Part of Lincoln Rhyme, book 9
First published 2010
A city bus explodes in broad daylight on a New York street, melted into twisted metal by an arc flash so intense it turns steel molten. Lincoln Rhyme, the quadriplegic forensic criminologist, recognizes the signature of something new and terrifying. The killer uses electricity itself as a weapon, steering massive voltage surges that incinerate victims and cripple the city's power grid. Detective Amelia Sachs and Officer Ron Pulaski serve as Rhyme's field team, racing between crime scenes as the attacks multiply across the city. FBI agent Fred Dellray works the streets while demand letters surface, revealing the killer's growing ambitions. Rhyme also pursues a second case in Mexico, tracking the elusive assassin called the Watchmaker, one of the few criminals who has escaped his investigation. Managing both cases pushes Rhyme's health to its limits. His refusal to acknowledge his physical constraints threatens to alienate Sachs, Pulaski, and the other allies he depends on most.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Mexico, New York
Period: 21st-century
414 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster