Part of Lincoln Rhyme, book 2
First published 2000
Lincoln Rhyme faces his most dangerous adversary yet. Three witnesses can send a millionaire arms dealer to prison, but a killer known as the Coffin Dancer wants them dead first. The assassin strikes quickly, bombing a Hudson Air co-owner in a plane explosion that bears his signature methods. The FBI moves the remaining witnesses into protective custody, but the Dancer stays one step ahead. Rhyme must use every forensic skill he possesses to decode crime scenes, analyze bombing residue, and identify trace evidence that others miss. His partner Amelia Sachs works as his eyes and legs, following leads through Manhattan's streets, airports, and subway tunnels. The killer's tattoo gives him his name, but his identity remains a mystery. As bodies pile up and the net closes around the final witnesses, Rhyme races against time to unmask the assassin. The investigation pushes both partners to their limits while deepening the unlikely romance growing between them.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, race-against-time, unlikely-partners
Setting: Hudson Air, Manhattan
Period: 21st-century
390 pages · Paperback · Coronet
Content warnings: violence