Customer Reviews

The Empty Chair

5 star:		(100)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(33)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Deaver has managed to do something remarkable in modern literature: create a unique "crime-solving" team with interesting, complex characters and detailed forensic information. Whenever you read a Deaver novel be prepared for intense scene and character descriptions; Deaver definitely does his research and it shows throughout all his novels.

In EMPTY CHAIR, Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are back, and they get pulled into a North Carolina murder/kidnapping investigation. Out of their element in this strange land, Rhyme and Sachs nevertheless persevere to help local authorities track the Insect Boy who is thought responsible for some creative and vicious murders as well as the recent kidnappings of two young women. Will they track down the Insect Boy in time to save his victims? What is great about this novel is that the plot is multi-layered; don't settle in thinking this mystery is going to be neatly wrapped up in 100 pages! There are several twists and turns, and you'll be as surprised as Rhyme when Sachs suddenly seems to turn to the wrong side of the law. This novel is pure Deaver. The forensics are fascinating, and the characters are well-developed. The "empty chair" symbol takes on various meanings throughout the novel. We've waited a while to see Rhyme and Sachs back in action, and this one is worth the wait.

If you are picking up a Lincoln Rhyme novel for the first time; rest assured you are in very good hands. Jeffrey deaver has developed his character extrememly well over the three books and though some people crib about the ploy of using a quadraplegic detective; trust me, it works and how ! . In the Empty Chair; Rhyme is not only a fish out of water(out of his familar NY surroundings) but he also has to grapple with trying to convince Amelia sachs that he has to undergo a complicated operation which could leave him worse off but which could also give him some additional mobility if things go well but before that he has the local Police department asking for his help in locating 2 kidnapped girls and from here on, you are in classic Deaver territory; he piles on the chills and the thrills without ever sacrificing the characters in favour of the plot, the ending is a virtuouso tour de force and it was virtually impossible to second guess the outcome of the book. Garnett's obsession with Insects was a great touch and though like one reviewer mentioned ; it is a little reminescent of Silence of the Lambs; Deaver has managed to make that detail fit perfectly into place in the context of the book. I am not going to divulge the further twists and turns but believe me; if you start reading this book in the evening; you can be sure that you are going to have a late night trying to finish it. I would have given this book a perfect rating except for the fact that towards the end; great though it undeniably was, I could not help overcome the feeling that it was written to be made into a movie, it read too much like a screenplay. Don't let that stop you though, read it, it is one terrific ride and you are going to have a good time, Guranteed !

Lincoln goes to North Carolina for experimental surgery to hopefully give him more mobility. In a way he is a fish out of water in this new area not his familiar NYC but he soon learns his way around. As he did in The Bone Collector, Deaver picks a character's quirk, and in this one it is Bugs Boy fasination with insects, and makes it a intregal part of the story. As his usual, Deaver grabs your interest in the first chapter and doesn't leave you go till the end. Has Deaver's usual plot twists and turns. Enjoyed the developement of Lincoln's and Amelia's relationship even though most of the story they were apart. The action at the beginning isn't fast but the next 2/3 of the book makes up for it. Read it in 24hrs. and will reread as soon as all my friends get a chance to read it.

It was just a week ago when I read my first Deaver novel, The Coffin Dancer, and now six days later I have finished The Empty Chair and have three more on my night table, and I can't wait to get home to get started on the next one.

I have always been proud of the fact that I can predict what will happen in almost every book or movie, until I found Jeffery Deaver. Its unbelievable even with just 10 or 15 pages left he finds a way to turn the plot around and I just gaze mesmerized at the pages. The Empty Chair has more plot twists than a slinky.

This book is a great combination of thrills and chills but at the same time you get to see a personal side to Lincoln Rhyme and Sachs that keeps you feeling the anxiety of Sachs and the helplessness of Rhyme all throughout the well played out scenario. Its great to see Rhyme pitted against the only human being able to match his wits, his partner Sachs.

All I can say is please Jeffery hurry up with the next one, I don't know what I'll do when I finish the three that are waiting for me at home. I'm hooked.

