The Midnight Lock
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- Create Date：2021-12-01 21:21:20
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jeffery Deaver
- ISBN：B08XQ3F22B
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Lisa
，
Thank you to the author， publisher HarperCollins， and online book club The Pigeonhole for the chance to read this。 This is an honest and voluntary review。 A twisty turny crime thriller as master forensic criminologist Lincoln Rhymes sets his skills against a man who no lock can stop。Jeffrey Deaver brings the reader along every twist and turn， laying red herrings and clues in equal measure， so that even when you’re sure you know who the culprit is there’s still one more surprise in store。It’s bee Thank you to the author， publisher HarperCollins， and online book club The Pigeonhole for the chance to read this。 This is an honest and voluntary review。 A twisty turny crime thriller as master forensic criminologist Lincoln Rhymes sets his skills against a man who no lock can stop。Jeffrey Deaver brings the reader along every twist and turn， laying red herrings and clues in equal measure， so that even when you’re sure you know who the culprit is there’s still one more surprise in store。It’s been a while since I last read a Rhymes books， but backstory and action are combined seamlessly the make sure I never felt that I was missing out。 A fantastic read equally suitable for die hard fans and first time entrants to the series。 。。。more
Diane Saul
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A man is breaking into womens apartments， moving things around but not harming them。 Lincoln Rhyme is on the case until he is pulled by the mayor and banned from consulting for the police dept。 There are all sorts of twists and turns to this story。 I have to admit I didn’t see the ending coming。 This is definitely an edge of your seat book。 Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy。
Laura Hamilton
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I have never read any books by this author， have only watched the film "The Bone Collector" but as this book was available on the Pigeonhole I thought I would give it a go。 It did not disappoint， it was a long and windy road to the conclusion but I loved every minute of it。 The characters were well drawn and the plot was complex but not so complex I lost interest， it kept me hooked to find out the who & why。Highly recommend， will be trying to read the back catalogue at some point。 Thanks to Pige I have never read any books by this author， have only watched the film "The Bone Collector" but as this book was available on the Pigeonhole I thought I would give it a go。 It did not disappoint， it was a long and windy road to the conclusion but I loved every minute of it。 The characters were well drawn and the plot was complex but not so complex I lost interest， it kept me hooked to find out the who & why。Highly recommend， will be trying to read the back catalogue at some point。 Thanks to Pigeonhole and Jeffery for the opportunity to read。 。。。more
Flora Wyllie
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A great read。 Kept you guessing and wanting to read on to see what the next twist would be。 My first book by this author but won’t be my last。
Kieran McAndrew
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A break and enter serial stalker is rearranging furniture and stealing personal items from the apartments of females while they are sleeping。 An out of favour Lincoln Rhyme has been denied permission to work with the NYPD after his testimony in a high profile murder case causes embarrassment at the highest levels。 However， this is a case which has too many points of interest for the criminalist， who will risk the wrath of the mayor to capture the culprit。Deaver returns with a bang as politics re A break and enter serial stalker is rearranging furniture and stealing personal items from the apartments of females while they are sleeping。 An out of favour Lincoln Rhyme has been denied permission to work with the NYPD after his testimony in a high profile murder case causes embarrassment at the highest levels。 However， this is a case which has too many points of interest for the criminalist， who will risk the wrath of the mayor to capture the culprit。Deaver returns with a bang as politics rears its ugly head in Lincoln Rhyme's world and the high octane plot keeps readers guessing until the last page。 。。。more
TC
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Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 。。。more
Mary Picken
，
Ah， Lincoln Rhyme I have missed you！ I’ve read every book in this series and each new one brings something extra to the mix。 This time we have a new antagonist。 And this one is speaking to us directly in a first person voice。 We may not know his/her identity， but we do get chilling glimpse into someone obsessed with locks and opening them; someone with a growing deadly intent; someone who enjoys opening those locks， bypassing the alarms and watching you as you sleep…Jeffery Deaver returns with a Ah， Lincoln Rhyme I have missed you！ I’ve read every book in this series and each new one brings something extra to the mix。 This time we have a new antagonist。 And this one is speaking to us directly in a first person voice。 We may not know his/her identity， but we do get chilling glimpse into someone obsessed with locks and opening them; someone with a growing deadly intent; someone who enjoys opening those locks， bypassing the alarms and watching you as you sleep…Jeffery Deaver returns with a bang as quadriplegic criminalist Lincoln Rhyme， NYPD consultant and his wife （！） NYPD Detective Amelia Sachs come up against a formidable adversary in ‘The Locksmith’。Their job in tracking down this adversary is made significantly more difficult because Rhyme has been frozen out of working for NYPD by the Mayor。 After his testimony in the trial of crime boss Victor Buryak is trashed by a defence attorney， allowing the defendant to go free， an edict has come down that Rhyme is no longer to be used by NYPD and any police or city official caught working with him will suffer serious consequences。 This leaves Amelia， Lon Sellitto and Ron Pulaski in some difficulty。 Rhyme’s lab， situated in his brownstone， is exceptionally good and analysing crime scene information is both fast and accurate – that – combined with Rhyme’s extensive knowledge of NYC and it’s chemical and soil make-up has resulted in many crimes being satisfactorily resolved。 Now they’re own their own against a formidable adversary。One of the really enjoyable elements of Deaver’s books is the way that he incorporates current affairs and sociological undercurrents into his books。 In The Midnight Lock he gives us Verum， a fake news vlogger， whose claims that a vast conspiracy is underway and that America is being run and subverted by ‘The Hidden’， a conspiracy run by the elite – and that includes Rhyme whose lack of success in the Buryak case is seen as part of that conspiracy。In ‘The Locksmith’ Deaver has created a very unsettling antagonist。 Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs search for a criminal whose fascination with breaking locks terrorizes New York City。 Unsettling in part because it is the methods used that really will creep you out。 This is someone who waits and watches。 Who analyses your social media and determines your patterns of behaviour。 Someone who gets to know your daily routine， who watches， waits and follows and then enters your life in a way that ensures you will never feel safe again。 Annabelle Talese is a fashion influencer who wakes up one morning to find that someone has broken into her apartment， eaten her food and left a message written in lipstick on a page of a trashy tabloid saying simply ‘Reckoning’。 This is the handiwork of ‘The Locksmith’ who enters silently and eaves no trace。Using many threads and tying together different plot lines， Deaver’s warp and weft createsan accomplished， beautiful pattern which is not fully revealed until the final chapter。 I really enjoyed the introduction of a new character， Lyle Spencer， who has plenty of grit and looks to become an interesting addition to this much beloved team。Verdict: Jeffery Deaver has created another unmissable book in the Rhyme and Sachs series。 Full of twists and turns， it keeps surprising to the last chapter。 It is well-plotted， beautifully structured， full of mystery and suspense and thoroughly engrossing。 This is a return to be hailed and I can’t wait for more。 。。。more
Jayne Burnett
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Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review。 15th book in the famous Lincoln Rhyme series。 I am a huge fan Lincoln， a former homicide detective is quadriplegic following an accident at a crime scene。 Amelia， his wife now walks the crime scene and is in many ways his eyes and ears。 I was engrossed in the story of the Locksmith and as always enjoying the forensic science use by Lincoln and his team behind solving， but for me this book had too many entan Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review。 15th book in the famous Lincoln Rhyme series。 I am a huge fan Lincoln， a former homicide detective is quadriplegic following an accident at a crime scene。 Amelia， his wife now walks the crime scene and is in many ways his eyes and ears。 I was engrossed in the story of the Locksmith and as always enjoying the forensic science use by Lincoln and his team behind solving， but for me this book had too many entangled cases which I found a bit confusing and took away from the Locksmith。 Lincoln， as always， was fascinating。， still a good read with many favourite characters。 3。5 stars 。。。more
Steve
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A woman wakes up one morning to find that someone has entered her apartment despite her state of the art locks， but she was not harmed， some of her personal items have been rearranged， a newspaper page with some writing in her lipstick is in a drawer， and the only thing missing is a kitchen knife。 When a second woman becomes a similar victim， a perpetrator is given the moniker of “the Locksmith。” Lincoln Rhyme and his team use their forensic skills to find the perpetrator， but who really is this A woman wakes up one morning to find that someone has entered her apartment despite her state of the art locks， but she was not harmed， some of her personal items have been rearranged， a newspaper page with some writing in her lipstick is in a drawer， and the only thing missing is a kitchen knife。 When a second woman becomes a similar victim， a perpetrator is given the moniker of “the Locksmith。” Lincoln Rhyme and his team use their forensic skills to find the perpetrator， but who really is this person？ There are multiple candidates for who the Locksmith really is， and in typical Deaver style， the reader is kept guessing。 But at times these multiple suspects got very confusing - you might read a chapter and not know which one is its subject。 There is somewhat of a surprise ending， or perhaps I should say endings， as I thought the book had come to a conclusion and then there was something else to clean up。 This is the 15th book in Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme series。 When the opportunity to read the ARC of this book became available， I jumped at the chance as I have read all the previous books in the series。 I think it may have run its course as the last three books have been decent additions to the series， but not nearly as captivating as the earlier editions。 Rhyme’s skills and his protege （now wife） Amelia Sachs as well as the other mainstays， Lon Sellitto and Ron Pulaski， can pretty much be taken for granted。 I haven’t give up on the series if more are to come， but Deaver needs to pick up his game。 My thanks to G。P。 Putnam's Sons and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review the ARC of this novel。 。。。more
Carole
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I was thrilled when I saw this book was available to request - you can’t really go wrong with a Jeffrey Deaver book can you？ I’ve read most of them and have always been enthralled。 This one was no exception， although I have to admit that there were a few chapters that I couldn’t understand until I re-read them。 I really had to concentrate， but my brain isn’t what it used to be！ I think maybe that people who haven’t read Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs’ books before might not enjoy this as much as I was thrilled when I saw this book was available to request - you can’t really go wrong with a Jeffrey Deaver book can you？ I’ve read most of them and have always been enthralled。 This one was no exception， although I have to admit that there were a few chapters that I couldn’t understand until I re-read them。 I really had to concentrate， but my brain isn’t what it used to be！ I think maybe that people who haven’t read Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs’ books before might not enjoy this as much as they would have otherwise。 Knowing the characters so well made a big difference。 Lots of the usual suspense and twists and turns kept me reading， and I had no idea who the ‘perp’ was until the end。 I was gripped！ Such a skilled and talented writer – great stuff！Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this copy which I received in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Laura
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Annabelle Talese wakes one morning to realise that her things have been rearranged， and is terrified to realise that someone has been in her apartment whilst she slept。 The police are initially dismissive as nobody has been hurt and nothing was taken， but the case is referred to Rhyme and Sachs when a detective realises that the apartment was locked up tight。 Soon a spate of similar crimes are being recorded across the city， and the culprit， dubbed 'the Locksmith' is public enemy no。 1。 As well Annabelle Talese wakes one morning to realise that her things have been rearranged， and is terrified to realise that someone has been in her apartment whilst she slept。 The police are initially dismissive as nobody has been hurt and nothing was taken， but the case is referred to Rhyme and Sachs when a detective realises that the apartment was locked up tight。 Soon a spate of similar crimes are being recorded across the city， and the culprit， dubbed 'the Locksmith' is public enemy no。 1。 As well as tracking down the Locksmith， the duo are also facing scrutiny after Rhyme was publicly sacked， and a conspiracy theorist is determined to cause trouble。 I've read a few Lincoln Rhyme books recently to make sure that I was up to date before diving into this one （which I got as an arc from NetGalley）。 I have to say I'm not sure how I got so behind， I've enjoyed every single one that I've read， and am always astounded at how cleverly things are linked together。 I mean sometimes you do think it's maybe not totally realistic， but hey I generally read to escape reality and it makes for a good story！ There's a lot going on in this book， as always with the Lincoln Rhyme series。 Despite being sacked by the Mayor， Linc still manages to be the main focus of the book and his thoughts and deductions drive the investigation。 There's a few characters in here that you don't know whether to trust or not， and those feelings flip flop a few times as the story progresses。 There's one I'm definitely hoping we see again though。 I was quite surprised at some of the events that happened throughout this book， both in the lead up to and after Lincoln's sacking。 I think Deaver is a master of tying things together， particulary with a storyline that seems to be totally unrelated on the surface。 If you like a mystery where you can follow along with the clues and work things out for yourself then this series may not be for you， but if you're happy to go along for the ride and have some of the facts kept hidden until the big reveal then you're on to a winner。 Thanks to NetGalley， HarperCollins UK and Harper Fiction for an arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Gee
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This， the 15th in the Lincoln Rhymes and Amelia Sachs series， is as usual a really enjoyable read。 Part way through the story I was sure that I knew who the baddies were and was feeling quite smug。 Then， my theories began to unravel。 This book is nicely paced， full of tech details， well researched and with well rounded characters。 The only downside for me is that I saw the Denzel Washington/Angelina Jolie film before I read any of this series。 However， I especially enjoyed the last 20% of the bo This， the 15th in the Lincoln Rhymes and Amelia Sachs series， is as usual a really enjoyable read。 Part way through the story I was sure that I knew who the baddies were and was feeling quite smug。 Then， my theories began to unravel。 This book is nicely paced， full of tech details， well researched and with well rounded characters。 The only downside for me is that I saw the Denzel Washington/Angelina Jolie film before I read any of this series。 However， I especially enjoyed the last 20% of the book， with all my questions being answered。 Well worth a read， and this book would make a really good film too。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Mary
