named Edwin Sharp, how he was sure the songs Kayleigh wrote and sang contained messages for him, and the horrors of the past few months, which included lawyers and police, all who seemed unable to do anything.
Suddenly, things began to accelerate, with the murder of one of Kayleigh’s roadies, after she had received an eerie phone call; local Detective Pike Madigan not too happy to see a member of the California Bureau of Investigation on his turf and Kathryn was trying to use her considerable skills in interrogation and body-language analysis to get into the mind of the suspect.
Can they get into the killer’s mind before he murders again? Have they got the correct suspect or is there another murderer out there? With the many skills Jeffery Deaver possesses, this intense thriller keeps you spell-bound until the shocking finish! Incredibly suspenseful, highly recommended!
February 6, 2013
I'm a little worried about Deaver.
He's written some of the most well-crafted plots I've ever read. His novels are typically engaging, and I can always count on him to get me back on track if I'm coming off a subpar story. That said, the last three Deavers I've read confirm my growing concern.
Is he too comfortable? Not feeling challenged anymore?
The last Rhyme I read, The Burning Wire, was the first time I've been a little disappointed in that series. But both Roadside Crosses, and now XO, have glaring problems with clunky writing and stilted dialogue.
It's the gimmicks. I used that word lightly, with no malicious intent. Deaver's a great plotter, a great writer, and I'm afraid he's spending too much time on his side projects involved with the novels. Roadside Crosses had websites you could browse to accompany the book. For XO, he wrote an entire album of lyrics to give us clues toward the killer. What did they add? Nothing. I just want Deaver to write the book. We don't need a multimedia experience--we need a great novel. I've seen him do it time and again. I know he can.
I don't fault Deaver his experiments. He's certainly earned it with his success. But it's hard to see how any fan couldn't see the quality drop in the writing. Stiff, awkward sentences, his seeming crutch of using "It was then" as a precursor to contrive drama, and the overall muddled motivation in his characters--all of it's there in XO.
I'll be back for Rhyme--I like Deaver too much to leave him completely--but I may be finished with Dance. Two poor outings in a row leave me indifferent to her in a starring role. If Rhyme stumbles...
I'm a little worried about Deaver.
He's written some of the most well-crafted plots I've ever read. His novels are typically engaging, and I can always count on him to get me back on track if I'm coming off a subpar story. That said, the last three Deavers I've read confirm my growing concern.
Is he too comfortable? Not feeling challenged anymore?
The last Rhyme I read, The Burning Wire, was the first time I've been a little disappointed in that series. But both Roadside Crosses, and now XO, have glaring problems with clunky writing and stilted dialogue.
It's the gimmicks. I used that word lightly, with no malicious intent. Deaver's a great plotter, a great writer, and I'm afraid he's spending too much time on his side projects involved with the novels. Roadside Crosses had websites you could browse to accompany the book. For XO, he wrote an entire album of lyrics to give us clues toward the killer. What did they add? Nothing. I just want Deaver to write the book. We don't need a multimedia experience--we need a great novel. I've seen him do it time and again. I know he can.
I don't fault Deaver his experiments. He's certainly earned it with his success. But it's hard to see how any fan couldn't see the quality drop in the writing. Stiff, awkward sentences, his seeming crutch of using "It was then" as a precursor to contrive drama, and the overall muddled motivation in his characters--all of it's there in XO.
I'll be back for Rhyme--I like Deaver too much to leave him completely--but I may be finished with Dance. Two poor outings in a row leave me indifferent to her in a starring role. If Rhyme stumbles...
I'm a little worried about Deaver.
November 26, 2018
The third book in the Kathryn Dance series.
As a rule Jeffery Deaver usually delivers the goods for me. This only delivered about 75%.
The 25% missing was caused by just too many twists and turns. Some so unconnected to the plot they were just page fillers and pointless.
But the other 75% did deliver a fast paced page turner.
Kayleigh Towne is a highly regarded country musician with a big problem, Edwin Sharp, one very obsessed, stalking fan.
When one of Kayleigh’s band members is found deaf with horrific burns I doesn’t take the police long to discover that this was no accident but murder.
Kathryn Dance, an expert in body language, working with the CBI happens to be a friend of K.T’s and as luck would have it is on holiday in the local area. Kathryn presents herself to the local police force wanting to be involved, because K.T. is a personal friend, but is given the cold shoulder from the chief detective. Kathryn persists in getting involved and before long is accepted as a fellow officer.
The finger points squarely at Edwin Sharp. But the police have no evidence to implicate Edwin in the murder, just his past history of stalking K.T.
This is where the twists and turns take over. Don’t get me wrong I like twists and turns but they need to be germane to the plot and one turn in particular was so left field it had me scratching my head in wonder.
As for the end, it was good inasmuch as the right person got his comeuppance but I saw it coming from a 100 pages away.
So to sum up. This was a good but not a great read. But 75 out of a 100 still makes for good entertainment.
Recommended 3.5/5 stars.
March 23, 2017
Apologies, I am still recovering from being sick and all I feel right now is ire towards this book. The book totally muffs the ending and that lost all of my goodwill towards it at that point. Question for you ladies? Would you go out to eat with your stalker even if he somehow saved you from being killed? Yeah, yeah, I have to say that this is actually something that occurs during this insane book. And I have to actually use spoilers, because I am too tired to talk around how problematic I found this whole thing from beginning to end.
In Deaver's third Kathryn Dance book "XO", Dance takes a mini-vacation and goes to a concert of a friend of hers, Kayleigh Towne. Kayleigh is in her 20s and is coming up the country music charts. She also has a stalker. Kayleigh who always signs her emails and pictures of her with an "xo" has a man that determines that Kayleigh is just speaking directly to him and she is in love with him. When an accident and then a murder occur around Kayleigh days before her concert, Dance gets involved and hopes she can do what is necessary in order to prevent Kayleigh from being killed.
I have been reading this series and I can count now only in one book where we really truly get to see Dance use her body language skills from beginning to end. She doesn't really use them here, and I have to say that Dance for being so great at her job once again just ignores what's right in front of her. That's three times now she actually got lied to and played by the real bad guy. I just don't know if I have energy for a fourth book or should I cut my losses.
Dance also goes back and forth about what is going on with her relationship with a dude that does not sound attractive at all that we meet from the last book. But she's still thinking about her work colleague and then kisses him, but you know, feels torn.
It has now been three books and in all three books she is still obsessing about her work colleague Mike, whose wife has left him and their kids. At this point, if I were Mike, I would be done with her, but I have a bad feeling that some more mess will occur in the fourth book.
We get appearances by Rhyme and Sachs in this one. It didn't help. I honestly wish Deaver had shown them at Dance's home interacting with her family instead of them popping in to help her with this case.
