Member Review

Jeffery Deaver is a brilliant storyteller, irrespective of the length of the story, and Dead Ends, a collection of Deaver's thirteen short stories, is a testament to his prodigious talent. Set in diverse periods and locations, each of these stories has crisply etched characters, racing plots, and, for the most part, satisfactory endings.

Ninth and Nowhere has several intriguing characters, each with its own backstory, converging towards a tense climax. Hard to Get is an espionage story that is as amusing as thrilling. The Writers' Conference, Selfie, Unlikely Partners, and A Significant Find have clever turns at the end and are a lot of fun. Forgotten and Where the Evidence Lies, featuring Colter Shaw and Lincoln Rhyme, respectively, are in the same vein as the series of novels featuring the two of Deaver’s exceptional creations. A Matter of Blood, set in Victorian London, is dark, gritty, and engrossing. An Acceptable Sacrifice, an assassination tale set in Mexico, is cleverly plotted and entertaining. Deaver pays homage to the Sherlock Holmes series with The Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman – but with a twist. The Babysitter and A Woman of Mystery feel somewhat unsatisfactory despite being engaging.

I had a terrific time savouring these delectable pieces of fiction by the master and am grateful to HarperCollins UK for the Digital Review Copy of Dead Ends through NetGalley.