Speaking In Tongues

As a little introduction to the works of Jeffery Deaver, this post will deal with his book Speaking In Tongues. This novel is about a psychiatrist turned homicidal maniac with revenge on his mind and his weapon of choice is his voice and the uncanny ability to manipulate people. He, quite simply, gets into people's heads and proceeds to tear them apart. His source of vengeance is a lawyer who made a mockery of him. On the whole, I thought this one of the weaker offerings of an otherwise entertaining author.

Why You May Like It:

If you like thrillers without much in the way of reality to them, this may be a good read. In my personal taste, I was a big fan of Silence of the Lambs and the sequels and prequels in that the character of Hannibal Lector was fascinating. Here was this brilliant mind that could speak so eloquently to the artistic side of human nature, could match wits with anyone, and choose to kill people. Strange, I will say, but entertaining nonetheless. This book is written in the same vein. It is very comparable, but comes off as a quicker read.

Why You May Not Like It:

For those who prefer to keep the murder and mayhem to a dull roar, this book isn't for you. There are lots of chases and mind games throughout the entire book. Again, the comparisons to Thomas Harris' novels are similar here, but Deaver always follows a pattern. There is always a twist with his books and, having read so many (he has written quite a bit) this one, given the chance again, I might pass up. I could see the twist coming, I thought that the characters were only there to serve the violence that he wanted to have happen to his human puppets. If you want to read something by this author (and if you are a fan, know that for the most part, I am too), read The Coffin Dancer or The Empty Chair. When Deaver is writing about crime scene investigation with his main character Lincoln Rhyme, he fires on all cylinders.

My suggestion: skip this book.