The truly aggravating part though is that Deaver doesn't seem to know what to do with Kayleigh. We get a ridiculous reveal about her that didn't add up at all. And then even though she has been stalked by a man who shows up in town and won't leave her alone. She somehow stupidly agrees to go to lunch with the guy after the fact because he saved her (she thinks) from being murdered and going up in a fire. I mean I would be all yes thanks dude, but you still stalked me so stay the hell away. But you know, this book goes bygones. Another thing that doesn't work is that Deaver at the end has it that you think maybe though Kayleigh will finally be strong enough to break away from her bullying father who made her lie and took away so much from her, but nope. she's right back there again to deal with him.
The writing was not that tight in this one. We have Dance dealing with locals who don't want her butting in. But of course we get to see how not prepared they are to deal with the man who they identify as Kayleigh's stalker. Everything about the guy pushed my spidey sense. So when we find out in the end he was responsible for some murders and used other people to finally kidnap Kayleigh and "marry" her (ie had plans to rape her and make her love him) I was fresh out of patience for everyone involved.
And the lyrics to the songs was terrible. I was sick of re-reading them over and over again while getting through this book. Deaver tries a whole thing that Kayleigh's stalker or other people are using the lyrics to plan murders, but you don't need to keep reprinting them all through the book.
The ending was a mess and then Deaver just goes and publishes the "songs" for this book and after glancing at them quickly I just put this book aside.
In Deaver's third Kathryn Dance book "XO", Dance takes a mini-vacation and goes to a concert of a friend of hers, Kayleigh Towne. Kayleigh is in her 20s and is coming up the country music charts. She also has a stalker. Kayleigh who always signs her emails and pictures of her with an "xo" has a man that determines that Kayleigh is just speaking directly to him and she is in love with him. When an accident and then a murder occur around Kayleigh days before her concert, Dance gets involved and hopes she can do what is necessary in order to prevent Kayleigh from being killed.
I have been reading this series and I can count now only in one book where we really truly get to see Dance use her body language skills from beginning to end. She doesn't really use them here, and I have to say that Dance for being so great at her job once again just ignores what's right in front of her. That's three times now she actually got lied to and played by the real bad guy. I just don't know if I have energy for a fourth book or should I cut my losses.
Dance also goes back and forth about what is going on with her relationship with a dude that does not sound attractive at all that we meet from the last book. But she's still thinking about her work colleague and then kisses him, but you know, feels torn.
It has now been three books and in all three books she is still obsessing about her work colleague Mike, whose wife has left him and their kids. At this point, if I were Mike, I would be done with her, but I have a bad feeling that some more mess will occur in the fourth book.
We get appearances by Rhyme and Sachs in this one. It didn't help. I honestly wish Deaver had shown them at Dance's home interacting with her family instead of them popping in to help her with this case.
The truly aggravating part though is that Deaver doesn't seem to know what to do with Kayleigh. We get a ridiculous reveal about her that didn't add up at all. And then even though she has been stalked by a man who shows up in town and won't leave her alone. She somehow stupidly agrees to go to lunch with the guy after the fact because he saved her (she thinks) from being murdered and going up in a fire. I mean I would be all yes thanks dude, but you still stalked me so stay the hell away. But you know, this book goes bygones. Another thing that doesn't work is that Deaver at the end has it that you think maybe though Kayleigh will finally be strong enough to break away from her bullying father who made her lie and took away so much from her, but nope. she's right back there again to deal with him.
The writing was not that tight in this one. We have Dance dealing with locals who don't want her butting in. But of course we get to see how not prepared they are to deal with the man who they identify as Kayleigh's stalker. Everything about the guy pushed my spidey sense. So when we find out in the end he was responsible for some murders and used other people to finally kidnap Kayleigh and "marry" her (ie had plans to rape her and make her love him) I was fresh out of patience for everyone involved.
And the lyrics to the songs was terrible. I was sick of re-reading them over and over again while getting through this book. Deaver tries a whole thing that Kayleigh's stalker or other people are using the lyrics to plan murders, but you don't need to keep reprinting them all through the book.
The ending was a mess and then Deaver just goes and publishes the "songs" for this book and after glancing at them quickly I just put this book aside.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2014
Years ago I once tried a Jeffrey Deaver novel from his Lincoln Rhymes series and I disliked it so much I never finished it. So I am very surprised that I am enjoying the Kathryn Dance series so much! I think it is because she genuinely is a strong, smart , intelligent heroine who does not make unwise decisions or put herself deliberately into danger. (Unlike certain others I could mention - are you listening Patricia Cornwell ?)
In this book Kathryn helps solve a particularly complicated multiple murder /stalker case and Deaver leads us up many false trails before we finally solve the mystery. I found the weight of information about the music scene to be a bit excessive but the storyline itself was gripping and overall the book was very enjoyable.
Maybe it is time I had another look at Lincoln Rhymes. Perhaps my reading tastes have changed.
In this book Kathryn helps solve a particularly complicated multiple murder /stalker case and Deaver leads us up many false trails before we finally solve the mystery. I found the weight of information about the music scene to be a bit excessive but the storyline itself was gripping and overall the book was very enjoyable.
Maybe it is time I had another look at Lincoln Rhymes. Perhaps my reading tastes have changed.
October 11, 2019
Not very intriguing as I thought.
Just too much of unnecessary details.
Just too much of unnecessary details.
January 26, 2024
This was my first Jeffrey Deaver novel and I loved it! Police procedurals are usually hit or miss for me, but I loved Kathryn Dance’s character and the way procedural methods were explained. From forensics to kinesics, this book explained just enough that you got more than the basics, but not too much that you felt like you were in school. There were red herrings throughout the book and I fell for every. 👏🏻 single. 👏🏻 one. 👏🏻 I was convinced I knew how things were going to go, but was very pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong. Stalking, if done right, is a great theme in mystery/thrillers, but often I don’t find it is that well done. This book did a great job with this thematic element. The main character Kayleigh reminded me a lot of a modern day Taylor Swift. I’m not a fan of country music, so I could have done without the country history or elements, BUT I thought it was super unique that he had songs created to accompany the book as the lyrics are a large part of the plot. It was cool to go to his website and hear it actually being sung! Very neat!
July 7, 2012
-#3 of the Kathryn Dance Series-This was disappointing. Deaver is usually a master at his work. This, however, was a total bomb. I got the impression that he was writing this to fit his desire to highlight the music industry aspect of his plot. It was like he manipulated his plot and his characters to fit his theme. It was a poor choice. All of a sudden Kathryn has a hobby of recording eccentric music from rural California and posting on her website? She is friends with a very young country music star and travels by herself on vacation to Fresno to see her in concert? Lincoln and Sachs just happen to be in California so they can help her on a case? It seemed too far fetched to me. AND, the solution to the mystery was too much of a cliff hanger that seemed to go on and on. You think you’ve solved it but no, the book hasn’t ended yet. And then, you think it’s solved again, but no wait, it’s not over yet. And then when it does finally end, you are scratching your head saying really? This is a Deaver book? Wow. Maybe he gave his all to his last James Bond thriller. Or he had to meet a deadline. Whatever the excuse, this was pretty much garbage…So, sorry to have to say that to one of my favorite authors.