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I very much enjoyed the latest in the Lincoln Rhyme series。 It can quite easily be read as a standalone。 Women in New York are waking up to find their personal possessions have been rearranged but there is no sign of a break-in。 The perpetrator is swiftly named The Locksmith as the police begin a hunt for the culprit。 There is a great storyline with clever trails to follow and some neat misdirection。 The characters are all deftly realised。 I learned an awful lot about keys and locks！In summary， I very much enjoyed the latest in the Lincoln Rhyme series。 It can quite easily be read as a standalone。 Women in New York are waking up to find their personal possessions have been rearranged but there is no sign of a break-in。 The perpetrator is swiftly named The Locksmith as the police begin a hunt for the culprit。 There is a great storyline with clever trails to follow and some neat misdirection。 The characters are all deftly realised。 I learned an awful lot about keys and locks！In summary， a welcome addition to the series。Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Siqahiqa
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Having never read Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series but I was looking forward to this。 The synopsis fascinates me to read this book。 The Locksmith breaks into women's apartments and rearranges things in their house， and then leaves。 He can get through any lock in the city like thirty seconds。 He also locks back the door when he's out of the house。 Sound creepy， and it is。There is more than one storyline in this book。 The Locksmith， the gangster Buryak， and the unsolved murder mystery。 Who ca Having never read Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series but I was looking forward to this。 The synopsis fascinates me to read this book。 The Locksmith breaks into women's apartments and rearranges things in their house， and then leaves。 He can get through any lock in the city like thirty seconds。 He also locks back the door when he's out of the house。 Sound creepy， and it is。There is more than one storyline in this book。 The Locksmith， the gangster Buryak， and the unsolved murder mystery。 Who can you trust， and who is the villain？ The Locksmith chapters were my favourite part because that is why I want to read this book。The simple logic of the Locksmith is scary， but I liked when the author brought up the importance of social media topics related to stalking and abusing someone by using their online posts。 It is a kind of great reminder to all of us。The book started well， with enough questions that intrigued me to continue reading， but the excitement to know the killer was lost by pages。 I believe it's primarily because of multiple plots of the three storylines and some chapters that are not easy to follow for me。 I like the forensic and lock details， but I think it is too much。 Nevertheless， the plot twists here and there save the book even though it came late。As this is the first book I've read from the series， I have nothing much to say about the characters' development， only that for me， there are too many characters in this book， and I liked the main characters Rhyme and his wife， Amelia。 They are a perfect combination for real。Although there are some significant parts in this book， there is too much going on for me。 However， I might read the other book in this series （eyeing The Bone Collector， the first book published in 1997） in the future。 I want to know the beginning of the series。Thank you， Times Reads， for sending me the ARC。 My rating: 3。5/5 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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I liked this for the mystery of the Locksmith but to be honest， would have liked it better minus the unfortunately topical foray into politics， conspiracy， and "fake news。" Lincoln Rhyme， ace forensic scientist， has been slowed down by his physical limitations so why should he be any less effective when he loses his NYPD consultancy and home lab after being bested in the trial of a mobster？ He's not， in part due to Amelia Sachs。 Annabelle is a blogger and some don't believe her when she swears s I liked this for the mystery of the Locksmith but to be honest， would have liked it better minus the unfortunately topical foray into politics， conspiracy， and "fake news。" Lincoln Rhyme， ace forensic scientist， has been slowed down by his physical limitations so why should he be any less effective when he loses his NYPD consultancy and home lab after being bested in the trial of a mobster？ He's not， in part due to Amelia Sachs。 Annabelle is a blogger and some don't believe her when she swears someone broke into her home- past her supposedly impregnable locks- but they did。 And then there are murders。 I liked the somewhat prosaic information about locks （love learning in a thriller） and the twists that part of the story took。 I'd not read Deaver in some time so I was a tad hazy on the relationships but quickly got up to speed- this should be fine as an almost or complete standalone。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 A fast read for his fans。 。。。more
Kath
