Roadside Crosses

Reviewed by Anne Carroll, prison supplied

Gruesome torture scenes and mutilated corpses are the bread and butter of many modern thrillers. So much so, that they sometimes lose their power to shock the reader. But Jeffery Deaver’s ‘Roadside Crosses’ had a chill factor that lingered in my mind long after the book had been safely returned to the prison library. In this case, however, the horror was not from graphic descriptions of blood and body parts, but from something much more sinister – the power of words and imagination.

Deaver immerses us in the world of cyberspace, a virtual reality realm peopled with avatars (fantasy personas) and NPCs (non player characters), where the illusory domains of role-playing games have more substance than the everyday physical world. And this is not simply a nightmarish scenario from some mythical or future society, but rather a glimpse of a world which is already encroaching on our daily lives. We see around us a whole generation whose communication skills have been honed in the anonymous world of blogs, texts, emails, instant messaging and social networking sites. A world where unfounded rumours and unprovoked insults can influence thousands of minds, where cyber bullying is rife and where ‘vengeful angels’ patrol the domain in a manner more threatening than any street vigilante group.

In this ‘synth world’ you can do, say or be anything you like, with no sense of personal responsibility or accountability. Warped thoughts, bizarre behaviour and evil actions, which could previously be challenged by close contacts who knew you well, can now be broadcast to millions of strangers, taking on an air of authenticity which gives them a life of their own. Vast computerised operational power combines with the darkest recesses of human minds to create a new realm where the normal restraints of physical limits and ethical considerations are dangerously lacking.

This is the world into which Special Agent Kathryn Dance is plunged, as she finds herself investigating crimes which have not yet happened. Roadside Crosses and flowers, usually set up as memorials after fatal accidents, start appearing before the incidents themselves take place. Dance needs to interpret the warnings and intervene before the killer can carry out his deadly plans. The intended victims appear to be linked by their postings on an online blog, and the chief suspect is a teenager who can only be traced via his character in a ‘morpeg’ (which we are reliably informed is shorthand for a ‘massively multiplayer online role playing game’). Although Dance is an expert in reading body language and deciphering hidden meanings behind spoken words, her skills are severely challenged in this virtual realm where nothing is what it seems and nothing can be taken for granted.

This book opened my eyes to an unknown cyber world full of unfamiliar concepts – bots, buffers, quests, life regenerators, raiding parties, allegiances, resources, reputations and shifts. Readers ‘of a certain age’ (like me) will be reassured to learn that no prior knowledge is assumed! But be prepared too for the chilling realisation that crime committed using the power of words and ideas is far more deadly than traditional crime based on weapons and physical force. It’s a crime which will be coming soon to a computer near you. You have been warned!