Cause of Death
- Downloads：5258
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-30 21:21:14
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jeffery Deaver
- ISBN：B095YLVK7B
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Faith Hurst-Bilinski
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Another great short by Jeffrey Deaver。 I felt this story from both sides-the one who passed and the one left behind。
Judy Mcadam
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Cause of deathCause of deathOne if my favorite authors。 This was a strange book that took a lot of thought。 still I am not sure if I liked it or not but as it was by Jeffery and free， I read it。 I can say go ahead and read it as it was Unusual and quick to read。 Not a waste of time。
Kay
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Jon Talbot， a history professor arrives at a medical examiner's office to identify a body。 His wife Pax was killed in an automobile accident after going off a mountain slope at high speed。 After the funeral， her possessions are returned to Jon， but he notices that her phone and computer are missing。 Jon and a deputy went to the scene to see if they can locate her belongings， but what they saw lead to more questions。This is one of the best short stories I've read in a long time！ I don't know how Jon Talbot， a history professor arrives at a medical examiner's office to identify a body。 His wife Pax was killed in an automobile accident after going off a mountain slope at high speed。 After the funeral， her possessions are returned to Jon， but he notices that her phone and computer are missing。 Jon and a deputy went to the scene to see if they can locate her belongings， but what they saw lead to more questions。This is one of the best short stories I've read in a long time！ I don't know how Deaver does it， but this little gem is filled with suspense， a good twist， and has a strong lead character。 Fans of James Patterson Book Shots will enjoy this one。 I hope to read more like this， highly recommend it！Thank you Amazon Original Stories and Netgalley for this ARC。Available July 29， 2021。 。。。more
Holly Reynolds
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I love it when Deaver releases his short stories。 They fill the gap nicely in between the Lincoln Rhyme and Colter Shaw books。 The story was intriguing and gripped me from the get-go… and just when you think it’s all solved there’s a twist。 This is a familiar trait of these short stories， and part of the reason that I love them so much。 I always try to figure out the zany twist that is coming。 In this case， the ending did seem a bit more out-there than I’m used to， however it didn’t detract from I love it when Deaver releases his short stories。 They fill the gap nicely in between the Lincoln Rhyme and Colter Shaw books。 The story was intriguing and gripped me from the get-go… and just when you think it’s all solved there’s a twist。 This is a familiar trait of these short stories， and part of the reason that I love them so much。 I always try to figure out the zany twist that is coming。 In this case， the ending did seem a bit more out-there than I’m used to， however it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story。 。。。more
Nancy
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Jon Talbot has been notified that his wife died in a car accident。 Things are not always as they seem though。 He sees a man he does not know at the funeral and then some other clues that don't add up。 He approaches the accident as he does his work as a history professor， just following the clues where they lead him。 Not a very long story and a great read。 Jon Talbot has been notified that his wife died in a car accident。 Things are not always as they seem though。 He sees a man he does not know at the funeral and then some other clues that don't add up。 He approaches the accident as he does his work as a history professor， just following the clues where they lead him。 Not a very long story and a great read。 。。。more
Ann
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Brilliant quick read from this talented writer。I love the author’s Lincoln Rhyme series and this short story has all the same brilliant twists and turns
Lisa
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Jon Talbot， a history professor， lost his wife in a tragic car accident。 Spotting a strange man in black at her funeral， he begins to look into some of the aspects of his wife's accident that don't add up。 In true Jeffrey Deaver fashion， just when you think you know how this well-written thrilling short story is going， he throws in some twists and curves you never saw coming。 Whether short stories or full-length novels， this is why Jeffrey Deaver is one of the best in the mystery/thriller busine Jon Talbot， a history professor， lost his wife in a tragic car accident。 Spotting a strange man in black at her funeral， he begins to look into some of the aspects of his wife's accident that don't add up。 In true Jeffrey Deaver fashion， just when you think you know how this well-written thrilling short story is going， he throws in some twists and curves you never saw coming。 Whether short stories or full-length novels， this is why Jeffrey Deaver is one of the best in the mystery/thriller business。 。。。more
Dorothy Schaefer
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Excellent BookI loved this novel I never expected the ending I have read all of Jeffery books and I highly recommend this book to everyone and all of his other books Dorothy Schaefer
Diane Saul
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Jon Talbot is obsessed with finding out the cause of his wife’s death。 This is a short story that has a twist that requires you to suspend reality。 It is enjoyable short story but not quite as good as other things I have read by this author。 Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy。
