The Skin Collector: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel

In bestseller Deaver’s outstanding 11th Lincoln Rhyme novel (after 2013’s The Kill Room), the quadriplegic forensic expert and NYPD detective Amelia Sachs track artistic killer Billy Haven, whose weapon of choice is a poison-injecting American Eagle tattoo machine. Haven’s seemingly random attacks in the labyrinthine underground areas of Manhattan leave each of the victims with a cryptic tattoo. Meanwhile, Richard Logan (aka the infamous Watchmaker of 1997’s The Bone Collector, the first book in the series), has died in prison, and Rhyme hopes to learn more about him by having someone attend his funeral. In the chess match between Haven and Rhyme that ensues, Haven counters Rhyme’s moves by taking the offense, while the endgame remains in doubt to the end. Deaver proves himself a grandmaster of the genre as each surprise leads to an even bigger surprise, like a series of reverse Russian nesting dolls. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents. (May)