Jeffery Deaver

A killer flees the scene of a homicide at a prestigious Manhattan music school and locks himself in a classroom. Within minutes, the police have him surrounded. Then a scream rings out, followed by a gunshot. The police break down the door. The room is empty. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are brought in to help with the high-profile investigation. For the ambitious Sachs, solving the case could earn her a promotion. For the quadriplegic Rhyme, it means relying on his prot�g�e to ferret out a master illusionist they've dubbed 'the conjurer', who baits them with gruesome murders that become more diabolical with each fresh crime. As the fatalities rise and the minutes tick down, Rhyme and Sachs must move beyond the smoke and mirrors to prevent a terrifying act of vengeance that could become the greatest vanishing act of all.

The Vanished Man

Hunting down a killer and master illusionist whose first of several brutal murders took place at a prestigious New York music school, investigator Lincoln Rhyme and his protégée, Amelia Sachs, work together to prevent a terrifying act of vengeance. Reprint.

A Lincoln Rhyme Novel

Siya S

★★★☆☆ 3.5 it's-been-great-but-it's-time-to-move-on stars 


Well. I think this is it. I've been reading 5 Lincoln Rhyme books in a row, and I can sense the decline around this one. I guess I should just leave here, when everything about this series remains awesome in my mind. However, if I'm being honest, I think after book 3, the rest of the series can be read as a standalone just fine. 

The theme of this book, Revered Audience, is magic. 


I love the idea of a murderer who happened to be a professional illusionist with plenty of tricks up his sleeves. Alas, it was ruined by too many subplots and too little gory details. I miss the same uneasiness, the shock that The Bone Collector had brought and strangled all of us with violence and thrilled like a noose around our neck. I miss it so much because it's all gone!!

What we had instead was like, 5000 different other subplots throwing into this one elaborated. The thing with the Patriot Assembly bored me to death. Guess I didn't care one bit about NYC politics and all that as well. I mean, if we could wipe out that part of the story altogether, that'd be great (but then again, with the theme of this book, it actually plays a great part in making the whole book came together smoothly). And I wish (ok this is bad, but it's fiction, right?) there was more murders going on because I thought the first two crimes committed by The Conjurer was so damn good. It was The Bone Collector kind of good, with the same The Coffin Dancer kind of thrill. 

Anyway, Mr. Deaver has never disappointed me in the characters department. I freaking love Kara. She reminded me so much of myself, with her mother being sick and all. The part about Lon went through a diet program was also pretty hilarious. And it's great to see Roland Bell again in this book. I mean, I love all the characters and I care about them like they're my friends or something. I guess that's what a great book series such as this does to you. 

So I'll stop here. It's been a great read. I had so much fun getting to know all the characters and see Rhyme and Sachs walked side by side fighting crimes, one piece of evidence at a time. I hope to come back to Rhyme and Sachs again, but I guess...not so soon. My TBR pile is ever-growing and I must move on!

The Vanished Man

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