Linda Strong
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Jon Talbot lost his wife of 5 years in an auto accident。 It seems she hit a deer and her car was thrown off a mountain。 The police see nothing more than accident 。。。 the dead deer， a blown tire， skid marks， and a woman with a broken neck。Reaching out to a law enforcement friend， Jon is wondering if this was truly as accident 。。 or something more sinister。Following her final days， he finds that his wife had secrets 。。 deep dark secrets。 How did he miss this？ And what does he do now？How well does Jon Talbot lost his wife of 5 years in an auto accident。 It seems she hit a deer and her car was thrown off a mountain。 The police see nothing more than accident 。。。 the dead deer， a blown tire， skid marks， and a woman with a broken neck。Reaching out to a law enforcement friend， Jon is wondering if this was truly as accident 。。 or something more sinister。Following her final days， he finds that his wife had secrets 。。 deep dark secrets。 How did he miss this？ And what does he do now？How well does anyone know their spouse？This is a short story 。。。 less than 100 pages。 I've followed this author for several years and always found his novels to be well written， with characters that were solidly drawn。 Plots and story lines were well thought out。 I had some doubt a short story would give the author enough time to give enough detail to feel complete。 While this is well-written， I was not engaged in the story nor the characters。 Certainly not the worst I've ever read， but not one of the best， either。Many thanks to the author / Amazon Original Stories / Netgalley for the digital copy of this mystery。 Read and reviewed voluntarily， opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own。 。。。more
Pamela
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When I learned Cause of Death is a short story， I was disappointed because I thought it would be a full blown novel into which I could escape。 I relish reading the writings of Mr， Deaver and was looking forward to a few days of an intriguing storyline to enjoy。 Instead， I had a few hours to enjoy this unique storyline！ Mr， Deaver is the consummate story teller。 Cause of Death offers an original plot that is quickly paced， a complex mystery （ which you won’t figure out ahead of time）， a well deve When I learned Cause of Death is a short story， I was disappointed because I thought it would be a full blown novel into which I could escape。 I relish reading the writings of Mr， Deaver and was looking forward to a few days of an intriguing storyline to enjoy。 Instead， I had a few hours to enjoy this unique storyline！ Mr， Deaver is the consummate story teller。 Cause of Death offers an original plot that is quickly paced， a complex mystery （ which you won’t figure out ahead of time）， a well developed， likeable protagonist， and a suspenseful climax leading to a stunning denouement。 The startling twist at the end is icing on the cake！ The twist at the end！ Wow！ Very satisfying indeed！ My thanks to NetGalley， the publisher and author for an advanced copy of this top notch mystery！ 。。。more
Kim
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Meh。 I’ll be honest this plot was a bit of a stretch。 I’m not sure the story worked well in a short format。 The ending felt forced and stuff。 At least it was a quick read。
Amanda
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A solid four stars for Cause of Death for an exceptionally satisfying escape of a read！ History professor， Jon Talbot is in the middle of writing an afterword of an upcoming book when he learns his wife has died suddenly in a car crash。 When he discovers that her laptop and phone are missing from the scene， he knows something is amiss。 He knows his wife too well to know that she would never leave home without her devices - or does he know her all that well？ As he digs deeper he’s shocked to lear A solid four stars for Cause of Death for an exceptionally satisfying escape of a read！ History professor， Jon Talbot is in the middle of writing an afterword of an upcoming book when he learns his wife has died suddenly in a car crash。 When he discovers that her laptop and phone are missing from the scene， he knows something is amiss。 He knows his wife too well to know that she would never leave home without her devices - or does he know her all that well？ As he digs deeper he’s shocked to learn that his marriage isn’t what he thought， but are his suspensions correct？This is a perfect， quick read for an afternoon on the couch after a long day。 With an incredibly surprising twist at the end， Deaver also provides plenty of satisfying tidbits that make this an ideal “dessert” book or beach read。 I definitely intend to read more shorts from Deaver！Thank you Amazon and NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Lou
