I absolutely love Jeffery Deaver, his writing style just keeps you hooked and makes you think of the book even when you aren't reading it.

I never watched the film for this book and I am so glad that I didn't as I don't think that it could live up to what my imagination went through while I was reading this book. The twists and turns in this book were not what I expected at all, the characters and settings are so well described you can close your eyes and picture yourself watching them, seeing exactly what they are doing.

I have read other Jeffery Deaver books before but thought I'd finally read this one, I have been meaning to read it for awhile and just couldn't wait any longer (also helped that I had a great reading buddy to enjoy the experience with), if you haven't read any Jeffery Deaver books then I would recommend this one, not just because it is the introduction of Lincoln Rhyme (who is just an amazing character) but because it sends you on a journey while reading it, one that no film could ever compare too and I don't really think anyone could explains what happens in the book and make it as good as it is.

I will always love his books and his writing style, to me it is like no one else, I can easily read his books so quickly, because they are fast paced and they make you want to read on, make you want to miss some sleep just so you can read some more of it.

Hopefully my enthusiastic review will make you want to read this book if you haven't before, and if you have watched the film, I would still recommend reading the book as to me films just cant capture what a book can do!

The 1st book in the excellent Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffery Deaver.
I had already watched the film previously but this did not detract from the book.

4.5 Stars

I've read several of novels in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme Series, but never The Bone Collector. Here we meet the brilliant, impatient, and rude Criminologist.

Lincoln Rhyme was a genius in Forensics when he worked for NYPD until a serious accident left him a cripple (Rhyme's word). He can move everything above his shoulders and his left pinkie finger. He has lost interest in everything and is awaiting a doctor that may give him what he's been praying for - help to kill himself. The doctor is late and a former colleague stops by his brownstone about noon on a Friday with a horrific case. Rhyme can't himself. He's hooked.

His bedroom becomes a war room of detectives and forensic equipment. They must catch Unsub 823 before he kills again. The only clues they have are the ones that "the bone collector" leaves. The evidence points to another victim and place without much time to save the innocent soul.

Amelia Sachs is his eyes and legs. She walks the grid of each crime scene. And she really doesn't want to. She'd rather be anywhere and she doesn't particularly like the former detective. When she goes to a supervisor about Rhyme and what she's doing, the Feds come and jerk the case. Oops. But the case returns to Rhyme and his team and now it's a race to stop "the bone collector."

I really enjoyed the book and it's so much different than the movie, thank goodness. The pace of the novel is heart pounding fast for both the reader and characters. The novel only covers the weekend and into Monday. So I was surprised that the characters were so well developed. And I loved that we got to see "the bone collector's" POV. Deaver uses italics when we see him and delve into his deteriorating mind. This villain is intelligent and deliciously evil. And I love Lincoln Rhyme the most! And I thank Deaver for giving us a complex flawed protagonist who just happens to be disabled.

Well, it was certainly better than the movie...but not by nearly as comfortable a margin as I would have expected. What's surprising is just how far-fetched and borderline ridiculous so much of this novel is. Despite the fact that author Jeffery Deaver obviously did his research down to the slightest detail, very little of the plot comes across as even remotely believable. The last fifty pages made my eyes hurt from rolling them so much. My favorite thing about THE BONE COLLECTOR is that the main detective character is quadriplegic--a very creative notion and certainly a first for the genre. But Deaver ruins it by somehow managing to make him completely unsympathetic despite his handicap. He also grants him such a vast array of collected knowledge and superhuman powers of deduction that he could probably out-fox Sherlock Holmes. And when you invent a character who can solve crimes better than Sherlock Holmes, that's when you know you went too far. And if you think that his being a quadriplegic jackass will stop him from getting the girl in the end...well, just you wait and see. THE BONE COLLECTOR was entertaining (though way too CSI-heavy for my taste), but its cheesy dialog and overall implausibility make me more likely to dump my ragged, old copy in the wastebasket rather than give it away to one of my friends or coworkers.

