The Bone Collector

I probably should have paid more attention to the title. I'm not a fan of grisly serial killer novels, and haven't read one since Silence of the Lambs in the early 90s. I really enjoyed a crime/mystery short story by Jeffrey Deaver and sought out a full novel. The Bone Collector is well written, pacy and compulsive with well-drawn characters. But there is a distinct gruesomeness that doesn't appeal to me. I will probably read another book in the series simply because this one was so well written (though the final pages let it down). Recommended with caveats.

Great gut-punch of an opening! And the entirety of Part I, “King for a Day” is pretty damn good!

“The bone collector was going hunting.” Whoo wee, is he ever! I really got into this book! The character of Lincoln Rhyme is very interesting! A brilliant criminologist who is a quadriplegic, confined to a wheelchair. But that mind! Aided by detective Amelia Sachs, and a team of others, he goes about tracking down a madman, while dealing with a type of madness within himself. This is a good read, thrilling, and it kept me guessing all the way to the little bitty ending. And the final fight at the end? Damn! I definitely enjoyed it enough to want to read the next one!

p.s. - this copy also included a short story - "Captivated". It was show more decent, but felt familiar, as if I'd read it before. Based on it alone, I did not feel the need to read the included excerpt of a book about the same character. Just didn't appeal. show less

Creepy yet fascinating it takes forensic crime stories to a new level

It's not often a character like Lincoln Rhyme is created. Paralyzed from the neck down, his encyclopedic brain coughs up remarkable forensic and historical elements associated with the crime. Battling with his inner demon, he's focused on ending his life until the bone collector surfaces in the form of a cab driver. A tour de force, the story engages at many levels and like all well crafted mysteries explodes with momentum towards the end. Having seen the Denzel Washington film, the book adds more depth, details, victims, characters and forensic crime solving details making it a more evocative experience. As it turns out, the screenplay flip flops the ethnicity of show more both Lincoln Rhyme and his caretaker and like many films, leaves out important plot elements. Regardless, Jeffrey Deaver is a master crime novelist and worth reading. show less

Overall, very enjoyable read! I think this book's strongest asset besides the intrigue of the main character, Lincoln Rhyme, a retired forensic criminalist and now quadriplegic, is Deaver's impeccable pacing and nitty gritty sensibilities. The plot I found only a tad cliche but there was enough originality with Rhyme's backstory as well as charming and realistic enough dialogue and procedure that I didn't mind. Twist was decent, saw it coming a little over halfway through but I still was only 50/50 if my guess was correct—which is exactly where you want to be when reading a mystery thriller, in my opinion. Additionally, the descriptions from the unsub's point of view were chilling and gruesome to an appropriate amount for my personal show more taste, enough to get my blood pumping without making it too visceral. Really had me scrambling to every next page.

My only gripe would be Amelia Sach's description. She is off the jump described as very attractive among other qualities, which I was like sure, but then her attractiveness is brought up constantly throughout the rest of the book. It was like Deaver felt the need to add "and she's hot" after every passage involving her, as if a woman of her confidence and intelligence is not interesting enough to stand on her own. No, she must also be a ten. AND she is into cars. I couldn't help but laugh a little. However, Deaver fleshes her character out decently enough that I will partially forgive the male gaze-y faux pas. And I can't deny that her and Rhyme's chemistry is captivating and gave me second-hand butterflies. Regardless, I love thrillers, especially ones that lean into the forensic/criminology side of things, and The Bone Collector delivered. I plan on checking out the next book in the series. show less

This crime thriller is claustrophobic in so many ways. Much of the action takes place in Lincoln Rhyme's bedroom as he lies in bed. Lincoln Rhyme is a quadriplegic, or a 'crip' as he constantly says in the book. The bedroom becomes a lab and nerve centre of a fast-paced search for a killer. The killer works in basements and dark places and, when we aren't racing through the streets of New York, this is where we are, along with the rats and packs of dogs. There are no shortage of acronyms (there is a handy list at the back) and words that are shortened in this tough talking novel. The story was simple enough until the end when the twists and turns almost left me behind. Some interesting details.

My first book with a crippled protagonist - a quadriplegic which I was not aware of when i picked up this book.. Even though this novel was written way back, it is still having that peculiar ability to tickle the readers to speculate of what's coming next. And the way the author had carried Lincoln Rhyme is wonderful - made me feel for him literally. This novel brought me live the crime scenes and it's ability to break it down to its fine detail. A whirl winding experience..

Outstanding thriller; the first of the Lincoln Rhyme series. Deaver sets up and develops the characters beautifully as they try to chase down a killer whose delights seem to lie equally in complicated murder schemes and in tweaking the police who are trying to stop him.