ROADSIDE CROSSES

TITLE: ROADSIDE CROSSES
AUTHOR: JEFFREY DEAVER
Pages: 397
Date: 19/08/2009
Grade: 5
Details: no. 2 Kathryn Dance Thriller
Own

Jeffrey Deaver writes such great thrillers. Every time you think you know what's going on, he throws in another twist and it's almost like you're back to square one, not knowing what's going on at all.
When a young girls is found locked into the boot of her car and left to drown at the seaside, Kathryn and her team trace the attempted murder back to a post in a famous blog, reporting about a car crash in which two teenage girls were killed. On the back of this blog report, a vicious case of cyber bullying commences, aimed at the boy who was driving the car.
Now, with roadside crosses popping up, commemorating deaths yet to occur, and those being attacked being those who where the most vicious bullies, the boy driver is the obvious suspect. The boy subsequently disappears, while the attacks on those who comment on the blog continue. The investigators need to both find the boy, and identify and protect potential victims. Kathryn and her team have to learn about computers, blogs and gaming, and those whose lives revolve around this technology.
With Kathryn also facing a crisis in her family and a possible romantic interest, this book reads like a roller coaster ride. It is also a cautionary tale, warning us against getting too involved in the cyber world.