The Steel Kiss (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel, 13) Mass Market Paperback – Illustrated, November 29, 2016

There are novels you can read for an hour or two and put down. Come back to them in a few hoursor a few days. Then, there are other novels that you just can't put down. You have to know....absolutely have to know what happens next. Your mind is racing; you're trying to get aheadof the author. Trying not to miss a clue, a detail, that might give you an edge.Half the fun of reading Jeffrey Deaver is trying to figure out "who dun it". Some are easier than others.This one has so many twists & turns, just when you think you know, something changes and anothercharacter becomes your prime suspect or, maybe, you find yourself wondering if it could be one ofseveral.There are a few new characters in this Lincoln Rhyme novel. I love the interaction between ourfamiliar characters and Archer. I think she can add a whole new dimension to interpersonal relationships.I have to wonder if JD will take advantage of those relationships, exploiting them with their own twistsand turns, alongside those of our next (serial?) murderer.If you've never read Deaver, you're in for treat. Whichever character you're following at the moment,you're right there with them. Anyone familiar with the Lincoln Rhyme series, probably feels as thoughthey've actually been in his parlor. I know I do. I can see that bottle of Scotch that's always sitting on theshelf and read the white boards without looking at the page.Engrossing and real life scary, I think I want to live in a very dumb house and not be connected to anything.I suspect that’s what called an unintended consequence. Do yourself a favor, read this book. If nothing else,you’ll be thoroughly entertained and you just might learn something.

There was a time when Jeffery Deaver’s books were day one reads for me – instant purchases, to be devoured and enjoyed. My enthusiasm for his books has waxed and waned over the years, though, as Deaver has turned more and more formulaic, and for every great read he writes (The Kill Room, The October List), he turns out a few generic, forgettable, or even bad ones (Trouble in Mind, Roadside Crosses).And so, when I first started to read The Steel Kiss, I got annoyed with what I felt like were Deaver’s usual tropes – the obvious misleads and feints, the half truths – and quit. But I’m glad I went back to The Steel Kiss, because what I got as I read was an engaging, really fun read, and a firmer grip on what Deaver has become over the years: basically, he’s become CSI or NCIS, the very shows I always felt like his books inspired, complete with the rhythms and patterns that come along with such entertainment.Now, with that being said, there’s no denying the fun that can come out of a Deaver book. The Steel Kiss is simple but effective, following Rhyme as he helps out with a civil case inspired by the horrific death of a man in a malfunctioning escalator. Meanwhile, Sachs is trying to track down an anti-consumerist killer who’s killing people using the devices that make their lives easier. Will these two cases come together? Of course they will. And does it all somehow connect a bit to Pulaski’s extracurricular activities with local drug dealers? More or less.And yet, even while I recognized all the formulas at play, and many of Deaver’s usual tools and tricks, I enjoyed The Steel Kiss pretty well. Deaver’s made an effort to mix things up a little here and there in the series, and while this doesn’t result in the really fantastic read of The Kill Room, it’s still a lot of fun, delivering some good thrills, at least one genuinely big surprise (even if I rolled my eyes at the explanation afterward), and an engaging antagonist who kept me involved.I don’t think Deaver is the favorite author for me that he was once, but I think I’ve realized along the way that it’s not that he’s gotten worse, either. It’s just that Deaver has a formula that works, by and large, and he’s pretty happy working in that formula. And while I prefer my books a little more adventurous, a little more original, there’s no denying the pleasure that comes from watching Deaver construct his puzzles and unravel the clues, nor the fun of watching him tie all of his various plot threads together in more elegant ways than you assumed – or the fun of being fooled by him, even when you think you have him figured out. Are these day one purchases for me anymore? No, not really…but will I buy them as the equivalent of beach reads? More than likely.

In The Steel Kiss Lincoln and his crew have changed slightly. He is no longer working directly for the NYPD, a decision that does not sit well with Amelia. Moreover, he has taken on a new intern—Juliette Archer—who travels in a wheelchair and is about to have an operation that may well turn her into a quad. While the reader wonders whether or not Juliette will be romantic competition for Amelia no one else in the crew seems to be worried about that.Amelia is investigating a case that involves hacking into industrial and home products that are accessible and adjustable via the internet. Instead of opening the right door, what if a murderer closed it instead? You may think that you have set the water temperature for your home at a comfortable level; what if someone who wished to do you harm raised the level to ‘scalding’? Amelia is also conjuring with the appearance of a former boyfriend who has recently been released from prison. He claims he took the fall to save his brother; is he a good man or an evil man?The investigation takes Lincoln and Amelia through the usual processes of evaluating (and locating the origin of) trace evidence and introduces them to a very devious and ruthless killer. Just when the reader feels as if things are about to be resolved JD introduces his patented twists and turns. I counted about five, but it depends on how you classify a certifiable twist or turn.Bottom line: a solid episode in the Rhyme/Sachs saga. It is a bit formulaic, but since a JD novel includes a succession of surprises, ‘formulaic’ can be a very good thing.