A Maiden's Grave

by Jeffery Deaver

Book Overview

A bus full of children is taken hostage in this "screaming hit" (The New York Times Book Review) from the bestselling author of The Never Game and The Bone Collector.

Along a windswept Kansas road, eight vulnerable girls and their helpless teachers are forced off a school bus and held hostage in an abandoned slaughterhouse. The madman who has them at gunpoint has a simple plan: One hostage an hour will die unless...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451204298
• ISBN13: 9780451204295
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.4" x 7.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A-Mazing....

Jeffrey Deaver has the uncanny ability to step in and out of the skin of Lincoln Rhyme, the hero of his major series of work. Unlike many authors, who stop a series to branch out into new fields, or others who continue only in the same vein, Deaver takes breaks from the rhythm of Rhyme, sidebars into completely different and compelling plots, and still comes home to entertain with Rhyme again!"A Maiden's Grave" may just be my favorite Deaver novel. From the title pun to the complete curveball that is thrown at the end of the story, Deaver never stops compelling you to turn the pages.Set in a gruesome slaughterhouse, where escaped prisoners have taken their helpless girl hostages (many of whom are deaf) AMG lets you get inside the minds of some of the hostages, of the captors, and of Arthur Potter, the FBI's main hostage negotiator. All of the characters are flawed, in rich and sometimes curious ways. While stretching the tale, Deaver transports you to the scene as you can visualize what it would be like to be one of the hostages. Friends tell me that Deaver has done phenomenal research into the world of the deaf, in order to be able to describe what life is like for them, and how the camaraderie of groups of hearing-impaired people can sometimes be a burden, when one decides to become more involved with those who hear. Odd intricacies of plot background are a hallmark of Deaver's stories....but this one is hard to put down. Enjoy!

Stunning suspense thriller

It was a while ago that i read this book, and it was my first of Deavers. Since then i have bought every single book he has ever written, and have read all but a few of them. This is simple an outstanding book. it is the best hostage thriller i have ever read, and that i expect i ever will. Deaver mounts the tension beautifully...every now and then it gets so high that you literally feel it as he lets a little of the tension out...it's a wonderful display of suspense writing. Deavers characters are vivid, and his characterisation is wonderfully subtle. they are well rounded and very human. Arthur Potter is a compelling hero, and his "invisble" relationship with Melanie is brilliantly done. the way they feel connected to each other during the hostage negotiation even though they have never met is wonderful. I felt very moved. As well as being a very suspenseful book, this is also an extremely emotional one. there are times when you really feel very sorry for the characters, and an insipid hate for their characters. I felt particularly sorry for poor Donna Hawstrawn. I really wanted this book to keep going, just so that i could see if she would be okay...there are also a couple of moments in the book when you might be moved to tears. there are some devastating events, which really tug at you. Deavers portrayal of the Deaf is completely unpatronising. He is extremely good at writing about people with what might be termed "handicaps", and in this case i think he was at hsi most sucessful. He wrote about it in such a way that you did feel slight sympathy, but moreover you felt proud of these people. Also, i felt a strange but strong urge to actually really try and get a feel for what it might be like to be Deaf...This is a brilliant book, with a good twist at the end. good characters, emotional writing, stunning suspense, and an excellent hostage thriller. Deaver is simply the best.

Excellent

This is one of Deaver's best works. The plot is very strong, with many twists. The setting is almost another character in this book. The descriptions of the slaugterhouse make this a disturbing read, and helps the reader see horror these girls go through. The dialogue is excellent, as is typical of Deaver. Most author's wouldn't attempt to write dialogue that included 9 deaf characters, but Deaver pulls it off in stunning fashion.The only thing that kept this book from being my favorite Deaver book was the characters. They are all very strong and very well defined (especially Melanie, Arthur, and Lou), but there wasn't one that I could identify with.Read this book. It is excellent, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. But also don't miss my personal favorite Deaver novel The Devil's Teardrop.

EXCELLENT!, of course/ Deaver you done it again

This book was great! I have read "The Bone Collector" and "The Coffin Dacer" also, they are equaly as good. The characters in this book are great! I am now searching for another Deaver book. These books are the greatest, he has very astonishing plot twists and ending. I hope to see more Rhyme/Sachs books. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers with unpredictable plot twists and excellent characters. The only thing that I disliked about this book was the fact that it had to end.

Gripping!

Jeffrey Deaver's mind is an interesting place. I'm not sure I would want his dreams after reading this book and The Devil's Teardrop. I also know that I will always look at a hostage situation with much more insight and understanding as a result of having spent 419 pages with the FBI's top negotiator, Arthur Potter. The bad guys are really bad. One of them (Handy) is really deviously clever. You don't ever want to be held hostage by him. The plot twists and turns as deadlines arrive and hostages are in peril, not only from their captors, but from some of the misguided politicians and law enforcement folks on the good guys side. Through all of the plot changes, Art Potter keeps his eye on the target. And just when you thought it was over...it isn't. If you are looking for an author to keep your interest and attention...Mr. Deaver is your man.