Sunday, July 25, 2010

Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver

Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver is book # 2 in a series featuring special agent and body language expert Kathryn Dance. I didn't know that there was a # 1 when I got this book, and it did not really matter.

Roadside crosses are found appearing along the roads and highways but before any accidents/deaths happen and thus signalling that something bad will happen. Kathryn Dance and her colleagues are baffled at first, trying to find a link between the victims, and when only a controversial blogger's blog appear to be the only link, a computer expert is being brought in to help the agents.

The blogger is not too helpful at first, but after a suspect goes missing, Kathryn Dance puts the pressure on the blogger, and things begin to move forward. Roadside crosses keep turning up, and soon we have the race against time, a lot of suspects and a story that moves forward with a good speed.

At the same time Kathryn has her own battles to fight, trying to get over her husband's death some years before, dealing with her parents, especially her mother, and another case that her mother seemingly is getting involved in.

Don't really know what to say about this story. It sounded very promising mixing murder and bloggers and blogging. And it is not badly written. The plot is surprising. Fast and entertaining read. But somehow the whole thing wasn't really engaging me, and I felt slightly irked by Agent Dance and her bodylanguage-reading and her family. Not sure I'll read more Kathryn Dance-books.

9 comments:

Dorte H said...

Oh, Louise, why don´t you review some better books!!!

And this one sounded so promising with the combination of blogging and crime :D

Eva @ One Swede Read said...

Funny isn't it, when everything sounds like it would be so good and you just get irked by the main character - sometimes for no discernible reason.

Bernadette said...

I read the first one in the Kathryn Dance series because I really enjoyed Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme novels but I'm with you - it didn't really engage me and the character was irksome. I haven't read any more of them either.

Suzanne Yester said...

It really is disappointing when you have a book that has all the elements of a good read and then it lets you down! And Jeffery Deaver usually is a solid story teller. Thanks for your review though, it may just be this series that he falters in. He seems to write a few different types of stories.

Julia Phillips Smith said...

A blogger as a main crime suspect! Cool - even if it didn't totally deliver.

Louise said...

@Dorte, I know. I seem to read a lot of boooks which entertain me, but somehow also annoy me a bit. Maybe I've become picky...? On the other hand, I just read Anne Holt: "That which is mine", and that was good :-)

@Eva, yes, I find that happens more and more. With Kathryn Dance it found it irksome that she was in a way too good to be true, and also, I found it rude that she used her bodylanguage-skills reading her friends and family when she was not on the job. That's unprofessional!

@Bernadette, glad to hear I'm not the only one a bit irked by Kathryn Dance.

@Suzanne, I know, I've read a few of his books pre-blogging days and found them solid and good. But like I said to Dorte above, maybe I'm getting more and more picky.

@Julia, yes, I thought so too. Also, a main part of the plot relates to game- and roleplaying and that was also interesting. Still the whole thing irked me though ;-)

Anonymous said...

I have the first Dance book to read this summer. Hope I like it better than you liked this one.

Eva @ One Swede Read said...

Always dangerous to have too-perfect main characters. I really want my main characters to be flawed at least in some way - how else am I going to relate to them? :)

I was reading David Sedaris recently (I'm not sure if you've read any of his works) and he comes across very patronizing to the reader - like he's SO clever and witty. It put me right off.

Beth F said...

Drat. Sounded like it should have been good. I haven't read any of his books, but I don't think I'll start with this one.