Book Review: Speaking in Tongues

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Speaking in Tongues     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Jeffery Wilds Deaver
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
Simon & Schuster, Dec 2000, $25.00, 336 pp.

Seventeen year old Megan McCall is required to see a psychologist after becoming very drunk and climbing the town’s water tower. When she arrives at her appointment, her usual shrink is not there. Instead subbing is Dr. Bill Peters. He maneuvers Megan into writing notes to her parents that pour out how she feels about them. He next injects her with a chemical that knocks her out. Bill places the unconscious teen in the trunk of his Mercedes before driving to an abandoned insane asylum. Dr. Bill Peters is actually Dr. Aaron Matthews, a brilliant psychiatrist seeking vengeance from Megan’s father for destroying his life.

Megan’s parents, Brett and Tate, do not know their daughter well enough to realize that she is not at her father’s home. Tate has been indifferent towards his daughter and Brett is interested in her own social life. By the time they conclude that something is wrong, they cannot persuade the police that Megan has been abducted and not a runaway. Matthews discredits anyone who intervenes otherwise. Brett and Tate turn amateur sleuths in a risky effort to rescue their daughter.

Although SPEAKING IN TONGUES lacks the deep intensity of some of Jeffrey Deaver’s previous novels, the story line remains an exciting thriller. The plot emphasizes why the antagonist loathes the hero to the point that he will go to extreme lengths to see his enemy suffer. The relationship between Megan’s parents seems unreal and staged, but Megan’s behavior provides credibility to the cast. Though not quite a Lincoln, fans will enjoy Mr. Deaver’s latest work.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner