The Broken Window

Whenever Jeffery Deaver publishes a new novel, it’s time to take notice. But when that new book is a Lincoln Rhyme novel, it’s cause for rejoicing among Deaver’s many fans. THE BROKEN WINDOW is the eighth entry in this popular series, and possibly the best of the bunch. What distinguishes it is both the depth Deaver brings to his enduring series characters and the frightening relevance of the plot.

For the uninitiated, Lincoln Rhyme is a brilliant forensic detective who is also a quadriplegic, the result of an accident at a past crime scene. With movement restricted to his head and shoulders, he operates from a high-tech wheelchair with the help of his skillful and beautiful “partner/paramour” Amelia Sachs.

Rhyme is closing in on an international assassin when a local robbery-murder is brought to his attention. A woman has been stabbed and a rare painting is missing from her apartment. But the reason why Rhyme is alerted of this comparatively mundane crime is because the prime suspect is his cousin, Arthur Rhyme.

The victim’s blood is found in Arthur’s car, and several pieces of forensic evidence are found in Arthur’s house. Plus, a call from an anonymous witness spotted Arthur fleeing from the crime scene. The district attorney says it’s a slam-dunk case and Arthur is immediately jailed. Yet Arthur swears his innocence and refuses a plea bargain.

The family tie pulls Rhyme in to examine the evidence more closely. It all seems too pat, too perfect. Soon he discovers a series of recent murders and rapes that follow the same pattern: inarguable physical evidence and an anonymous tip pointing to a suspect who has, at best, a scant association with the victim. Rhyme senses the work of a serial killer and heralds his team of trusted police investigators to assist him and Sachs in their search.

The perpetrator, whom Rhyme dubs “522,” after the May 22nd date his investigation begins, has uncanny access to personal information about those he frames for his murders. Digging deeper, Rhyme’s team suspect identity theft. And this leads them to the home of Strategic Systems Datacorp (SSD), a colossal “data mining” company that builds individual profiles on practically everyone in the country. 522 must be one of the SSD executives who have full access to such intricate data.

As Rhyme and his partners desperately hunt down 522, Deaver demonstrates how our many casual and innocent transactions become data that can all to easily be manipulated against us. It’s Orwellian anxiety kicked up a notch. Where Orwell foretold of a society devoid of individual privacy, Deaver presents one equally devoid of individual control. And the way lives are ruined through 552′s manipulation of data is as chilling as the violence he performs on his victims.

In the midst of all this, Rhyme recalls the years prior to his debilitating accident – what he refers to as “his days in the Before.” He and his cousin Arthur were once more like brothers until age and ambition forced them apart. Similarly, Sachs takes time to deal with the complexities of her care for Pam Willoughby, a former kidnap victim from an earlier Deaver novel, now in high school. These moments bring a very welcomed richness to Rhyme and Sachs not found in their previous adventures.

Unfortunately, Deaver switches to a first-person perspective to relay the actions and thoughts of 522. It’s an awkward and overused technique. Far more effective is his third-person presentation of every other character, action and emotion. 522 is as creepy a psycho killer as you’ll ever encounter, yet as good as the writing often is in these sequences, the shift in perspective makes them disorienting and distracting.

But in spite of this, you’ll keep reading. Even when Deaver tosses in enough red herrings to replenish the Baltic Sea in the second half, you’ll keep reading. And even when he strains to tie up each and every loose end in the concluding chapters, you’ll keep reading and turning pages until the very last one. The suspense is that adroit. And you can’t ask for much more from a thriller.

THE BROKEN WINDOW is a fine starting point for those who have not yet discovered the pleasures of Jeffery Deaver and Lincoln Rhyme. The good news is, once hooked, you’ll easily find most of the previous titles still in print. But after reading this latest, you’ll seriously consider paying cash for the others. —Alan Cranis

Buy it at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• MANHATTAN IS MY BEAT by Jeffery Deaver
• MORE TWISTED: COLLECTED STORIES, VOL. II by Jeffery Deaver

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