Audiobooks: Hunting Manson

The Sleeping Doll – Jeffery Deaver

Reviewed by Albert and Selena Brown
Company drivers, Kennesaw Transportation

Listening Time: 16 hours
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Retail: $49.95
Genre: Thriller

Plot: On Sept. 13, 1999, Daniel Pell was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of manslaughter for killing a family in their home. The only survivor was 9-year-old Theresa Croyton, who was asleep upstairs in her bed with her toys surrounding her. The media called her “the sleeping doll.”

Pell was given consecutive life sentences and dubbed the “Son of Manson” by the prosecuting attorney. Now, eight years later, evidence has linked Pell to another murder, and he’s been transferred to the Salinas Courthouse from Capitola Prison.

Former criminal journalist and jury consultant Kathryn Dance – now an interrogator, or “human lie detector,” with the California Bureau of Investigation – has been chosen to question Pell at the courthouse. After the interrogation ends, Pell escapes from the courthouse with the help of an accomplice. The race is on to recapture Pell before others are killed. Dance joins forces with Michael O’Neil of the Monterey Sheriff’s Department and Winston Kellogg of the FBI.

Pell has unfinished business before he can go to his mountaintop and become the Pied Piper of California. He considers himself the “king of control” – he can read people just as well as Dance, and nobody will get in his way.

Dance wants to learn more about Pell to figure out why he is still in the Monterey area, so they bring in the three girls from Pell’s “family” from eight years previous – Samantha, known as “the mouse,” Linda and Rebecca. They served prison time for crimes convicted during their time in Pell’s commune. Dance also gets help from a writer in tracking down “the sleeping doll” to see if she has any information to give.

What was your favorite moment? Albert’s favorite: The near capture in the diner, with Pell’s instincts on high alert. Selena’s favorite: When Samantha protects Linda from Pell in the woods.

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Which character was your favorite? Albert’s favorite: Michael O’Neil of the Monterey Sheriff’s Department, because he is down to earth and thinks before he reacts. Selena’s favorite: Samantha McCoy. She spends most of her life as “the mouse” but finally finds herself in the end.

What was the book’s message or theme? People are not always what they seem to be on the surface.

What did you like or dislike? Albert: I liked the story line, but it could’ve been shorter. Selena: I liked the way Dance can tell by a person’s body language whether they are lying or not. I disliked one of the death scenes.

Would you recommend this book to friends? Albert: Yes. It’s an action kind of book and keeps you on your toes. Selena: Yes. Just when you think you have it all figured out, Jeffery Deaver does what he does best – throws in a twist and a couple of turns.

Narrator’s style: Anne Twomey’s voice stayed pretty even, meaning the volume didn’t have to be turned up or down. She could have changed her voice more for the different people, especially the men.

How would you grade the book? Albert: B+; Selena: A+.


Notables
Scorpion Down – Ed Offley
The loss of the nuclear submarine USS Scorpion in 1968 has been commemorated by an American admiral as “one of the greatest unsolved sea mysteries of our era.” After the sub failed to return to port following a routine three-month Mediterranean deployment, a frantic search ensued. Nine days later the Navy announced that the submarine and the 99 crewmen on board were presumed lost.

Investigative journalist and Vietnam veteran Ed Offley tells the dramatic story of a secret battle that could have brought about World War III, suggesting that the Navy’s official story about the Scorpion incident – from the frantic open-ocean hunt for the wreckage to a Court of Inquiry’s final conclusions – is nothing more than a carefully-constructed series of lies.
15 hours on 12 CDs
HighBridge Audio
www.highbridgeaudio.com
$39.95


Drivers, here is your chance to review the latest audiobooks. Tell our readers what you like or dislike about the plot and characters, and why you would recommend it to other drivers. Above is one of the audiobooks available in the Truckers News audiobook library. Contact Kristin Walters at (800) 633-5953, ext. 1204, or via e-mail at [email protected] to reserve an audiobook. It will be sent to you free of charge for your review. Audiobooks are available on a first-call, first-served basis.


Audiobook Sources
Audiobooks may be purchased or rented from the following sources:

AUDIO ADVENTURES, (800) 551-6692, for 14-day rental of most major titles.
CUTTING AUDIO, (800) 670-5220, www.cuttingaudio.com, for purchase.
HIGHBRIDGE AUDIO, www.highbridgeaudio.com, for purchase.
OASIS AUDIO, www.oasisaudio.com, for purchase.
Simply Audiobooks, www.simplyaudiobooks.com, for rental of most major titles.
Simon & Schuster Audio, (800) 223-2336, for purchase.
Audiobooks from these publishers, Random House, Time Warner, Audio Renaissance and Topics Entertainment are available for purchase from www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and www.borders.com.