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2024-05-24 6:24 am

The Bodies Left Behind

by Jeffery Deaver

Hardcover, 2009

Rating

½ (341 ratings; 3.6)

Genres

Publication

Hodder & Stoughton (2009), 448 pages

Description

Arriving at a deserted lake house to investigate an aborted call to police, Deputy Anna McCafferty walks into the middle of a heinous crime and is deprived of her weapon, car, and phone, forced to flee, along with the twenty-five-year-old daughter of the murdered couple, into the surrounding forest to escape the perpetrators who must eliminate any potential witnesses.

Media reviews

What’s this? A Jeffery Deaver novel with no mad-dog serial killer and no state-of-the-art technology to track his moves? Pinch me. But THE BODIES LEFT BEHIND is no dream, only a different kind of nightmare — the elemental one of being hunted down in the wild like an animal.

User reviews

LibraryThing member punxsygal

The 911 call was canceled, but since she was already on her way, Deputy Brynn McKenzie decided to check out the address anyway. Arriving at the lake home, Brynn stumbles into a crime scene and just manages to get away from the killers. Brynn and a guest at the home, Michelle, flee into the woods of

a Wisconsin state park. What follows is a cat and mouse game in the night in the woods in April. The two women have to rely on their wits and courage as they are the hunted. The plot contained twists and turns that should have made it a good thriller. However, I would have liked the book a whole lot better if I thought the author ever set foot in Wisconsin. It was obvious that Deaver knew nothing about the flora and fauna of Wisconsin, being on the trails of the state parks, or the city of Milwaukee when it was mentioned.

LibraryThing member Tanya-dogearedcopy

> A great story about a deputy sheriff who heads out to check out a 911 call from a lakeside cabin… The narrative has credibility, tension, character development, nice descriptive phrasing, plot twists and, gives attention to detail. What’s not to love? Well, for one thing, what appeared to be

interesting and maybe even useful “bushman lore” needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I started researching compasses and discovered that compass (and map) reading is a skill that you need to learn. All this time I thought you just looked at which way the needle was pointing and you were set! I was soooo wrong! You have to take into consideration things like true vs magnetic north poles, declination values, and orientation. Anyway, there's no way our heroine in The Bodies Left Behind could have navigated the Wisconsin woods using a magnetized needle in a water-and-alcohol solution. In "real life" the needle would not have shown a consistent reading at every checkpoint and, could have been off by as much as 30 degrees at every reading! It would have been better, and more credible, had the parka Brynn was wearing had had a L.L. Bean zipper-pull compass attached.
The other thing working against the book was the narrator. In all fairness, Holter Graham ends up a better narrator than when he started this story. However, in the beginning, the narration sounds like a cold read and some of the character delineations are not very clear. By the end of the book, the transitions from scene-to-scene and character-to-character are smoother and more distinct respectively.
> I've been thinking a little bit more about why I didn't think this book was "all that." One of the reasons was the main character herself. I simply didn't understand why she wasn't a "closer." She's depicted as a tenacious character, and yet, she doesn't quite finish what she's started. Her decision to divorce her first husband, her decision not to be in on the arrest of Michelle and, her decision to not pursue Hart, were surprising and, hardly credible. Her second marriage had little credibility either: Her exclusion of Graham, her deceptions and, the lack of communication were shocking. Our tenacious B never committed half of her energies to her marriages that she committed to her work. Brynn is depicted has Hart's counterpart, someone who gives 110%, but Brynn never even gives even 100% (much less than 110%) to any endeavor. Hmmm, the more I think about this book, the less I like it. It went from a "What's not to love?"-A -list book, down to a “C.” It's time to stop thinking about this book!

LibraryThing member MaryC22

Jeffery Deaver has done it again. If you like nonstop action you'll enjoy this. A simple hit job goes wrong when a witness shows up. It has hints of Deliverance by Dickey as hunter and hunted fight for survival.

