I’m not that familiar with Jeffery Deaver’s work. Several years ago I read THE BONE COLLECTOR, the first book in the Lincoln Rhyme series, and liked it well enough, but I’ve never worked up enough interest to read the others in the series, although I may get around to them one of these days. I also read his story in the anthology TRANSGRESSIONS and liked it, too.Since I’m always in the mood for a good short story collection, I picked up MORE TWISTED, the second volume of Deaver’s stories, mostly reprints but a few originals, including a new Lincoln Rhyme yarn. He makes it clear in the introduction that his short stories are all about the twist ending. Well, you live by the twist ending, you die by the twist ending. And Deaver does some of both in this book. A few of the stories are so cleverly written that I smacked my forehead and said, “D’oh!” when I got to the endings. Should’ve seen the twist coming, but I didn’t. Those are the ones I liked the best. With some of the stories I figured out the ending well in advance, but the plots were interesting enough and the writing good enough that I didn’t care. In others the twist came from so far out in left field that I couldn’t believe them at all. And in still others – the ones I liked the least – for some reason Deaver brings the story’s momentum to a screeching halt several pages before the end to explain the twist, rather than letting it come out naturally. I suspect that most readers would have this same variety of reactions to the stories, although those reactions might be assigned to different stories than the ones that prompted them in me, if that makes sense. That’s why I haven’t singled out any of them by title. Read the book yourself, because I do think it’s worth reading for the good stories. I enjoyed it enough that since reading it I’ve picked up TWISTED, the first volume of Deaver’s stories.
2 comments:
I enjoyed the More Twisted collection also. Like you, some I figured out, some I didn't. Probably weren't the same ones in each case though. I've read most of his novels. I am curious about his first two though(Voodoo and Always A Thief). He doesn't even list them on his web site and the used copies I've found on the internet are a little pricey(100 dollars +).
Randy, I have a copy of Always a Thief, but I've never read it. I have copies of a couple that he wrote as Jeffery Wilds Deaver, too. Read one of those and wasn't much impressed.
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