The Devil's Teardrop by Jeffery Deaver

Released: August 1999

Jeffery Deaver is my ultimate favorite mass-market author. His suspenseful mystery novels are the best in his genre because you'll never be able to put the pieces together. Deaver is the king of red herrings and he never fails!

The Devil's Teardrop takes place on New Year's Eve 1999 and follows forensic document expert Parker Kincaid and FBI Agent Margaret Lukas as they try to capture a deadly killer known as the "Digger". After an early morning attack on innocent bystanders at the metro station in Washington, D.C., the two heros must predict the Digger's next move based on a handwritten ransom note letter left behind as evidence. Adventure and danger greet Kincaid and Lukas as they spend the entire day pursuing the Digger.


As amazing and engaging as The Devil's Teardrop is, I found it to be the most mass-markety of all the others I've read by Deaver, and even contained the common, cheesy formula of encroaching love between two characters. I understand that in most cases, the romance side-element has to be included to appeal to women readers, but it really isn't necessary with Deaver's books.

In addition, the action and storyline of The Devil's Teardrop is slower-paced and lags in some spots in comparison to Deaver's other novels. The forensic aspect in this novel is pretty boring, considering I've always felt that forensic-document examination is perpetually awe-inspiring. Another component I noticed is that there is too much time and inner-monologue on the romance building between Kincaid and Lukas. If I want mass-market romance, I'll pick up Nora Roberts!

Overall, The Devil's Teardrop is a good read, but if you're already a Jeffery Deaver fan, it may let you down. I wouldn't waste your time if you've got a stack of other books waiting for you at home.

My favorite novels by Jeffery Deaver include The Sleeping Doll (2007), The Bodies Left Behind (2009) and the entire Bone Collector series. Deaver's newest novel is Edge (2010).