Part of Lincoln Rhyme, book 3
First published 2000
Quadriplegic criminalist Lincoln Rhyme travels to the University of North Carolina Medical Center for experimental spinal surgery. He barely arrives in the small town of Tanner's Corner when local police request his help. A teenager lies dead and two young women have vanished within twenty-four hours. The main suspect is a truant called the Insect Boy, notorious for his fixation on bugs. Rhyme applies his forensic expertise while Sachs conducts fieldwork. They quickly identify and capture the suspect. But Sachs challenges Rhyme's analysis of the evidence. She believes the boy is innocent and flees into the swamplands to protect him. Rhyme now must hunt the detective he trained, the woman he considers his closest friend and partner. Their conflict forces him to match his analytical methods against hers in a contest that tests everything he taught her about criminal investigation.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: North Carolina, Tanner's Corner, University of North Carolina Medical Center
416 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster