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Book Review By Harriet Klausner
The Art of Deception by Ridley Pearson



Hyperion, August 2002, 23.95, 464 pp.
ISBN 0786867248

Lieutenant Lou Boldt of the Seattle Police department is back in the field and enjoying every moment of it except that two women have disappeared and the police don't have a clue what happened to them. One of the women is his wife's friend so it is very important to Lou that he solves the case so the families can have some kind of closure.

Police psychologist Lieutenant Daphne Matthews finds herself deeply involved in a case that might tie in to Lou's. The brother of a woman who was killed and thrown off a bridge insists he has some knowledge about the two missing women. The problem is that he wants to deal on his own terms with only Daphne with whom he has taken an unhealthy interest in.

Readers of this long running and popular series will feel very comfortable with the way the characters are evolving, especially Sergeant La Moia who is in control of his sexual and drug addictions. His relationship with Daphne is also evolving into something more personal and the audience will think this pairing makes for a better story. The mystery is complex, intricate and totally absorbing, a one sitting read that shows why Ridley Pearson is the grandmaster of the police procedural.

Harriet Klausner


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Kind of investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
descript. of violence and chases - 10 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 %
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Race

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
Motive of antagonist - revenge
How sensitive is this character?
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Pacific NW

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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