Speaking in Tongues (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "Crazy Megan parks the car..." (more)
Key Phrases: Crazy Megan, Tate Collier, Aaron Matthews (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Tate Collier, the flawed hero of best-selling author Jeffery Deaver's exciting new thriller, is a divorced prosecutor whose tangled feelings about his ex-wife and their teenage daughter come to the forefront when the girl is kidnapped by a murderous psychiatrist bent on settling a personal score with Collier. It soon becomes clear that Tate really doesn't have a clue about Megan's life or her emotional reality, but the reader gets a fuller explanation from the girl's own perspective, and it's Megan, rather than her father, who turns out to be the real hero of this story.

Deaver draws the reader into the angry, rebellious Megan's desperate fight to save her own life in the creepy surroundings of a decrepit insane asylum in the Virginia mountains. (Deaver practically writes blueprints for the inevitable Hollywood set designer who will have a field day bringing the shuttered, rat-infested scene of Megan's captivity to the screen.) The motivation for Dr. Aaron Matthews's vendetta against the Colliers isn't revealed until most of the way through this crisply paced novel, but he's convincingly insane enough for it not to matter. Deaver throws a few implausible scenarios the reader's way, but they won't matter either; the chase is the thing. The narrative steams along without letting up, and the result is a nail biter that will keep the pages turning. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Before he launched his praised and popular series about quadriplegic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme (The Empty Chair, etc.), Deaver made his reputation with tricky, stylish thrillers such as Praying for Sleep and Manhattan Is My Beat. This slick novel is a throwback to those books and Deaver's first wholly outside the Rhyme universe since A Maiden's Grave. The basic plot is simple. An insane but intensely charismatic psychiatrist, Aaron Matthews, for reasons revealed only near book's end, kidnaps his patient, alienated Megan McCall, the young adult daughter of former Virginia prosecutor Tate Collier, and imprisons her in an abandoned mental institution. Tate and his estranged wife go looking for Megan and enlist the cops in their search. Much violence ensues. Deaver's characters are workable but not deep, though there's some psychological probing along the fault lines dividing Tate, his wife and their daughter. The novel's primary appeal arises from its thrills, which are plentiful. Like James Patterson, Deaver writes dialogue-driven prose, in short, strong sentences and paragraphs that demand little from the reader while seizing attention to the max. Tate and his wife are forgettable heroes, but Deaver tells some of the story from feisty Megan's gripping POV, as she fights back against her captorAone dandy villain who delights in conning others through disguise and misdirection, allowing for plenty of plot curves. This isn't Deaver's most accomplished novel but it's high-energy entertainment. (Dec. 11)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pocket; Reprint edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671024108
• ISBN-13: 978-0671024109
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #243,762 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not One Of Deaver's Best, October 20, 2000

By	michael luciano (Riverview, fl USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Speaking In Tongues : A Novel (Hardcover)

With his series of Licoln Rhyme novels I have quickly become a Jeffery Deaver fan. I also really enjoyed The Devil's Teardrop which did not feature the Rhyme character. Speaking In Tongues falls into this latter category. As far as I can tell it is a reissue of a novel that was actually released a few years ago and is being reisssued to capitalize on Deaver's recent surge in popularity. The premise of the book is interesting, unfortunately some of the plot points require such a suspense of reality that it detracts from the enjoyment of the book. The characters lack the dimension that Deaver usually provides and many times seem too cartoonish. Any fan of the suspense genre will not be surprised by any of the action. In other words we have seen this type of thing before and the writing is not engaging enough to make us forget it. If you are a fan of Deaver's work you will probably get some enjoyment out of this book, however I would suggest waiting for the paperback. I got to read and advance copy, but if I had paid over twenty dollars for the hard cover I know I would feel cheated.

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional work!, October 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Speaking In Tongues : A Novel (Hardcover)

I am a huge fan and could hardly wait for Speaking in Tongues to be released. I work in a bookstore and my jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw an early reading copy sitting on a desk in our stock room, it must have been lying there amid other books for 2 months before I noticed it. Needless to say I devoured the book and enjoyed it so much! The killer this time around is really rather unique (no spoiler, don't worry), he's a psychiatrist gone bad, who does not use guns or knives or anything, but just uses his speaking skills to gain peoples trust and confidence. Imagine if Patterson's Alex Cross or Kellerman's Alex Delaware turned to the darkside, then you might have an idea of what this guy is like.

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not his best but still fascinating, November 15, 2000

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Speaking In Tongues : A Novel (Hardcover)

Seventeen-year-old Megan McCall is required to see a psychologist after becoming very drunk and climbing the town's water tower. When she arrives at her appointment, her usual shrink is not there. Instead subbing is Dr. Bill Peters. He maneuvers Megan into writing notes to her parents that pour out how she feels about them. He next injects her with a chemical that knocks her out. Bill places the unconscious teen in the trunk of his Mercedes before driving to an abandoned insane asylum. Dr. Bill Peters is actually Dr. Aaron Matthews, a brilliant psychiatrist seeking vengeance from Megan's father for destroying his life.

Megan's parents, Brett and Tate, do not know their daughter well enough to realize that she is not at her father's home. Tate has been indifferent towards his daughter and Brett is interested in her own social life. By the time they conclude that something is wrong, they cannot persuade the police that Megan has been abducted and not a runaway. Matthews discredits anyone who intervenes otherwise. Brett and Tate turn amateur sleuths in a risky effort to rescue their daughter.

Although SPEAKING IN TONGUES lacks the deep intensity of some of Jeffrey Deaver's previous novels, the story line remains an exciting thriller. The plot emphasizes why the antagonist loathes the hero to the point that he will go to extreme lengths to see his enemy suffer. The relationship between Megan's parents seems unreal and staged, but Megan's behavior provides credibility to the cast. Though not quite a Lincoln, fans will enjoy Mr. Deaver's latest work.

Harriet Klausner