The Cutting Edge

Starred review from February 26, 2018
At the start of Thriller Award–winner Deaver’s stellar 14th Lincoln Rhyme novel (after 2017’s The Burial Hour), William Sloane and Anna Markam, an engaged couple, enter the jewelry store of Jatin Patel, a master diamond cutter who works in Manhattan’s diamond district, to pick up a ring. Unfortunately, a gunman wearing a ski mask is right behind them. After the intruder shoots William and Anna dead, he tortures and kills Jatin with a box-cutter. Vimal Lahori, an employee, arrives at the store, takes a shot in the side from the killer, and manages to escape. Rhyme and his usual team—Det. Lon Sellitto of the NYPD, lover Amelia Sachs, patrol officer Ron Pulaski, and lab expert Mel Cooper—investigate. The tension rises as Vimal tries to stay hidden, the killer hunts more victims, and the media receive a note from “The Promisor” threatening the deaths of more engaged couples. Deaver keeps the twists and surprises coming in this roller-coaster ride of a thriller. Five-city author tour. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents.

Deaver's fourteenth mystery to feature detectives Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs is set in Manhattan's Diamond District, where a sadistic killer is ruining wedding plans. The cast of characters is large, and narrator Edoardo Ballerini deftly gives each of them a nuanced voice, which helps the listener stay oriented as the plot grows increasingly complex. Ballerini relies on an impressive array of accents--Indian, Russian, British, and, of course, New York cop--mostly with success, though his South African falls a bit short. While not without suspense, the plot twists are more frustrating than genuinely surprising. Nonetheless, it should appeal to fans of the genre, though brides-to-be should forgo listening. D.B. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine