The Skin Collector (Lincoln Rhyme Series #11)

by Jeffery Deaver, Edoardo Ballerini (Narrated by)

Overview

In his classic thriller The Bone Collector, Jeffery Deaver introduced readers to Lincoln Rhyme-the nation's most renowned investigator and forensic detective.

Now, a new killer is on the loose: a criminal inspired by the Bone Collector. And Rhyme must untangle the twisted web of clues before the killer targets more victims-or Rhyme himself.

THE SKIN COLLECTOR

The killer's methods are terrifying. He stalks the basements and underground passageways of New York City. He tattoos his victims' flesh with cryptic messages, using a tattoo gun loaded with poison, resulting in an agonizing, painful death.

When a connection is made to the Bone Collector-the serial killer who terrorized New York more than a decade ago-Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are immediately drawn into the case.

Rhyme, Sachs, and the NYPD must race against time to answer the many questions the investigation uncovers: Whom will the killer attack next? What is the message behind the victims' tattoos? Does the killer's own inking—a fanged centipede sporting a woman's face—hold any significance? And what is his ultimate mission?

As time runs out, Rhyme discovers that the past has returned to haunt him in the most troubling way imaginable...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478983934
Publisher:	Blackstone Pub
Publication date:	05/13/2014
Series:	Lincoln Rhyme Series , #11
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Jeffery Deaver is the #1 international bestselling author of more than thirty novels, three collections of short stories, and a nonfiction law book. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He's received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world. A former journalist, folksinger, and attorney, he was born outside of Chicago and has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Fordham University. You can visit his website at www.JefferyDeaver.com.

Hometown:

Washington, D.C.

Date of Birth:

May 6, 1950

Place of Birth:

Chicago, Illinois

Education:

B.A., University of Missouri; Juris Doctor, cum laude, Fordham University School of Law

Website:

http://www.jefferydeaver.com/

Editorial Reviews

03/24/2014
In bestseller Deaver’s outstanding 11th Lincoln Rhyme novel (after 2013’s The Kill Room), the quadriplegic forensic expert and NYPD detective Amelia Sachs track artistic killer Billy Haven, whose weapon of choice is a poison-injecting American Eagle tattoo machine. Haven’s seemingly random attacks in the labyrinthine underground areas of Manhattan leave each of the victims with a cryptic tattoo. Meanwhile, Richard Logan (aka the infamous Watchmaker of 1997’s The Bone Collector, the first book in the series), has died in prison, and Rhyme hopes to learn more about him by having someone attend his funeral. In the chess match between Haven and Rhyme that ensues, Haven counters Rhyme’s moves by taking the offense, while the endgame remains in doubt to the end. Deaver proves himself a grandmaster of the genre as each surprise leads to an even bigger surprise, like a series of reverse Russian nesting dolls. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Outstanding...the endgame remains in doubt to the end. Deaver proves himself a grandmaster of the genre as each surprise leads to an even bigger surprise, like a series of reverse Russian nesting dolls."—Publishers Weekly — Starred Review

"Jeffery Deaver has brought a unique voice to the thriller genre, mixing high energy action into novels about a brilliant criminalist...Lincoln Rhyme has become one of the genre's most iconic characters."—South Florida Sun Sentinel

"Deaver's ability to tell the reader everything and still manipulate the story with diabolical twists is the sign of a master at work. Readers unfamiliar with Lincoln Rhyme will find a detective that rivals Sherlock Holmes, and fans will enjoy the familial and reflective aspects of previous cases."

—Associated Press

"Like all of his books, the storytelling is intricately plotted, with plenty of feints, misdirections and endgame twists to keep the reader guessing."—Raleigh News and Observer

"For those who have never read a Deaver book this is definitely the time to start. Once you are hooked you will find yourself searching for everything he has written in the past and that is plenty. He is one of the premiere writers of mysteries and each and every one of his books is a reading pleasure from beginning to end.
So get a copy of THE SKIN COLLECTOR and settle yourself in for hours of reading satisfaction."—Huffington Post

"Another suspenseful and twist-filled entry in this always-exciting series."—Booklist

"[A] page-turner full of Deaver's signature moves: frantic pacing, forensic minutiae, blindsides, gotchas and hairpin plot turns...a true return to classic form for Deaver."—Winnipeg Free Press

"'Deavotees' will expect and gratefully receive the many twists and sudden turns...No one is better at narrative misdirection. Just at the point you think "That's impossible!" Deaver demonstrates the exact opposite...Once again the depth of his research and characterisation has created a superb example of modern American Gothic."—The Evening Standard (UK)

"This is Deaver at his very best and not to be missed by any thriller fan."—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Kill Room - A "Best Summer Book of 2013"

"Chillingly effective...Jeffery Deaver's quadriplegic detective has never been better...Equal parts Marathon Man and top-notch political thriller, this is Deaver at the top of his game. Rhyme remains the most original hero in thriller fiction today who may have met his match in Swann. Not to be missed."—Providence Sunday Journal on The Kill Room

"Jeffery Deaver has written an ace thriller to keep readers guessing and gasping with his latest Lincoln Rhyme thriller, The Kill Room. A master magician with words, Deaver misdirects with one tale while what's really going on is just off the reader's radar...The numerous twists and turns in The Kill Room are so fast and furious that by the novel's end, the reader will be dizzy - and clamoring for more."—Associated Press

From the Publisher

"Jeffery Deaver has written an ace thriller to keep readers guessing and gasping with his latest Lincoln Rhyme thriller, The Kill Room. A master magician with words, Deaver misdirects with one tale while what's really going on is just off the reader's radar...The numerous twists and turns in The Kill Room are so fast and furious that by the novel's end, the reader will be dizzy - and clamoring for more."

Associated Press Staff

"Chillingly effective...Jeffery Deaver's quadriplegic detective has never been better...Equal parts Marathon Man and top-notch political thriller, this is Deaver at the top of his game. Rhyme remains the most original hero in thriller fiction today who may have met his match in Swann. Not to be missed."

Providence Sunday Journal on The Kill Room

2014-04-03
Even the genre's leading magician has his off days, as Deaver shows in this over-inventive yet highly derivative sequel to The Bone Collector (1997), The Cold Moon (2006) and quadriplegic criminalist Lincoln Rhyme's other adventures. Someone—OK, let's not be coy, someone named Billy Haven—has developed a new way to kill people as novel as it is repellent: poisonous tattoos. The first to benefit from Billy's artistry is aspiring actress Chloe Moore, lethally inscribed "The Second" in an underground passage beneath the boutique where she works. The NYPD's Amelia Sachs, Rhyme's longtime collaborator, foils an attack on visiting tourist Harriet Stanton, but IT whiz Samantha Levine, who isn't so lucky, ends up dying of a tattoo that reads "Forty." Why is an apparent fan of the Bone Collector scurrying through the elaborate system of tunnels beneath Manhattan and emerging to kill these inoffensive victims? Rhyme staves off boredom between the discoveries of the corpses by prepping Officer Ron Pulaski to masquerade as a mourner at the services for Richard Logan, the Watchmaker, after this connoisseur of timepieces and serial homicide suffers a fatal heart attack in prison. But a dead adversary can hold Rhyme's attention for only so long, and eventually he moves on to posing a highly pertinent question: Is his quarry yet another of the fiendish, interchangeable, solitary psychos who keep challenging his mettle, or are larger forces at work here? The author's many fans won't be surprised to hear that the answer is yes, no and sort of. Four false endings, which must be a record even for Deaver. It's reassuring to think that as the bad guys grow ever more ingenious, so does Rhyme. And indeed, so does Deaver, though not necessarily in such a good way.

Kirkus Reviews