This book started off really well. I was engrossed for the first hundred pages or so, and then things started to lag.

The author tended to repeat himself frequently. I understood that Kathryn was a kinesiologist the first time the author mentioned it; I don't need to be told repeatedly. And just when you think that the book is over, the author throws in yet another convoluted plot. It got rather tiresome, especially the last few plots. It seemed like he'd run out of pages, because they all tied together far too neatly.

I also didn't like how many unnecessary characters introduced into the story. When I read these types of books, I read for the criminals and the takedown. I don't really care that much about the detectives' private lives, and I certainly don't need to read about Kathryn's mother's suspicions or how much Kathryn's dad loves fishing. I like a tight, compact story, and this thing just sprawled.

Still, it wasn't a bad book. With a more strong-handed editor and less "filler," it would have been a very good book ( )

California Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Kathryn Dance is a renowned interrogator with an expertise in kinesics. Kathryn is sent to question prisoner Daniel Pell, known as the “son of Manson” due to his cult activities and the brutal slaying of the wealthy Croyton family in Carmel, mimicking the murders committed by the Manson family years earlier. Pell has recently been linked to another murder and Kathryn hopes to learn more about Pell and his reasons behind the murders. After the interview, Pell manages to escape and begins a murderous rampage, targeting those he feels have maligned him in the past in some way. Kathryn leads the investigation, aided by her good friend Michael O’Neil, chief deputy with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, and Winston Kellogg, a cult expert from the FBI. Kathryn turns to the three women who were part of Pell’s family years before, as well as the one victim he left behind when he murdered the Croytons, in hopes they can offer clues as to where Pell may be hiding.

This series is a refreshing addition to the mystery genre; exploring the intriguing world of kinesics and the role it plays in criminal investigations as well as everyday life. Kathryn Dance is captivating, an intelligent woman who is now widowed and whose priority is keeping her small family together. As always, Deaver offers his reader plenty of forensics information packed within a suspenseful plot. ( )

This was my first book by Deaver. I picked up the hardcover edition at a bargain price. I have to say that I have some mixed emotions. Would I say it was great? No. Would I say it was bad? No. The storyline was good, a Charles Manson type killer escapes from prison & agent Katherine Dance must find him before more people die & he disappears forever. The basis of Dance is an interesting one, a human lie detector who can interrogate criminals & know by body language & speech if they are being truthful or not. When she's not working she is the mother of 2 children. I liked Dance with a few exceptions. This woman is hunting down a killer but there are many comments on the shoes she is wearing with big flowers on them. Apparantly she keeps spare sandals in her closet in her office too. When she interrogates people she slips on a pair of black glasses that shows she means business. These are just a few of the small details that started to annoy me & caused me to take her a little less seriously. She is a widow, yet she still has the same last name as her parents, did she not change her name when she was married? Why? This is never touched on. Aside from the main character, the character of the killer, Daniel Pell, is an intriguing one. 95% of the book was interesting enough to keep me reading but no real suspense. The end got a little better, some unexpected twists. I think the main reason I liked the book was because of the "bad guy", Daniel Pell. I'm giving it 4 stars because in the end, overall, I would have to say I enjoyed it. I'm not sure I enjoyed it enough to follow Katherine Dance through future books though. ( )

In this novel by Jeffery Deaver, we are brought into the world of Kathryn Dance, albeit a bit slowly. The novel starts off slow and seems to struggle throughout to stay on point and interesting. There are well-written portions, however overall this book could have benefited from some heavy editing - there are many dragging points and Kathryn belabors her life and her choices and it just does get pretty old. The romance angle seems pretty forced as well. Overall, a decent beach reader, but if you have a choice between this and anything by Harlan Coben - pick Coben. ( )

Kathyn Dance character is not as interesting as Lincoln Rhyme, but this book did have a lot of interesting twists, but in the end did not satisfy. ( )