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The name Kathryn Dance refers to a series of suspense thriller novels written by Jeffrey Deaver. Kathryn Dance is also the name of the primary protagonist of this series.
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Order of Kathryn Dance Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sleeping Doll | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Roadside Crosses | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | XO | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Solitude Creek | 2015 | Description / Buy |
Kathryn Dance is first seen in The Sleeping Doll, the first novel in the Dance series. In the book, Kathryn has her sights set on a convicted killer by the names of Daniel Pell who committed crimes comparable to those of Charles Manson.
Kathryn’s attempts at interviewing him and hopefully understanding what happened on the night of his final murder go wrong when Pell escapes and begins to terrorize his community, forcing Kathryn to undertake a manhunt to capture the madman.
This novel set up Kathryn as a member of the California Bureau of Investigation who uses Kinesics to solve crimes. Kinesis is the study of body language and Kathryn is written to be an expert in the arena.
She has the incredible ability to understand what people are thinking and feeling by merely observing their physical actions and reactions. This ability allows her to glean complex truths and to initiate effective interrogations.
Kathryn bites off more than she can chew when she goes after Daniel Pell. However, Sleeping Doll gives the heroine the edge she needs to grow. It brings her face to face with the personification of death in Daniel Pell and that not only sharpens her kinesis abilities but it strengthens her mind and will.
The books are initially not very forthcoming about Kathryn’s personal life besides revealing the fact that she’s a widow with two children. As the series progresses, the heroine’s life begins coming to light.
Her children start to play more of a role in the story, dividing Kathryn’s attention as she struggles to find the time to understand the many surprising changes they are experiencing whilst also doing her job as an agent of the California Bureau of Investigation.
It’s worth noting that, while Kathryn’s first appearance in the Kathryn Dance series was in The Sleeping Doll, fans of Jeffrey Deaver, the author, first saw her in the Lincoln Rhymes series were she made a brief appearance.
The character has been praised for being a strong female protagonist that uses unique techniques to solve crimes. Jeffrey makes a valiant effort to explain Kinesis and to show the manner in which it can be deployed.
The author also makes an effort to show how the ability affects Kathryn’s personal life, specifically when she begins using it on her friends and family.
Best Kathryn Dance Books
Jeffrey Deaver has made a name for himself for producing intense crime fiction with cohesive plots and engaging characters, and the Kathryn Dance series is no different, with the best books in the series including:
The Sleeping Doll: When Kathryn Dance goes to see Daniel Pell, it is with the intention of unearthing new information about his last murder. The so called Son of Manson killed the Croyton family and received a life sentence for it.
Either Pell got sloppy or his followers slipped up somewhere. The Croyton family’s little girl hid amongst her dolls and slipped their notice; despite his hefty sentence, Pell never spoke about the events of that night, and neither did the little girl.
Kathryn is electrified by the prospect of using her expertise in Kinesics to interrogate Pell. But everything goes wrong and the killer escapes. And rather than fleeing, Pell turns against Kathryn and her team of agents that have been hired to hunt him down.
Kathryn realizes that there is more going on than meets the eye and that Pell has an objective in mind. So she gathers the three women that might know him best.
Solitude Creek: Kathryn Dance is a Kinesics expert with the California Bureau of Investigation that has been hired to investigate a stampede at a concert venue. Something went wrong. Someone saw a fire. People started to flee but the doors were locked. And in the resulting mayhem, a dozen victims perished.
Kathryn learns that the stampede was intentional. She makes it her goal to find the culprit.
Other Book Series You May Like
Be sure to check out the “Lucas Davenport” Series by John Sandford. Lucas Davenport has amassed wealth writing for video games in his free time. With his expensive cars and fancy suits, it comes as a surprise to most people that the intelligence fellow is also a police detective that solves crimes in Minneapolis.
Fans also enjoy the “Spenser” Series by Robert B. Parker. Spenser is a former boxer and state cop that now works as a private investigator in Boston. Spenser stands out from the many detectives in the game in that he’s actually happy in his personal life.
What Is The Next Book in The Kathryn Dance Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Kathryn Dance Series. The newest book is Solitude Creek and was released on March, 24th 2015.