Book Review – The Midnight Lock by Jeffery Deaver – Worth the Wait!
Table of Contents
My Rating – 4 out of 5
Plot Summary (Storyline) – The Midnight Lock
After a very long wait for a Lincoln Rhyme thriller, author Jeffery Deaver obliges! The Midnight Lock is another rocking read with Criminalist, Forensic Specialist, and intuitive Detective par excellence – Lincoln Rhyme back at the helm of affairs. I can only guess that because the author can only come up with these brilliant plotlines once in 2-3 years, hence the long gaps between the two Lincoln Rhyme novels. I have another grouse – Kathryn Dance was another winning character from Jeffery Deaver, but she has been absent from the scene since 2015 when Solitude Creek was published. She is sorely missed! But let’s come back to what we now have in hand!
Lincoln Rhyme, the quadriplegic genius in a wheelchair, who can divine (almost) a criminal’s intentions and future movements from the traces he/she leaves behind at crime scenes, is on the witness stand testifying against mob boss Victor Buryak – who is accused of murder. On a technicality, which embarrasses Rhyme no end, Buryak is let off by the jury. But before long, the brass at NYPD – who are facing public ridicule at this failure – fire Rhyme from the role of a Consultant with the NYPD, just to show that they are in control and are doing something. A frustrated Rhyme focuses his attention on another enigma – the Locksmith.
Across New York, single women are waking up to bizarre home invasions – where someone is breaking through sophisticated locks into their homes, taking only a piece of their underwear and a knife, leaving a message saying ‘retribution’ on a piece of newspaper! Even the great criminalist Lincoln Rhyme is left scratching his head as to his motive and his whereabouts. Such criminals – with advanced levels of genius – will need one small provocation to devolve into violence. There seems to be no link between the assaulted women and though The Locksmith doesn’t even touch them, the women are so messed within their heads that they don’t want to live in those houses anymore.
Having been barred from participating in the official investigation, Rhyme and his wife, NYPD Detective Amelia Sachs, mount a rogue investigation to collar the enigmatic Locksmith. His longtime allies within the Police force, Lon Selitto, Ron Pulaski, and Mel Cooper are all risking their careers to assist Rhyme – their faith in his abilities endless. They discovered traces from the places the Locksmith has been to which might lead to the Locksmith’s hideouts, but he is smart enough to stay one step ahead of them. As he becomes aware of Rhyme and Sachs’ interest in him and feeling that they are closing in on him, the Locksmith plans to turn the hunt around on his hunters!
Conclusion – Book Review of The Midnight Lock
Well worth the wait, the latest Lincoln Rhyme novel has all the trademark elements. Generous dollops of science, a fascinating touch of genius, and a twisty tale fit to boggle the mind! The best part about this series is that the science is so inevitable that apprehending the perpetrator seems only a matter of time because try as they might, they cannot leave a crime scene without some tell-tale evidence of their having been there. And with a genius like Lincoln Rhyme analyzing their traces, connections to their hideouts or their future plans become easily evident. The science is there for all to see, but only Rhyme connects the dots and draws the conclusions lesser investigators struggle to even imagine.
The twist at the end comes straight out of the left field and finally ties up all the loose ends nicely. As a diehard Rhyme fan, I hope and wish that Mr. Deaver writes at least one Lincoln Rhyme novel a year, otherwise the wait becomes a bit too much! For an enlightening novel of mystery, suspense, and intrigue this is a must-read!
*I hope you have enjoyed reading this book review as much as I have enjoyed writing this! Do watch this space for more such reviews and navigate through the links below for more… Thank you!! *