Trouble in Mind

 

 

Trouble in Mind – Jeffery Deaver

As much as I enjoy Jeffery Deaver’s novels (I’ve probably read about 30), at times he seems much more cut out to write short stories.  This book is his third collection of short stories.  I’ve enjoyed them all.  I think part of the reason I feel this way is that the bulk of Deaver’s novels focus either on protagonist Lincoln Rhyme or Katherine Dance, and when you read about the same people in novel after novel, it can get a bit tiresome regardless with how well written the book is.

In fact, Dance and Rhyme each appear in two or three of these short stories, so maybe the author just can’t quite cut the umbilical cord.  To my recollection, there were about 10 stories or so contained in this volume, with the last one being what I would call a full-fledged novella.  It was this last one that was probably my favorite in the collection.

The title of this book comes across as a bit witty and ironic.  I’m not sure exactly what Deaver was referring to, but I can’t help but think he was drawing some sort of picture of the type of person (i.e. himself) who would actually write stories such as this.  You have to wonder if he looks at himself as someone who is slightly off his rocker. This isn’t a bad thing, mind you.  Deaver’s stories are always a tad creepy. They don’t have the bizarro effect of someone like a Stephen King, but his stories are always a tad dark.  What all of his fans know, however, is that Deaver’s real gift is the “surprise ending”.  None of his books end the way you think they will.  Sometimes, though, this is almost seems a detriment.  It almost feels like Deaver won’t ever allow himself to tell a linear tale with a predictable ending since he somehow feels obligated to add his trademark to each and every story.   Consider the (above mentioned) novella titled “Forever”.  It was a beautifully told story (again, odd though) and I thought the “twist” at the end was a bit unnecessary. Fortunately it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the story, but the same can’t be said for all of these stories.  I recall one story about a traveling salesman who visits a town where he grew up.  Let’s just say the ending didn’t work for me, and there’s nothing quite so unenjoyable as a greatly told story with a subpar ending.

Overall, though, I would highly recommend this one as I would all of his books.  The man definitely has several gifts when it comes to writing, and he rarely puts out a mediocre piece of work.