Listening to for the second time - I wish I hadn't bothered!

Previously read as paper back (pre-2010), listened to audio - 3-Stars - January 2002

I have a number of unheard Lincoln Rhyme audiobooks, so I thought I would re-listen to the first of the series before moving on.
I was disappointed with the Rhyme character (his general rudeness and grouchiness, to any and all) and I didn't much enjoy the narration by Jeff Harding.
Audiobook 12:48 hours - DNF at 2:30 hours

Mr Deaver is a clever author who writes in depth murder thrillers. No fault to be found with The Bone Collector and worthy of all the stars. 10 of 10 stars

According the number of feathers I found in my yard Sunday, a neighborhood cat stalked, caught and killed what appeared to be a seagull. Its feathers looked like a gull and I’m close to Matanzas Bay and although not an expert on birds, I can surely identify a gull’s feathers.

As I was inspecting the ‘crime scene’ I looked at my feet and thought, “oh my God, I’m contaminating the scene of the crime!” I don’t think I’ll ever look at such scenes the same after reading about Lincoln Rhyme’s keen eye for evidence even though he’s a quadriplegic. His reluctant ‘sidekick’ is a beautiful patrolwoman, soon to be moved to public affairs. Simply not beautiful but model (which she was) gorgeous.

My friend Sandy is passing Jeffery Deaver books to me regularly saying you’ve got to read him and I thought I had but no, this is my first Deaver but certainly not my last.

Deaver’s storyline was exceptional and his characters, including Rhyme, were top notch. I felt as though I knew them, knew them well.

Although I’m not one to try to figure out the ‘who dun it’ I was about three quarters though, and I’m thinking the guy has to be a character already introduced. Came up with a zero guess though.

It would be my guess that Deaver read Sherlock Holmes over and over because Rhyme’s sleuthing abilities reminds me of Holmes, with Holmes flat on his back, of course.

Some of Deaver’s favorite writers/poets which I found on his Web site are: J.R.R. Tolkien, Mark Helprin, Saul Bellow, John Updike, Ian Fleming, Gabriel Marquez, John LeCarre, Thomas Harris, Rober Heinlein, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle(no surprise), John Cheever, John Fowles, Robert Frost, Kenneth Robeson, Harper Lee, Truman Capote and Theodore White. Quite a list of authors but few surprises.

Deaver has been nominated for seven Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America, an Anthony Award and a Gumshoe Award. I tend towards reading Edgar Award nominees and winners. That list just seems to be getting longer because the bar seems to be setting higher and higher each year. Writers are getting better and better with more intricate storylines and well-drawn characters which are a must for readers. (I must add that for as many good/great writers, there are an equal number of not so good writing, due in part, to self publishing of ebooks, I believe.)

And surprise, folks, I have another protagonist to put on my list of series I’m reading, Detective (retired) Lincoln Rhyme and gratefully, there are only six or so. I say greatfully because I’m running quite a few series and characters I’m reading, checking them off one by one, slowly but surely. I've read some more than others. For instance I can only read Vachss infrequently because of the subject and his writing which is very vivid and strong with a sensative subject.

Here’s my updated latest list:
•tRaymond Chandler (Philip Marlowe),
•tMichael Connelly (Harry Bosch)
•tRobert B. Parker (Spenser)
•tRoss Macdonald (Lew Archer)
•tJohn Lescroart (Dismas Hardy)
•tJohn Sandford (Virgil Flowers/Lucas Davenport)
•tEd McBain (Matthew Hope)
•tLawrence Block (Matthew Scudder)
•tAndrew Vachss (Burke)
•tSara Parasky (Victoria Iphigenia "V. I. or Vic" Warshawski)
•tJeffery Deaver (Lincoln Rhyme)

I need to do myself a favorite and just stop adding authors/protags to the list and finish up the ones I’ve already started. Anyone have any ideas on how I should go about doing that, let me know. Or I could just stop it and determine that I'm reading a series to the end. I love anticipating the reading of any one of these guys, the characters; no the guys are real to me!

