The Sleeping Doll: A Novel [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Jeffery Deaver (Author), Anne Twomey (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 9, 2009

When Special Agent Kathryn Dance is sent to interrogate the convicted killer Daniel "Son of Manson" Pell as a suspect in a newly unearthed crime, she feels both trepidation and electrifying intrigue. Pell is serving a life sentence for brutal murders years earlier that mirrored those perpetrated by Charles Manson in the 1960s. But Pell and his cult members left behind a survivor who -- because she was in bed hidden by her toys -- was dubbed the Sleeping Doll.

Pell has long been both reticent and unrepentant about the crime. But Dance sees an opportunity to pry a confession from him for the recent murder -- and to learn more about the depraved mind of this career criminal. But when Dance's plan goes terribly wrong and Pell escapes, leaving behind a trail of dead and injured, she finds herself in charge of her first manhunt. As the idyllic Monterey Peninsula is paralyzed by the elusive killer, Dance turns to the past to find the truth about what Daniel Pell is really up to. She tracks down the now-teenage Sleeping Doll to learn what really happened that night, and arranges a reunion of three women who were in his cult at the time of the killings.

The lies of the past and the evasions of the present boil up under the relentless probing of Kathryn Dance, but will the truth about Daniel Pell emerge in time to stop him from killing again?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kathryn Dance, an investigator with the California Bureau of Investigation, returns from Deaver's The Cold Moon (where she was a secondary) in this post–prison break pulse-pounder. Dance is the lead cop handling the escape of psychopathic killer Daniel Pell, dubbed "Son of Manson" by the press for his "family" of young runaways and his most horrendous crime, the murders of computer engineer William Croyton, Croyton's wife and two of their three children. The only child left alive, nine-year-old Theresa, is known as the Sleeping Doll. Pell, charismatic and diabolically intelligent, continually eludes capture, but Dance, a specialist in interrogation and kinesics (or body language), is never more than a few suspenseful minutes behind. Dance is nicely detailed, and procedural scenes where she uses somatic cues to ferret out liars are fascinating. The book sags in its long middle, but toward the end Deaver digs into his bottomless bag of unexpected twists and turns, keeping readers wide-eyed with surprise, and leaving them looking forward to more of the perspicacious Dance. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Jeffery Deaver’s most recent #1 international bestseller is Carte Blanche, the new James Bond novel that brought Ian Fleming’s Agent 007 firmly into the modern age. After revealing his lifelong admiration for Fleming’s novels while accepting the Crime Writer’s Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award for his thriller Garden of Beasts, Deaver was approached by the estate of Ian Fleming to write the next Bond thriller. It debuted on bestseller lists around the world.

The author of two collections of short stories and 28 previous suspense novels, Deaver is best known for his Kathryn Dance and Lincoln Rhyme thrillers, most notably The Bone Collector, which was made into a feature starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie.  His many awards include the Novel of the Year at the International Thriller Writers’ Awards in 2009 for his standalone novel The Bodies Left Behind. The latest entries in the Lincoln Rhyme series are The Cold Moon, The Broken Window, and The Burning Wire. 

Deaver has been nominated for seven Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America, an Anthony Award and a Gumshoe Award. He was recently short-listed for the ITV3 Crime Thriller Award for Best International Author. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. He lives in North Carolina.

For further information, visit www.jefferydeaver.com.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Abridged edition (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743582950
• ISBN-13: 978-0743582957
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,348,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Books on CD > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Deaver, Jeffery

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

43 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as previous works, July 20, 2007

By 

Brian Reaves (Anniston, AL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sleeping Doll: A Novel (Kathryn Dance Novels) (Hardcover)

There can be no doubt Deaver is a master of plot twists. In the past, his novels have kept me guessing throughout the story. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line he became known as a "plot twist writer", and started adding more and more to each story. In "The Sleeping Doll", I'm afraid he's gone so far as to almost seem a parody of himself. There are so many plot twists in the story that the only plot twist would be if what LOOKED LIKE was going to happen actually DID.

Let me say it like this (and none of this happens in the book so I'm not giving anything away, but it happens LIKE this): The victim is home helpless as the killer sneaks into her house...he raises a knife to kill her...BUT the victim knew the killer was coming so it's actually a cop dressed as her waiting to stop the killer...BUT the killer knew the victim would be ready for him, so he waited outside while sending in a flunky to do the actual murder...BUT the FBI knew he'd do this so they waited outside to catch him...BUT he figured someone would be watching so he... You get the idea.

Books like "The Vanishing Man" and of course, "The Bone Collector" showcase Deaver's style at his best. His two short story collections are perfect examples of suspense fiction. But lately it seems like his editors have been wanting him to focus more on the twists, and now the entire story is nothing more than one after the other.

The last five minutes of "The Sixth Sense" took your breath away because of the plot twist ending you should have seen coming but never did. If the whole movie had been that same way, you'd have walked out of the theater in frustration because nothing at all is as it seems at any point in time during the story as the rules keep changing every few minutes. That's the same way "The Sleeping Doll" plays out. While there were a few moments that I honestly didn't see coming and found pleasantly surprising, most of the things happening in the book lost their impact after the first few chapters as you realized everything you THOUGHT was going to happen, actually wasn't.

I'm sure Deaver will trim things back a little for his next story. But even with all the twists in this one, it still makes for a good novel. It's by no means bad...just not at the same level as his previous books.

42 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A page turning thriller..., June 5, 2007

By 

Robert Busko (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sleeping Doll: A Novel (Kathryn Dance Novels) (Hardcover)

I think Deaver has done us all a good turn by turning away from the Lincoln Rhyme novels. Kathryn Dance is an interesting character on her own and when combined with Deaver's rather deep reserve of storylines you have a sure-fire stable of future bestsellers.

In Sleeping Doll we're introduced to Daniel Pell, a killer of terrible repute. Having been convicted of the murder of four members of the Croyton family, Pell is serving his time. Kathryn Dance an investigator with the California Bureau of Investigation wants to interrogate Pell for another unsolved murder that predates his conviction. Instead of going to where Pell is serving his time, he is brought to Dance. This sets up his escape and also starts his murder spree and launches you on a read you're sure to remember.

Deaver is a master of ingenious plots, twists and turns as he leads the reader through his stories. The Sleeping Doll is a winner. Great characters with terrific development through the book, fast paced, you won't want this read to end but you won't be able to keep from devouring each line.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Deaver's Best, June 12, 2007

By 

Jeffrey Clinard "Jeffrey" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sleeping Doll: A Novel (Kathryn Dance Novels) (Hardcover)

With Deaver, you always can expected the unexpected, and The Sleeping Doll is no exception. Riveted with tricks, turns, and things which are not what they seem, heroine Katherine Dance must use her abilities to see through the lies and deception to catch Daniel Pell. Pell is possibly the most chilling villain Deaver has ever created. With Lincoln Rhyme is an expert at forensic evidence and Katherine Dance at body language, Pell is a master in the art of manipulation and control of people. Deaver expertly gives a look into the dark mind of a ruthless control freak.

In short, the book is a Deaver classic, and it is not to be missed.