International bestseller Jeffery Deaver has more than 40 novels to his name and he’s one of crime fiction’s big guns. Since Lincoln Rhyme first appeared in The Bone Collector, his debut, in 1997 the series has been a bestseller and the Colter Shaw quartet has cemented Deaver’s reputation as a master of dark twisty tales. Short stories are a different beast, but Dead Ends is the author’s fourth collection so he knows the territory. There’s a baker’s dozen here including a couple, A Woman of Mystery and Selfie, which are previously unpublished.
Fans of Deaver’s novels will be pleased that there are stories featuring both Lincoln Rhyme and Colter Shaw here. Forgotten sees Rhyme take on a case of Jude Anthony Sterling, convicted of the second degree murder of drug dealer Daryl Williams in Ohio. Williams is serving 25-to-life, and his chances of surviving inside are not good. Against the odds Rhyme sets out to find the truth behind what really happened and the trail is soon mired in local corruption. In Where the Evidence Lies Rhymes, a quadriplegic forensic criminologist, is pulled aside by a detective at a Florida conference he’s attending and asked for advice. A small plane may have been downed by an IED, taking out the engines but not crashing the plane which was forced to ditch in the sea, Lincoln is unsure how he can help given the absence of physical evidence but his input proves invaluable.
The collection opens with a twisty tale that defies expectations and sets the tone for the volume. The Babysitter is Kelli Lambert, a 17-year-old who is good with the kids. One night she takes care of William, five, and Mab, seven, the Winston children. Only Rachel and Erik Winston have made a stupid mistake, leaving an incriminating document lying around, involving plans to a casino. If Kelli saw them she could scupper their plans to make them millions. There’s just too much at stake. There’s only one thing for it, hire someone to kill Kelli. Only nothing is that simple.
While that story is classic Deaver, Hard to Get is out of the box. He is not known for his spy stories, though he did write Carte Blanche for the James Bond franchise in 2011. This is a return to espionage but more as character story than action thriller. Dr Albert Lessing, a CIA analyst on the Central and Eastern European desk, gets a chance to move into the field as a NOC, non-official cover. An operation set up to expose a Russian SVR operation in the US is threatened by an accident to the agent in place. Lessing’s academic cover makes him the only possible replacement. The plan is simple, go to Poland and reluctantly allow the Russians to recruit him. Whatever they told him in the office, nothing can prepare you for life undercover. A spy is a different kind of beast.
Deaver has some fun with an historical murder mystery opening in London in 1888 and a New York set homage to Sherlock Holmes. There’s also a killing at a writers’ conference in California, the answers seem to be there for deputy Jim Handle but something is not right…
These stories have a distinct Jeffery Deaver feel – the off-kilter characters, surprise elements and clever misdirection followed by a punchy finish. The mood varies. Some have a lighter tone and the contrast works well. It’s not a collection with an outstanding story but overall the anthology is enjoyable and engaging. As long as fans of Deaver’s novels are open to variety and change of mood there’s plenty here for them. New readers may be pleasantly surprised by Deaver’s scope if they have preconceptions about his style and themes. This author’s plots are devious, involved and clever, and they hook you. The beauty of a short collection is you can pick it up and dip in whenever you want, like a good coffee table book.
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Harper Collins
Print/Kindle/iBook
£12.99
CFL Rating: 4 Stars