Jeffery Deaver, The Cold Moon

The Cold Moon

Jeffery Deaver

Simon & Schuster, June 2006, $26.00, 404 pp.

ISBN 0743260937

NYPD Detective Amelia Sachs, while still assigned to police consultant Lincoln Rhyme, a brilliant criminologist, is given her first case to work solo. The official verdict concerning the death of Ben Creely is suicide, but his wife is convinced that he was murdered. As Sachs investigates, she learns he couldn't have hanged himself because he couldn't tie a knot as his thumb was in a cast. She finds burnt papers in his fireplace that lead her to a bar in New York City and the 118th precinct, where rumors persist that certain cops are corrupt making illegal money using their badge.

She is also helping Rhyme try and track down the Watchmaker, a stone cold meticulous killer who is targeting certain people and leaves a signature clock behind. So far the bodies of two of his victims have been found, and a third one has gone missing. When they track the clocks to where they were bought, the proprietor tells the police that he bought ten clocks, which means he is going to kill again. As they race against time to stop him, Amelia discovers some horrible things about her father, which makes her think she will have to quit the police force; an action Rhyme is afraid will sever their professional and personal relationship.

Jeffery Deaver is one of the best police procedural writers on the market today. The author keeps his series fresh by introducing new characters, one of whom deserves her own series. There is much introspection of the part of Sach, as she ponders what to do about her future, and Rhyme hopes she stays on the force not only for her sake but for his. THE COLD MOON is full of surprising twists and turns so that readers aren't certain what the truth is, and what is misinformation. This is a compelling and exciting work that is heading for the bestsellers list.