Presto! With a conjuror's flourish, the reliable Jeffery Deaver has pulled another winner out of his hat. The Vanished Man brings back Lincoln Rhyme, forensic investigator, and his sidekick Amelia Sachs, ex-model and beat cop, a team featured in four previous books. Their case begins with a murder in which the culprit, cornered in a locked room, seemingly vanishes into thin air. Rhyme soon realizes he's up against a master illusionist--and then acquires a conjuror of his own, a spunky apprentice magician, to advise him. The book is chock-a-block with magic lore and with details of the craft of illusion, which provide a fine complement to the engrossing forensic-science puzzles.
The characters, as usual with Deaver, are little more than cardboard cutouts. Even Rhyme himself, a brilliant quadriplegic and former head of NYPD forensics, seems more a collection of characteristics than a man. But Deaver's cutouts are sturdy and well-constructed, and the book's plotting and pacing--featuring twist upon twist and reversal upon reversal--are nothing short of dazzling, reminiscent of Agatha Christie at her best. Deaver proves himself an accomplished illusionist, misdirecting your attention with one hand while slipping a firecracker down your pants with the other. --Nicholas H. Allison
Reviews:
Kellie (USA: NC) (2007/05/19): #5 of the Lincoln Rhyme Series
This was a great book. It definitely followed the Deaver formula but the magic and illusion references were very interesting. Deaver is a master. This was about an illusionist who was killing people. The murders were actually a diversion. The identification of the murderer was also a diversion. Kara, a local magician, was used to help give some great information on illusion. Deaver does an excellent job with the suspense and also intermingling the character development of the series. There were twists right up until the very end. This by far was one of his best. 5 out of 5
