The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver

On the cover of The Sleeping Doll it says that this book is the one which introduces Kathryn Dance, though someone tells me this is not strictly the truth. Regardless, this is the first book of Deaver’s I have read which had Dance in it.

From Amazon: “Daniel Pell is a contemporary Charles Manson. A petty criminal with a history of antisocial behavior and obsession with controlling other people, he had a group of women living with him in a quasi cult in central California. Eight years ago, he and another man viciously slaughtered a family for no apparent reason, though the three women in his “Family” were absolved of any part in the deaths. Now, present day, Pell has escaped and Kathryn Dance, the famed interrogator and kinesic analyst (body language) and her team, must find out where he is and why he’s staying near the prison he escaped from. She brings together the three women, now leading normal lives, to help her find out where Pell is and what he’s up to. Pell, for his part, and a young woman he has manipulated to help him, tries to outguess the police and fulfill his mission, as he learns that Kathryn Dance is perhaps his most dangerous opponent.

This is a typical cat and mouse Deaver novel, in which conflicts abound–finding the killer, as well as reconciling the emotions within Pell’s three ‘Family’ members, which have simmered over the years. The ‘Sleeping Doll’ refers to the one surviving daughter of the original murder eight years ago–a nickname because she was asleep with her toys and not seen by the killer. Dance has to find her and see what she remembers about the night of the killings.

Nothing is quite what it seems to be . . . “

Katherine Dance is an officer with the California Bureau of Investigation & she has been tasked with catching a cold-blooded killer who escaped after he had been brought to her for questioning after evidence came to light which appeared to tie him to another murder. As the Amazon description says, this is typical Deaver cat & mouse & while I say it may be typical, that does not take away from this being another Deaver masterpiece!

I only read this book because it’s supposed to be the introduction to Katherine Dance & Deaver’s book Roadside Crosses picks up where Sleeping Doll left off (chronologically), so I thought it would be a good idea to have read The Sleeping Doll. I am really glad that I did! The Lincoln Rhyme series is still my favourite, but I can see the Katherine Dance series becoming a firm favourite as well!

If you are a Jeffery Deaver fan & have yet to read this book, then I say – Get moving & read it!