Synopses & Reviews
New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver has long thrilled fans with tales of masterful villains and their nefarious ways, and the brilliant minds who bring them to justice. Now the author of the Lincoln Rhyme series has collected for the first time his award-winning, spine-tingling stories of suspense -- stories that will widen your eyes and stretch your imagination. A beautiful woman goes to extremes to rid herself of her stalker; a daughter begs her father not to go fishing in an area where there have been a series of brutal killings; a contemporary of the playwright William Shakespeare vows to avenge his family's ruin; and Jeffery Deaver's most beloved character, criminalist Lincoln Rhyme, is back to solve a chilling Christmastime disappearance.
Diverse, provocative, eerie and inspired, this collection of Jeffery Deaver's best stories exhibits the amazing range and signature plot twists that have earned him the title "master of ticking-bomb suspense" (People). With nods to O. Henry and Edgar Allan Poe, these beautifully crafted pieces, never before compiled in one volume, pulse with subtle intrigue and Deaver's incomparable imagination.
Review
"[A] mystery hit for those who like their intrigue short and sweet....[The stories] feature tight, bare-bones plotting and the sneaky tricks that Mr. Deaver's title promises." Janet Maslin, The New York Times
Review
"[C]haracterized, in addition to clever plotting, by brisk characterization and compact, efficient prose....Like an afternoon snack, this snappy volume will stave off hunger for Deaver fans until his next novel appears." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
For fans of The Vanished Man and The Stone Monkey comes this thrilling collection of Deaver's short fiction.
About the Author
Jeffery Deavers novels have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including The New York Times, the Times of London and the Los Angeles Times. The author of eighteen novels,hes been nominated for five Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America and an Anthony Award, is a three-time recipient of the Ellery Queen Readers Award for Best Short Story of the Year and a winner of the British Thumping Good Read Award. His book A Maidens Grave was made into an HBO movie starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin, and his novel The Bone Collector was a feature release from Universal Pictures starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. His most recent novels are The Vanished Man, The Stone Monkey, and The Blue Nowhere. A former journalist, folksinger and attorney, he lives in Virginia and California. Readers can visit his website at www.jefferydeaver.com.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Without Jonathan
The Weekender
For Services Rendered
Beautiful
The Fall Guy
Eye to Eye
Triangle
All the World's a Stage
Gone Fishing
Nocturne
Lesser-Included Offense
The Blank Card
The Christmas Present
Together
The Widow of Pine Creek
The Kneeling Soldier