November 22, 2015
I greatly enjoy Jeffery Deaver’s crime writing. He is a remarkable author, whose writing is informed by his diverse range of knowledge and experience. His biographical notes indicate that he has been a journalist, a lawyer and a singer-songwriter, as well as the author of over 20 bestselling crime novels. I have read and enjoyed some of his Lincoln Rhyme novels, but I’m particularly taken with the Kathryn Dance series.
Kathryn Dance is a widow, mother of two teenagers, owner of two dogs, daughter of loving parents, residing in the Monterey area of California. She works for the California Bureau of Investigation as a crime fighter. Her particular speciality is kinesics - the science of reading body language. She has great skill in picking up very subtle changes in the people she interviews, with tiny movements of eyelids or shoulder positions, or skin colour perhaps being indicators of stress or lies or evil intent.
In XO Dance is pursuing one of her other interests while on vacation. Passionate about music, she is a musicologist in her spare time, who collects songs of minority groups across the USA. She comes to Fresno to record a Latino band, and to catch up with a personal friend, the popular country singer Kayleigh Towne. Kayleigh discloses to Kathryn that she has been dogged in recent months by a stalker, an over-zealous fan called Edwin Sharp. While setting up for Towne’s concert in Fresno, the first murder occurs, the victim being Kayleigh’s stage manager, Bobby Prescott. Suspicion falls on Sharp…
XO is a slick, fast paced thriller, with lots of twists and unexpected turns to keep the reader engaged and guessing. There are some elements of Deaver’s writing that I greatly appreciate. Firstly, the emphasis in the Kathryn Dance books is less on the graphic and gruesome forensic details loved by many crime writings. Deaver is more interested in exploring the psychology of his serial killers, with all their human failings, vanities and petty lives. Secondly, there is ‘The Chase’ - Dance and her colleagues find themselves pursuing bad guys, not so much to bring the Law down on them, as to prevent them from committing further murders. Thirdly, there is the challenge of trying to figure out whether Deaver is misdirecting the reader, and there is a certain thrill when you realise you’ve just been comprehensively conned by him, when the story takes yet another devious turn!
In XO Deaver adds an additional element, a special one that I greatly enjoyed. He has created a body of work, real songs for the fictitious Kayleigh Towne, and recorded them. I listened to them on Youtube while reading the book. It added an extra dimension to my reading experience.
This is a first class crime novel, penned by a master of the genre. 5★s
Kathryn Dance is a widow, mother of two teenagers, owner of two dogs, daughter of loving parents, residing in the Monterey area of California. She works for the California Bureau of Investigation as a crime fighter. Her particular speciality is kinesics - the science of reading body language. She has great skill in picking up very subtle changes in the people she interviews, with tiny movements of eyelids or shoulder positions, or skin colour perhaps being indicators of stress or lies or evil intent.
In XO Dance is pursuing one of her other interests while on vacation. Passionate about music, she is a musicologist in her spare time, who collects songs of minority groups across the USA. She comes to Fresno to record a Latino band, and to catch up with a personal friend, the popular country singer Kayleigh Towne. Kayleigh discloses to Kathryn that she has been dogged in recent months by a stalker, an over-zealous fan called Edwin Sharp. While setting up for Towne’s concert in Fresno, the first murder occurs, the victim being Kayleigh’s stage manager, Bobby Prescott. Suspicion falls on Sharp…
XO is a slick, fast paced thriller, with lots of twists and unexpected turns to keep the reader engaged and guessing. There are some elements of Deaver’s writing that I greatly appreciate. Firstly, the emphasis in the Kathryn Dance books is less on the graphic and gruesome forensic details loved by many crime writings. Deaver is more interested in exploring the psychology of his serial killers, with all their human failings, vanities and petty lives. Secondly, there is ‘The Chase’ - Dance and her colleagues find themselves pursuing bad guys, not so much to bring the Law down on them, as to prevent them from committing further murders. Thirdly, there is the challenge of trying to figure out whether Deaver is misdirecting the reader, and there is a certain thrill when you realise you’ve just been comprehensively conned by him, when the story takes yet another devious turn!
In XO Deaver adds an additional element, a special one that I greatly enjoyed. He has created a body of work, real songs for the fictitious Kayleigh Towne, and recorded them. I listened to them on Youtube while reading the book. It added an extra dimension to my reading experience.
This is a first class crime novel, penned by a master of the genre. 5★s
February 10, 2014
I was so glad I did a reread on this book. It was even better the second time around. I have read 4 Deaver books so far, and I have enjoyed all of them. Three of those 4 were the Kathryn Dance series. And I gotta say that this one is my favorite of the 3. And I look forward to whatever others he adds to this series.
A great premise to the story that can keep your mind reeling and keep you guessing with the turn of every page. I quite literally could not put the book down. Deaver has the knack for pulling his readers in and keep them entertained throughout the entire story. There were so many twists and turns in this book, and I absolutely love that! It definitely kept the book exciting.
I think that Deaver has very strong well developed characters in his books. I noticed this in all the books that I have read. You feel like they could really be somewhere solving crimes. I really enjoy Kathryn Dance and her way of thinking. Her field of expertise is quite interesting. It is called Kinesics, the art of reading body language. I also love Kathryn because she is so real and easy to connect with. She is not perfect and has her own issues to deal with. I love how she thinks, and comes to her own conclusions on the case.
I loved Kayleigh's character a lot. She is a small town girl turned superstar, who is struggling with her own demons. Dealing with the death of her mother and her over powering Father. On top of all of that she has to deal with a stalker, Edwin Sharp. Deaver did such a great job creating Edwin's character, he creates him as that creepy, realistic, obsessed fan. The perfect stalker!
There were several times I thought the case was solved several times, only for Deaver to throw something else at me that I did not expect. Readers will never really know what happens next. A very unpredictable tale to say the least. Once you pick up the book, you'll find yourself immersed into a very fast paced, energetic story that can keep you guessing till the last page is turned.
A great premise to the story that can keep your mind reeling and keep you guessing with the turn of every page. I quite literally could not put the book down. Deaver has the knack for pulling his readers in and keep them entertained throughout the entire story. There were so many twists and turns in this book, and I absolutely love that! It definitely kept the book exciting.
I think that Deaver has very strong well developed characters in his books. I noticed this in all the books that I have read. You feel like they could really be somewhere solving crimes. I really enjoy Kathryn Dance and her way of thinking. Her field of expertise is quite interesting. It is called Kinesics, the art of reading body language. I also love Kathryn because she is so real and easy to connect with. She is not perfect and has her own issues to deal with. I love how she thinks, and comes to her own conclusions on the case.
I loved Kayleigh's character a lot. She is a small town girl turned superstar, who is struggling with her own demons. Dealing with the death of her mother and her over powering Father. On top of all of that she has to deal with a stalker, Edwin Sharp. Deaver did such a great job creating Edwin's character, he creates him as that creepy, realistic, obsessed fan. The perfect stalker!
