Deutermann is well established as a writer specializing in suspense and thrills. "The Cat Dancers" does not disappoint and I highly recommend it especially for Deutermann fans. It is an escapist read requiring a suspension of disbelief at times, but that doesn't affect the suspense or intrigue that require the reader to turn just one more page.

Lt. Cam Richter is pulled into an intricate storyline that initially watches two worthless killers get released by a liberal judge (who used to be Cam's wife and is his current lover)on a technicality. Soon the two freed killers are summarily executed by apparent vigilantes and the scenes of death displayed for all to see on the internet. Subsequently, the judge is killed in a bomb explosion in her home.

Cam is drawn deeply into the plot as evidence mounts that the vigilantes may or may not be a cadre of state and maybe federal officers. Who can he trust with his suspicions as some evidence begins seemingly to incriminate him. His investigation interacts with Kenny Cox, one of his personal friends and squad members, and Jay-Kay, an Indian computer guru who may be more than meets the eye in her role as an FBI consultant, and Mountain Ranger Mary Ellen Goode.

Ultimately Cam travels deep into the Great Smoky Mountains to verify that feral mountain lions exist and are used in an initiation rite by the vigilantes. Some pulse pounding scenes occur in the mountains that will have the reader stopping for air at times. Cam also is supported by his loyal and trusty German Sheperds, Frick and Frack, who will quickly garner the interest and admiration of any reader.

"The Cat Dancers" is filled with constant suspense and plot twists and turns. Who can be trusted? What about the double cross that turns into a triple cross? Are there wild lions still in the Smoky Mountains? Can Cam survive the twists and turns that make him a prime suspect while being forced to fight for his life in the unforgiving wilderness? A great hard-to-put-down thriller whose only disappointment for this reviewer was an ending that seems to require a sequel.

This is a good read. Difficult to set down at times. I would suggest reading this book before reading Spider Mountain.