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Cause of Death is a riveting 77-page standalone domestic suspense novella set in Martinsville， Massachusetts and asks the question: how well do you really know your spouse or significant other？ History professor Jon Talbot is currently grieving the accidental death of his wife of 5 years， Patience "Pax" Susan Addison， who was a well-known charity employee， philanthropist and volunteer。 She had seemingly been driving home in the dark from a placement where she had been volunteering her time when Cause of Death is a riveting 77-page standalone domestic suspense novella set in Martinsville， Massachusetts and asks the question: how well do you really know your spouse or significant other？ History professor Jon Talbot is currently grieving the accidental death of his wife of 5 years， Patience "Pax" Susan Addison， who was a well-known charity employee， philanthropist and volunteer。 She had seemingly been driving home in the dark from a placement where she had been volunteering her time when she hit a deer in what has been deemed by all involved as a tragic road traffic collision along Route 420 on Palmer Mountain。 But there are too many discrepancies for Jon to believe it was a mere accident; her laptop and mobile phone are missing， the accident scene doesn't mesh with what he had imagined and not to mention the complete stranger who attended her funeral and lurked around behind everyone else looking decidedly uncomfortable。 When Detective Roland Briggs calls around the house looking to nab Pax’s missing technology， this is all that is needed to fully convince Jon that there is a rabbit off somewhere and that he was right to be suspicious。 Why is a detective on the case if this was as simple and sad as an everyday traffic incident？ Jon sets up a chat with local Deputy Terry Garner of Martinsville County Public Safety hoping he can allay his fears about Pax being murdered， which he tries to at first， but when he considers the details more closely， he too concludes that all is not what it seems。 Evidence at the scene of the accident and anomalies don't leave any other option but that of foul play。 It then emerges that another body， and likely another murder， has been discovered and Jon finds himself in a perilous situation。 As if all that wasn't enough to have on his plate， there is also a suspicious-looking drowning death revealed by the county police。 As Jon reads through reams and reams of personal documents and papers in Pax’s old study he comes across aspects of her life he had no idea about。 Does he want to know the real truth about his wife？ Was she having an affair， or was it something else？ This is a compulsive and enthralling short story and despite its brevity， it packs in ample action， drama， danger， secrets， wicked twists and red herrings and plenty of palpable suspense with a surprisingly well-developed cast of engaging characters。 It's engrossing， thoroughly entertaining and will keep you guessing from beginning until end。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Phrynne
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One of the biggest problems with short stories is that there is never enough time to really develop the characters and I really felt that with this one。 Deaver is obviously a popular author and skilled at writing in the crime genre， but， despite the fact that he masterfully develops a story where the reader does not know if the MC is the murderer or not， because I had no feelings for him， I did not care。My lack of attachment， plus the fact that the story veers into the unreal at the end， diminis One of the biggest problems with short stories is that there is never enough time to really develop the characters and I really felt that with this one。 Deaver is obviously a popular author and skilled at writing in the crime genre， but， despite the fact that he masterfully develops a story where the reader does not know if the MC is the murderer or not， because I had no feelings for him， I did not care。My lack of attachment， plus the fact that the story veers into the unreal at the end， diminished it for me and I can only say I liked it but did not love it。 Worth reading but I probably will not remember it。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this story。 。。。more
Carol
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This novella， available July 29， 2021， was Read Now on Netgalley so thank you to them and to the publisher， Amazon Original Stories。 This was an okay story but， although the beginning piqued my interest， the overall theme isn't one I'd normally gravitate to and so I didn't enjoy it as much as some readers。 The reveals at the end of the book seemed a bit implausible to me but， as I said， this isn't my usual type of read and I'm no expert。 This novella， available July 29， 2021， was Read Now on Netgalley so thank you to them and to the publisher， Amazon Original Stories。 This was an okay story but， although the beginning piqued my interest， the overall theme isn't one I'd normally gravitate to and so I didn't enjoy it as much as some readers。 The reveals at the end of the book seemed a bit implausible to me but， as I said， this isn't my usual type of read and I'm no expert。 。。。more
M。 Reads Books and Fics
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Quick novella。 I think this one does well because it keeps you reading， but it is short too。 I did not have any trouble keeping up with this one。 It was so good！ I think I just like the style Deaver has， and this novella showcases his writing so well。
Christy Martin
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When his wife Pax is killed in a car accident Jon isn't convinced that everything is as it appears。 A mysterious stranger shows up at her funeral and is seen at various places。 There are things that are questionable about the wreck scene and Pax herself has left some clues。 Unable to process the emotions he is feeling Jon seeks the help of the police to unravel what has become a troubling mystery。 Instead， he becomes the suspect。 I am a fan of mysteries and Jeffery Deaver， this to me is one of h When his wife Pax is killed in a car accident Jon isn't convinced that everything is as it appears。 A mysterious stranger shows up at her funeral and is seen at various places。 There are things that are questionable about the wreck scene and Pax herself has left some clues。 Unable to process the emotions he is feeling Jon seeks the help of the police to unravel what has become a troubling mystery。 Instead， he becomes the suspect。 I am a fan of mysteries and Jeffery Deaver， this to me is one of his best。 The story flows well， the characters are interesting and the mystery is finally solved in a surprise ending。 I just wish he had made it a full-length book。 Thanks to #CauseofDeath#NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this story。 。。。more