There were several times I thought the case was solved several times, only for Deaver to throw something else at me that I did not expect. Readers will never really know what happens next. A very unpredictable tale to say the least. Once you pick up the book, you'll find yourself immersed into a very fast paced, energetic story that can keep you guessing till the last page is turned.
December 6, 2018
I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. The basic mystery is pretty good but Deaver, at the end, has to throw in 3 obvious plot twists that detract from the overall story. The tale was excellent until Deaver started playing "guess what I'm gonna do next". I am a collector of music so I enjoy what characters are listening to and, in this case, actually playing. Plot twists shouldn't be obvious and they shouldn't be used to show how clever the author can be. Recommended only to Deaver fans.
September 13, 2015
Another great book in Kathryn Dance series. Lots of twists and turns in plot, great cast of characters, elusive perp, a visit from Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs - this book really delivers. There are also some unexpected developments in Dance's private life. I really cannot wait to read another book in that series!
July 5, 2012
This is what I love about Jeffrey Deaver...multiple climaxes. No, not like THAT...get your mind out of the gutter, we're talking about literature here! What I mean is, he will write a fantastic twist ending that you never saw coming, yet makes perfect sense in the context of the novel. It would be a satisfying ending to any novel...but in a Deaver book, this happens when there are about 200 pages left, and three or four more such twists to look forward to. And the most beautiful part? That even when you've read all his backlist, and you know that this is his gimmick and are prepared for him to mess with your head, IT STILL WORKS.
XO features Deaver's new character creation, Kathryn Dance, an expert in kinesics (reading body language, tone of voice, etc. to determine a witness or suspect's credibility.) When one of Dance's friends, country-western superstar Kayleigh Towne, is victimized by a stalker (or is he?) Dance is put to the test when Towne herself is terrorized and her friends and enemies are targeted for murder.
This book has all the Deaver trademarks...twists and turns, ambiguity, copious background info and special guest appearances by his most famous characters, Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs (who, thanks to the Philip Noyce film, I can ONLY picture as Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, despite the fact that the descriptions of the characters in the novel bear virtually no resemblance to the actors.)
If you like thrillers and having your head messed with, this is definitely worth the read!
XO features Deaver's new character creation, Kathryn Dance, an expert in kinesics (reading body language, tone of voice, etc. to determine a witness or suspect's credibility.) When one of Dance's friends, country-western superstar Kayleigh Towne, is victimized by a stalker (or is he?) Dance is put to the test when Towne herself is terrorized and her friends and enemies are targeted for murder.
This book has all the Deaver trademarks...twists and turns, ambiguity, copious background info and special guest appearances by his most famous characters, Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs (who, thanks to the Philip Noyce film, I can ONLY picture as Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, despite the fact that the descriptions of the characters in the novel bear virtually no resemblance to the actors.)
If you like thrillers and having your head messed with, this is definitely worth the read!
October 2, 2018
I chose to read this book to meet my "X" title requirement in the Alphabet Challenge, not realizing it was part of a series I had vowed to not touch again. At first I found the story tolerable. I liked that Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs were involved, too. But then the book started driving me crazy. Good grief. Never again! Not even by accident!
November 2, 2013
Ag no sis man Mr Deaver! This book was just too too much. It starts off at a good pace, interesting characters, good dialogue interspersed with interesting facts about the music business and then Gentle Reader Mr Deaver loses his marbles. He writes a convoluted stories with more twists than the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany. Then this happens then that and then the other thing. It was just too many twists. I felt quite tired at the end of this book.
A good surprise twist that works is a joyous event but if it carries on it makes you want to do what Dorothy Parker did, "Tonstant Weader Fwowed up"!
Marin Ireland was a good reader but not even she could save this novel.
A good surprise twist that works is a joyous event but if it carries on it makes you want to do what Dorothy Parker did, "Tonstant Weader Fwowed up"!
Marin Ireland was a good reader but not even she could save this novel.
December 18, 2018
XO ist ein Musterbeispiel dafür, was passieren kann, wenn ein Autor in Panik gerät und in bewährte Muster verfällt, bei deren schlampiger Ausführung er sich dann selbst diskreditiert.
Von der ersten Hälfte war ich so weit angetan, die Spannungskurve steigt zwar flach an und es gibt eigentlich nur zwei Verdächtige, aber die Menschenleserin bringt ihre Kenntnisse endlich mal in Anwendung und der Kleinkrieg mit den örtlichen Bullen, die in Kathryn Dance zunächst eine Erfolgstouristin sehen, die einen billigen Erfolg abstauben will, trägt auch zur Unterhaltung bei.
Zwei mal gerät Kathryn selbst in Lebensgefahr, so weit so gut, bis Seite 300. Und in weiteren 100 Seiten wäre die Geschichte eigentlich auch einigermaßen schlüssig aufgelöst. Anscheinend hatte JD wohl 500 Seiten versprochen, also lässt er noch schnell Lincoln Rhyme und Amelia Sachs auftreten und ein Extrakapitel in Sachen Forensik einbauen, das nebenbei zur Vereitelung einer rechten Verschwörung gegen einen Kongressabgeordneten führt, der eine liberalere Einwanderungspolitik befürwortet. Der wieder und wieder wiederholte Schlüsselsong, an dem sich der Attentäter abarbeitet, füllt auch ein paar Extraseiten, dabei sind die Songtexte alle auf den letzten 30 Seiten abgedruckt.
Wie eingangs erwähnt, gibt es von Anfang an zwei Hauptverdächtige: den Stalker Edwin Sharp und ein Mitglied aus der Entourage des Countrystars und vor und nach dem Politispektakel zaubert JD immer mal wieder Beweise für oder gegen die beiden Kandidaten hervor. Der kläglich gescheiterte Versuch seine Beute zu unterwerfen hat noch mal einen größeren Unterhaltungswert, aber am Ende schalten JD viel zu schnell auf Heilewelt. Anscheinend fühlt er sich in den Romanen seinen Lesern gegenüber dazu verpflichtet und lässt nur in den Kurzgeschichten auch mal das Böse gewinnen. Von daher bin ich gespannt auf Twisted.
Von der ersten Hälfte war ich so weit angetan, die Spannungskurve steigt zwar flach an und es gibt eigentlich nur zwei Verdächtige, aber die Menschenleserin bringt ihre Kenntnisse endlich mal in Anwendung und der Kleinkrieg mit den örtlichen Bullen, die in Kathryn Dance zunächst eine Erfolgstouristin sehen, die einen billigen Erfolg abstauben will, trägt auch zur Unterhaltung bei.
