The Skin Collector (Lincoln Rhyme) Hardcover – May 13, 2014

My Review Two Stars**Last year I began the challenge of reading all of Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme books in the order of their publication. It's difficult to grasp that the fictional character of the quadriplegic forensic genius was first featured in 1997's New York Times Bestseller THE BONE COLLECTOR. I was pleased with my progress in 2019, having read the eighth installment in the series (THE BROKEN WINDOW) by the end of the year.This year I read THE BURNING WIRE [2010] in February and re-read THE KILL ROOM [2013] during the summer. THE SKIN COLLECTOR is the 11th installment and the last Lincoln Rhyme Book I’ll be reading this year. Deaver is among my favorite authors and that has been true for decades. I might add that this year I have also read both novels featuring his recently launched Colter Shaw series, not to mention two standalone novels from earlier in his career [MISTRESS OF JUSTICE and THE BLUE NOWHERE].I apologize for the lengthy prelude to this review of THE SKIN COLLECTOR published in 2014. That said, I felt like that it was necessary because perhaps inexplicably I found myself disinterested in the forensic investigation with Rhyme, Sachs and team at the beginning of this novel. I plodded along, and did find the research on toxins frankly fascinating, and the arcane background history of tattoos equally intriguing. The gist of the story line at least initially was the team’s usual “mad dash” for an unsub (in this instance a serial murderer using a tattoo gun and exotic poisons derived from plant sources to kill his victims). He was dubbed The Underground Man because he attacked his prey beneath the streets and in the tunnels running like veins and arteries beneath New York City.I would imagine that nearly every reader who peruses book reviews, perhaps Customer Reviews in particular, has encountered avid fans asserting that this novel or that novel was not written by the person designated as the author. The notion of “Ghost Writers” aside, THE SKIN COLLECTOR just didn’t “feel” like the typical “Lincoln Rhyme Book” penned by Deaver. In particular, the narrative didn’t conjure the persona of Lincoln Rhyme for me, and the usual interplay I had come to enjoy between Rhyme and Sachs was all but absent. Rhyme seemed to present in the narrative as imperious, narcissistic, cold, rash, impatient….and was the “eff word” and “g—damn” used not infrequently in the prior Rhyme books? If so, I didn’t notice it until now. The camaraderie among the team seemed almost tenuous as well, and I couldn’t believe that Lon Sellito really suffered such a horrific fate. I naturally thought it was one of the author’s clever red herrings. The very fact that a main character would really be figuratively “struck by lightning” is not at all typical of a Rhyme book. In fact, it is completely uncharacteristic. It is part of what I love so much about the books. That is that the main characters (including Rhyme and Sachs) are put in simply horrible predicaments that seem impossible to escape or avoid, but of course the reader knows that the heroes will escape harm. Not so much this time around with the indefatigable Lon Sellito, and the team as a whole doesn’t seem all that torn up about it, which presents as still another anomaly.Nevertheless, it was a relief that by the 50% mark my level of interest had increased and continuing to read the novel was less of a chore. However, my initial relief proved to be rather short-lived. It wasn’t long before the hunt for a particularly nasty serial killer was history, and Deaver’s signature plot twists and turns were on full manic display. The speed with which the reason for a goal-oriented organized murderer to pretend to be a psychopathic sadistic predator went through so many transformations that it was dizzying. Jeez! It went from bombing International Fiber Optic Networks to rupturing the city’s water lines to creating a flood of biblical proportions to a terrorist’s mass poisoning of New York City’s population with the deadliest toxin on earth.The above is another major reason I disliked the book. If you read Deaver, you know that nothing is as it seems. That is part of the fun. However, there is a point of diminishing returns when we are discussing preposterously wild plot twists. The reader doesn’t have time to do much more than think “Hey, this is now a completely different plot!”, take a breath and read a couple more paragraphs before it becomes déjà vu. Again and again.I know some readers may have been annoyed because of the book starting out with the infamous WATCHMAKER’s death, the whole narrative that was devoted to investigating the incident before the plot thread was unceremoniously dropped. Then there was the emphasis on the BONE COLLECTOR by virtue of a forensic piece of evidence connected to the UNDERGROUND MAN. The associations with the BONE COLLECTOR case did not end there of course. Those readers who follow the series know that Pam was rescued by Rhyme and Sachs from a right-wing extremist terrorist group in that novel. In THE SKIN COLLECTOR we have still another subplot simmering about Pam’s plans to drop out of college and take off to Europe with the new love of her life Seth. As a reader, my initial thought was that the book had so much going on in it that it was already a circus, and that family squabbles were just plain superfluous interference in the flow of the narrative. But then I thought, oops! Nothing is as it seems. I then realized that shocking reveals were in store that would indeed surprise many readers (except die-hard Deaver fans). I’ll go on record as agreeing with the readers who were perturbed by Deaver’s “call outs” to other master criminals in the series, that is other books he had written. The author’s compulsion to tie up the loose ends to what I thought of as his “bonus plot twists and turns” were pretty implausible and frankly, I knowingly and willingly suspend disbelief a lot with this book series.My biggest surprise, and my Lord, there were too many to count, was that at the very end of the novel, Rhyme is preoccupied with some forensic evidence that is tied to still another exploit, which is nothing but a cliffhanger ending. And another component of this book that fell under the “disliked” category.I’ve tried to enumerate the aspects of this novel that disappointed me as a reader, and went even further to explain the author’s shenanigans that I flat disliked. I do not want to leave out the single reason that made me decimate the rating as brutally as I ultimately did. That was Deaver’s illuminations to the reader about (his) presented as fact-based information reality of terrorism, foreign and domestic. He proclaimed that card-carrying Christian citizens of the United States were responsible for most of the terrorist horrors that have befallen our country and that Right Wing Militia Groups pose more of a threat than Radical Islamic Terrorists, the Jihad, Taliban, and Al-Qaeda, etc. all combined. Deaver wrote (as an assertion of fact) that there were [in 2014 @ the time of the book’s publication] Right-Wing Extremist Paramilitary Groups NUMBERING 50,000 MEMBERS IN EVERY STATE OF THE UNION. Somewhat conveniently BLM and ATIFA were left out of the conversation entirely. I was not really loving Karin Slaughter even now after reading her “hit piece” THE LAST WIDOW. However, after this slap in the face by Deaver, I am almost ready to pick up Cop Town.Finally, there were a few things I liked about this book, but there were many more aspects that disinterested me, disappointed me, that I disliked, and ultimately the plot that the author ended up with simply infuriated me. I made an effort to avoid spoilers and I hope I succeeded for the most part, albeit most readers who follow Deaver will already have read this installment of the Rhyme Books published six years ago. This was the fifth book of Deaver’s I read in 2020, and it has made me want to reflect on my fan loyalty since the late‘90s.

