Review: Speaking In Tongues

Speaking In Tongues by Jeffery Deaver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Speaking in Tongues is my third Jeffery Deaver read, and it has me believing Jeffery Deaver is going to be a love-hate author for me. My first Jeffery Deaver read, Mistress of Justice, was a big disappointment. Retrospect has me believing I was too kind with my three-star rating, yet at the time I was feeling generous and gave it such a rating because it promised potential fun Jeffery Deaver reads. My second Jeffery Deaver read, Edge, was much more enjoyable. I devoured Edge, finding myself addicted to the story and in need of more. Thus, I was more than eager to jump into another of the Jeffery Deaver books sitting on my shelf.

In truth, a part of me feels as though I was too generous with the three-star rating. Again. This was more of a two-point-five-star rating, yet because my enjoyment was about on par as my enjoyment of Mistress of Justice I decided it would be rounded up. Had I not read Mistress of Justice and been generous in my three-star rating, it’s likely Speaking in Tongues would have received a two-star rating from me.

My big issue with this story is that everything felt far too cliched. You could have picked any number of kidnapping movies and you would find the majority of this plot played out. Everything from the undervalued teenager through to the mental illness of the kidnapper. There was nothing shocking that stood out, even the end which was intended to be a shock failed to hit the right spot. By the time the information was revealed, I was so disinterested in the story that I failed to have an emotional reaction to the detail.

I have a couple of other Jeffery Deaver books sitting on my shelf – for anyone who knows of my book purchasing habits, you will be correct in your assumption of there being an offer that prompted me into grabbing multiple books– so I will be reading more, yet I find I’m less than eager to do so.


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