Zwei mal gerät Kathryn selbst in Lebensgefahr, so weit so gut, bis Seite 300. Und in weiteren 100 Seiten wäre die Geschichte eigentlich auch einigermaßen schlüssig aufgelöst. Anscheinend hatte JD wohl 500 Seiten versprochen, also lässt er noch schnell Lincoln Rhyme und Amelia Sachs auftreten und ein Extrakapitel in Sachen Forensik einbauen, das nebenbei zur Vereitelung einer rechten Verschwörung gegen einen Kongressabgeordneten führt, der eine liberalere Einwanderungspolitik befürwortet. Der wieder und wieder wiederholte Schlüsselsong, an dem sich der Attentäter abarbeitet, füllt auch ein paar Extraseiten, dabei sind die Songtexte alle auf den letzten 30 Seiten abgedruckt.
Wie eingangs erwähnt, gibt es von Anfang an zwei Hauptverdächtige: den Stalker Edwin Sharp und ein Mitglied aus der Entourage des Countrystars und vor und nach dem Politispektakel zaubert JD immer mal wieder Beweise für oder gegen die beiden Kandidaten hervor. Der kläglich gescheiterte Versuch seine Beute zu unterwerfen hat noch mal einen größeren Unterhaltungswert, aber am Ende schalten JD viel zu schnell auf Heilewelt. Anscheinend fühlt er sich in den Romanen seinen Lesern gegenüber dazu verpflichtet und lässt nur in den Kurzgeschichten auch mal das Böse gewinnen. Von daher bin ich gespannt auf Twisted.
October 12, 2021
Another amazing one by Jeffery.
I should’ve finished it in a day but was too eager to enjoy it for a bit more.
The flow of the story is easy to read and follow, unexpected development of the characters, you love them, feel for them yet something is off.
Highly addictive and recommended for a anyone who enjoys a rollercoaster read.
I should’ve finished it in a day but was too eager to enjoy it for a bit more.
The flow of the story is easy to read and follow, unexpected development of the characters, you love them, feel for them yet something is off.
Highly addictive and recommended for a anyone who enjoys a rollercoaster read.
September 7, 2012
Mystery/Crime Thriller Author or Country Music Wannabe?
“XO” is the third Deaver novel to feature body-language expert Kathyn Dance as leading lady. This somewhat unoriginal story featured Dance as a fan of music star Kayleigh Towne, a Taylor Swift knockoff if there ever was one (even to the extent of copying the infamous Kanye West disruption during one of Swift’s award acceptances). Towne is being mercilessly stalked by an obsessive fan – and when there are a couple of unexpected deaths in her entourage, the stalker is of course immediately suspected, but manages to escape scrutiny through iron-clad alibis. Those crimes enabled Dance, far from her own jurisdiction, to horn her way into local police investigations, with truthfully not that much impact other than some cute observations to continue to justify her (and us indirectly) being on the inside of the police work.
The book also served as a platform for Deaver to write about a dozen country songs, the lyrics of which were displayed repetitively throughout the story, and in toto at the end. (One can even go to a web site and listen to recordings of the tracks…) So is he trying to diversify into Music City? In sum, we found Dance to be little more than a nuisance, the plot to be unexciting, the music star a ripoff, and the Deaver lyrics tiresome and contrived. Only a rather spectacular triple-decker ending saved “XO” from being a total wreck.
We’ve said before and we’ll opine again that Dance is a much better support character, ala her introduction in the Lincoln Rhyme story “Cold Moon”, than leading lady. While her special talents are clever, they don’t sustain to a full-length novel – even Deaver can’t turn a second fiddle into a concertmaster!
“XO” is the third Deaver novel to feature body-language expert Kathyn Dance as leading lady. This somewhat unoriginal story featured Dance as a fan of music star Kayleigh Towne, a Taylor Swift knockoff if there ever was one (even to the extent of copying the infamous Kanye West disruption during one of Swift’s award acceptances). Towne is being mercilessly stalked by an obsessive fan – and when there are a couple of unexpected deaths in her entourage, the stalker is of course immediately suspected, but manages to escape scrutiny through iron-clad alibis. Those crimes enabled Dance, far from her own jurisdiction, to horn her way into local police investigations, with truthfully not that much impact other than some cute observations to continue to justify her (and us indirectly) being on the inside of the police work.
The book also served as a platform for Deaver to write about a dozen country songs, the lyrics of which were displayed repetitively throughout the story, and in toto at the end. (One can even go to a web site and listen to recordings of the tracks…) So is he trying to diversify into Music City? In sum, we found Dance to be little more than a nuisance, the plot to be unexciting, the music star a ripoff, and the Deaver lyrics tiresome and contrived. Only a rather spectacular triple-decker ending saved “XO” from being a total wreck.
We’ve said before and we’ll opine again that Dance is a much better support character, ala her introduction in the Lincoln Rhyme story “Cold Moon”, than leading lady. While her special talents are clever, they don’t sustain to a full-length novel – even Deaver can’t turn a second fiddle into a concertmaster!
August 11, 2012
Kayleigh Towne, a beautiful young singing superstar, signs her fan mail XO.
Most fans realise this is a form email sent to millions, but Edwin Sharp loves Kayleigh a little more than the average fan. And that XO means everything to him. Edwin sends gifts, mails messages to her private address and he knows everything about her. When he arrives in Fresno for a concert, Kayleigh and her entourage are stunned.
Kathryn Dance, music lover, is in town. Dance is a police officer, an agent with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI). She is also Kayleigh’s friend. Dance is an expert in kinesics, but stalkers are the most difficult criminals to read. They believe their version of the truth. It is their reality.
A series of murders begin. The killer targets people close to Kayleigh, using the lyrics of Kayleigh’s song, Your Shadow to let everyone know he is about to kill. Dance joins the investigation. Is Sharp the killer? He cannot be tied to the murders. His intimate knowledge of Kayleigh is available to anybody from dedicated ‘stalker’ fan sites.
The murders continue, new suspects emerge, and Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs make a guest appearance.
XO twists and turns and never disappoints. I finished the book in less than a day. Deaver is the master of the art of plotting stories of personal terror. His characters are complex, his dialogue is simple, and his pacing is perfect.
Most fans realise this is a form email sent to millions, but Edwin Sharp loves Kayleigh a little more than the average fan. And that XO means everything to him. Edwin sends gifts, mails messages to her private address and he knows everything about her. When he arrives in Fresno for a concert, Kayleigh and her entourage are stunned.
Kathryn Dance, music lover, is in town. Dance is a police officer, an agent with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI). She is also Kayleigh’s friend. Dance is an expert in kinesics, but stalkers are the most difficult criminals to read. They believe their version of the truth. It is their reality.
A series of murders begin. The killer targets people close to Kayleigh, using the lyrics of Kayleigh’s song, Your Shadow to let everyone know he is about to kill. Dance joins the investigation. Is Sharp the killer? He cannot be tied to the murders. His intimate knowledge of Kayleigh is available to anybody from dedicated ‘stalker’ fan sites.
The murders continue, new suspects emerge, and Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs make a guest appearance.
XO twists and turns and never disappoints. I finished the book in less than a day. Deaver is the master of the art of plotting stories of personal terror. His characters are complex, his dialogue is simple, and his pacing is perfect.
