Jeffery Deaver, suspense or yawn-dice?

Before I start off on this post, let me first let you know a little about my taste in books.  Generally I'm a massive fantasy fan (not mainstream fantasy though), although I do dabble in Sci-Fi, comedy, biographies. horrors and fantasy from time to time.  I find love stories to be repetitive and action books are best left for the screen.

Knowing this, I have found one Suspense writer I do enjoy reading. Jeffery Deaver. For those of you that have no idea who I'm talking about, he wrote the bone collector and the newest 007 book (Carte Blanche).  If one had to see his picture, one would think he was a creation of Stephan King.



His books are typically crime investigation, with most of his books centring on Lincoln Rhyme, an ex forensic investigator disabled from the neck down.  He has now expanded his repertoire to include Kathryn Dance, who uses body language to solve crimes.  Deaver is a former attorney with degrees in journalism and law, who's books are generally well researched and accurate.  One can relate to his characters and their plights, in fact, I have often gotten lost in his stories.  The combines logic and science with unpredictable human nature easily and fluidly.  After all this, is it any wonder he has won accolades such as:

• the steel dagger (British crime writers' association)
• book of the year for the Cold Moon (Japanese mystery writer's association)
• the British Thumping Good Read award
• Novel of the year for the Bodies Left Behind (International Thriller writers' association)

However despite all these accolades, he does have his own pitfalls.  Firstly, suspense is not every ones cup of tea.  Many of his books seem to follow a formula, with one accurately guessing what will happen next.  He tends to jump into the situation very fast, only skimming over his main characters.  He often reveals too much about the killer, letting some of the suspense fall away.  Lastly he tends to get too technical about some of the forensic items used to solve cases, which then flies over the head of the reader.

For me he is an enjoyable read, as long as I alternate between his Rhyme books and his other more stand alone novels.  This stops the predictability and allows me to forget about any character faults he might have written. However I would suggest you read one of the following and decide for yourself.

Suggested reads:
The Cold Moon
Bodies Left Behind
The Devil's teardrop