I've read and enjoyed some of Jeffery Deaver's novels in the past, so when he started writing novellas and publishing them as e-books, I picked up a few and have been reading them. I really like the novella length, both as a writer and a reader. So here are some quick thoughts on three of Deaver's novellas, in the order in which I read them.
CAUSE OF DEATH is about a history professor whose wife dies in a car accident, but he thinks the wreck is suspicious and sets out to find the truth. Deaver is famous for big twists in his stories, and this yarn certainly has one. Trouble is, it's so over-the-top and hard to believe that it just comes off as silly. This one didn't work for me at all. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.
TURNING POINT follows a law enforcement task force on the trail of a serial killer. This one is tons better than CAUSE OF DEATH. I figured out the twist, but not until I was well into the novella, and I thought it was very clever and effective. One of the characters is really interesting. This is a good one and I recommend it to mystery fans.
BURIED is about an old-fashioned reporter on the verge of retirement who's after a serial kidnapper who buries his victims alive and torments the authorities with riddles about where to find them. I liked the characters in this one quite a bit. The big twist seemed to be lacking a little, though, like it needed one more sting in the tail. Still, it's a pretty good story and worth reading. Deaver has several more novellas available as e-books, and I'm almost certainly going to read them.
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