June 14, 2013
I picked this up from the bargain table at Barnes and Noble. It is the third novel featuring Katherine Dance. I have not read the first 2 though I did read the Lincoln Rhyme story she is in and she was in one of the short stories I read recently. I don't like her as much as Lincoln Rhyme but maybe because I can always picture him as Denzel Washington and I don't have a clear picture of her. Anyway the story is pretty good, about a stalker following a country singer and ... Maybe ... Trying to kill those around her. It contains some good Deaver twists and turns and surprises. I enjoyed it overall.
Deaver spent too much time discussing his knowledge and thoughts about the music industry. Also it took a stretch of the imagination to accept the all the motives, actions and timing of the "twist" events coincided as they did.
Deaver spent too much time discussing his knowledge and thoughts about the music industry. Also it took a stretch of the imagination to accept the all the motives, actions and timing of the "twist" events coincided as they did.
February 10, 2016
Wow! Wow! Wow! First off, I love Jeffery Deaver's mind... No doubt about it, what a smart, analytical, sleight of hand, procedural kind of guy. What I did learn... that I didn't know... was more about the author and his love for music. Just another depth of coolness this guy wears. This series rocks because the characters are fresh and because Jeffery has merged them with my other favorite... Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. Outstanding! Now the story.... Oh I'm not going to give you the synopsis... Stalker central, to the extreme. I've been involved with an indirect stalking situation and believe me any stories dealing with stalking... freak me out. This stalking persona was exceptionally creepy. I don't know how Jeffery did it, but he managed to merge all of these together: music, stalking, politics, relationships, crime scenes, backgrounds, and layered scenarios... to create a story of epic forensics and psychology. The sleight of hand is so good.... I went down a rabbit hole; I was sure was the real deal. Truly, the man is a genius and well gifted with words.
Now my confession... I don't know why I stopped reading the Lincoln Rhyme series... I just know that 2016 is the year to get myself caught up on this author's writing. But right after I finish consuming this title, the 4th book, Solitude Creek
I am however a fan of Kathryn getting together with Mr. O'Neil... I'm just saying... It's a fit or at least I think so.
Now my confession... I don't know why I stopped reading the Lincoln Rhyme series... I just know that 2016 is the year to get myself caught up on this author's writing. But right after I finish consuming this title, the 4th book, Solitude Creek
I am however a fan of Kathryn getting together with Mr. O'Neil... I'm just saying... It's a fit or at least I think so.
March 7, 2013
2.5 stars
I expected to like this a lot more but found that there was one twist too many for my liking. Kathryn Dance is on vacation, visiting her country superstar friend, Kayleigh Towne (think Taylor Swift - though oddly enough Swift is mentioned a few times in the novel), who has an obsessive stalker shaking up her world. Dance forces herself into the local investigation as members of Kayleigh's inner circle begin to be killed.
I was excited to read this, as I myself am a huge country fan. However, I found the book fell flat. I found it hard to stay focused and that the dialogue seemed very unrealistic. Having enjoyed Deaver's style in the first two Dance novels, I found something "off" about it in this outing, though I can't quite put my finger on exactly what was throwing me off. As previously mentioned, there were too many "twists". Just when you're sure who the killer is, a new piece of information is given which turns everything on its head. Deaver really lost me . This seemed very forced and out of place in the overall novel. It had nothing to do with anything, other than making the novel a little longer! I also felt the crossover with Lincoln Rhyme was unnecessary.
I expected to like this a lot more but found that there was one twist too many for my liking. Kathryn Dance is on vacation, visiting her country superstar friend, Kayleigh Towne (think Taylor Swift - though oddly enough Swift is mentioned a few times in the novel), who has an obsessive stalker shaking up her world. Dance forces herself into the local investigation as members of Kayleigh's inner circle begin to be killed.
I was excited to read this, as I myself am a huge country fan. However, I found the book fell flat. I found it hard to stay focused and that the dialogue seemed very unrealistic. Having enjoyed Deaver's style in the first two Dance novels, I found something "off" about it in this outing, though I can't quite put my finger on exactly what was throwing me off. As previously mentioned, there were too many "twists". Just when you're sure who the killer is, a new piece of information is given which turns everything on its head. Deaver really lost me . This seemed very forced and out of place in the overall novel. It had nothing to do with anything, other than making the novel a little longer! I also felt the crossover with Lincoln Rhyme was unnecessary.
June 26, 2012
I am a huge Jeffrey Deaver fan and this is the first book he has written that I didn't like. The first two Kathryn Dance books were well crafted, suspensful, and held my attention from the first page. This story of a celebrity stalker relentlessly contacting/following a young, pop star in Fresno--a friend of Kathryn's of course--should have been a short story rather than a full blown novel. The plot simply could not sustain a 400 page effort and the writing reflects unnecessary detail of the music industry, scene shifts that add words but nothing the storyline, and Kathryn's continual angst over two men she is attracted to. Even the celebrated Lincoln Rhyme and his associate, Amelia, couldn't save the day.
March 31, 2021
Altro thriller super di Deaver!
Questa volta Dance è finalmente in vacanza o almeno ci prova, dedicandosi al suo hobby preferito: la musica. Solo che anche lì i casi la inseguono e si trova alle prese con lo stalker della sua cara amica Kaileigh Towne, cantante di un gruppo country e con l’omicidio di un roadie della band.
In questo libro troviamo come sempre temi delicati che Deaver ama inserire. Nello specifico qui ci confrontiamo con lo stalking e la normativa fortemente inadeguata al riguardo che permette a chi perpetri tale crimine di arrivare all’omicidio, quantomeno tentato, o ad aggressioni reali, se si trovi ad essere abbastanza furbo da non esporsi verbalmente con minacce, ma resti nell’ombra, minaccioso come nel titolo, ma con tutta la possibilità di limitare la vita della propria vittima e di attuare serie torture psicologiche. Inutile dire che nella maggior parte dei casi si tratti di donne.
Come però viene abilmente evidenziato qui, anche se risulta davvero difficile immedesimarsi nel carnefice, è anch’egli una vittima, con una storia di violenze almeno psicologiche alle spalle, e un evento fortemente stressante che fa emergere la psicopatologia. Inoltre non tutti gli stalker sono uguali: ne esistono diversi tipi che vengono attivati da stimoli diversi e agiscono le molestie in maniere diverse, seppur con degli elementi in comune.
Troviamo però anche il tema della pirateria, tasto dolente dei giorni nostri, che evidenzia sicuramente un atto illegale commesso da certi soggetti che diffondono in maniera gratuita prodotti artistici altrimenti a pagamento e con un copyright specifico che viene violato, ma anche la necessità dei produttori di adeguarsi ai tempi e alle tecnologie sfruttate, stando al passo coi tempi.
In maniera un po’ più marginale infine, troviamo anche il tema dell’immigrazione, oggi scottante anche qui in Italia, ma trattato nello specifico in riferimento ai latini che arrivano negli Stati Uniti tramite il Messico, dove ora esiste quello spaventoso muro fatto innalzare da Trump.
