The Steel Kiss

January 18, 2016
Bestseller Deaver’s clever 12th Lincoln Rhyme novel (after 2014’s The Skin Collector) finds the forensic expert no longer working for the NYPD. But Rhyme’s lover, NYPD Major Cases detective Amelia Sachs, could use his help. She was chasing a murder suspect in a Brooklyn department store when she stopped to deal with a bizarre, fatal elevator accident. The lawyer for the wife of the man who was crushed in the elevator’s gears wants Rhyme to assist in a difficult civil suit. Meanwhile, the suspect, a cunning killer, plots more attacks that employ ingenious ways to subvert modern technology. Entertaining subplots focus on the release from prison of Sachs’s lover before Rhyme, Nick Carelli, who served time for robbery and assault; a private mission undertaken by Patrolman Ron Pulaski, a former protégé of Rhyme’s; and the travails of Rhyme’s new protégé, intern Juliette Archer. Convincing characters and an unexpected closing twist will remind readers why Deaver is one of today’s top thriller writers. Author tour. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents.

Quadriplegic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme and his partner, Amelia Sachs, return in this story, which finds them pitted against another punctilious killer. Narrator Edoardo Ballerini is perfectly in tune with the Rhyme character, emphasizing the detective's great intellect and questionable people skills with his pointed delivery, while not suppressing the wit in the writing. His voicing of the other characters is full of subtleties that contribute to a thrilling listen, particularly his depiction of the killer, who presents a convincing picture of a sad loner with a terrifying mission. This is a typical Jeffrey Deaver tale, filled with interwoven plots that can send the listener's mind off in completely the wrong direction, and Ballerini ensures that the end result is a thoroughly gripping listen. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine