XO

Starred review from April 9, 2012
Thriller Award–winner Deaver’s excellent third novel featuring Kathryn Dance (after 2009’s Roadside Crosses) takes the California Bureau of Investigation agent on a vacation trip to Fresno, where she plans to collect music for her American Tunes Web site and visit her country music star friend, Kayleigh Towne, who’s preparing a hometown concert. Meanwhile, persistent stalker Edwin Sharp pursues Towne in a manner that precludes legal action and frustrates local detectives. Sharp becomes the prime suspect in the murder of one of Towne’s road crew, but he consistently eludes or outsmarts the law team’s attempts to prove his involvement. Plenty of surprises and red herrings complement developments in Dance’s problematic relations with boyfriend Jon Boling and Det. Michael O’Neil of Monterey County. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs, the leads of Deaver’s other series, make cameo appearances in a novel sure to please fans of both series. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents.

May 1, 2012
A country singer/songwriter who's getting unwelcome attention from a devoted fan provides kinesic specialist Kathryn Dance, of the California Bureau of Investigation, with her third extra-twisty case. Edwin Sharp really likes Kayleigh Towne. Since receiving the computer-generated email thanking him for his interest in her, he's written back 50 times, effortlessly dodging the attempts of her protective staff to throw him off her scent. He knows everything about her and her entourage--her father and mentor, Bishop Towne; her assistant, Alicia Sessions; her producer, Barry Zeigler; and her chief roadie Bobby Prescott--so of course he's on hand, all courtesy and insinuating smiles, when she returns to her hometown of Fresno for a concert. Kayleigh's old friend Kathryn Dance (Roadside Crosses, 2009, etc.), who also happens to be on hand, can't read Edwin's body language: He's either completely honest or completely delusional. But she can't resist elbowing her way into the investigation bullheaded sheriff's deputy P.K. Madigan launches when a heavy lighting fixture just happens to brain Bobby late one night. Kathryn soon sets Madigan straight about what happened to that errant light and how to conduct a proper interrogation. In the absence of any hard evidence against Edwin, however, the sheriff's office has to let him go, and the violence escalates. Fans of Deaver's celebrated sleuthing marathons will wait with bated breath as this onion is peeled to disclose multiple layers of deception, betrayal and triple crosses. This time, though, the surprises, driven by Deaver's constant determination to outdo himself, seem both over-galvanized and uninspired. Deaver has to call in his main man, quadriplegic criminalist Lincoln Rhyme (The Burning Wire, 2010, etc.), to run the forensics that yield a crucial clue. The bevy of criminals working independently and at serious cross-purposes is not to be believed. And the ending is his most conventional in years. A serious page-turner that would have been even better if it had ended a hundred pages earlier.

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2012

In Deaver's new Kathryn Dance thriller (after Roadside Crosses), Kayleigh Towne is a blond bombshell of a country pop singer who attracts fans, including a stalker who believes her hit song "Your Shadow" was written just for him. After a series of letters announcing "I'm coming for you" and unexplained accidents, Special Agent Kathryn Dance is brought into the case. Using her skills of interpreting body language, she leads a complex and convoluted investigation and brings in the creative and outspoken criminalist Lincoln Rhyme to assist her. VERDICT As a former folksinger, Deaver brings his extensive musical knowledge in writing Kayleigh's songs, which readers can download from his website. But the roller-coaster ride provided by numerous twisty plotlines--a typical Deaver technique--becomes tedious and confusing, slowing down the action and clouding the eventual climax. Deaver further hampers the flow with extensive discussion of nonessential side topics. A rather disappointing effort that his many die-hard fans will want nonetheless.--Jerry Miller, Cambridge, MA

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2012
In the latest Kathryn Dance thriller, the California Bureau of Investigation body-language expert is concerned that her friend, a popular singer (lightly modeled, perhaps, on Taylor Swift), is being targeted by a stalker. When it appears that the stalker's interest in the singer has led him to commit murder, Dance locks horns with local law enforcement officials, who don't seem to grasp that the obvious suspect isn't always the bad guy. And the supposed bad guy himself, stalker Edwin Sharp, is a complex and hard-to-read character. We, like Kathryn, just can't seem to nail down whether we think he's a killer or not. Written with Deaver's usual keen eye for dialogue and character and featuring his customary right-angle plot twists, the novel will be a sure-fire hit with not only his legion of fans but also with readers who have yet to sample a Deaver novel. And Deaver fans who have felt that the Dance novels aren't quite as sharp as his Lincoln Rhyme series might have to think again. This may be the most compelling of the Dance books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)