The blurb:
They have never seen a murder like it – but something about this killer is all too familiar…
A new type of serial killer is stalking the streets of New York – one more devious and disturbing than ever before.
A talented tattoo artist is using poison instead of ink. His victim is a young woman. And on her skin he's left a message: ‘the second'.
Processing the scene, NYPD detective Lincoln Rhyme and his associate Amelia Sachs find just one trace of evidence. A scrap of paper that connects this case with one they will never forget: the killer they called The Bone Collector…
My thoughts:
Jeffery Deaver has long been one of my favourite authors. I was lucky enough to meet him once, in London many years ago, long before I started writing. One thing I remember him saying was that it didn't matter what he called his books because his publisher would always change the title anyway. That was one of the things that stuck in my head when I decided to self-publish – I'm a bit of a control freak, and I didn't want someone messing with my world like that. Anyhow, he was a really nice guy, and I've carried on reading his books ever since.
The Skin Collector is the eleventh story about Lincoln Rhyme, a criminologist, and Amelia Sachs, the detective who works with him. One of them – The Bone Collector – was made into a film with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, but Hollywood completely mullered the ending. Just read the book. It was much better.
As with all of the books in this series, there's a lot of detail about forensics and a plot with a whole bunch of twists and turns. What started out as a straightforward serial killer mystery turned into a much bigger conspiracy (I won't say more than that!) with all the little clues planted throughout the story – awesome!
Deaver's writing is very descriptive, with perhaps a little too much telling rather than showing at times, but that's his style and I think it works well for these characters. Rhyme is brilliant in all his grumpiness, as usual, and the dynamic between Amelia and Pam also added to the story.
There's no romance at all, but I'd definitely recommend The Skin Collector to all mystery and thriller fans.
The Skin Collector sounds like a very good book, especially since it has references back to The Bone Collector. That was the book that made me a Jeffery Deaver fan. I would recommend all of his books, but one of my very favorites is Roadside Crosses.
Ooh, I haven’t read Roadside Crosses – thanks for the suggestion! I love his Lincoln Rhyme books, and I also really enjoyed The Devil’s Teardrop with its many twists 🙂
I have seen the movie and I really liked it. But I hadn’t known idea that the movie adapted from a novel. I will definitely check out this series.
Wow, this one sounds so good. Thank you for introducing it to me.
I read the Skin Collector but I don’t understand the ending. Can someone explain?
I’m afraid it’s been a while since I read it so I can’t remember the ending 🙁