Devo dire che questa protagonista mi piace sempre di più, con le sue insicurezze e la vita privata che le mette in luce nei dubbi che la tormentano come in questo caso con Jon Boling. Avrei voluto fermarla al momento dell’incontro con Michael ma vabbè è una donna, che ci vogliamo fare! Io non ho mai smesso però di fare il tifo per Jon.
Mostra anche però tutta la sua caparbietà e tenacia nell’imporsi alla squadra di Madigan, che ho amato, e gli agenti con cui si trova poi a collaborare, e il modo in cui riescono a farlo, mi hanno conquistata. Mi piacerebbe poter ritrovare questi protagonisti anche se so che sarà difficile. Però mi ha fatta sorridere il fatto che non ci abbia pensato solo io ma che lo stesso Rhyme volesse portarsi via Sheane!😁
E poi, vogliamo parlare della comparsa di Rhyme e Sachs? Ho sempre adorato questo genere di trovate nelle serie tv e qui mi ha fatta andare letteralmente in brodo di giuggiole trovare insieme i miei due protagonisti preferiti, anche se solo per poco.
Devo ammettere che la possibilità prospettata di una consulenza con Washington mi aveva entusiasmata. Peccato poi sfumi tutto logicamente, anche se chissà mai dire mai, c’è sempre Davis.
Mi piace anche la trovata di dividere i capitoli tra i giorni della settimana, perché rende bene come tutto avvenga in meno di una settimana, nonostante il tempo sembri dilatarsi con tutto quel che succede.
Come nel precedente, e forse anche di più, questo caso è un susseguirsi continuo di colpi di scena, e non si fa in tempo a provare sollievo e stupore per una spiegazione che arriva qualcosa a scombussolare di nuovo tutto daccapo.
In effetti mi chiedevo come mai dopo la prima soluzione mancasse ancora metà libro ma, conoscendo lo scrittore, avevo idea di cosa aspettarmi.
Devo ammettere però che la trovata dell’assassino per mascherare i propri intenti, mi aveva del tutto convinto. Il colpevole “apparente” era infatti quello di cui io sospettavo dall’inizio quindi non c’è che dire, davvero ben riuscito. Quando ho detto “Ecco vedi che avevo ragione, ho indovinato” poi invece scopri che non era vero niente e che l’intento era proprio di farti credere quello!😅Geniale!
Questa volta Dance è finalmente in vacanza o almeno ci prova, dedicandosi al suo hobby preferito: la musica. Solo che anche lì i casi la inseguono e si trova alle prese con lo stalker della sua cara amica Kaileigh Towne, cantante di un gruppo country e con l’omicidio di un roadie della band.
In questo libro troviamo come sempre temi delicati che Deaver ama inserire. Nello specifico qui ci confrontiamo con lo stalking e la normativa fortemente inadeguata al riguardo che permette a chi perpetri tale crimine di arrivare all’omicidio, quantomeno tentato, o ad aggressioni reali, se si trovi ad essere abbastanza furbo da non esporsi verbalmente con minacce, ma resti nell’ombra, minaccioso come nel titolo, ma con tutta la possibilità di limitare la vita della propria vittima e di attuare serie torture psicologiche. Inutile dire che nella maggior parte dei casi si tratti di donne.
Come però viene abilmente evidenziato qui, anche se risulta davvero difficile immedesimarsi nel carnefice, è anch’egli una vittima, con una storia di violenze almeno psicologiche alle spalle, e un evento fortemente stressante che fa emergere la psicopatologia. Inoltre non tutti gli stalker sono uguali: ne esistono diversi tipi che vengono attivati da stimoli diversi e agiscono le molestie in maniere diverse, seppur con degli elementi in comune.
Troviamo però anche il tema della pirateria, tasto dolente dei giorni nostri, che evidenzia sicuramente un atto illegale commesso da certi soggetti che diffondono in maniera gratuita prodotti artistici altrimenti a pagamento e con un copyright specifico che viene violato, ma anche la necessità dei produttori di adeguarsi ai tempi e alle tecnologie sfruttate, stando al passo coi tempi.
In maniera un po’ più marginale infine, troviamo anche il tema dell’immigrazione, oggi scottante anche qui in Italia, ma trattato nello specifico in riferimento ai latini che arrivano negli Stati Uniti tramite il Messico, dove ora esiste quello spaventoso muro fatto innalzare da Trump.
Devo dire che questa protagonista mi piace sempre di più, con le sue insicurezze e la vita privata che le mette in luce nei dubbi che la tormentano come in questo caso con Jon Boling. Avrei voluto fermarla al momento dell’incontro con Michael ma vabbè è una donna, che ci vogliamo fare! Io non ho mai smesso però di fare il tifo per Jon.
Mostra anche però tutta la sua caparbietà e tenacia nell’imporsi alla squadra di Madigan, che ho amato, e gli agenti con cui si trova poi a collaborare, e il modo in cui riescono a farlo, mi hanno conquistata. Mi piacerebbe poter ritrovare questi protagonisti anche se so che sarà difficile. Però mi ha fatta sorridere il fatto che non ci abbia pensato solo io ma che lo stesso Rhyme volesse portarsi via Sheane!😁
E poi, vogliamo parlare della comparsa di Rhyme e Sachs? Ho sempre adorato questo genere di trovate nelle serie tv e qui mi ha fatta andare letteralmente in brodo di giuggiole trovare insieme i miei due protagonisti preferiti, anche se solo per poco.
Devo ammettere che la possibilità prospettata di una consulenza con Washington mi aveva entusiasmata. Peccato poi sfumi tutto logicamente, anche se chissà mai dire mai, c’è sempre Davis.
Mi piace anche la trovata di dividere i capitoli tra i giorni della settimana, perché rende bene come tutto avvenga in meno di una settimana, nonostante il tempo sembri dilatarsi con tutto quel che succede.
Come nel precedente, e forse anche di più, questo caso è un susseguirsi continuo di colpi di scena, e non si fa in tempo a provare sollievo e stupore per una spiegazione che arriva qualcosa a scombussolare di nuovo tutto daccapo.
In effetti mi chiedevo come mai dopo la prima soluzione mancasse ancora metà libro ma, conoscendo lo scrittore, avevo idea di cosa aspettarmi.
Devo ammettere però che la trovata dell’assassino per mascherare i propri intenti, mi aveva del tutto convinto. Il colpevole “apparente” era infatti quello di cui io sospettavo dall’inizio quindi non c’è che dire, davvero ben riuscito. Quando ho detto “Ecco vedi che avevo ragione, ho indovinato” poi invece scopri che non era vero niente e che l’intento era proprio di farti credere quello!😅Geniale!
April 5, 2017
"April 4, 2017 – Finished Reading
April 4, 2017 – page 376
97.66% "At least something... to be schooled!"