There are possibly 3 stories in this novel. The reader has the present novel, plenty of the original “Bone Collector”, and as a typical Rhyme novel much of the storyline is a police procedural, as well as a thriller. One suggestion: if you have not read “Bone Collector”, read it first before this one. You’ll have a much better understanding toward the end.This is quite far into the Rhyme series as to have the usual cast of characters very developed. The reader can visualize each clearly. Jeffrey Deaver’s writing is very good, adding to this series.On a personal note, I would have preferred the “serial killer” genre continue as is. A good 75% into the book there is a very large plot twist I didn’t care for. The “serial killer” genre could have easily tied in with the Watchmaker without the near do well aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. and their agenda.I’ve read all the Lincoln Rhyme novels and haven’t been disappointed in any of them.

I thought the Bone Collector was above average, but this one disappointed. The writing is uninspired and both the plot and many of the characters are improbable. There is also a huge element of predictability here. As soon as the person who later turned out to be the killer was introduced, I figured it had to be him. Furthermore, the killer's actions are not consistent with what we later learn about him. He has two tats on him that someone with whom he has had sex for a year somehow has never noticed. He has a job that doesn't at all fit with his supposed religion and ideology. Supposedly, he is a hard core white supremacist, yet he only kills random white people. He beats his GF for using an obscene word, although the spiritual leader of his group very casually uses this same word. And instead of reading Rhyme's own book about CSI, he reads another and much less detailed book written by someone else, to learn about Rhyme's methods. Most weird of all, perhaps, is that he actually HAS the girl of his dreams as his GF, yet chooses to mess up all of that with some crazy terrorist plan.There are also inconsistencies with regard to Rhyme and his female sidekick. An example: The former sends out a press release and image of a known killer (not the Skin Collector), but fails to alert the public to the fact that the Skin Collector has a very odd and large tat on his arm.Then there is the lame, politically correct idea of the killer being part of a white supremacist militia. And of course "the Skin Collector" doesn't actually collect any skin at all.I certainly won't read any more books by these mediocre writer.

THE SKIN COLLECTOR focuses more on the crimes and the investigations than on personal stories. that being said you will still get insights in to the characters. Unlike the bone collector this killer is obsessed with skin, not bones. Rhyme is racing against time as the killer seems willing to kill and kill again. because This killer is more complex and challenges Rhymes' skills and those of his team, There are enough twists and turns to keep the book moving and you hanging on for the ride.In any Deaver book there is a vast amount of knowledge on display about a variety of subjects. This book is not short on detail and interesting facts. If you have never read any Jeffery Deavers' books this is the one to read. It will send you back to read the rest of the Rhymes series. As for me well I am a Jeffery Deaver fan for life I have been reading his work since A Maiden's Grave (1995). His writing style is effervescent! My personal favorites Twisted( collection of short stories, ) and The Devils teardrop (1999)

I have always been a big fan of Jeffery Deaver, right from reading The Bone Collector all those years ago. I confess to not reading the Lincoln Rhyme novels the minute they are released and, in fact I haven’t read one for a long time now, but I am so pleased that I decided to get stuck into this as it was just such an exhilarating read. As is often the way with this series, there are normally references to previous cases that Rhyme has worked on, and the reader is reminded on how he caught a criminal, and there is a link between the current case and one from the past. This was no exception, with an indication that this killer might have been basing his crimes on those of The Bone Collector. We are also reminded of the previous case of The Watchmaker, another Rhyme success, that still has ongoing work to be done. Lincoln Rhyme is a perfectionist and he is always working on one theory or another to try and ascertain why certain crimes have been committed with a wary eye that there may well be follow-ons even although the perpetrator is behind bars. This case is extremely fast paced, and keeps us turning the page, regardless of what else the reader needs to be doing. The unsub’s methods are both horrific and amazing and there are plenty of shock moments and nail-biting scenes when, not only the random victims, but also the law-enforcement officials are put at risk. Rhyme takes us down his extraordinary journey of understanding and anticipating what the unsub is doing and why, and we are treated to his outstanding use of reason and logic to work out what is going to happen next. The ending is, as usual, the well familiar lead up to the next novel to keep the reader wanting more and I am going to try and ensure that I don’t leave it quite so long before my next adventure with NYPD’s outstanding criminologist (who I hasten to add is much more believable and entertaining that the character portrayed in the new TV series).

“A new type of serial killer is stalking the streets of New York – one more devious and disturbing than ever before.They call this butcher The Skin Collector: a tattooist with a chamber of torture hidden deep underground. But instead of using ink to create each masterpiece, the artist uses a lethal poison which will render targets dead before they can even entertain the prospect of escape…”This book is the 11th instalment in the Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs series and one of the best I have read. Lincoln Rhyme is the quadriplegic criminal investigator who had his first outing in the smash hit The Bone Collector, and this book is a follow up of that story. A young pretty girl who works in a little clothing boutique is found dead in a tunnel under New York city, having gone down to the basement of the boutique to collect more stock and not returning. Her hands have been handcuffed behind her back, and her clothes pulled up to reveal “The Second” freshly tattooed on her stomach. This is no ordinary tattoo though, instead of ink the artist has used poison. On the scene investigators are at a loss and call in the expertise of Rhyme and Sachs to become consultants on the case. There is no one in the New York area better equipped to catch this twisted murderer than these two when it comes to knowledge, experience and technology. Can they catch the insidious killer dubbed “The Skin Collector” before he finishes his masterplan?Billy Haven is a loner, a talented tattoo artist with a special penchant for skin, but more than this he is a meticulous killer with the deadliest of poison as his chosen tattoo ink. Billy is looking for his “Lovely Girl” who was taken away from him to soon. Is he killing these women in the image of his “Lovely Girl” or is there something far more complex afoot?This story had me utterly gripped from the beginning, and in true Deaver style he had thoroughly researched all subjects and issues touched upon in the book. If you are a fan of Deaver you will be familiar with the predictably unpredictable plot and attention to detail that gives all his work a winning formula, and this was no different. Plot twists, yes there were many, keeping the reader guessing right to the end. The storyline changed direction at least three times, and every time I thought the story was over another layer was peeled off to reveal something even more surprising underneath.I loved this book. I like reading something that challenges me, and this book certainly did. The detail Deaver has went into on tattooing and body modification is immense, alongside his usual insights into history and forensic science meaning this book is not suitable for someone who is looking for an easy read. If you don’t like too many facts being mixed in with fiction then this book is not for you, but for me it was perfection.5 stars.

This was a step up from the Kill Room, definitely on the way back to classic Rhyme. I enjoyed it until the rather disappointing ending, although there were too many failed attempts at introducing tension only to have the crisis miraculously resolved in the next chapter because Rhyme had figured it all out while we were busy reading about it. I don't feel any tension when Rhyme or Sachs are in danger because, come on, they are not going to die.SPOILER ALERT:In the end however I was really disappointed to see yet again that the Watchmaker was behind it all. Wasn't that the EXACT premise of the Burning Wire? I was delighted when I heard he'd been killed off as it was all getting very silly and supervillain-ish with Rhyme as Holmes and the Watchmaker as Moriarty. Then it turned out he'd faked his death and here we go again...

I started out at a big Lincoln Rhyme fan. He was something very different from the run of the mill mystery solver but as years passed and more and more Jeffery Deaver books came out, it all started to feel a bit too 'samey'. I had pretty much decided it was time to move on and leave the quadriplegic forensic expert behind me and then Amazon did a 99p deal on Kindle and I picked up the two I hadn't yet read.There's something quite comforting about the deeply familiar plots, the predictable twists and turns, the entirely expected diversions and deceits. But the problem is I've had too much Rhyme and I know exactly where he's going.Some of his earlier books were sheer genius but now it just feels like he could plug a few details into a computer and let it write the book for him. The 'algorithm' is over-used and worn out. I can honestly say there wasn't a twist or turn that I hadn't seen coming a long time before it was revealed.Compared to most thriller writers, Deaver still chucks out a good book but I want something that surprises me at least a few times.

A smart a**e detective who can solve every puzzle except when it's convenient for him to get it wrong for plot purposes.But most annoying is the constant reference to past opponents/books.It's either a blatant attempt at selling those books or a lack of imagination in moving forward with his tales.The last 10% ( including a segment of his next book) are just plain unecesarry and a further attempt to prolong his past baddies.If the author had the imagination and courage to make this a standalone novel it would have been quite good. So 5 stars down to 3 max.