XO

A Kathryn Dance Novel

By: Jeffery Deaver

Narrated by: Marin Ireland

Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Internationally best-selling author Jeffery Deaver delivers the latest sensational thriller in his wildly popular Kathryn Dance series. Newsweek calls Jeffery Deaver a "suspense superstar", and in his new novel, he lives up to the accolades once again as he sets his heroine Kathryn Dance on a quest to stop an obsessive stalker from destroying a beautiful young country singer.

Kayleigh Towne is gorgeous with a voice that is taking her to the heights of the country pop charts. Her hit single "Your Shadow" puts her happily in the spotlight, until an innocent exchange with one of her fans leads Kayleigh into a dark and terrifying realm. The fan warns, "I'm coming for you," and soon accidents happen and people close to Kayleigh die. Special Agent Kathryn Dance must use her considerable skills at investigation and body language analysis to stop the stalker - but before long she learns that, like many celebrities, Kayleigh has more than just one fan with a mission.

A former folksinger, Deaver has written the actual song "Your Shadow." Listeners will be able to download it from his website, JefferyDeaver.com.

©2012 Jeffery Deaver (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

It Will Make Your Skin Crawl

Deaver certainly knows how to make a creepy villain. From beginning to end he will creep you out!!!

Slow start but great finish<br />

Lots of twists. Like books that keep you guessing. Will read more of the Dance books.

a change

for some reason the Katherine Dance series derma to have more need for suspension of disbelief and ignoring little ...reality issues, but this story is good and has some creative changes which make it fun.

Disappointing

I have liked all the other Jeffery Deaver books, but this one I just can't get in to. I'm going to wait a little bit and try again, but I would spend my credit on something else.

Deaver still has it

Would you listen to XO again? Why?

I will have to wait a while before listening to this book again -- but my memory has gotten so bad that it won't be too long before I do. I need for the plot twists to face a bit in my memory so that I can recapture some of the surprises. Jeffrey Deaver has written many books that featured unexpected plot twists, which is what makes reading his work always fun for me. This book was no exception.

What was one of the most memorable moments of XO?

I don't want to give the plot away, so I will just say that the tour of the Bobby's house, and the ultimate recovery of what was taken from there are hard for me to forget.

Which scene was your favorite?

It is hard to answer that. I see the story as a flow rather than discrete scenes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. You want to stop and think about what is going on from time to time to keep the threads in order.

Any additional comments?

I have grown to like the Kathryn Dance character, and this book only deepens the richness of detail that Deaver has built up for her persona. A great book for Deaver fans!

Not the Best Narrator

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I actually tried to search for the text with a different narrator, but there isn't one available for this book.

I honestly prefer series with the same narrator. We know that the characters aren't real people, but it helps you get into the book better when the main characters "sound like themselves".

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Some of the words were mispronounced, but I'm likely among the very few who noticed.

Did XO inspire you to do anything?

.....just to move on to the next text.

Dance with Country

There was some good historic background about rural and country music that leant authenticity and depth to Kathryn Dance's character. This story seemed to be about a dynamic country singer, loved by all, and worshiped by one. The singer, Kayleigh, didn't have a chance against her bigest fan: the stalker. The stalker was an eerie character - scarier than most because of his innocent presentation; he was smarmy, but he explained himself well. He was quite an actor! Therin lies the flaw; Kayliegh seemed sort of shallow; her character wasn't much of a character. Her family and friends seemed strategically placed only to give the stalker leverage. The story was more about the stalker than about Dance or Kayliegh; maybe that is the brilliance of Deaver, but I'd like to have known more about why Kayliegh and Dance were such 'great friends'. There were an awful lot of characters woven into this dramatic tapestry, and keeping their involvement straight was a little tricky. At times it felt a little too forced. The even tones of Marin Ireland's voice, lack of any dicernable accent, helped keep the story line focused. It was a good story, not great, but quite good.

Outstanding

What did you love best about XO?

Loved the music from the story intermixed.

What did you like best about this story?

The character development

What does Marin Ireland bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A natural, genuine flow

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

not at all, took a while for the story to develope

Totally Jeffery Deaver Awesome!

What did you love best about XO?

Det. Dance of course. But the twist and turns, not just in the plot but in Dance's personal life. Bringing Rhyme into it, FABULOUS!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

OH YEA! Deaver brought in more than one crime and more than one criminal. Great!

Which scene was your favorite?

Chief detective Magdlene(sp) and Dance eating ice cream.

Any additional comments?

A great Dance series. I hope Deaver changes Dance's love life. Also I hope another series is coming soon. Thanks to Deaver and to Audible.

Riveting!

Love characters, narration, story. Rhyme stories great too! In fact better - love NY as back drop! But Katherine Dance is a great protagonist!!