April 3, 2017 – page 319
82.86%
April 3, 2017 – page 289
75.06% "-1 Star mainly because repeation comes."
April 3, 2017 – page 289
75.06%
April 3, 2017 – page 284
73.77%
March 31, 2017 – page 261
67.79%
March 30, 2017 – page 233
60.52%
March 30, 2017 – page 189
49.09% "He likes each character to have something in his hand."
March 30, 2017 – page 187
48.57% "Creating characters and fast playing with them."
March 30, 2017 – page 1429
371.17%
March 29, 2017 – page 142
36.88%
March 23, 2017 – page 101
26.23%
March 22, 2017 – page 77
20.0% "If you know a good author, you can't leave him like this without even reading few more works by him.
Jeffery Deaver I know about him from the movie The Bone Collector which was based on a novel by him.
...
Now on Chapter 11 out of 79 Chapters!"
March 21, 2017 – page 45
11.69%
March 21, 2017 – page 0
0.0% "I know this author from Bone Collector and now I am going to check out a second work by this writer.
(P.S. John McCain - sounds like Dean Koontz)"
March 20, 2017 – Started Reading"
- "…Now, this’s a song that Daddy wrote and used to sing to me when I was a little girl. I think it was probably the first song I ever heard. It’s called ‘I Think You’re Going to Be a Lot Like Me.’”
A glance his way and he nodded, the faintest of smiles curling into his weathered face…"
- Something which we know very very well... And kinda repeation!
In other words these comment will sound like… this story has been already told from different types of writers that now he is saying it with some changes around some details doesn't make it new or it can be said that it does. After all it could be an upgrade to the old stories.
Jeffery Deaver - As First likes to play with all of his characters as second to use words which so far aren't very often saw around the literature.
- roadie
- IPhone
- Drugs
(Note: Okay.. . Okay we can't decline some words we all are familiar… but still I want highlight them.)
(P.S. - If I was with my mom she could just stop the journey somewhere in the middle but I continued it… no matter what could happen with and without the help of Speed Reader. )
- A V-8 engine
- Pike
- Valley
- deputies
- lanky
- Crystal Stanning had recommended
- shyly
- Delmore playing Dobro and not pedal steel?
- ammonia
- antler
- Barry Zeigler
…
"In a mad singsong, she mocked, “What’s the matter, Edwin? Don’t you like me now? Don’t you want to stalk me anymore?"
- And many other examples can be found from point which confuses the reader… and many other things can be found.
and as a last thought in within 9 days I read this book!
April 4, 2017 – page 376
97.66% "At least something... to be schooled!"
April 3, 2017 – page 319
82.86%
April 3, 2017 – page 289
75.06% "-1 Star mainly because repeation comes."
April 3, 2017 – page 289
75.06%
April 3, 2017 – page 284
73.77%
March 31, 2017 – page 261
67.79%
March 30, 2017 – page 233
60.52%
March 30, 2017 – page 189
49.09% "He likes each character to have something in his hand."
March 30, 2017 – page 187
48.57% "Creating characters and fast playing with them."
March 30, 2017 – page 1429
371.17%
March 29, 2017 – page 142
36.88%
March 23, 2017 – page 101
26.23%
March 22, 2017 – page 77
20.0% "If you know a good author, you can't leave him like this without even reading few more works by him.
Jeffery Deaver I know about him from the movie The Bone Collector which was based on a novel by him.
...
Now on Chapter 11 out of 79 Chapters!"
March 21, 2017 – page 45
11.69%
March 21, 2017 – page 0
0.0% "I know this author from Bone Collector and now I am going to check out a second work by this writer.
(P.S. John McCain - sounds like Dean Koontz)"
March 20, 2017 – Started Reading"
- "…Now, this’s a song that Daddy wrote and used to sing to me when I was a little girl. I think it was probably the first song I ever heard. It’s called ‘I Think You’re Going to Be a Lot Like Me.’”
A glance his way and he nodded, the faintest of smiles curling into his weathered face…"
- Something which we know very very well... And kinda repeation!
In other words these comment will sound like… this story has been already told from different types of writers that now he is saying it with some changes around some details doesn't make it new or it can be said that it does. After all it could be an upgrade to the old stories.
Jeffery Deaver - As First likes to play with all of his characters as second to use words which so far aren't very often saw around the literature.
- roadie
- IPhone
- Drugs
(Note: Okay.. . Okay we can't decline some words we all are familiar… but still I want highlight them.)
(P.S. - If I was with my mom she could just stop the journey somewhere in the middle but I continued it… no matter what could happen with and without the help of Speed Reader. )
- A V-8 engine
- Pike
- Valley
- deputies
- lanky
- Crystal Stanning had recommended
- shyly
- Delmore playing Dobro and not pedal steel?
- ammonia
- antler
- Barry Zeigler
…
"In a mad singsong, she mocked, “What’s the matter, Edwin? Don’t you like me now? Don’t you want to stalk me anymore?"
- And many other examples can be found from point which confuses the reader… and many other things can be found.
and as a last thought in within 9 days I read this book!
April 2, 2021
So this book was tricky for me, primarily because it was SO long and didn’t need to be but also the plot went in so many loops. Refreshingly though, despite being a part of a series, it can be read alone and you don’t have to catch up on too many issues.
Kathryn Dance is on vacation to see her friend, hugely popular country star Kayleigh Townes perform in her home town. But when Kathryn is reunited with her friend she finds that the life of the rich and famous isn’t all gold stars and top end service. Kayleigh has an unrelenting stalker who is in town for the show and appearing everywhere. Then bodies start dropping and Kathryn’s vacation turns into a full investigation.
The book definitely took me for a loop but I think it could have been condensed a great deal and not be 600+ pages. I also struggled keeping all of the law enforcement officers separate because they all were present so frequently.
Kathryn Dance is on vacation to see her friend, hugely popular country star Kayleigh Townes perform in her home town. But when Kathryn is reunited with her friend she finds that the life of the rich and famous isn’t all gold stars and top end service. Kayleigh has an unrelenting stalker who is in town for the show and appearing everywhere. Then bodies start dropping and Kathryn’s vacation turns into a full investigation.
The book definitely took me for a loop but I think it could have been condensed a great deal and not be 600+ pages. I also struggled keeping all of the law enforcement officers separate because they all were present so frequently.
November 21, 2022
This book was pretty much just okay. It was alright. I thought the beginning was just alright, the middle kind of dragged, but the last 85% is where my interest really kicked in.
Before the 85% mark I was worried the author was going in a direction I didn't agree with, but thank goodness that wasn't the case.
Some really interesting commentary on stalking, voyeurism, and how appearances can be deceiving. The author crafted the stalker character really well, and really realistically -- it was creepy!
Before the 85% mark I was worried the author was going in a direction I didn't agree with, but thank goodness that wasn't the case.
Some really interesting commentary on stalking, voyeurism, and how appearances can be deceiving. The author crafted the stalker character really well, and really realistically -- it was creepy!
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