The Rule of Threes by Jeffery Deaver is a gripping novella.
Deaver weaves an intricate tale.
The characters are well developed and the pace of the book kept me turning the pages. I could hardly wait to see what happened next.
This was such a good read.

Thank You NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Action packed with continuous twists turns and surprises, Jeffery Deaver’s the Rule of Threes kept me engrossed and reading for hours and hours. Deaver is the King of bloody police procedurals and his new protagonist, Constant Marlowe, investigator for the state of Illinois doesn’t disappoint.

Marlowe is sent to work an investigation in a very small town. There have been two vicious murders of young women. No connection between the two is apparent. The killer has been dubbed BRK ( bludgeon, rape,kill) by the media and the pressure is on to apprehend the perpetrator so as to prevent a third murder, which seems imminent. What’s equally concerning is protecting a family of four, who are potential witnesses to one of the crimes, and are being stalked by a suspicious oddball.

Meanwhile there is a significant parcel of land whose fate lies in a court of law which will decide whether or not it reverts back to Native American control. There are forces determined to keep this from happening.

Deaver deftly weaves together all of these pieces to create a heart pounding fast paced thriller. I enjoyed every minute of this book! Published on March 1, 2024, this was a five star read for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Originals for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Given an ending that left me bewildered, a rather unrelatable main character and a plot I'd describe as disjointed, I'm almost surprised that overall I enjoyed reading this so-called novella - the latter a description I also don't understand since it's only a few pages shorter than many of the books I read these days. But aside from all that, while it's far from my favorite book by one of my favorite authors, the "stuff" in between the covers was enticing enough to keep me flipping through the pages almost nonstop. And yep, he's still a favorite author.

Special Agent Constant Marlowe - yes, you read that first name right - comes to Illinois small-town Clark Valley to commandeer an investigation into the brutal murders of a couple of local women. Not surprisingly, I spent a quite a bit of reading time wondering who on earth would give a name like that to a child, but I never found out (apparently, there are a few earlier books that include her in which it may have been explained, but I've not read them). Also not surprisingly, the local tobacco-chewing Sheriff resents her presence - don't they always? There's a contingent of Native Americans living in the area, one of whom, Zo Eventide, works with the sheriff and, partly because she's a female with a fierce sense of justice and fairness, forms an immediate bond with Constant.

Also in the mix is a group of neo-Nazis, who mostly keep to themselves; but at the moment, they're at a standoff with the aforesaid Native Americans over ownership of a plot of land. For whatever reason, Constant finds herself in the middle of that brouhaha as well - as if she doesn't have enough to do trying to track down a killer who leaves precious few clues. At least she can hold her own physically; she's been a professional boxer, and I have to say some of the scenes in which that comes into play are satisfying.

One local family (a husband, wife, daughter and son plus an older son who mysteriously went missing) become the focus because they were in the same area of the park as one of the murders at the same time and thus may have seen things they shouldn't have (even though they say they didn't). The hope is the killer will return to eliminate the potential witnesses and the cops will nab him (or her) before that happens.

There are several surprises along the way, keeping the story moving along - right up to that ending that I still don't "get." But I do know I'll be keeping a constant lookout for the next Constant - I can't say she'd ever be my BFF, but she sure is an interesting character. Many thanks to NetGalley, via the publisher, for the opportunity to get to know her by way of a for-review copy.

This is a novella based on the Constant Marlowe character. It is an interesting and quick with an unusual plot twist and an ending that definitely sets up a sequel novella or book.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Goodreads, Net Galley, Amazon, Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog.

I'm not sure this book qualifies as a novella, but I loved it either way! Wonderful read - lots of mystery and many surprises.

Plenty of twists, great game of cat and mouse. Also cop and serial killer trope.

Like-able characters had a great time reading. Check your triggers on this one regarding rape before going in.

