Speaking In Tongues : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Another feather in the cap of this gifted author. Jeffrey
Review: Deaver again succeeds in presenting the reader with a taut, well-written, exciting and convoluted novel. The title is well-thought out and apt for the story line.

Tate Collier in his pursuit of a legal career seemingly neglects his wife, Bett and his daughter Megan. When Megan is three Bett and Tate divorce and Tate's contact with his daughter is minimal.

At sixteen, Megan is kidnapped setting off a series of events that will keep you captivated. The adversary and Lawyer Tate, assisted by Bett, are pitted against each other in intigueing circumstances,and with far more intrigueing results. And Megan herself , while imprisoned in a closed hospital, rises to the occasion and in a brave medlay of moves tries to outwit her captor.

The reason for the title of this gripper is slowly but clearly brought to light as we find a battle of words among the principal players. On the cover page, a quote from Henry Miller reads:
"In the beginning was the Word. Man acts it out. He is the act, not the actor." Amazingly fitting for both the plot and the unraveling of same in encapsulated scenes that will have you holding your breath waiting for the next word.

This is not just a casual read, but an enjoyable, tense novel from one of today's top novelists. Leave yourself time for this one because you will not be able to put it down! The ending is a superb surprise that is not likely to leave your thoughts for some time to come.Good Job, Jeffery and keep those books coming, please!

Rating:
Summary: An ultimate battle of wits
Review: I always preferred thrillers, which leaned more towards a battle of wits, then a battle of fists. True, a car chase or a shoot-out are exciting, but when the hero has to outthink his adversary, not just shoot him ... well, that excites me more.
"Speaking in Tongues" is, maybe, the ultimate battle of wits novel.

A young girl goes into a shrink office. He is very sympathetic, and she really likes this new doctor... right until he drugs and kidnaps her.

Then we turn to the girls' father - a lawyer who can talk a jury into any verdict he wants, a real courtroom king. But does he stand a chance against a psychopath who can talk people into committing suicides?

"Speaking in Tongues" is more of a suspense novel, then a thriller - there is not much actual action - i.e. fights, chases, - mostly it's talking, but it's really involving. Maybe not as involving as another Deaver great "A Maiden's Grave", but the difference in suspense is minimal.

And not many novels can give you a scene, were the hero has to argue, why a person should not be shot, not plead, or appeal to reason, but really give an argument. This scene alone is worth the price of admission.

The one thing I can say against the book is that the villain sometimes seems to be too clever, unrealistically so, but if that wasn't a problem for you in the Hannibal Lector novels, then it won't be a problem here also.

One last thing: ordinary it takes me about a week to read a 300 pages novel, as I don't have much time to read with work and everything. This one I finished in two days.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointment from one of my favorite authors.
Review: Like one of the reviewers below, I began my love affair with Deaver by reading The Bone Collector. Since then, I've read The Coffin Dancer, The Empty Chair, The Blue Nowhere and A Maiden's Grave and loved them all. However, Speaking in Tongues felt to me like a book that was written when Deaver wasn't yet published and only got published because he is now a popular author. The last 50-75 pages of this book are the only redeeming qualities in my opinion.

The story, about a fractured family and a troubled teen who gets kidnapped by a psycho shrink, had potential but the writing quality and characterizations were not up to Deaver standards. Additionally, some of the things that happened in the story were ridiculously outlandish or way too convenient.

I certainly won't give up on Deaver because of one disappointing novel, but I do hope that this isn't the beginning of a downward spiral for Deaver as has happened with another of my favorite authors, Patricia Cornwell.