Customer Reviews

The Cat Dancers

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Being an audio book fan I'm always on the alert for a new release by a favored author or voice performer. When two favorites are paired it's a sure to be a hit with me! That's the case with "The Cat Dancers" by P.T. Deutermann as read by Dick Hill.

Dubbed a Golden Voice by AudioFile Magazine, Hill has been quoted as saying that he "takes a visual approach to narrating books," picturing scenes in his mind's eye. What a task that must have been when one thinks of the terrifying scenes in a wild mountain area where protagonist Cam Richter faces down a group that courts danger. Whatever his method, Hill delivers a spine tingling narrative, paced to leave listeners hanging on his every syllable.

It's a gripping story Deutermann has penned, not a pretty one. Citizens of a peaceful North Carolina town have seldom seen such a heinous crime - a gas station attendant is murdered as his station is robbed and the thieves also kill innocent people who were filling up their minivan. It's not long before officials have the murderous pair in custody. However, the shocker is when a judge releases them because they weren't read their rights.

It's not long before someone takes justice into his own hands. Richter and Sheriff Bobby Baggett are already under the gun, feeling pressure from relatives of the victims and townspeople alike. Then, an email arrives which directs them to a video showing one of the murderers being killed in a home-style execution. The video concludes with "That's one."

How many psychopaths are Richter and Baggett up against? Answers are found in the aforementioned wild mountain area.

Terrific thriller - exciting listening.

- Gail Cooke

How's this for a hobby: swinging on a wire with hundreds of feet of air under you, trying to get a close-up photograph of a mountain lion? Deutermann starts off with a bang. And then he rachets up the suspense with a strict judge letting two confessed murderers off on a technicality. The victim's relatives aren't pleased and neither are the cops. The husband of one victim strikes Sheriff's Lt. Cam Richter as a bit too wound up.

Cam thinks of this when one of the two murderers us the subject of a video showing him being electrocuted. The other murderer disappears shortly thereafter.

Enter the FBI and the beautiful Indian computer whiz. Soon there's a theory that the vigilantes might be cops. The case takes on an added dimension when the liberal judge literally explodes. Oh, her honor happens to be Cam's ex-wife.

Deutermann constructs a Byzantine plot with lots of twists and turns. Too many in fact. Anticlimax after anticlimax is reached. Expectations are heightened, only to be dashed.

In short, Deutermann goes on for about 50 more pages than he needed to, robbing what could have been a great story of its full power. By the time the last page is reached, this reader had lost interest. Worse yet, Deutermann seems to be setting things up for a sequel.

Deutermann's characters don't have a lot fo depth, but that's fine for most of the book, because he keeps the story moving quickly with lots of action. But by the time you reach the point where the story should end, you're asking yourself "what is wrong with these people?"

"Cat Dancers" is far from a bad read, but Deutermann or his editor should have cut the last 50 pages or so. It would have made this good read a great one.

Jerry

Deutermann is an excellent writer and I have enjoyed every one of his books. This story kept me reading long after I should have turned out the light and called it a day. Once, an author wrote, "I don't write pages that people don't read." Long boring descriptions of things incidental to the story fall in this category. Some of the descriptions of the river, the wilderness and the trips getting there at times weary the reader. I guess my biggest complaint with the story was the ending. Too many loose ends. Another chapter on Cam & Mary Ellen getting together maybe 6 months later, the wrap-up by the Feds on all of the Cat Dancers, and the aprehension of the computer wizard Jay Kay would have put it to rest. The dogs in the story were a great addition.

First off, I *love* P.T. Deutermann's books. I have every one of them, most in hardback, and I have re-read several.

This one just infuriated me. The plot requires that three -- THREE -- incredibly unlikely coincidences occur, and no one NOTICES any of them.

To me, an author is allowed ONE such millions-to-one coincidence, as long as he or she notices it. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine"... and you get "Casablanca." But to have THREE pass by with all the actors being oblivious... it becomes apparent that the author is just reaching into a bag and pulling out what he needs to advance the action. Then you add in the superfluous author-inflicted torture-puzzle at the end and... feh. I was ready for the book to be done. Which I've NEVER thought about any Deutermann before.

I gave it three stars because Deutermann is incapable of writing badly... but, oh, I wish he had diagrammed out his plot and noticed how often it required a miracle to occur...

P. T. Deutermann proves once again that he can write a suspenseful and enthralling thriller. This is probably his best novel to date. It didn't always keep me riveted but I still didn't want to stop reading till I got to the end.
It seems there will be a follow up to this novel in the future since the ending was left a bit open. I look forward to the next novel.

Recommended.

This novel, like all of P.T. Deutermann's works is unique and worth reading EXCEPT the Kindle version. This version is unreadable. It appears that the Kindle version was transcribed from a German translation of the original novel. Get the paperback and enjoy the story. Don't waste your money or time on the Kindle version. VERY DISAPPOINTING.

I picked up this, the hardcover version, in the discount section at the bookstore. It was well worth the price. It is a good mystery/cop story and has plenty going on. My only problem is that the ending was not that satisfying. I would have been a lot happier if he had tied up the loose ends instead of saving them for a sequel. However, that is a minor point as I had a lot of fun reading it. The cat dancing device was quite imaginative and I applaud the author for that.

Not bad at all. Recommended.

FWIW: I mistakenly let this review go as a 5 Star rating when I meant to rate it 4 Stars. Amazon does not allow you to change the star rating once the review is posted.

Are you looking for an easy read that keeps your attention from start to finish and can be read in a single weekend? The Cat Dancers is a good choice. P. T. Deutermann continues to turn out one good book after another. Nothing on the level of an Edgar winner, but altogether his body of work is consistently enjoyable.

Cam Richter, a LT in the Manceford County, N.C., Sheriff's Department, is angry and partially to blame, after the killers in a particularly heinous local murder are released on a technicality by Judge Annie Bellamy . The fact that he used to be married to the judge and still sees her on the sly, doesn't exactly endear him to certain members of the policy department. When the killers end up getting killed themselves, their horrific executions displayed for all to see on the Internet, Richter sets out to find those who have taken justice into their own hands. There are suspects, but eventually the trail leads back to the police department, and when it does, that's when Richter's life and loves, face mortal danger of their own.

Deutermann writes and tells a story that is easy to read, easy to follow, and creates enough interest to pull you through the book at a good clip. Recommended to Deutermann fans and to mystery lovers. I read this book, but have listened to several of Deutermann's previous books on CD. His stories, full and unabridged, are ideally suited to audio listeners.

If you have not read this book, you've missed the best book
of the year. If you have read the book you know what i'm talking
about. None better.!!!!!!!!!!

This novel takes a different approach to the mystery/thriller concept. It's nice to see a book that's not so formulaic. Adventure, politics, love....it's all here but w/ a somewhat different twist. I definitely want to read more books by this author.