Lesson of Her Death, The [Hardcover]

Jeffery Deaver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1993

While investigating the murder of a young woman, police detective Bill Corde realizes that the killer has turned his attention to Bill and his family.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Attorney-author Deaver, whose Manhattan Is My Beat was an Edgar nominee, delivers a harrowing and substantial suspense thriller. The investigation into the murder of Auden University coed Jennie Gebben, whose mutilated body is found in a "bed of muddied hyacinths," coincides with crises in the life of Lt. Bill Corde of New Lebanon, Ind. While the case draws Corde into a maelstrom of academic politics and sexual obsession, his learning-impaired nine-year-old daughter writes stories about a wizard named the Sunshine Man, his teenaged son constructs sexual fantasies from multiple viewings of a science fiction film, and his wife finds comfort with the young professor who tutors their daughter. As more murders occur at the financially endangered college and hysteria about cult killings pervades the community, Corde's family is harassed by snapshots and notes somehow secreted into private areas of the house. As Corde follows an intricate trail emblazoned with sadomasochism, bisexuality and vaulting academic ambition, he is surrounded by well-drawn secondary characters: his children, the villain, certain venal academics and a security guard. Terror steadily accelerates in this page-turner until the final riveting secrets are revealed.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

One murdered college student and then another seem to indicate the presence of a serial killer in the small town of New Lebanon. Bill Corde, the investigating detective, finds his family threatened by a killer who appears to know them all too well. As Corde hunts the killer, others scramble to protect their own secrets until Corde at last learns the complex pattern leading to the deaths. Corde's nine-year-old daughter, Sarah, hampered by a learning disability, is both a potential victim and star of the story. The family's struggles to identify and deal with her problems make a highly satisfying counterpart to the police-procedural aspects of the plot. Although the author ( Mistress of Justice , LJ 8/92, among others) has overloaded his story with characters and subplots, he provides enough complications to entice any reader-detective. The characters have the inconsistencies and frailties of real life. Highly recommended for popular fiction collections.
- Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Computer Support Svcs., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 418 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (April 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385424817
• ISBN-13: 978-0385424813
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,894,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeffery Deaver was born outside of Chicago in 1950. His father was an advertising copywriter and his mother was a homemaker. He has one younger sister who writes novels for teenagers ' Julie Reece Deaver.

Deaver wrote his first book ' which consisted of two entire chapters ' when he was eleven, and he's been writing ever since. An award-winning poet and journalist, he has also written and performed his own songs around the country. After receiving a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri, Deaver worked as a magazine writer, then, to gain the background needed to become a legal correspondent for The New York Times or Wall Street Journal, he enrolled at Fordham Law School. After graduation he decided to practice law for a time and worked for several years as an attorney for a large Wall Street firm. It was during his long commute to and from the office that he began writing the type of fiction he enjoyed reading: suspense novels. In 1990 he started to write full time.

The author of twenty-two novels, Deaver has been nominated for six Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America, an Anthony award, a Gumshoe Award, and is a three-time recipient of the Ellery Queen Reader's Award for Best Short Story of the Year. In 2001, he won the W.H. Smith Thumping Good Read Award for his Lincoln Rhyme novel The Empty Chair. In 2004, he was awarded the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain's Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for Garden Of Beasts and the Short Story Dagger for "The Weekender." Translated into 35 languages, his novels have appeared on a number of bestseller lists around the world, including the New York Times, the London Times and the Los Angeles Times. The Bone Collector was a feature release from Universal Pictures, starring Denzel Washington as Lincoln Rhyme. A Maiden's Grave was made into an HBO film retitled Dead Silence, starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin.

Jeff has also released two collections of his short stories, called Twisted and More Twisted.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another smash hit for Deaver, January 10, 2000

By 

Karen Bierman Hirsh (Greenwich, CT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lesson of Her Death (Mass Market Paperback)

Jeffery Deaver is the master of suspense. I have yet to read one of his books that has not kept me up all night reading by flashlight.

[e-mail] is wrong, by the way, Jeffery Wilds Deaver is the same author who wrote The Bone Collector and The Coffin Dancer. I must also whole heartedly agree with [e-mail]. It is a shame that many of Jeffery Deaver's books are no longer in print but I keep scouring the used book stores in hopes of finding a treasure - namingly an out of print Deaver book.

Lessons of Her Death is a perfect example of Deaver's work - smart, engrossing and well written (plot line and characters). He also makes you feel for both the victim as well as the villain - Deaver shows you what is behind the eyes of a mad man. This was another Deaver book with plot twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I highly recommend getting into Mr. Deaver's world

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very Entertaining, January 15, 2000

By 

Jason Birkby - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lesson of Her Death (Mass Market Paperback)

This is far from being Jeffery Deaver's best novel but it is a srong tale. Deaver has the ability to make strong likeable characters among the most devilish and harrowing times.

The story revolves around the murder of Co-ed. The long list of suspects from ex-boyfriends, college professors and a teenage trouble-maker keep the reader guessing till the end. Even the investigator's family slowly starts to crumble from the events.

The story line of the daughter who may be gifted is a gripping side, to which the Father ignores looking for the main killer.

Deaver has abilities to show the world of people with handicaps. He also will leave the reader holding their breath till the outcome. The book does tend to get a little long and action does slow down in the middle. Some of the violence is not for everybody. The three stars comes based on the fact that Deaver does have other books that are more well rounded. This is a strong read for any forensic criminal investagation novel fans.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nail biting Deaver thriller, August 17, 2000

By 

Gerard T. McGuire - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lesson of Her Death (Mass Market Paperback)

Bill Corde is a former big city cop turned small town detective who is assigned to investigate a murder of a local college girl. Although signs point to a cult killing, Corde knows better and he closes in on the real killer. He discovers the victim has left him with a number of suspects and as he gets closer to the killer, the killer gets closer to him. In typical Deaver fashion, there are twists and turns with every new chapter. You are kept guessing until the very end as to the identity of the murderer. The book is a smooth read and it held my interest throughout. Deaver conveys real suspense and dread by bringing the Hero's children into the sights of the villain. Deaver and suspense fans will find this as a book worth reading.