At the beginning of this book, I wondered if it would really be possible for Deaver to take a quadraplegic who is planning suicide and make him into a credible main character. I'm still not sure how he accomplished it, but Lincoln Rhyme turned out to be a great hero. I really liked his character, even when he was grumpy and ill tempered. I enjoyed seeing him open up to others again as he became involved in the investigation. I felt very sympathetic toward him when he showed vulnerability in how others, especially Amelia, received him.

I wasn't too certain of how much I would like Amelia when she was so obviously against helping with Lincoln's investigation and caused it to be taken over by the FBI. In her defense, she was only trying to make certain that she was able to report to her new assignment and had no idea that there would be any repercussions to the investigation. From the beginning, I thought that she was a strong character, and when she turned up with the evidence that the FBI had taken, I began to like her immensely. I enjoyed the dynamics between Lincoln and Amelia and thought that they made a great team.

Several of the minor characters were also very interesting, and I thought the storyline was extremely gripping. The book was action packed and I could not put it down. I found the story to be very suspenseful, and it kept me guessing until the end. I had no idea of the identity of the serial killer until it was revealed. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series, as I can't wait to see what happens to Lincoln and Amelia next.

This book is taking me longer to read because I am enjoying looking up criminologist terms I do not know. This helps with the proper pronunciation and function of the word. I saw this movie a long time ago starring Denzel Washington as Lincoln Rhyme and was fascinated with the technology and science. But, reading about it is slow going.

The entire NYPD and eventually the FBI is looking for the Bone Collector. He is a madman living out a fantasy from another century. The rat scene with Morella was horrible. Amela Sachs has been pulled into the field of forensics. She is getting better at walking the gird (crime scene). As for Lincoln Rhyme, for a man who only has use of his mind, one finger, head, and shoulders, he has it going on. What can I say? A mind is a terrible thing to waste and Lincoln Rhyme is not wasting his. Education Counts.

Quotes:
Sellitto said delicately, "Borrowing federal evidence is one thing. Destroying it? I don't know 'bout that, Lincoln. If there's a trial ...."

She continued quickly, "I only took that call this morning because someone was home sick. I didn't plan on it." "Yes, well I had other plans too," Lincoln Rhyme said, "Now, let's look at some evidence."

"Cover you? Wait a minute. I don't do that."

4,5
This forensic thriller story was dark and often disgustingly vivid and horrendous but at the same time it was exciting and a real page turner. All the elaborate details of the crime scenes and the whole collecting the physical evidence process never got boring.

The characters were okay. My favourite was Lincoln's caretaker Thom. He and Rhyme have a weirdly respectful and sarcastic friendship?-work?ship? It was understandable why Rhyme was difficult and hard to please but Thom handled him extremely well.

Oh, but how marvellous would it be to have a brain like our criminologist Lincoln has...also, sarcastic curmudgeonly types of characters are always right up my alley!

Some things, especially the motives of the killer were a little bit too far fetched for me but still intriguing, because the main focus here is on the technical parts of the crime investigation and not the psychological parts that spur our culprit so I wasn't too harsh in my rating.

5 STARS!
Wow! That was an intense book that I hard a hard time putting down. I don't know what took me so long to pick up this book, but I am really glad I did. This was like a modern day Sherlock Holmes. At first I was worried that I wouldn't like Lincoln Rhyme and wasn't sure how this would work out, but I loved the interaction between Rhyme and Amelia (she was his legs). In the beginning the forensic information was close to overload, but about 1/3 of the way through, it got less technical and much more enjoyable. The twist was quite good and unexpected. Overall, I found another great crime-fiction series that I can't wait to continue.

4.5

Devo decisamente rivalutare i thriller che ho letto fino ad ora, questo è di un altro livello.