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"The Sleeping Doll" features Kinesics expert & CBI agent Kathryn Dance, who has been introduced in Deaver's latest Lincoln-Rhyme novel "The Cold Moon". She helped Rhyme and his team to catch the Clockmaker. Although Dance consults Rhyme for a forensic analysis once, "The Sleeping Doll" seems to be Dance's debut in her own series:

Daniel Pell was the leader of some kind of cult, living together with three females and another man as a "Family". He has been convicted and incarcerated eight years ago for the brutal murder of the Croyton family - a family of four. The then prosecuting DA dubbed him "The Son of Manson" due to the similarity in lifestyle and crime. Kathryn has to interrogate Pell because of an unsolved murder predating the Croyton-family murders, which he might be responsible for. After the interrogation at a courthouse Pell escapes, goes into hiding and on a killing spree. Dance enlists the help of the three women who were members of the "Family" to catch Pell before he gets even with those people who have wronged him in his eyes. She also manages to enlist the one surviving person of the brutal murder: Theresa Croyton, now 17 years old. Theresa survived the murder because the was asleep in her bed and covered by her stuffed toys - the press called her "The Sleeping Doll".....

Kathryn Dance is a very likeable, intelligent protagonist, surrounded by an agreeable cast of subsidiary characters. She has a lot of other things on her plate besides catching Pell: Still missing her late husband who died in a car accident, two teenaged kids opposing her dating other men, a new boss who mainly thinks about covering his ass and last but not least keeping her family safe from Pell.

The pacing is fast as usual and the story is told from Dance's as well as from Pell's point of view, which makes it very interesting to follow their line of thinking. However, Deaver the master of twists and turns, has outmaneuvered himself a bit this time. There are too many twists and turns so that the whole chase seems rather unlikely at times.

Am looking forward to read more books featuring Kathryn Dance - maybe with a few twists and turns less;-)!