The Devils Teardrop

He’s the suspense star behind the new 007 novel . . . A “Best Novel of the Year” award—winner from the International Thriller Writers organization . . . Jeffery Deaver is hotter than ever !
    Read these acclaimed bestsellers from the “master of ticking bomb suspense.” ( People )
    A thrilling stand-alone novel
    EDGE
    “[A] nail-biter. . . . Breakneck action [for] fans of Deaver’s fiendishly clever suspensers.”
    — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
    The ninth novel in his “simply outstanding” ( San Jose Mercury News ) Lincoln Rhyme series
    THE BURNING WIRE
    “Sterling. . . . Not even the brilliant Rhyme can foresee the shocking twists the case will take in this electrically charged thriller.”
    — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
    “Deaver, master of the plot twist, does his usual magic—no matter how hard you try, you can’t figure out what he’s about to spring on you. . . . Another winner from the dependable Deaver.”
    —Booklist
    Two pulse-pounding novels featuring investigative agent Kathryn Dance
    ROADSIDE CROSSES
    Chosen as a Hot Summer Thriller on TheDailyBeast.com!
    “Deaver’s got the world of social networking and blogs down cold. . . . That dose of realism adds a fresh, contemporary edge.”
    —David Montgomery, TheDailyBeast.com
    “The techno-savvy Deaver . . . has one of those puzzle-loving minds you just can’t trust.”
    —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times
    “Clever and twisted. . . . Don’t miss this one.”
    — Library Journal
    THE SLEEPING DOLL
    “[An] intricately plotted thriller. . . . A dazzling mental contest.”
    —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times
    “The chase is on, and so are the surprises.”
    — Sacramento Bee
    His award-winning bestseller
    THE BODIES LEFT BEHIND
    Named “Best Novel of the Year” (2009) by the International Thriller Writers organization
    “A tour de force . . . . The suspense never flags. . . . Deaver has no rivals in the realm of sneaky plot twists.”
    — Kirkus Reviews
    “Hurtles along at 100 m.p.h. . . . An edge-of-the-seat read.”— Sunday Express (U.K.), 4 stars
    “Deaver is such a good puppet master that he makes us believe whatever he wants us to believe . . . without telling us a single lie. . . . It’s not until we’re well more than halfway through the book that we even begin to suspect that we might have made some dangerous mistakes . . . but by then, it’s way too late, and we are completely at Deaver’s mercy.”
    — Booklist (starred review)
    “He makes the characters live and breathe. . . . Read this and no country walk will ever be the same again.”
    — Daily Express (U.K.)
    “Not just an adrenaline-charged manhunt but a game of deception and multiple double-cross that keeps the reader guessing right up to the final page.”
    — The Times (London)
    More praise for Jeffery Deaver, who “stokes our paranoia” ( Entertainment Weekly ) with his masterworks of suspense
    “Deaver is able to fool even the most experienced readers with his right-angle turns.” —Booklist
    “His labyrinthine plots are astonishing.”
    — The New York Times Book Review
    “A thrill ride between covers.” —Los Angeles Times
    “Rock-solid suspense.” —People
    “The grand master of the ticking-clock thriller.”
    —Kathy Reichs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Spider Bones

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With thanks to Madelyn

I
The Last Day of the Year
    A thorough analysis of an anonymous letter may greatly reduce the number of possible writers and may at once dismiss certain suspected writers. The use of a semicolon or the correct use of an apostrophe may eliminate a whole group of writers.
    –O SBORN AND O SBORN , Q UESTIONED D OCUMENT P ROBLEMS

1
    The Digger’s in town.
    The Digger looks like you, the Digger looks like me. He walks down the wintry streets the way anybody would, shoulders drawn together against the damp December air.
    He’s not tall and not short, he’s not heavy and not thin. His fingers in dark gloves might be pudgy but they might not. His feet seem large but maybe that’s just the size of his shoes.
    If you glanced at his eyes you wouldn’t notice the shape or the color but only