The Burning Wire

I like this author's books particularly the Lincoln Rhyme novels. This one was interesting with a clever twist at the end. It came in good time and the product was in good condition, just as advertised.

Problems that I have encountered when reading crime novels include multiple characters who are poorly developed and confusing story lines, some of which are left unresolved. These complaints cannot be lodged against this novel. Author Jeffery Deaver carefully introduced his characters and followed through. And no plot components were left to die on the vine. Thus, I was able to enjoy this book, my first Deaver novel, although it is part of a long-standing series. This is the story of Lincoln Rhyme, a wheelchair-bound criminalist. His paralysis resulted from an injury suffered while working as an NYPD detective; now he has a successful private practice, and often works in conjunction with the NYPD. Rhyme has tough physical challenges due to his paralysis and his spirits are low. At the same time he is a brilliant detective who works with outstanding assistants to meticulously analyze clues. The central story involves the use of electricity as a murder weapon and a means of terrorizing New York. I gained a lot of insight about how pervasive electricity is in our life and how it is channeled through the city. Deaver leaves little to the imagination; he painstakingly explains new developments. I liked the charts he included which summarized the evidence that was uncovered and to whom the evidence points. I found the book to be both entertaining and informative, a rare combination in crime fiction. It's obvious that Deaver did his homework and carefully constructed this novel. Highly recommended.

This is another Lincoln Rhyme novel by the master. It can stand alone. However, for the uninitiated, Lincoln Rhyme is a quadraplegic CSI master who consults with the NYPD after his career was ended in an accident at a crime scene. He has a protege in the lovely (and love interest) Amelia Sachs who acts as his eyes at crime scenes. He also has a kick-butt crime lab in his Manhattan brownstone and a cadre of associates who help him solve the crimes. If you like the CSI series on TV, you will love this series. The best part of the series, however, is that in every one, Mr. Deaver gives the reader an education. Books have given in-depth lessons in people smuggling, bones, magic, clock-making and the like. Electricity is this book's topic. Mr. Deaver weaves these specialties into intricate murder plots that keeps the perpetrator ahead until the last minute. There is constant action and reaction from start to finish. BURNING WIRE combines two plots at the outset. The "Watchmaker", Rhyme's nemesis from a few novels ago, has been spotted in Mexico. He is asked by the Mexican authorities to assist in the criminal mastermind's apprehension. At the same time, someone has ingeniously infiltrated the power grid of Manhattan. He is able to cause an arc that decimates a signpost, killing an innocent bystander. By the next day, he is causing other electrocutions around Manhattan and Rhyme has to work both cases at once. Rhyme and his supporting cast are well-established characters. Even if this is the first Rhyme book for you, you will find they have depth and unique personalities. Deaver does enough to introduce them without being tedious to devoted readers. There is one criticism of this book that is fair. It is the same formula that Mr. Deaver has used successfully in the past - a series of murders with Amelia "walking the grids" of the crime scene for Lincoln Rhyme. That being said, the formula works and the murders here are so different from prior workds that it makes the formula secondary to the plot. THis is highly recommended for those who know Lincoln Rhyme and those who have not yet read him. One warning for the uninitiated - you'll be going back to the old ones in order.

LATEST, THE 9TH book in the lincoln rhyme series, is wonderful, excited, twisty, and fun to read..everything you need to know about ELECTRICITY..and you will never guess where this plot is going..keeps you on the edge of your seat...and hear my interview with JEFFERY DEAVER on [...]....HE talks about the new JAMES BOND book...and he is writing it....COOL

Readers (and for that matter moviegoers) familiar with Deaver's earlier work, particularly "The Bone Collector" will be delighted at the return of Lincoln Rhyme. There is simply no other major character in a thriller series like Lincoln Rhyme. A brillant forensic criminologist (who just happens to be a quadriplegic) Rhyme's assembles a crack team of investigators (including Amelia Sachs)to deal with the sabotage of an electricity grid substation, the subsequent lethal explosion and the threat of further, similiar acts of terror. At the same time Lincoln is deeply involved in tracking down an old adversary, an asassin known as the "Watchman". Deavers main gift as a writer is an ability to show the intricacies of a detailed complex investigation, including a substantial amount of fascinating background information without letting the story pace suffer. The subtleties of characterization are secondary to the action line. In saying this, I do NOT mean to suggest they are simple cardboard figures. I mean the underlying success of this book is the driving urgency of the plot. Although a long time fan of Lincoln Rhyme another Deaver character, Kathryn Dance, comes in a very close second to him. If you have not already met her I highly recommend the previous two Kathryn Dance books The Sleeping Doll: A Novel and the most recent Roadside Crosses: A Kathryn Dance Novel. I have read that the Deaver's next novel will feature her as the main character. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to all thriller lovers. The book would translate effortlessly onto the Big Screen just as the "Bone Collector" did, fingers crossed to seeing in on a movie marquee in the future. My only question, who would play Lincoln? Would Denzil reprise the role? Two other great summer thriller reads: Caught, not Myron Bolitar but absolutely terrific. If you are a Jack Reacher fan, try Lee Child's newest 61 Hours: A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher Novels). Enjoy the read!