The Art of Deception

Boldt & Matthews #8

by Ridley Pearson

When the body of a young woman is found beneath the Aurora Bridge, forensic psychologist Daphne Matthews is first at the scene. The victim's name is Mary-Ann, her boyfriend has a record of violence, and her grieving brother is out for revenge. Detective Lou Boldt is investigating a series of mysterious disappearances, and both Boldt and Matthews are led into the 'Underground' - a perfectly preserved city-under-a-city, hidden beneath Seattle. Then the stalking begins: eerie phone calls, noises outside the house, shadows in the night. Someone has their eye on Matthews - but do they want to stop her, kill her, or help her solve the crime?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Detective

Paperback

First published August 6, 2002

About the author

Ridley Pearson is the author of more than fifty novels, including the New York Times bestseller Killer Weekend; the Lou Boldt crime series; and many books for young readers, including the award-winning children's novels Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, which he cowrote with Dave Barry. Pearson lives with his wife and two daughters, dividing their time between Missouri and Idaho.

Also writes Chris Klick mysteries as Wendell McCall.

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book published in 2002, Seattle police forensic psychologist Daphne Matthews and Sgt John LaMoia team up to investigate who threw a woman off a bridge to her death. Lt Lou Boldt heads back out to the field when two women are missing.

I remember Lou Boldt's name so I must have read one of these books a long time ago, but not in the six years since I've been recording on Goodreads. There's a reference to Boldt's wife's lymphoma and to LaMoia's addiction to OxyContin in previous books but well explained so I didn't feel lost. This story has more of a focus on Daphne. She has at least one stalker. At times, I felt the author was going around in circles on who the stalker was. The last 1/4 of the book is great. This would be a good series for me to catch up on.

[Debbie Zapata]

I found this in my Read These bookcase the other day and since I was once a big fan of Ridley Pearson (Hard Fall was awesome) I figured I'd give it a go, even though I don't read hardly any crime/cop titles these days. I don't think I have ever read this one, and I honestly don't remember where or when I bought it.

Well. I tried, but even an old favorite author could not overcome my current distaste for this genre. I got through about 8 chapters before giving up. Sounds like a lot but that was only around page 40 something out of nearly 500.

I simply decided I could not face the gruesomeness of women being stalked, abused, spied upon and murdered. There is too much of that going on in real life, and I prefer not to read about it for fun, just like I would not choose these days to read any novel about an ignoramus being president of the country.

Besides, the peeping tom chapter spooked me. Never read something like that late at night when you can't sleep!

I'm sure plenty of people who like this type of book would like this one, it is simply not for me.

No rating, since my reasons for quitting are personal and have nothing to do with the writing.

[Heather Singh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of this book. It was too hard to keep the characters straight. I’m not sure if it’s because I hadn’t read the prior books in the series. Just felt like the story was off.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book in the laundry room library at Ventura West Marina during my recent stay on a boat there. I’m a fan of Ridley Pearson’s writing and the way he builds tension in his characters. The Art of Deception is another fine Pearson thriller with a bit of Seattle history thrown in for good measure. I highly recommend it.

[K1d2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not read a Ridley Pearson book in a few years. Despite this, I was able to quickly jump into the story having already been familiar with the main characters - Daphne Matthews, Lou Boldt, etc. This book starts off fairly quickly and manages to keep up the pace throughout, making it hard to put down. While the reader has a pretty good idea whodunit by midway, the author still his able to build up the suspense through the emotions and vulnerabilities of the main characters and keep the story intense until the end. Will need to go back now and read the others in the series that I have not yet read.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy this series featuring Lou Boldt and Daphne Matthews. This particular installment casts a heavy focus on Matthews, who is stalked by a Sheriff's deputy and a victim's brother while the crew investigates the disappearance and likely death of two women. Normally, Pearson writes these with material that is heavy on police procedures but this episode appears to be lighter in police procedures and much more on dialoguing with suspects, etc. The reliance upon DNA is rather amazing as Pearson would have the reader believe that DNA results (some anyway) can come back within hours rather than weeks and months as it appears to do in the real world.

Still, Pearson is a master at combining multiple plots and throwing the reader into confusion regarding the identity of the criminals as well as the motives and purposes of those behind the crimes. This makes for a rather thrilling read as the reader traces the twists and curves placed by the author. Just when the reader thinks the author has telegraphed a vital clue, he discovers that the clue leads to yet another mystery with the mystery. Multi-leveled puzzles face the reader at every turn and all is revealed at a break-neck pacing as the novel rushes to its exciting conclusion.

