Review: The Devil's Teardrop

It’s 9 AM on New Year’s Eve when a killer known as The Digger enters a Washington DC subway station and fires a silenced machine gun into the crowd, killing many, and then escapes in the confusion caused by his crime. Shortly after, the Mayor’s office receives a note... $20 million must be paid or even more killing will occur, at 4 PM, 8 PM, and midnight, each massacre occurring in a similarly crowded location…

The ransom is left at the place instructed, yet no one comes to collect it. Then, a hit-and-run victim is identified as the mastermind behind the operation, and all of a sudden there is no way of stopping the crazed gunman from killing again, and again, and again…

All the FBI has to go on in the note, so they call in the help of Parker Kincaid, a retired forensic document examiner, supposed to be seeing the New Year in with his kids. At first he refuses, but then a change of heart brings him into the investigation and closer to pure psychotic madness than he has ever before been…

This is yet another fantastic novel from Jeffery Deaver, packed full of surprises and brilliant characters. (Lincoln Rhyme even makes a brief appearance!) Deaver’s plot moves at brilliant pace, and it’s devilishly clever and wholly exciting. It may not be incredibly believable, but I don’t read his books because they’re realistic. I read them because I know that I will be treated to a completely engrossing, shocking, roller-coaster-ride of a thriller that never slows down right to the final pages (besides, when reading of acts of atrocious murder, it is not comforting to think "wow, this is realistic!"). And with The Devil’s Teardrop, Deaver delivers the goods in spades. The book has more twists than the Gordion Knot. Indeed, the final fifty pages contain more action and surprises than most 400+ page novels.

The Devil’s Teardrop is a book I would unhesitatingly recommend to any thriller fan, as would I almost any book by Jeffery Deaver. He is one of the few writers who supply EVERYTHING I require in a book, and this is one guaranteed to keep you awake until the small hours.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Fiona Walker

Book Review: The Devil's Teardrop