The Bone Collector by Jeffery DeaverMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jacket Blurb: 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.
Read as an audio book.
A new to me series that I stumbled across either on Audible or Goodreads. At first, the narrator's intonation was disconcerting. He sounded like a computer generated voice and I kept checking my iPod to make sure I hadn't hit a "talk faster" button by accident (if something like that even exists). Nope. Just how this fellow came across. After a bit, I was able to settle into the story.
I enjoyed this quite a bit (once I moved past the how the narrator sounded). The protagonist Lincoln Rhyme was so refreshingly different from other "detectives" and mystery/thrillers that I've read. Writing from the point of view of a former detective now quadriplegic was so engaging for me - again, it was different. So very different.
Amelia Sachs. Conflicted, beautiful Amelia Sachs. This is one trope the author didn't escape - our beautiful tall, thin, leggy, long-haired red-head who wants to follow in the footsteps of her father, but found it wasn't for her. Now she's thrust into Rhyme's world of forensic evidence and she's not liking that either. She has her flaws, which Rhyme picks up on right away.
Using Sachs to work the crime scenes, Lincoln directs an assorted cast of characters from his bedroom. He is demanding, expecting no less than perfection from everyone, and exacting. Lincoln has a temper, has forgotten how to be contrite or polite, and learns a few things from Amelia over the course of the case.
The book does have the obligatory moment when the FBI steps in, where I briefly thought...Oh no, not the traditional "butting heads" with another agency, which ended up serving the purpose of introducing FBI agent Fred Delray. He came in like a bull in a china shop, took over the case, and the resolution was unconventional to say the least. I suspect he'll be back in the next book.
To sum up, once I move passed the narrator sounding like a computer, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was refreshingly different and I intend to read the next in the series. Recommended.
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