Customer Reviews

The Lesson of Her Death: A Novel of Suspense

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

pucksau@earthling.net 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 dglavelle@hotmail.com. 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

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.

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.

When I first picked up this book, I mistakenly thought it was written by Jeffery Deaver, author of The Coffin Dancer. I was not disappointed, however. The characters in this story are immediately captivating and the action seldom lets up. Some of the surprising twists had me gasping out loud. The only thing that slowed the pace was the lack of punctuation in places that made for awkward and unwieldy sentences. These missteps became easy to ignore once the story got going. I really enjoyed this book, and like other reviewers here, would like to read his earlier works.

This is one of Deaver's earlier works. I'll echo most of the other reviewers and say that this isn't his best. It is, however, still a very strong story. Deaver's weakest is still as good or better than most writer's best.

This is a strong plot, but there are fewer twists than Deaver has become known for. The characters are also very good. He makes you cheer for Corde and wonder how his coworkers can be so stupid.

Again, it's not his best, but you still won't be disappointed by it.

I've read all of Deaver's books and this is probably the weakest. That, however, is like saying that a painting is one of Da Vinci's weakest -- the guy is so good that even his earlier, poorer stuff is still worth reading. I found this book fun and gripping, but it has the same flaws (hard to empathise with the characters enough to really get into the story) as his other earlier work.

This is quite fast-paced (not as fast as his later work) and quite chilling in parts. He really knows how to get inside peoples' heads, particularly loonies, and describe their thought processes scarily well. Good for a rainy day or when you're sick at home, once you've read all of his others.

This is a fascinating and intriguing novel with more than one plot twist and surprise! If you are a Deaver fan, I'm sure you'll love this story.
Bill Corde is a deputy in a small midwestern town, New Lebanon. When the murder of a college student, Jennie Gebben, is discovered. Detective Corde is placed in charge of the investigation. Sheriff Ribbon and one of his deputies, Slocum are convinced that this is a cult killing, and that it is connected to a previous murder of another college student, Susan Biagotti. However, Bill Corde is not convinced of this, and continues to pursue the case in his own manner.
Tied in with the murder are two mysterious teenage boy's who call themselves Jano and and Phathar, characters from a science fiction movie that they are obsessed with. As the story continues, the reader wonders if these teenager's are serial killers, or perhaps just troubled youth's.
Detective Corde not only faces the puzzle of Jennie Gebbens murder, and difficulties he faces in the sheriff's department, in his family life he is dealing with a nine year old, learning disabled daughter who is a possible target of the killer, and living in a fantasy world, a teenage son who becomes a suspect in the murder, and a wife who is less than happy with their marriage.
This is an intriguing and fascinating mystery. The characters are well stuctured and believable. Everything is wrapped up and explained by the conclusion of the novel. The reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because I would have liked to know what happened to several of the characters shortly after the mystery was solved. It's a pet-peeve of mine.

I've now read all of Deaver's books in paperback & I've loved them all. It's a shame not all of them are in print. This one is a real thriller that really surprised me in the end. The characters were very believable & as all of his books, the handicapped person was portrayed with accuracy. How can we get some of Deavers out of print writing back in print?? (Mistress of Justice, Hard News, Death of a Blue Movie Star, Manhattan is My Beat.) Bring them back!!!

A co -ed girl is found dead in the woods and then unfolds a complex plot, with many situations and conflicting interests. Rich with a delicate prose, this book features my favorite Deaver asset, his neat language to convey emotions and describe settings as well as his passion to describe all the events of the story with colorful and vibrant details The tale is gripping because one cannot anticipate any development and if one does, run the high risk of being dead wrong. (it happened to me many times) and there also lies the high value of this work, suspense and uncertainty....with many traps.

I don't know how people get it into their heads that early Deaver books are not as good as his later ones. ALL of his early books are of an incredibly high class, equally as good as his more recent. They are slightly different, in tone perhaps, but the quality remains the same.

This is an idea book...there is so much of interest going on at once. It is the kind of book i adore...the kind with a central core plot, but one with many other subplots (usually to do with simple events in the lives of the characters) all orbiting around that core-plot, but never really touching it. It makes the books rather realistic, and such a feast for the reader. So much is happening, just like real life. (For another brilliant example of this, check out "Cry Wolf" by Tami Hoag, which is one of my favourite books of all time.)

Deaver's writing is very good, and his characters are great. Very human. He gets into everyones head, and shows us inside, so incredibly well that it looks remarkably easy. I have not met an author who actually can get inside his characters heads so well, and make whats in there seem so simple and ration, especially in the heads of his killers.

The plot is good...interesting, exciting, twisting. There are some nice subtle twists, although they are not quite as pronounced or as shocking as in some of his other novels. Indeed, the identity of the killer is discovered in the final 100 ish pages, and there is no real surprise about their identity from then on. (Which, having found out so early, you would expect there to be.)

If anything, this book is perhaps a bit too long. But not much...

This is not Deaver's book, but that doesnt really clarify matters at all. As all of his books are exemplary, and much better than most authors working today. (Hence the fact that it still garners a five star rating.) However, it may not be quite as good as such classics as "A Maiden's Grave" or "The Empty Chair" it is still a hig class, enjoyable read. If you are new to Deaver, this is probably good place to start and ease yourself into the water.