The Skin Collector (Lincoln Rhyme Series #11)

by Jeffery Deaver Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini

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...

Editorial Reviews

MAY 2014 - AudioFile

Lincoln Rhyme, Deaver’s quadriplegic detective, returns to track down a killer with a fascination for skin. Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, this audiobook has all the twists and surprises typical of the series, and Ballerini carries listeners from start to finish, maintaining a steady pace. The core cast, both the familiar lead characters and the new ones, are brought masterfully to life through subtle and effective portrayals. Character differentiation helps the listener follow the dialogue and keep on track with the plot as it weaves its intricate path. Ballerini draws out the tension, giving fuel to the listener's imagination. His seemingly effortless delivery is ideally suited to a story that centers on a highly introverted hero. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

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)

From the Publisher

"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

"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

"Not even the brilliant Rhyme can foresee the shocking twists the case will take in this electrically charged thriller."—Publishers Weekly, (Starred Review) on The Burning Wire

"A taut psychological thriller from a masterful crime writer, proving Deaver just gets better with each new novel."—June 2010 Indie Next List Great Reads list on The Burning Wire

"This eighth novel featuring quadriplegic forensic expert Lincoln Rhyme is one of Deaver's best...Deaver has outdone himself."—The Globe and Mail on The Broken Window

"Deaver's scarily believable depiction of identity theft in a total-surveillance society stokes our paranoia. A -."—Entertainment Weekly on The Broken Window

"One of the most unnerving of Deaver's eight novels featuring his quadriplegic forensic detective, Lincoln Rhyme."—New York Times on The Broken Window

"Rhyme is one of the mystery genre's most interesting and out-of-the-ordinary series leads...As always, Deaver's dialogue is exceptionally realistic, and his plotting is devilishly intricate. Recommended for fans of the Rhyme novels (naturally) and readers who like their thrillers laced with wit and sharp characterizations."—Booklist on The Broken Window

Providence Sunday Journal on The Kill Room

"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."

Associated Press Staff

"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."

MAY 2014 - AudioFile

Lincoln Rhyme, Deaver’s quadriplegic detective, returns to track down a killer with a fascination for skin. Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, this audiobook has all the twists and surprises typical of the series, and Ballerini carries listeners from start to finish, maintaining a steady pace. The core cast, both the familiar lead characters and the new ones, are brought masterfully to life through subtle and effective portrayals. Character differentiation helps the listener follow the dialogue and keep on track with the plot as it weaves its intricate path. Ballerini draws out the tension, giving fuel to the listener's imagination. His seemingly effortless delivery is ideally suited to a story that centers on a highly introverted hero. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

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.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170175895
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	05/13/2014
Series:	Lincoln Rhyme Series , #11
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,018,476

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