This is a past paced murder mystery with a clever serial killer, but an even smarter criminalist leading the investigation. Ex Detective Lincoln Rhyme was a top criminalist with the NYPD before becoming a quadriplegic due to an accident at a crime scene. Confined to bed and able only to move his head and a single finger, he is looking for someone to assist his euthanasia, when the NYPD asks him to help find a kidnapping victim who may still be alive.

Choosing to make his principal detective quadriplegic seems a risky choice but one that works well as Rhyme's mind as is sharp as ever. Using rookie cop Amelia Sachs as his legs to work the crime scene and collect evidence, they forge a strong partnership, but frustratingly remain one step behind the killer. I enjoyed all the detail of the forensic search of the crime scene and the setting up of a forensic lab in Rhyme's bedroom (although I'm not sure how realistic this is as I'm guessing a lot of the tests would need a clean, dust free environment but I still like the idea). Both Rhyme and Sachs have a great depth of character and the plot is fast and furious with the identity of the killer impossible to guess and an unexpected twist at the end that no one saw coming. 4.5★

Fantastic series! an engrossing,entertaining,fast-paced,plot-twister of a series..Lincoln Rhyme is just stunning in this mystery,with all his brain power than he has to rely on..action-pact (paperback!)

I do have quite a few of Mister Deavers books about Lincoln Rhyme aand when I read this book first CSI and their ilk had not yet caught the interest of the general viewing public. It was still a few years away actually.

Lincoln Rhyme's, a quadriplegic forensic criminalist, first outing in which he meets an Amalia Sachs who will be his partner in many ways in the series that would follow this book. Who at the time of release was quite an original with the view at forensic science and its use of it to track down criminals.
In this book Rhyme is chasing a serial killer who actually is quite aware about who is chasing him and when it comes to the end of the story you will be dazzled by Deavers' very successful use of leaving false trails and plot twists.

A very well and clever written book that made Deaver for me a long time a writer whose books were a blind buy. These days my appetite for the series is spoiled by the series CSI & Bones, which is sad but a sign of a vein of interest that was tapped first with the release of this book.

The Movie with Denzel & Jolie was pretty decent too, albeit mostly for the choice of leading characters and somewhat less for the script of the movie which deviates away from the original ending of the book.

Lincoln Rhyme, once a brilliant criminologist is left a quadriplegic after an accident. Leaving him physically and emotionally shattered. A serial killer is on the loose in New York. Rhyme, with his partner Detective Ameila Sachs must follow a labyrinth of clues that reaches back to a dark chapter in the city's past along with the clues the killer leaves behind after each murder leading Rhyme and Sachs to the killers next victim. A little late getting started on this series but better late than never. A series I will finish that may become a favorite.

I saw the movie years ago but I couldn't remember the details, only Denzel Washington

Buenísimo!
Tanto los personajes como la trama son geniales! Super recomendable
Valoración 4.5

Read this a long while ago and I remember liking it a great deal.

Awesome start to a new crime detective series for me!

Lots of plot twists and I really loved the characters of Lincoln Rhyme, Amelia Sachs and Thom. I definitely plan on continuing with the books.

The forensics was excellent and very detailed in this book along with the clues to catch "The Bone Collector". The action was gripping and the suspense of the book was great.
I loved the whole cat and mouse chase of this book to get to the next victim. The ending was epic with who the killer was and the beginning of another search for the next impending disaster.

Excellent writing, characters and unforgettable plot twists! Kudos Jeffery Deaver for adding another fan to your fanbase!

Once upon a time, during my undergrad, I did a module on crime fiction. It was fascinating stuff, but I had major problems with the lecturer. One problem was that when I sent in an anonymous suggestion that she warn students of the level of sexual violence in one of the books, she responded that students shouldn't be such "fragile little flowers", and should have expected it on a course about crime. I constantly regret not standing up and pointing out to her that I am not weak for wanting a warning before I read stuff like that -- I am, after all, someone who has been sexually assaulted -- and that "crime" does not and should not automatically mean "rape and torture". In all the other books we read for the course, it just meant murder. Anyway, that took my breath away, but the following week was even worse.

She told us that she was thinking about adding new books to the course, and asked for suggestions. This, as near as I can get it with an imperfect memory, is what she said: "Should I add more feminist crime novels? More female detectives? Gay and lesbian detectives? A black detective? A dog detective? A disabled detective -- no, that would be really scraping the barrel."

I am extremely tempted to package this book up and mail it to her with the words "Scraping the barrel?", except that they won't stick in her mind as they did in mine and doubtless in the minds of other disability-knowledgeable people.

This is a pretty smart book. It deals with the issues of its disabled protagonist without making him a superman. It deals with the reactions to him honestly. It deals with the idea of euthanasia and the protagonist's desire to go through with that -- and other people's reactions to that. It doesn't, so far as I could see, fetishise disability (there were one or two points where I went, "uh, y'what?", but they were minor quibbles) or diminish it. We get the details of Lincoln Rhyme's bodily needs in the same way as we get crime scene info.

It is a bit graphic in some places, but there's a sort of clinical tone that carried me through it, unlike in Val McDermid's work. As far as I can remember, thinking back through it, there isn't much sexual content, at least.

