From Goodreads: This return engagement
for quadriplegic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme is strong on forensic
details as he tracks an elusive assassin known only by the tattoo that
gives this fast-paced thriller its title.
Three witnesses to a
murder could put a millionaire arms dealer behind bars for good. When
one of them, the co-owner of Hudson Air, is blown up in a plane bombing
with the Dancer's fingerprints all over it, the FBI takes the other
witnesses into protective custody. Only Rhyme can decipher a crime
scene, read the residue of a bombing or identify a handful of dirt well
enough to keep up with the killer. Helped by Amelia Sachs, his
brilliant and able-bodied assistant, Rhyme traces the Dancer through
Manhattan streets, airports and subways. The psychological tension
builds rapidly from page one all the way through to the stunning and
unexpected denouement. At the same time, Jeffery Deaver slowly develops
the against-all-odds love affair between Rhyme and Sachs.
Thoughts: This is the second book in Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series and it was totally enjoyable. An easy read (took me just over a day), it's fast paced and keeps the reader interested. As the series progresses it will be interesting to see if Rhyme mellows a bit or if he stays the gruff, short-tempered potential arsehole he has been so far. I'm not sure which option I prefer. I think there is a danger of him becoming a caricature of the second if there is no mellowing. On the other hand, if he mellows too much he'll become boring!
As with all good crime/ thriller novels, there is a twist at the end. At first I was a bit incredulous of the twist, found it a bit hard to swallow, but Deaver's writing soon had me not really caring as he swept you along in the break neck speed of the end game. Then when it was further explained, I was ok - still fairly far fetched, but let's face it, it's a book not real life we're dealing with here.
From Goodreads: Lincoln Rhyme was once a
brilliant criminologist, a genius in the field of forensics -- until an
accident left him physically and emotionally shattered. But now a
diabolical killer is challenging Rhyme to a terrifying and ingenious
duel of wits. With police detective Amelia Sachs by his side, Rhyme must
follow a labyrinth of clues that reaches back to a dark chapter in New
York City's past -- and reach further into the darkness of the mind of a
madman who won't stop until he has stripped life down to the bone.
Thoughts: A couple of posts back I was lamenting the difficulty in finding a new crime author to sink my teeth into. I love a good crime series, something I can return to and catch up with the same characters. I love Val McDermid's Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series, I've read all the Kathy Reichs Temperance Brennan series and while not a series, I devour Minette Walters.
I knew about Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, I've even read The Bone Collector before, a long time ago and thought maybe this is what I was looking for - and I was right!
What I want more than anything in a crime novel is the need to keep turning the page - to have to know what happens next and Deaver delivers in spades. I am now eager to see how Rhyme and Sachs develop, how their relationship grows and changes.
Reading this straight after reading Minette Walter's Acid Row also has lead me to reflect on the differences between American and British crime fiction. Straight up, I cannot remember ever reading any American crime fiction that does not have a least one (if not multiple) deaths by gun shot. The gun culture in America is so entrenched I'm not sure an American crime novel without guns would be believable. Body counts in American novels also tend to be higher, with the deaths usually more violent. I also find American crime novels are more action based - car chases, chaotic crime scenes. The British tend to deal more with suspense and analysis. I'm not saying one is better than the other - both can be equally good and bad - but I do find it interesting that I find it a lot harder to find an American series that sustains my interest. Hopefully I have found it in Lincoln Rhyme series.