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I am not going to bore you but as per usual， I do recommend you start at the beginning and read this series in order。 Yes， for the background and character development， but mostly cos it's one of my favourite series which has never let me down！So。。。 we start with a weird one。 A woman reports that someone has been in her flat。 Moving things。 While she sleeps。 Se reports it but is merely given lip service by the police。 Until she turns up dead however。 That's a bit of a game changer。 Lincoln Rhyme I am not going to bore you but as per usual， I do recommend you start at the beginning and read this series in order。 Yes， for the background and character development， but mostly cos it's one of my favourite series which has never let me down！So。。。 we start with a weird one。 A woman reports that someone has been in her flat。 Moving things。 While she sleeps。 Se reports it but is merely given lip service by the police。 Until she turns up dead however。 That's a bit of a game changer。 Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs （one of my favourite partnerships） are called in to assist the police with their investigation。 Until， that is， they are kicked off and banished when a trial goes south and there are whisperings about Rhyme's loyalty when evidence he presents in court is found to be dubious。But， it'd be a short book if Rhyme did as he was told and his "friends" also toed the party line。 But what they uncover is chilling。 And he is forced to pits wits against The Locksmith， a nasty piece of work who loves breaking into places but now looks to be escalating。。。As well as that， there's a new "voice" - Verum - who spouts rather interesting conspiracy theories along the way。This book for me was just perfect。 Very well plotted and that plot was expertly executed。 It was also a bit of an eye opener re social media and what we give away， both knowing and inadvertently。 I might have a scroll back through mine to see what's lurking in the background！ Characters that I have learned to love as I have got to know them through the series continue to delight herein。 I do love reconnecting with familiar faces。 The good and the bad！ And the way the author brings it all together had be grinning like a loon at his brilliance。 Pacing is darned near perfect and follows the narrative all the way through。 Unlike a lot of mainstream books， this has no waffle or padding to "up the word count"。 All the description is necessary to scene set， develop characters， or progress the narrative。 Some might say that the detail of the locks is unnecessary， I personally found it fascinating。 There are the usual twists， turns and duplicitous behaviour， as well as some red herrings and some rather clever misdirection。 Skilful enough that I never felt duped。All in all， another winner。。。 I do wonder what the author has in store for Rhyme next time。 Can't wait。 My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 。。。more
Ray Moon
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This Novel Is Like A Fine Cognac – To Be SavoredAnnabelle Talese wakes up with a slight hangover from an evening with friends， but something is wrong。 Her window is slightly open， her slippers are not next to the bed， and her phone is not on the night table where it should be。 She then sees a plate with a half-eaten cookie。 Someone’s been in her apartment not six feet from her while she slept。 She hastily dresses and leaves to call the police。 The action switches to Lincoln Rhyme testifying in c This Novel Is Like A Fine Cognac – To Be SavoredAnnabelle Talese wakes up with a slight hangover from an evening with friends， but something is wrong。 Her window is slightly open， her slippers are not next to the bed， and her phone is not on the night table where it should be。 She then sees a plate with a half-eaten cookie。 Someone’s been in her apartment not six feet from her while she slept。 She hastily dresses and leaves to call the police。 The action switches to Lincoln Rhyme testifying in court， but the defense attorney makes him admit that the evidence he examined could have been contaminated。 As a direct consequence， an accused murder is found not guilty。 The novel takes off from here。The main storyline of this novel is the most complex that I have read， but still is quite comprehensible。 I was never lost。 There are numerous threads running simultaneously。 Each one is extremely rich in detail。 The numerous threads are intertwined， merge， and diverge over the course of the novel。 Each thread had it twists， turns and what I call literary grenades that kept the novel as a whole fascinating。 My interest was quickly captured and held tight all the way to the end where one thread had a literary tsunami that change my understanding of that thread completely。 That is why I referred to this novel as like a Fine Cognac。 The enjoyment of both should not be rushed。For the B-storyline， it is there but a little thin。 This is 15th novel in this series， so this may be expected。 This is the first novel in the series that I have read。 The author did have characters appear without identifying who they are， but within a few lines the relationship became apparent。 They are all regular characters in the series。 The B-storyline is the usual culprit that can make a new reader of the series feel that something is missing while reading。 This did not occur for me， so you should be able to read this novel without any issues。There are not any intimate scenes。 There is some violence with both the more edgy as it occurs and the less edgy described after the fact。 There is a noticeable use of vulgar and rude language， but not to the level that it raised a red flag so I would add a caveat to warn potential readers for any of these issues。I really liked and， maybe， a little surprised that such a complex main storyline was quite easy to follow。 This really shows the skill of Jeffery Deaver as a writer。 I have read two novels from Colter Shaw series where Deaver’s writing style was very different。 He is like an actor who successfully can perform completely different roles。 I was happy with the ending， especially with the literary tsunami being the cherry on top of the ending。 Because of the Colter Shaw series， I already have placed Deaver as a “Must Read” author。 I will need to read some lighter novels before tacking another Lincoln Rhyme novel。 Overall， I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and rate it with five stars。 If the teaser interests you， do give it a try， just do not expect an easy beach read！I received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Penguin Group Putnam。 My review is based only by my own reading experience of this book。 I wish to thank Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read and review this novel early。 。。。more
