The Coffin Dancer (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jeffery Deaver (Author) "When Edward Carney said good-bye to his wife, Percey, he never thought it would be the last time he'd see her..." (more)
Key Phrases: monkey skills, friction ridge prints, green fiber, Percey Clay, Lincoln Rhyme, Foxtrot Bravo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
This return engagement for quadriplegic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme is strong on forensic details as Rhyme tracks an elusive assassin known only by the tattoo that gives this fast-paced thriller its title.

Three witnesses to a murder could put a millionaire arms dealer behind bars for good. When one of them, the co-owner of Hudson Air, is blown up in a plane bombing with the Dancer's fingerprints all over it, the FBI takes the other witnesses into protective custody. Only Rhyme can decipher a crime scene, read the residue of a bombing, or identify a handful of dirt well enough to keep up with the killer. Helped by Amelia Sachs, his brilliant and able-bodied assistant, Rhyme traces the Dancer through Manhattan streets, airports, and subways. The psychological tension builds rapidly from page one all the way to the stunning and unexpected denouement. At the same time, Jeffery Deaver slowly develops the against-all-odds love affair between Rhyme and Sachs. Fans of Patricia Cornwell and others in the growing subgenre of forensic thrillers will find a lot to enjoy in Deaver's latest. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Deaver has come a long way since his Rune novels (Manhattan Is My Beat; Death of a Blue Movie Star), and the measure of his growth as a writer is on display in this taut sequel to the bestselling The Bone Collector, starring quadriplegic forensic specialist Lincoln Rhyme. Rhyme is called in to track down a contract killer, known as the Coffin Dancer, who has been hired to eliminate three witnesses in the upcoming federal trial of Philip Hansen. The trial is set to begin just 48 hours from the novel's (literally) explosive beginning. Rhyme and his beautiful assistant, detective Amelia Sachs, have just that much time to ID the Dancer and keep him from murdering the remaining witnesses. Yet Rhyme has personal reasons to track the Dancer, which come out in just one of the revelations and reversals that punctuate this thriller like a string of firecrackers. The pace, energized by Deaver's precise attention, never flags; and if the romantic angle is a little obvious (Rhyme's seeming concern for one of the Dancer's female targets sparks Amelia's jealousy), Deaver manages to renovate many of the hoariest conventions of the ticking-clock-serial-murder subgenre. Another original renovation is his Nero Wolfe-ish Rhyme?a detective who lives the life of the mind by necessity, not choice, and who thinks of everything but can't even pick up a phone without help. Trust Deaver's superb plotting and brisk, no-nonsense prose to spin fresh gold from tired straw. Literary Guild main selection; Doubleday Book Club featured alternate; Reader's Digest Condensed Book Club.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671024094
• ISBN-13: 978-0671024093
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (218 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,217 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #8 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Deaver, Jeffery
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  #82 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Psychological & Suspense

• This is item 2 in The Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic "page-turner", June 9, 2000

By	M. Desoer (Bay Area, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book gets 5 stars for being one of the most suspenseful page-turners in a long time; in my opinion far superior to "The Bone Collector."

"The Coffin Dancer" is the second novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme and his new assistant, Amelia Sachs, as well as several other characters that you will recognize from the Bone Collector.

As with The Bone Collector, time is a critical factor in the resolution of this case . . . a couple of potential victims of a hired killer (the so-called Coffin Dancer) must be sheltered over a week-end so they can testify at a grand jury hearing on Monday. The Coffin Dancer is known for his creativity, adaptability and persistence (you cannot change your mind once you have hired him).

The book's rapid pace, pulls you into the frenzy so that you feel like you are there, watching Lincoln and Amelia work toward their goal. As with the previous Lincoln Rhyme book, Deaver includes meticulous detail concerning forensics, primarily the recovery and analysis of trace evidence; I'm not a scientist, and cannot evaluate the accuracy of these descriptions, but they are fascinating. In addition, the ending caught me totally by surprise.

I ended up reading this book in almost one sitting . . . until late in the night, something I don't often do. A great Summer read.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Deaver is the Master of Suspense!, January 10, 2000

By	Karen Bierman Hirsh (White Plains, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

And he certainly proves it with The Coffin Dancer, a follow up to his immensely popular book The Bone Collector.

Rarely is one really affected by characters in a book but Lincoln and Amelia are different as is The Coffin Dancer. Expect the unexpected and enjoy the plot twists and turns because rarely do you find thriller that is so well written and so absorbing.

Jeffery Deaver is creative and unique with his plot, the situations he creates for Ameila and Lincoln are realistic and highly intense. I was on the edge of my seat through out the book.

Plus- this is one ending that will blow you away. can't wait for the next installment featuring Lincoln and Amelia.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you don't like this one, NEVER read again!, June 14, 2000

By	"pnp2000" (San Juan, PR United States) - See all my reviews

I started this book a Monday morning right before I started working and couldn't put it down again till two days later when I finished it during lunch hour. This book is unbelievable. The afternoon I finished reading it I ran to every bookstore in town trying to find more Deaver books, its just unbelievable.

Anybody who tells you that this book is predictable is simply lying. Everytime that I thought I knew what was going to happen I was astonishingly not wrong, but dead wrong. There are plot twists in every corner.

Deaver's characters are intense. You feel the pain, the emotion, the enthusiasm, and the fear that the characters feel, and his villain in this book is so well thought out that it should rank up there in the all time great villains list. This is definitely a page turner, (And believe me I can talk because I was almost fired for reading at work). If you dont have enough time for nonstop reading don't read this one, at least not until the weekend.

Lincoln Rhyme and Sachs are simply wonderful characters who I enjoyed in the big screen but have found even more enjoyable in this novel.

Definitely, BUY BUY BUY and READ READ READ I'm sure you'll thank me later.