Detective reminded of old case in thriller

Mystery writer Jeffery Deaver brings back detective Lincoln Rhyme in the tense new thriller The Skin Collector.

Rhyme, a quadriplegic criminalist, joins his colleagues in facing a slayer inspired by a maniacal serial killer known as the Bone Collector — the villain in his first case and the title of the first Deaver book in the series, from 1997.

The killer in The Skin Collector — published this week — tattoos his victims with a cryptic word or phrase in a poisonous ink that triggers an

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excruciating death.

At first, the message seems meaningless, but Rhyme quickly discovers that more victims will be needed to complete the puzzle.

A survivor of an attack spots a bizarre centipede tattoo on the attacker’s arm.

The clue leads investigators to tattoo parlors in the hope of learning who designed and inked the centipede.

Pages from an out-ofprint book are discovered at one of the crime scenes, and Rhyme soon deciphers the text as from a book chronicling him and his methods.

The antagonist has studied Rhyme and can anticipate his every move — even planting evidence to lead police astray.

How can Rhyme stop a madman who seems to know what he is going to do before he does?

Rhyme has a superior mind, and the people who surround him are the best of the police department.

The story becomes all about following the evidence, even when it

The Skin Collector

Jeffery Deaver has the ability to tell readers everything and still manipulate the story with diabolical twists.

contradicts the facts.

Deaver, the author of more than 30 novels, has the ability to tell readers everything and still manipulate the story with diabolical twists.

Readers familiar with Rhyme will discover a detective to rival Sherlock Holmes.

Tried-and-true fans will enjoy the 11th book in the series for the reflection on previous cases.