What a page turner! As the book starts out you get a funny feeling about some of the characters. Well, you are right, but keep reading. The characters unfold and the plot twists and then twists again, and you are left wondering just what is the truth and who can you believe. I love stories that keep up the action while throwing curves at you to keep you guessing until the very end. This is the third book in the Lincoln Rhyme series, and in my opinion, is the best to date.

Quadriplegic Lincoln Rhyme knows he is wheelchair bound for the rest of his life, but refuses to recognize any physical limitations. Instead he depends on his protégé Amelia to serve as his extremities on criminal cases they investigate for NYPD. She gathers the evidence that he analyzes. Together they have captured several felons.

The wily criminologist is always willing to participate in any cutting edge research in the hopes that a way will be found to at least lesson his paralysis. Accompanied by Amelia and his caretaker, Lincoln travels to North Carolina so that he can be tested for a new medical procedure. However, before he even checks in, the county sheriff asks Lincoln to help them find a missing teenage girl who has been abducted. Lincoln finds the kidnapper and his victim. However, Amelia breaks the boy out of jail, leaving Lincoln with the need to find them before the authorities kill them.

Jeffrey Deaver has written another compelling police procedural starring a powerful protagonist who rejects any notion that he is crippled. The audience will not pity Lincoln because they will admire his intelligence and fortitude. THE EMPTY CHAIR contains a fast moving plot and a wonderfully developed cast of heroes and villains. The romance between teacher and pupil is beautiful and a realistic triumph of the human spirit.

Harriet Klausner

It was fun to get Rhyme out of New York and -- alright I'll admit it -- maybe there are some compromises at the altar of plot twists (Deaver's speciality) but Deaver's ability to surprise and entertain, even with returning characters Rhyme and Sachs (the movie Bone Collector spoiled Sachs for me -- I always visualize Jolie) makes him solidly five stars for me. I'd read anything by Deaver just for fun (some of his earlier novels don't grab me as hard, but anything post-Bone Collector is all the way five stars for this reader). Enjoyable pace, maybe the background characters in this case were slightly "off" or even wooden, but you just can't argue with the pure entertainment value of Deaver and Rhyme-Sachs.

It seems that, instead of getting repetitive, each of the Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs thrillers is getting better. In this one, Rhyme and Sachs are asked to assist a small town North Carolina police department in a volatile murder/kidnapping by an odd local teen known as the Insect Boy. (Rhyme is at a nearby UNC campus for experimental spinal surgery.) By taking them out of the "safety" and familiarity of New York, this book takes a fresh look at the forensics the pair use to track down criminals, and provides new challenges.

This story takes more twists and turns than any of the prior Rhyme/Sachs tales. Every time I thought things were about to slow down, there was another bizarre turn of events. Read this if you want a fun page-turner, which you will find difficult to put down!

Quadriplegic criminologist, Lincoln Rhyme, is back in a can't-put-it-down story with more twists than a slinky toy. Seems Lincoln, in North Carolina to undergo a highly experimental and risky surgical procedure that might give him more mobility, is talked into assisting the locals in finding a troubled, insect loving teen aged boy who killed another teenager and kidnapped two women. The teen, dubbed "Insect Boy" by the folks who live in his small town, has been wonderfully depicted by Deaver. The insect lore is quite fascinating, as are the forensic deductions made by Rhyme from his observations of trace physical evidence taken from the primary and secondary crime scenes. I liked Deaver's portrayal of the women in the story as strong and resourseful, rather than helpless victims. He's very good at developing characters the reader can understand and emphathize with. And the plot is a roller coaster ride of action and suspense. Just when it seems over, it heats up again, and takes off on a new tangent. I have only one complaint, and that is that the locals are portrayed just a little too red-necky for my taste. Otherwise it's a fine thriller that is guaranteed to keep you reading.

He's done it again! Deaver is the master of twists and turns and then, when you have just a few pages left, whammmmo! he does to you again! Another monumental twist...another chilling scene....turn the page...oh nooooooo! why...why did he do this to us.....but then...welll you've just got to read this phenomenal thriller for yourself! It was such a pleasure to revisit Lincoln and Amelia once again after such a long time....hmmmm, some interesting things have happened in the interim. Thanx, Jeffery, for such amazing books....keep 'em coming....fast!