Jeffrey Deaver's "Scheme" is a dive into the intricate world of crime and cryptography, where a bomber challenges the skill and intellect of the Middleton Police Department.

The story unfolds as Middleton detectives are confronted with a cryptic poem left behind by a cunning bomb maker. Detective Sloan, an experienced investigator, finds himself in need of an unconventional partner. Enter Ciara, an English teacher with a talent for deciphering codes. The collaboration between Sloan and Ciara sets the stage for a cat-and-mouse game with the bomber.

What adds an extra layer of intrigue is the backstory of Ciara's referral from Quantico, courtesy of an agent from Crypto. This twist raises suspicions about Ciara's true identity and motives. I had to look back a couple of chapters to figure out if I missed something in the story.

Deaver decided to leave certain aspects of the story open-ended. The author doesn't spoon-feed the readers a resolution. Deaver's approach encourages readers to form their own conclusions, making the book an excellent choice for those who love being left in suspense.

Could this potentially evolve into a series? I hope so. The characters and the unresolved mystery leaves the door wide open for future installments. ( )

Poetry in Crime
Review of the Amazon Original Kindle short story, released simultaneously with the Audible Original audiobook edition (March 31, 2022)

This is of the fantasy 'criminal who provides intentional clues to the police' sub-genre. When detectives are stymied by a bomber who is leaving poetry clues about the location of their bombs, they call in a poetry expert from a local university to assist them.

The variety of the clues was entertaining, even if the whole situation was somewhat ridiculous. By Ebert's Law of the Economy of Characters the identity of the criminal mastermind becomes rather easily guessable. ( )

Reality’s simple. Fiction is complicated.

A serial bomber or bombers are targeting Middleton. A 911 call alerts the police before it can be detonated. Nearby, a burner phone is found with what looks like a clue - a poem that may reveal the next target. The police decide to call in a professor and expert on poetry to try to interpret it. But this is a short story by Jeffrey Deaver, the master of the plot twist, and, of course, nothing or no one is quite what they seem and both the police and the reader are sent haring of in too many possible and possibly fatal directions

Scheme is a fun fast short story with an interesting and compelling plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. Although the story is mostly tied up satisfactorily, there is enough loose ends to suggest we haven’t seen the end of Sloan, the officer in charge of the story, the bomber, or the poetry expert and I, for one, can’t wait to see where they will lead us in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Short Stories for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review ( )