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Book Summary and Reviews of XO by Jeffery Deaver

XO by Jeffery Deaver

XO

A Kathryn Dance Novel

by Jeffery Deaver

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  • Jun 2012, 400 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Country-pop ingenue Kayleigh Towne's career is just reaching new heights with her huge hit single "Your Shadow" - but increased fame is also bringing unwanted attention. An innocent exchange with one of her fans, signed with an "XO," leads Kayleigh into the dangerous and terrifying realm of obsession.

Edwin Sharp thinks Kayleigh's songs contain messages that speak directly to him. Despite her clear rejection and threats from lawyers and law enforcers, he remains convinced that "Your Shadow" was written just for him, and he announces he's coming for Kayleigh. Then a potentially fatal accident occurs at the concert hall where Kayleigh is rehearsing for a triumphant hometown performance, and she is convinced that someone - maybe Edwin - was there watching her from the darkness.

True to his word, Edwin Sharp soon makes an ominous appearance in town, and California Bureau of Investigation Agent Kathryn Dance, a friend and fan of Kayleigh's on vacation in Fresno to attend the show, intervenes on her behalf, drawing Sharp's frightening attention to herself. That night a member of the road crew whom Kayleigh had once dated is murdered in an eerie echo of an image from her chart-topping song. As more deaths loom on the horizon, Kathryn Dance must use her considerable skills at investigation and body-language analysis to stop the stalker and save more innocent victims. But before long she learns that, like many celebrities, Kayleigh has more than one fan with a mission ...

This nail-biting thriller from suspense master Jeffery Deaver speeds along over just three short days, filled with terrifying twists that will keep readers held in rapt suspense until the final shocking revelation.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. [E]xcellent...Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs, the leads of Deaver's other series, make cameo appearances in a novel sure to please fans of both." - Publishers Weekly

"Fans of Deaver's celebrated sleuthing marathons will wait with bated breath as this onion is peeled to disclose multiple layers of deception, betrayal and triple crosses." - Kirkus Reviews

"Deaver fans who have felt that the Dance novels aren't quite as sharp as his Lincoln Rhyme series might have to think again. This may be the most compelling of the Dance books."- Booklist

"A rather disappointing effort that his many die-hard fans will want nonetheless." - Library Journal

This information about XO was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Cloggie Downunder

Definitely a page-turner.
XO is the third book in the Kathryn Dance series by American author, Jeffery Deaver. CBI agent Kathryn Dance’s expertise is in kinesics, and she is often in demand when suspects are interviewed. But when she goes to Fresno on vacation, in search of folk songs and a country music concert, she isn’t expecting to need those skills. When Kathryn meets young country music sensation, Kayleigh Towne for lunch, she learns the singer is plagued by a stalker, one Edwin Stanton Sharp, and when one of Towne’s crew is murdered at the concert hall, suspicion falls on the stalker. But Kathryn finds she is neither wanted nor welcome at his interrogation. Not only that, but Chief of Detectives, P K Madigan, seems determined to ignore any advice she offers. In yet another thriller, Deaver gives the reader a plot with plenty of suspense, twists and turns and the odd red herring. Country music is heavily featured, and there are interesting tidbits on types of stalking and the legislation covering this, as well as, of course, quite a bit of kinesics. While it may be a little slow-moving in parts, this novel manages to include an assassination plot, a secret lover, a secret baby, some unpublished Beatles songs, a kidnapping, an overbearing father and witness intimidation. Deaver touches on innocence and image and immigration policy. Deaver’s other creations, Lincoln Rhyme and Amanda Sachs, make an appearance to help out with trace evidence analysis, and the reader is kept guessing to the end. Definitely a page-turner.

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Author Information

Jeffery Deaver Author Biography

Jerry Bauer

Jeffery Deaver is the #1 international bestselling author of more than thirty-five novels, three collections of short stories, and a nonfiction law book. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He's received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world, including Novel of the Year by the International Thriller Writers and the Steel Dagger from the Crime Writers' Association in the United Kingdom. In 2014, he was the recipient of three lifetime achievement awards. A former journalist, folksinger, and attorney, he was born outside of Chicago and has a bachelor of journalism degree from the ...

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