• XO

  • A Kathryn Dance Novel
  • By: Jeffery Deaver
  • Narrated by: Marin Ireland
  • Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (463 ratings)

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XO  By  cover art

XO

By: Jeffery Deaver
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
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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

What listeners say about XO

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
    128
  • 3 Stars
    46
  • 2 Stars
    9
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    175
  • 4 Stars
    134
  • 3 Stars
    59
  • 2 Stars
    18
  • 1 Stars
    8

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The book is far too long and, at many points, felt contrived. There were too many characters and sub-plots for any one of them to be satisfying.

Has XO turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

What about Marin Ireland’s performance did you like?

It felt like a performance, rather than a 'reading' and I enjoy this type of 'read'.

Was XO worth the listening time?

No. I almost gave up but I did enjoy the performance.

Any additional comments?

I will always read anything by Mr. Deaver. Not every book can be a 'stunning read': Mr. Deaver has set the bar very high for himself and I'm a fan who believes that sometime in the near future, he will write another book that takes my breath away.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Oh no say Deaver hasn't gone political!

Deaver has joined the ranks of authors who have decided to use their art to further a political agenda. Predicably, the heroine and main characters are oh so compassionate and humane, and the ultimate preditor a caricature of a right wing (I like to call them Conservatives but that just doesn't sound crazy enough) zealot. The problem with this political formula is that it turns off millions of readers who are Conservative but not at all like the caricature in the book. Even worse than this insult to the intelligence of the readers, it makes for a boring and irritating book. It also flies in the face of reality, where the vast majority of politically motivated crimes are committed by the left wingnuts, not Conservatives. Oh Jeffery, I will miss you or at least the you you used to be when you wrote intellilgent, suspenseful and apolitical novels. Now, I have my own personal moral stance that I insist on taking against all media who decide to politicize their art to further liberal group think, I just say no.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Don't waste a credit!

Being a huge fan of the murder mystery genre and reading/listening to hundreds in my lifetime I was very disappointed with the story. I have read Mr. Deaver before and find him to be a smart, engaging writer. The character's actions were simplistic and not believable and I found the actions of the police and Agent Dance so laughable that I actually went back to check if there was a co author. Jeffrey Deaver has many books that are worth your while. This is not one of them.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Deaver has done much better

What did you like best about XO? What did you like least?

There was some good suspense in the book. But I thought there were too many plot twists. I kept thinking, really, again? I'm willing to suspend reality, but this bordered on the absurd. I felt like at least one of the plot twists was so that the author could express political views. We're bombarded enough with political views and I don't find it entertaining.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

One or two less plot twists. Also, having read Deaver books, the lists of forensic details come across well in print, but tend to really drag on in audiobook. Perhaps find a way not to read the lists multiple times and still remain true to the unabridged story.

Would you be willing to try another one of Marin Ireland’s performances?

I wasn't a fan. No.

Was XO worth the listening time?

I'll give this an unenthusiastic, I guess.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

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.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

The worst Jeffrey Deaver .............

I have read all of JD, this one was the worst. Story was far from suspenseful, incredibly dragged out and not in the style of JD.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun with a Blonde!

Deaver delivers.

Dance is growing on me, even with my long ove affair with Lincoln, and I'm enjoying the different ways of looking at crime solving (as opposed to the strict evidence gathering in NY)

Quirky at times, a bit of humor and unusual twists. If it hadn't been for the time left in the recording, I would have thought it was over an hour before it actually ended.

I'm enjoying Marin Ireland as the official voice of this series. I hope that she stays in the group.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

What did you love best about XO?

The story was fast paced and had several twists and turns.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think my favorite was the reader.

What about Marin Ireland’s performance did you like?

She was great, making one get right into the character's heads.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I liked the end, so I won't say what it was.

Any additional comments?

At first I thought the heroine was a bit too sweet, but that was just the way she needed to be. I loved the story because it kept me wanting to hear more.

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