The thriller aspect, for me, took a backseat to my curiosity about Rhyme, the way he thought and felt, the way he dealt with the situation. I didn't work things out ahead of Rhyme, and I'm not sure you're meant to, though this isn't to make you feel stupid -- Sachs and the other people assisting Rhyme are also intelligent and sharp, just not in the same way. I think if you know the ending or have a mind like Rhyme's you could keep following the evidence, but I stuck to the human interactions...

In any case, I enjoyed reading it, and while I'm sure that there are quibbles to be had with the portrayal of disability, I thought it was a solid effort. And I think I will send an email to the lecturer I had for that module with some more feedback...

في بعض الأحيان لا يمكنك أن تكون كما كنت، كما قد لا يمكنك الحصول على ما كان لديك
لهذا قد تحتاج يوما: لغريب؛ذكي؛سيتحول لعينيك؛ ليديك؛و لابد ان تثق به كنفسك

المخلوق البشري مذهل للغاية،لكن تذكر دائما انه مجرد:{مخلوق}حيوان ضاحك،خطير؛ذكي خائف ، لكنه تصرفاته دايمآ {لسبب}لدافع: يدفع الوحش نحو رغباته

n   My #6 Read of 2014 n

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome - 5 Stars

I contemplated adding a few more Awesomes to the review heading but I didn't want to overdo it. I read this as part of Book Pal challenge in one of my Goodreads groups. I have a tendency to read crime and mystery fiction written outside of North America or by lesser known authors. Given that I am apparently some pretentious snob, I assume that the more popular an author is, the more watered down and crowd pleasing the story will be. Jeffery Deaver shattered that assumption with this book.

You don't need a plot summary from me or a long review. I know I am late to this party. At this point you have either seen the movie or read the book. Suffice to say, it is compelling read that fuses an exciting mystery while touching on some compelling social issues.

The story's protagonist is Lincoln Rhyme, a criminalist/Crime Scene Investigator/Forensic Expert. Years prior to the events of this story, he was injured at a crime scene and as a result, he is a quadriplegic. He has the movement of his head and neck as well as a single finger. He is called on to help solve a gruesome string of crimes and as result, comes to work with the responding officer and beat cop, Amelia Sachs.

Right from the outset, the book makes it clear that it is going to deal with some issues that contentions moral and social issues. Specifically, the issues surrounding assisted suicide. While this book was written in 1997, the issue is as contentious as is was in the days of Jack Kevorkian. Having lived my whole live in Canada near the border of Detroit, Michigan, I clearly recall the obsession with Jack Kevorkian a.k.a. Dr. Death and the ongoing discussion of assisted suicide. In the Bone Collector, we have a brilliant mind that is a locked within a body that cannot be used. In this novel, Lincoln Rhymes in on a quest to have his own suicide assisted and we are privy to the characters mindset and internal struggle in getting to that point. Neither the book nor the author make bold declarations as to whether there should be a "right to die" but it does give food for thought. Personally, I found this subplot to be fascinating and as equaling compelling as the main story line.

In addition to a well written story, the characters of Rhyme and Sachs are dynamite. They are both complex, well drawn and there is superb character development. The dynamic between the characters is unique as Sachs is essentially the eyes, ears and hands for Rhymes who can no longer walk a crime scene. There is great potential in this duo and I look forward to future novels.

If I have any complaint, it is that Rhymes is to "all knowing". He has a what seems to be an encyclopedic knowledge of just about everything but I was so engrossed in the story and the characters that I just didn't care.

Again, this novel is superb. If you enjoy strong characterization or great crime thriller plots, pick this one up today.

Content Advisories

It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations. When reviewing language, mild obscenities are words like, shit, hell or damn. Religious exclamations are words such as Christ or Jesus when used as profanity.

Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest

Sex - 1.5

There is some discussion about Rhymes desire and ability to engage is sex given his disability. There is some sexual tension but nothing graphic.

Language

Mild Obscenities - 122 F-Words - 87 Religion Exclamations - 42 Turns out there was far more adult language than I thought. I can say that in this one I did not seem as if there was as much language. It may have been that I was so taken up in reading the book that I did not notice adult language.

Violence - 3.5

There are multiple murders/attempts. Given the bad guy and his predilections, this could have been much more graphic. There are some graphic elements that some people will find disturbing but I would consider it to moderately graphic.

It's a page-turner, and to Deaver's credit, the extensive scenes about collecting and analyzing crime scene trace evidence rarely get boring.

Unfortunately, it's also pretty far-fetched. I'm willing to accept the elaborate murder methods, the exacting evidence collection, and the rapid clue-solving because they're the point of the novel. I accept that Lincoln Rhyme is a superhuman genius up against a larger-than-life serial killer because that's what makes this worth reading. I can ALMOST accept that all this happened in a day or two for the same reason.

But the killer is presented both as a psycho with a bone fetish and also as a man driven insane by trauma and personal vendetta, and the two personas don't quite match up. Then there's the climax (including a revelation whose essence I saw coming but whose details I didn't, which was a nice bit of misdirection), in which Lincoln Rhyme does something I still can't imagine being possible for a human being let alone a quadriplegic.

It's a good airplane book.