Betty
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A history professor calls himself a detective while studying the past。 His wife dies。 Detective work at hand！A wonderful Deaver short story， with his typical twists。 The historian writes “Facts are written in wet rope。。。。。” so that we can see how the past truly unfurled。 Thanks to Netgalley！
Chris
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History professor Jon Talbot's wife Patience is killed in an automobile accident。 When he discovers that her phone and computer are missing from her personal effects， he goes to the scene with a police friend and more things don't add up。 So he starts his own investigation， which leads him to question who Patoence really was。 This was a quick， enjoyable read。 Deaver excels at building suspense and a good mystery in such a short amount of pages。 I enjoyed the fact that Jon shared his logic in how History professor Jon Talbot's wife Patience is killed in an automobile accident。 When he discovers that her phone and computer are missing from her personal effects， he goes to the scene with a police friend and more things don't add up。 So he starts his own investigation， which leads him to question who Patoence really was。 This was a quick， enjoyable read。 Deaver excels at building suspense and a good mystery in such a short amount of pages。 I enjoyed the fact that Jon shared his logic in how he investigates his wife's death。 A solid short story that you can tackle in a little over an hour！Thank you to Amazon Original Stories， Jeffery Deaver， and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this short story in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Louise Gray
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The only thing wrong with this is its length。 This is a terrific exploration of the secret life of a lost loved one， showing that we never really know someone。 I was immediately taken with the main character， showing that Deaver does not require many words to make a character instantly relatable to the reader。 Fabulous twists as the plot advanced and a satisfyingly tidy ending make this a great read。
Mirza Baig
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As we all know by now author Jeffrey Deaver is the master of twists and turns， and this one is no different！ As always his story starts off as rather simple until it starts growing its roots in the middle， all leading up to an reveal filled explosive finale。 While I found this one too as engaging as his other works， both long and short， I wasn't exactly a fan of the climax here。。nevertheless this is engaging read and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a short thrill ride。 As we all know by now author Jeffrey Deaver is the master of twists and turns， and this one is no different！ As always his story starts off as rather simple until it starts growing its roots in the middle， all leading up to an reveal filled explosive finale。 While I found this one too as engaging as his other works， both long and short， I wasn't exactly a fan of the climax here。。nevertheless this is engaging read and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a short thrill ride。 。。。more
Brad
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Cause of Death is an Amazon Original Story by Jeffery Deaver。"Jon Talbot is a History Professor whose wife was recently killed in a car accident。 After the funeral， Jon starts looking into discrepancies about the accident and soon learns that his wife was keeping secrets。 When his search brings him to the end of a dirt road he finds himself on the wrong end of a gun。。。 "Deaver has long been a master at misdirection。 You wonder if there's something to the Professor's suspicions - did he do it？ Wh Cause of Death is an Amazon Original Story by Jeffery Deaver。"Jon Talbot is a History Professor whose wife was recently killed in a car accident。 After the funeral， Jon starts looking into discrepancies about the accident and soon learns that his wife was keeping secrets。 When his search brings him to the end of a dirt road he finds himself on the wrong end of a gun。。。 "Deaver has long been a master at misdirection。 You wonder if there's something to the Professor's suspicions - did he do it？ What's really going on？ Are the other deaths related？ And when Deaver gives you the twist there's a big "What？" Lots of surprises at the end。I like this story form - longer than a short story but shorter than a novella。 It's gives an author plenty of space to tell the story they want and Deaver takes full advantage。 。。。more
Kathleen
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Best selling author Jeffrey Deaver has condensed a fast paced mystery into 77 pages of suspense in Cause of Death。 When Patience Talbot is killed in a car accident， her husband Jon’s grief turns into disbelief。 With the help of a policeman friend， he begins his own investigation。 Where are Patience’s phone and computer？ Why is there only one skid mark？ And why was a front tire changed after the accident？ Deaver answers all questions， with more plot twists， until Jon learns the truth about the ac Best selling author Jeffrey Deaver has condensed a fast paced mystery into 77 pages of suspense in Cause of Death。 When Patience Talbot is killed in a car accident， her husband Jon’s grief turns into disbelief。 With the help of a policeman friend， he begins his own investigation。 Where are Patience’s phone and computer？ Why is there only one skid mark？ And why was a front tire changed after the accident？ Deaver answers all questions， with more plot twists， until Jon learns the truth about the accident…and his wife。Cause of Death is perfectly crafted， with characters surprisingly full in a short story。 Its a quick， enjoyable read。 5 stars。Thank you to NetGalley， Amazon Original Stories and Jeffery Deaver for this ARC。 。。。more