LibraryThing member reannon

Deaver is best known for the Lincoln Rhyme series about a quadriplegic forensic expert. This book is a stand alone, about a woman deputy who is asked to investigate a 911 call and walks into a double murder and is forced to run with another woman. The deputy, the other woman, and the two killers

play out a deadly dance, full of Deaver's trademarked plot twists. The book has interesting characters and a good plot. Recommended.

LibraryThing member dsdmd

This book started off slow for me...two killers chasing two women, one a police officer, through the woods at night, both groups trying to stay one step ahead of the other. It was a bit boring. However, after almost 100 pages, new twists started to be added and it became much more interesting to

the point I couldn't put it down until it was finished. I can't say it was one of Deaver's best novels but I did thoroughly enjoy it and hope to see more of Brynn, the female police officer, in future writings. I will continue to rate Deaver among my favorite thriller authors.

LibraryThing member MrsHillReads

What a thriller! Even though I know Deaver twists things in unexpected ways, I was still surprised at one of the twists in this action-packed adventure. I even forgot to be sad that it wasn't a Lincoln Rhyme story (but I'm ready for a new one....please!).

LibraryThing member punxsygal

The 911 call was canceled, but since she was already on her way, Deputy Brynn McKenzie decided to check out the address anyway. Arriving at the lake home, Brynn stumbles into a crime scene and just manages to get away from the killers. Brynn and a guest at the home, Michelle, flee into the woods of

a Wisconsin state park. What follows is a cat and mouse game in the night in the woods in April. The two women have to rely on their wits and courage as they are the hunted. The plot contained twists and turns that should have made it a good thriller. However, I would have liked the book a whole lot better if I thought the author ever set foot in Wisconsin. It was obvious that Deaver knew nothing about the flora and fauna of Wisconsin, being on the trails of the state parks, or the city of Milwaukee when it was mentioned.

LibraryThing member sbenne3

Not my favorite Deaver. He spent way too long following a chase through the woods - not enough twists and turns. Got a little better toward the end (a few things that were unexpected), but I would save your time on this one if you are looking for something a little more suspenseful with a little

more action.

LibraryThing member drausche

very good story. I enjoyed it very much. feel into believing parts where I shouldn't have but I think that was the author's plan.

LibraryThing member jaypee

Pretty good book. Lots of plot twists, and the characters are likable. I predicted some of the twists, but Deaver still pulled some surprises.

LibraryThing member adpaton

This book might as well be called ‘It Happened One Night’ since most of the action takes place in a 12 hour period during which the irritatingly know-it-all police deputy Brynn McKenzie attempts to escape from two professional hit men in a deserted Wisconsin forest.

It’s a nice change from

Deaver’s grumpy quadriplegic hero Lincoln Rhymes but The Bodies Left Behind reads like a short story that has been fleshed out and added to with twist upon twist followed by yet more twists, turning a decent action adventure into an unrealistic, contorted, overlong and overtly convoluted story with all the depth of a James Patterson special.

LibraryThing member memasmb

Great book, keep me up late at night. Loved the strength of the female deputy and her fast thinking in all kinds of situations. Reminds us not to jump to quick assumptions...nothing is what it seems.

Recommend this book to fans of strong women and twisting plots.

LibraryThing member emilycsims

This is a ‘chase’ book–and I love chase books. The premise is that a police officer stumbles upon a double murder way off in the Wisconsin woods. The killers are still around, and she takes off into the dark and treacherous forest. It’s a game of cat and mouse as the killers try to track

her and another woman who was in the house through the woods.

The only character who I felt was truly fleshed out was Hart, one of the killers tracking the police officer, Brynn McKenzie, and the house guest, Michelle. I found Hart to be a truly compelling character–but that’s a hallmark of Deaver’s writing style. The most developed characters in his books tend to be the criminals. You really get a sense that there’s more at stake for Hart than just completing a job–he feels he was born to do the ‘work’ he does.

On the downside, Deaver uses tricks that drive me crazy. He holds certain information back without any clues toward it, so that when it is revealed the reader feels a bit cheated. He planted certain outcomes for characters incredibly well, but plot points were disjointed. Many times, he let you think characters had fallen off a cliff and died… only to discover ten pages later that no! He didn’t die! He fell on a ledge! Or no, the killers didn’t fall for that trick! They went the other way!

