The Sleeping Doll

by Jeffery Deaver
Stars: 5

Synopsis:
Special Agent Kathryn Dance of the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a kinesics expert, who reads body language, is assigned to question the convicted killer, Daniel Pell, known as ‘Son of Manson,’ about his possible involvement in a recent crime. Pell uses the interview as an opportunity to escape from jail, which costs another CBI agent his life. The highly intelligent, but desperate Pell has turned on his pursuers, leaving a trail of dead and injured. Agent Dance finds herself in charge of her first manhunt. Can she capture Pell before he kills again? His next victim may be one of Dance’s close family members.

Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bone Collector, always delivers an excellent story. The development of Agent Dance’s personal life runs parallel to the building suspense of the manhunt. The object of the hunt, Daniel Pell, is not only highly intelligent but a complete psychopath, a deadly combination. Deaver knows how to hold a reader’s attention.

I’m not generally a fan of police procedurals, but I have been a Jeffery Deaver fan for a long while. I enjoy his Lincoln Rhyme character, but it’s exciting to watch Deaver introduce a new character, Agent Dance, and create all the little details that go with a new protagonist. The story is flawless. It kept me in constant suspense all the way to the plot-twisting surprise ending.

Recommendations:
I recommend this book to thriller/suspense fans. I found it hard to put down. Deaver is a proficient and prolific writer, by which I mean he has written a whole bunch of good books. I recommended The Sleeping Doll and anything else by Jeffery Deaver.

Editorial Reviews:
4.5 Stars on Amazon