Pearson doesn't fail to ignore characterization. Along the way we see LeMoia demonstrate an attraction to Daphne (who must be a babe, after all, she has two "bad guys" stalking her and is the former lover of Lou Boldt, the usual lead hero in this series) and Daphne concerned for the welfare of a pregnant drug addict who spends most of her time at a women's shelter. Matthews vacillates between being a strong heroine and a damsel in distress, and the vacillation only strengthens the realism found in Pearson's prose. While she seeks to be a strong woman, the stalking brings her to a place of fear, but when the chips are down, she doesn't simply wait to be rescued, but takes matters into her own hands. This strong characterization makes Pearson's writing a cut above the average and keeps me seeking out novels in this particular series.

The Boldt\Matthews series is among the best out there in police novels. Solid writing, genuine mystery, multi-faceted plots, and characters that are as authentic as the men in blue behind you with the lights flashing. Solid writing that won't disappoint the reader.

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was over indulgence. It wasn’t a bad book. It was just too much. Too much detail, almost boring. It took the author way too long to tell the story. And he took it in too many directions. I’m actually glad it’s over.
I gave it a 3 because I like the characters. And there was a great shift in their story line in this book. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

The story actually had 2 different plots. First one, was about Mary Ann. Her body was found in the water. She has an abusive boyfriend so of course he becomes the most reasonable suspect. But is he?
The second story is about 2 women who go missing. One of the Boldt knows personally.
The setting is Seattle, of course, but now we go underground. Supposedly there is another city under the city. Kept there after the city was rebuilt after a fire in 1889. I think the author was excited about working this in. So much so I think he went too far.

This obviously was not one of my favorites of this series. I am looking forward to the next one to see what happens with Boldt, LaMoia and Matthews.

[a_ugust · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the thrill but I somehow expected the plot twists. Sometimes, the story gets dragging. Also, there are character inconsistencies especially with Matthews. I hate how she was introduced as an active, strong, and independent woman but as the story progress she became dependent to men. Can women save women for a change? Lol.

BUT I PARTICULARLY LOVE how Pearson wrote Mary Ann's death:

"She dropped, she thought of a ballerina's majestic beauty; she saw herself as elegant and refined; she found a balance, a weightlessness that was surprisingly pleasant. And she wondered why she had feared heights all these years. This was the ride of a lifetime."

Insane.

[Rd · Rating 2 out of 5]

The woman psychologist or whatever she was was useless. We keep hearing about how great she is yet she totally screws up everything to do with the dude who eventually abducted her. "She knew this" and "she knew that" - yet she ends up kidnapped? Eyeroll.

The lead male character was obviously going to turn out to be little more than her boyfriend...having suddenly changed his entire lifestyle because of her.

Why the other cop's story was in there - other than being the former lover of this broad psychologist, is beyond me. Blah.

Please - no more...

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually could not finish this book. Listening to it just felt like one obnoxious argument after another. Plus, the plot was kind of ridiculous. More than one man stalking the same police officer and then she just kept going home alone. Maybe I missed something but that doesn't seem to make much sense to me. I was forcing myself to keep listening for a disc or two, because I wanted to see how it ended, but I just couldn't tough it out.

[John Lomnicki, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read. Enough twist and turns to keep it interesting thru 300 pages. Fast moving and entertaining. Don't think I have ever read something like this before in which a detective was also a psychologist and figuring out how to outwit the perps. Seattle and its unusual underground proved to be interesting.

[Susan Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live in the historic part of Seattle. Originally the city was built one story below the sidewalk level of today. There is an old city underground in this neighborhood. Some of it you can tour and most of it is blocked off and full of stories. This one is one of those. Lou Bolt, John LaMoia and Dauphne Matthews share another good story but this time right here in my own neighborhood!

[Dorothy Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Underground Seattle made an intriguing setting for this book. Boldt, Matthews, and LaMoia are likable and believable, with plenty of suspense as they pursue multiple cases that eventually intersect. It would have been better with less psycho-babble.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though it has been a while since I have read Ridley Pearson, I picked up his rhythm easily enough. This one is intense enough to hold my attention, and so historically informative--- I learned so much about Seattle 's underground. Loved this book!

[JVO · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just really really REALLY not my cup of tea. Felt as if too many things were happening at once and therefore were all half-assed. There are things that seemed important that were left without answers.

[Jreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few days off, started it on an airport/plane excursion and finished it today. Junk food for the brain. Good characters, easy to get lost in, no real need to think, can put it down and pick it back up. It's part of a series. They all sort of blend.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting mix of story lines and characters. It has been a while since I read a Pearson book but I remembered enough of the characters to know how they worked. Daphne seemed a little ditzy at times but got it together. Good twists and turns.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

the book was pretty exciting but Lieutenant Matthews is such an idiot who does so many stupid things it's ridiculous.

[T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh...

[Rogue Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of threads that converge. Especially keen about underground Seattle - a must read for that aspect alone.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time I have seen / tried this author. I liked it. Easy, enjoyable, and interesting reading.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent - but Daphne should give up her shield

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2002. I miss the Boldt books, last one was in 2004. Ridley still going.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ridley Pearson's books are such nail biters! I need to take a break between them so I can chill.

[Sarah Oppong · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is amazing! the story line kept me on my toes, quiet a thriller with an love story ending. 😀

[Mike]

Dec 2003 #8 of 9

[LDean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libr

[J Gastaldo · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a delightful surprise!

Found a copy of this in the basement of a building at a summer camp that runs almost exclusively on donations. A sticker on the dust cover said, original price, $23.45. Next to that, in large, bold print: $4.98. In the sticker's red border, an italicized pronouncement: Special Value.

Wow, does this book have it all! Mystery. Action. Suspense. A panoply of suspects. A triumvirate of protagonists spun together in an intricate emotional web. The intriguing setting of the actual underground city of Seattle buried beneath the surface of modern day Seattle. All this on top of fantastically overdrawn 2-dimensional characters, a satisfyingly predictable plot, and more worn cliches than you can shake a stick at. A most supreme example of bad, formulaic writing, a true gem deserving the award of at least one gold star. Although no longer in the first grade, with this novel, Ridley Pearson has (presumably) proven to the world that he is still quite capable of adequately coloring inside the lines.

Basic overview: cops fish dead chick from water. Dead chick's psychotic brother develops unhealthy attachment to female investigator on the case. Case somehow ties into another case involving missing women. Both cases seem related but ultimately have little to do with each other. There's other stuff too in there meant to throw you off the track, like a chum bucket of red herrings, but you figure out fairly early on that it's the dead chick's brother who killed the dead chick. But it's not the end, it's the journey that's important here. And there's no journey more enjoyable than a journey that invokes phrases like "worth his salt" and "been in more jams than a jar of peanut butter," if only because those journeys offer up the certainty of knowing where you're going.

[Elge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I have the utmost respect for crime novelists. It's a turkey-shoot of a genre; you've only got so far you can go left or right in a story and yet you have to keep it interesting to people who have read dozens if not hundreds of these books.

I really liked these characters and the pacing was excellent. This book is a GREAT airplane/beach/vacation read. I mean that with all respect because nothing sucks more than to wind up in a boring place with a boring book. This book won't leave you high-and-dry when you need a good read.

That said, the story stretched credulity more than once and I found myself wondering about loose ends. I have more than a passing knowledge of what transference is and how it works and I felt like Mr. Pearson used the concept of transference as a fairy wand (Bling!) explanation of why one of his killers did what he did. I suspect that with another round of edits, he could have made these very important psychological plot points much more real and compelling.

I did appreciate that his female character is not a simple-mined milquetoast or butch badass. While she needs fine tuning, she feels like the beginnings of a real person I'm willing to invest more time in knowing. And I say this as woman who is SOOOO tired of reading about male lead characters (regardless of genre).

[Albert Riehle · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this genre, for me, there is John Sandford and there is everybody else. Ridley Pearson's Lou Boldt/Daphne Matthews series is really the only one that truly stands along side the Prey books.

I've recently given the series a re-read and if you have the chance, I highly recommend them.

Pearson creates a very human, very likable cop in his main character Lou Boldt. He's not the badass hero who always saves the day. He's the tireless worker who plugs away at a case until it submits to him. The interplay between him and Daphne Matthews is flawless. Add in some other great characters like LaMoia, Bobbie Gaynes and Showswitz and you've always got some fun in store.

The best part of these books is the combination of the case in conjunction with the humanity of the characters. They are real, flawed and doing their best in a world and setting where that's not always enough.

I highly recommend starting at the beginning of this series and reading it though. The series starts in the days when a fax machine was a big deal and cell phones were unheard of and advances along with the times. Once you put that aside, it's great reading though. Check them out.