Scan barcode
A review by book_concierge
The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver
4.0
Patrol Officer Amelia Sachs comes across a body, and takes the initiative to secure the crime scene. Lincoln Rhyme, several years after the on-duty injury that paralyzed him, is waiting to meet the doctor who will finally help him … to kill himself. Their paths intersect in this case because Rhyme is still the best criminalist the New York Police Department has ever had. He uses Sachs to be his legs, eyes, ears, nose, as he coaches her in evidence recovery.
The pace is quick and Deaver doesn’t give the reader (or his protagonists) time to breathe. The time frame is only one weekend … from Friday at 10:30pm to Monday at 10:00pm. The action alternates between the killer and his deteriorating mental condition, and the police who are struggling to interpret the clues with which the Bone Collector taunts them.
Deaver creates a criminal who is brilliant, methodical, evil, and lucky … too lucky. When I sit back and look at the events over this short time frame, it just doesn’t seem possible that he could accomplish all he does; towards the end I found myself thinking “Really?” more often than not. Still Deaver kept me turning pages, and I was definitely surprised at the reveal. (NOTE: If, like me, you have previously seen the movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, but have not read the book – get rid of those images in your head. The book is quite different – from the description of the characters, to the identity of the killer.)
But I love how Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are portrayed and develop through the book. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series and to watching how Deaver reveals their growing relationship.
The pace is quick and Deaver doesn’t give the reader (or his protagonists) time to breathe. The time frame is only one weekend … from Friday at 10:30pm to Monday at 10:00pm. The action alternates between the killer and his deteriorating mental condition, and the police who are struggling to interpret the clues with which the Bone Collector taunts them.
Deaver creates a criminal who is brilliant, methodical, evil, and lucky … too lucky. When I sit back and look at the events over this short time frame, it just doesn’t seem possible that he could accomplish all he does; towards the end I found myself thinking “Really?” more often than not. Still Deaver kept me turning pages, and I was definitely surprised at the reveal. (NOTE: If, like me, you have previously seen the movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, but have not read the book – get rid of those images in your head. The book is quite different – from the description of the characters, to the identity of the killer.)
But I love how Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are portrayed and develop through the book. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series and to watching how Deaver reveals their growing relationship.