Roadside Crosses by Jeffrey Deaver
What Happens When the Cyber World Meets the Real World
Jun 5, 2009
When a California highway patrolman happened to see a roadside memorial with tomorrow's date on it, he's confused. Only later does he realize that the cross foretold a crime yet to be committed.
Kathryn Dance, introduced in Deaver's 2007 novel, The Sleeping Doll, returns to head the investigation of several attacks and murders, dubbed the "roadside cross" murders because of the makeshift memorials that precede the crimes. Early clues lead Dance and her team to a local political blog that highlights local issues, including the recent death of two high school students in a car accident after a party.
Cyber Hero or Villain?
The blog post started innocently enough, but has degenerated into a slam of the driver, Travis Brigham, a loner who seems to prefer cyber-gaming to real life encounters. Has the cyber-bullying pushed Travis to violence. It certainly appears that way, especially since all of the attack victims either posted on "The Chilton Report" or have something to do with its operation. In fact, Dance is concerned that the owner of the blog, James Chilton, might be the ultimate target.
Roadside Crosses explores the extremely relevant topic of whether online games, the massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) like "Second Life" create psychological problems for chronic players. Do such gamers have difficulty differentiating the cyber world from the real world? Does the violence that is a key element of many such games desensitze those who play to real world violence?
In addition to the interesting, timely, and unique premise, Roadside Crosses is a well-written suspence novel. In fact, few current authors do as well at keeping that level of suspence going as Jeffrey Deaver. That the novel also includes a few of his trademark plot twists makes it all the more enjoyable. It's one of the best of the summer of 2009 crop of mystery novels.
About Jeffrey Deaver
Jeffrey Deaver is the author of 21 previous mystery novels, including eight featuring the Lincoln Rhyme character and one previous book about Kathryn Dance. Deaver, a former journalist and lawyer, has earned several awards for his writing. Among these are the British Crime Writers' Association award (twice) and the Book of the Year award from the Mystery Writers Association of Japan. He has been nominated for six Edgar Awards. Deaver, a native Chicagoan, enjoys cooking and folksinging when he's not writing.
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