I call that cheating. You have to leave breadcrumbs for the reader to follow, so that when an outcome is revealed the reader can have that fun moment of “how did I miss that!” instead of the decidedly un-fun feeling of “there’s no way I ever could have known that.” It has to be a game of cat and mouse for the reader, too.

That said, it’s still an entertaining, I-have-nothing-else-to-do-today kind of book. I infinitely prefer the Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs mysteries, but this will for a lazy day after Christmas read.

LibraryThing member WeeziesBooks

The Bodies Left Behind is a fun Deaver book. It begins with a couple, the Feldman’s, relaxing in their vacation home on Lake Mondac. Two killers come into their home and murder them both. There is a surprise visitor in the home that is unknown to the killers who plays an important role in the

story line. What follow is nothing less that an over the hills and through the woods series of near death adventures when Deputy Brynn McKenzie is sent to check on a 911 call that has come in from the Feldman home.

There were some amazing chases, a chance encounter with drug sellers, falls and trips and frightening struggles through a cold and challenging countryside, all the time being trailed by people unknown and frightening. As a bit of side note, there was also the description of an interesting way to get a fire started when there are no matches available.

All is all this is a good thriller and I was spellbound throughout the entire book. It is not a fast read but it is well worth the time spent. I recommend this book.

LibraryThing member agehl

Excellent book. There was always something happening. Definately kept my attention. When you think you have it figured out there was a turn of events and it had you thinking again of other possibilities. This was the classic cat and mouse plot. No one in the story knew who was who and when they

thought they did know who was who it changed. This was a great book that will keep the attention of any reader reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good suspenseful, mystery. Definately the best mystery book I have ever read and I would most definately tell everyone to read this book. It is a really good book that you can't put down.

LibraryThing member CelticLibrarian

3.0 out of 5 stars So-so stand alone..., April 21, 2011

I have read all of Jeffery Deaver's previous books but this stand alone cat-and-mouse tale doesn't hold up to the high octane suspense thriller that I'm used to reading when I open one of his novels.

Deputy Brynn McKenzie is dispatched to Lake

Mondac to investigate an aborted 911 call from a cell phone that appears to have originated from a secluded lake house there. When she arrives and enters the house, she discovers the bodies of a man and woman who have been murdered. The killers are, however, still on the scene and when Brynn finds another potential victim unharmed at the residence they band together and run out from the house to evade the two killers. Although the plot advances at a rapid pace, and even as the events unfold and the reader is swept up into the tense chase, the narrative requires the reader to suspend disbelief as Brynn McKenzie and a friend of the murdered couple escape into the dark Wisconsin woods on a dark, cold night in April. Pursued by two ruthless hit men, they rush blindly toward any avenue of safety only to be thwarted by the men time and again. Dirtied and injured, they encounter others out in those dark woods that night. Are they friend or foe? The whole "in the woods" portion of the book goes on and on and on. In addition, there is another subplot involving union shenanigans and other red herrings that don't necessarily add to the story but only confuse the reader.

The loose ends are all tied up neatly at the end, as expected. While not Deaver's best, I'm sure his fans will want to read this one but I suggest they borrow rather than buy. I enjoyed the experience of reading the Large Print version of the book as it is much easier on the eyes.

LibraryThing member harpua

This was my first novel by Jeffery Deaver. If all his books are like this one, then I'll go pick up the rest of his backlist as I really enjoyed this. While there was nothing really unique about this, I've seen similar plots before, this however moved quickly and kept me engrossed throughout. If I

had to find a bit of criticism, I felt the ending just wrapped up too neatly. But the ending wasn't what kept me going, it was the ride to get there. There was plenty of action and twists galore (some you could see a mile away, others had me fooled). I'll definitely try Deaver again.

LibraryThing member Elwood67

I just finished this book yesterday . I was very happy with how it was written, thought it had great characters and I was anxious to keep reading it to find out how it turned out. Would for sure read this author agian.