Jennifer
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I love Jeffery Deaver。 The Lincoln Rhyme series is one of my favorites along with many of the author's stand alone books。 I enjoyed the short story， although I found most of it unbelievable。 There was so much thrown into it。 My favorite part had to be Kitten。 Who doesn't love a junkyard Chihuahua who loves kitty chow？？？！！！ It was a good short story。 I enjoyed Jon trying to solve the truth behind his wife's death。 When does a historian become the best detective？ As soon as he sees the scene of th I love Jeffery Deaver。 The Lincoln Rhyme series is one of my favorites along with many of the author's stand alone books。 I enjoyed the short story， although I found most of it unbelievable。 There was so much thrown into it。 My favorite part had to be Kitten。 Who doesn't love a junkyard Chihuahua who loves kitty chow？？？！！！ It was a good short story。 I enjoyed Jon trying to solve the truth behind his wife's death。 When does a historian become the best detective？ As soon as he sees the scene of the crash he instantly knows what must have happened。 When everything was finally revealed， it definitely wasn't what I expected。 Not sure how I feel about the ending and the truth about Pax。 I would have given the book four stars and then I got to the part where Jon follows a car down a wooded lane and meets Cyrus， Zeke and Mike。 Definitely recommend the book。 Overall it was a good mystery/thriller and kept me guessing until the end。 Loved the writing style。 Look forward to reading more books by the author。 I received a complimentary copy of this book from Amazon Original Stories through NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
PattyMacDotComma
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5★“I glance over the heads of the mourners and see him。 A man in the woods。。 。 。 And he’s staring directly at me。 I am in sunglasses too， Ray-Bans， and can keep my face pointed at the harpist while watching him。”I do love a good story， short or long， and this is a good one！ The narrator is at a funeral。 The Goodreads blurb tells you his wife has just died when her car hit a deer and went flying down a steep hillside。 He’s a professor of history， someone who likes to research the details， not jus 5★“I glance over the heads of the mourners and see him。 A man in the woods。。 。 。 And he’s staring directly at me。 I am in sunglasses too， Ray-Bans， and can keep my face pointed at the harpist while watching him。”I do love a good story， short or long， and this is a good one！ The narrator is at a funeral。 The Goodreads blurb tells you his wife has just died when her car hit a deer and went flying down a steep hillside。 He’s a professor of history， someone who likes to research the details， not just cherry-pick a few facts and fabricate the rest。Yes， she was a bit of a lead-foot and adrenalin junkie。 She’d worked in some dangerous places overseas， but now she’s a wife and charity worker。 Still， she did like speed。“Detective Bragg had been right about her driving “pretty fast。” When she plowed off the highway on Palmer Mountain she’d been doing close to seventy。 In a fifty-five zone。”He drags the detective out to the site to have a look。 He’s not happy about a few of the details – or rather， the missing details。 He knows he may be grasping at straws， but he does have his own history with this sort of thing。“I step across the road and climb the brush-covered hill。 Grassy knoll， I think。 I wrote a dissertation on the Kennedy assassination。”The style of the first part of the story is choppy but keeps things moving。 It gets more and more complicated and interesting and is a terrific investigation。 I can’t begin to tell you how much Deaver manages to fit into a story that could have been developed into a novel。 Loved it！ Thanks NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the preview copy。 I’m so glad Amazon is promoting short stories。 。。。more
Pat
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This short story built up suspense nicely in the first half， however the resolution felt completely contrived。and unrealistic。
Marion Jones
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How well do you really know your spouse？ Professor Jon Talbot thought he knew everything about his wife Patience （Paz） until she was killed in a car accident。， but once the police start asking questions， Jon begins to look at things in a new light and discover that all is NOT as it seems。 During the course of the “investigation”， he finds out some things that make him question if he ever really knew his wife at all。 This is a great short story from Deaver—entertaining， with twists and turns and How well do you really know your spouse？ Professor Jon Talbot thought he knew everything about his wife Patience （Paz） until she was killed in a car accident。， but once the police start asking questions， Jon begins to look at things in a new light and discover that all is NOT as it seems。 During the course of the “investigation”， he finds out some things that make him question if he ever really knew his wife at all。 This is a great short story from Deaver—entertaining， with twists and turns and intrigue。 I believe that you will root for Jon as he works to find out the truth about his wife’s death。 I know I did。 Thank you to NetGalley， the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book。 。。。more
Claudia
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