Tension Fuelled..
Special Agent Constant Marlowe is hot on the heels of a serial killer in a small town setting of Clark Valley in this fast paced, tension fuelled novella. As Constant considers the victims, and the possible victims, does she realise that she may also be in the killers sights? However, nothing here is actually as it seems. Character driven and pacy with a propulsive plot riddled with countless twists and turns. A frantic read.

The Rule of Three was a quick and fun read. All the while reading it, you think to yourself "Do I know what's going on or am I missing something?" That's the thing you have to read on to find out. Not everyone is was they seem. A good lesson for anyone, really.

Jeffery Deaver is always a good idea. You see his books, you pick them up, and you read them. Full stop. This one is especially fast paced.

"The Rule of Threes" by Jeffery Deaver is a pulse-pounding novella that thrusts readers into the gripping world of Special Agent Constant Marlowe as she tackles a relentless serial killer in the eerie plains of Clark Valley. Deaver, known for his mastery of suspense, weaves a fast-paced narrative that keeps the adrenaline pumping. The small town setting adds a layer of tension, and as Marlowe delves deeper into the investigation, the stakes intensify. The relentless pace of the story, coupled with Deaver's skillful writing, creates a riveting police procedural that holds the reader captive until the very end. With twists and turns that keep you guessing, "The Rule of Threes" is a compelling addition to Deaver's repertoire, showcasing his ability to deliver a gripping tale in a compact yet impactful format.

This novella was longer than what I expected when I initially sat down to read it, but Jeffrey Deaver is one of my favorite authors, so I knew I would enjoy it. I will say this was not one of my favorites by him, but it was still a very good read. It got a little wordy at points, but the plot twists were great and I really wasn't expecting the ending at all. There were a lot of things in the book that didn't seem to make sense until you got closer to the ending, and then everything came together and was wrapped up pretty well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC of this book. All opinions stated are my own.

This book had twists and turns that I never saw coming!
Constant Marlowe is after a serial killer. Will she catch the killer? Will the killer stop her?
This was my first Constant Marlowe book and I am definitely hooked.

You will NEVER see this ending

I've been a Jeffery Deaver fan for many years reading a huge number of his back library. His short stories never fail to cause a few OMG moments. As long as he keeps writing, I'll keep reading his 5 star reads

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

I've never heard of this author before but man he didn't disappoint me. Very good thriller and had you even questioning your judgment at times. Twisted and filled with interesting crimes. Good characters, drama, and similar to a lifetime movie.

Great story with a very clever plot, and the writing and the characters are excellent, as per normal from this author.

As you are reading through this book you ask yourself if this is going anywhere, but you keep reading. You wonder where it’s going and what all of these people have to do with anything. In the end you see how well it has been written and pulled together. A great book!

Constant Marlow is a state special agent assigned to case of a suspected serial killer is Clark Valley, Illinois. When she interviews a local family of witnesses has she lead the killer to them!

This was long for a novella, really, really close to a novel. I did NOT guess where this was going, and I quite enjoyed it. Fast paced and a lot of character development in a fairly short space. Good stuff.

If you enjoy a fast read mystery, this the book is for you. Another masterpiece from the author. In addition, some good twists and turns that keeps the reader turning pages. This is a book which I would recommend to all who enjoy mystery and suspense.

5/5 stars without hesitation!!!!!! so well written!!!! spooky and eerie vibes all around!!!! i truly loved this one

Constant Marlowe doesn’t always play by the rules but she is good at what she does. Her latest case involves the death of two young woman but get more complicated as the case moves along. The evidence leads them down a certain path but it proves to be something else. Can she with the help of the sheriff’s department find the killer before another young woman is killed? There is so much hate & anger in this small town and there are so many suspects. But the killer has been hiding in plain sight all this time. A great solid read. I didn’t see the last chapter coming really takes things down a dark path.
Constant is a strong independent woman that sometimes does things her way. She is afraid of getting to close to a certain prosecutor but I think that she will give more to Evan in the coming books.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC copy. This is my voluntary review.