LibraryThing member terk71

Grabbed from my “2B read” shelf, this Jeffrey Deaver thriller became a sort of déjà vu reading. I didn’t remember the characters or many of the incidental actions. I had a vague inkling about one pivotal point in the plot. It turns out I probably read this book some years ago. Maybe someone

inadvertently plunked the volume back on my slush shelf, or perhaps I’ve read too many similar novels, or quite possibly I am becoming senile.

Ostensibly, the plot involves a game of fox and hounds. In an imaginary Wisconsin lake forest, two hired killers storm a cottage, murdering a couple inhabitants. A seeming casual bystander happens to wound one of the assassins and becomes hunted by the two henchmen. An off-duty deputy sheriff interrupts the scene and becomes part of the pursued female duet. Thrashing through thick woodlands throughout the night, the male hunters become the women’s prey and vice versa in a chess-match of survival skills. A couple of additional outside hired guns join the chase until all but one of the gunmen flees the escapade.

In the months following the night-time chase, the female deputy pursues the remaining killers through diligent—if not dogged—police work. The true cause of the blood work eventually is revealed, much to the relief of a dock-side union boss who had been suspected of the criminal hire. Meanwhile, the population of hired killers diminishes and the female deputy’s domestic situation refines itself.

I’ve read other Deaver novels, but this book remains fresh. This book is a worthy addition to anyone’s thriller library or reading list. His writing is impeccable, the details are sterling, and action unfolds tightly through interspersed chapter actions. Even though I cannot remember ever reading this book before, I am left wondering whether my condition is couched on good craftsmanship in Deaver’s writing or simply based on my fogged memory.

LibraryThing member Twink

He is the author of the successful Lincoln Rhyme series, about a paralyzed detective who solves crimes based on the evidence gathered by his protege Amelia Sachs. This was made into a successful movie staring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie.

But I digress. The Bodies Left Behind is a stand

alone novel. Deputy Brynn McKenzie is just home for the night with her family when her boss asks her to check out a house on a sparsely populated lake. It could be nothing, but there was a 911 call that got cut off. Maybe it was a misdial. She heads up to the lake, finds the house and walks into a horrific crime scene - and the perpetrators haven't left the area yet. They're still looking for the female houseguest that escaped the carnage. Brynn finds her first and they're on the run into the State Forest that surrounds the lake with the killers hot on their trail. The killers have also called the 911 in as a false alarm. There will be no police help on the way for Brynn and Michelle.

This is a nail biter of a novel, with lots of twists and turns that you don't see coming. Deaver's characters are always more than two dimensional. The bad guys aren't cardboard cut outs - their personalities are developed as much as the protagonists. You'll be turning pages to get in just one more chapter before you turn off the light.

If you like Harlen Coben, John Sandford or Linwood Barclay you'll love Jeffery Deaver.

LibraryThing member SenoraG163

Not his best.

LibraryThing member princesspeaches

Just finished an ARC of this novel. I really enjoyed it. Fast-paced with a new, interesting lead character. A woman Deputy, Brynn; she strong and spirited, but with faults too. A good read and a must read for Deaver fans.

LibraryThing member Whiskey3pa

Great reading. As always, interesting characters and plenty of twists in the plot.

LibraryThing member ctmsludu

This book was utterly boring and basically no plot or relation to the title the only good side was that it was well written but it had such a lack of excitement i dropped it after 50 pages.

LibraryThing member GlennBell

Jeffery was able to write a story that keeps the reader's interest. I suspect this could be put into a movie version. There are some interesting twists on how the case works out for the deputy that goes on the call. The story has a weak ending but for the most part the rest of the story is well

written. Perhaps the character of Michelle is a bit hard to believe. I recommend the book.

Awards

International Thriller Writers Award (Winner — 2009)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2008-11-11

ISBN

0340977876 / 9780340977873

Other editions

The Bodies Left Behind: A Novel by Jeffery Deaver (Hardcover)

The Bodies Left Behind by Jeffery Deaver (Hardcover)

More

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