WEB NEWS, FEATURES & REVIEWS

"It's easy to buy a cheap computer and a website and some blog software and in five minutes you've got a venue for your personal opinions—a venue that will be seen by millions of people around the world." That's the threat at the heart of Deaver's second Kathryn Dance thriller: that rumours spread and become accepted as truth, even if they're lies. A troubled teenager – an expert at computer-gaming – has been cyber-bullied on a major blog. The pressure builds. Two of his cyber attackers are tracked in the real world and left for dead. The teenager vanishes. Can Kathryn and the cops locate and stop him? (No, is the short answer.) She and the real-world police are up against people enmeshed in a confused world of real and cyber worlds, people to whom the cyber world is more real – except when death spills over into reality. This is not a fantasy novel; Deaver keeps his feet on the ground and does what he does best: ratchet the tension, pile twist on twist, and tease with cliff-hangers. OK, if you think about it, the plot is ludicrous. But this is Deaver, so why think about it? Read and enjoy.

Russell James

Roadside Crosses

by Jeffery Deaver

Hodder & Stoughton hb, £18.99, 978-0-340937259