Mobyskine
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My first encounter with Rhyme in a book。 Told in multiple perspectives， the plot ranges from Rhyme's brought forward cases （a shot to death， and robbed and stabbed to death cases） to a puzzling new villain in town who is obsessed with locks， slipping into homes in the dead of night， rearranged personal items， and stealing knifes in the intention to hurt the victims。 Not really a fan to the plot perhaps due to the entangled cases。 The execution feels a bit off to me with its switching POVs， chang My first encounter with Rhyme in a book。 Told in multiple perspectives， the plot ranges from Rhyme's brought forward cases （a shot to death， and robbed and stabbed to death cases） to a puzzling new villain in town who is obsessed with locks， slipping into homes in the dead of night， rearranged personal items， and stealing knifes in the intention to hurt the victims。 Not really a fan to the plot perhaps due to the entangled cases。 The execution feels a bit off to me with its switching POVs， changing plot in mid-sentence and cramping storyline to cater all the cases-- thrilling yet too messy and sometimes it feels like the narrative was fully hard to grab。As this was my first of the Rhyme series， I can't commented much on the central characterization （their flex and growth） but to look personally into this standalone， I am pretty much invested with Rhyme's character。 Brilliant and tough despite his inability， love his way in presenting the crime analysis， intriguing forensic details， also his relation with both Sachs and other detectives were quite admirable too。 The 'locksmith' chapters were my most fav part-- secretive， vile yet so poignantly written。 He was morally disturbing but also an interesting character to discover。 I like that his narrative highlighted the compelling social media concern on misusing someone's online posts to stalk and abuse them-- quite spooky and alarming。 Several twists and suspense but if you follow the hints well， you'd probably can make a guess on his identity。Bit stirring conspiracy on political matters which did not excite me that much; same ol' bureaucracy and procedural related。 Though the ending was expected I still love how Rhyme unravel the truth and way of him dealing with the system so it'll still profited him and the team; "If you want it， we'll make it work。" I hope Spencer would join them in next book （if any）！3。5 stars to be exact and thank you Times Reads for sending me the ARC！ 。。。more
Chrys
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One of my favourite authors and one I'm always recommending。 I love the Lincoln Rhyme stories， they are smart， complicated and full of red herrings。 This particular title was a great read but just not quite 5 stars。 I'm not sure what was missing， if anything tangible， it was just a little bit too neat and tidy。Some fantastic social commentary as always and some really disturbing bad guys。 A great read。 One of my favourite authors and one I'm always recommending。 I love the Lincoln Rhyme stories， they are smart， complicated and full of red herrings。 This particular title was a great read but just not quite 5 stars。 I'm not sure what was missing， if anything tangible， it was just a little bit too neat and tidy。Some fantastic social commentary as always and some really disturbing bad guys。 A great read。 。。。more
Alison Marden
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Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins publishers for this advance read of Lincoln Rhyme's 15th outing。The bone collector is one of my favourite books and introduced me to Jeffrey Deaver and Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs and I've since read many in the series。 This one follows them as they are met with a master lock picker who is breaking and entering， seemingly with intent。 Whilst this goes on Rhyme is removed as consultant by the police due to an inconclusive evidence on a previous trial that made Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins publishers for this advance read of Lincoln Rhyme's 15th outing。The bone collector is one of my favourite books and introduced me to Jeffrey Deaver and Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs and I've since read many in the series。 This one follows them as they are met with a master lock picker who is breaking and entering， seemingly with intent。 Whilst this goes on Rhyme is removed as consultant by the police due to an inconclusive evidence on a previous trial that made the Mayor look bad。 They work covertly to try unmask the ID of the locksmith whilst trying to uncover little inconsistencies in the forensic evidence left in each instance。I adore the forensic detail in these books， the research and knowledge of science never fails to impress me in these books and keeps me guessing。 Also， Deaver never fails to surprise me with the ID of his culprits， this one in particular I didn't guess at all。 The 4 star rating was due to at some places I did zone out just a little ， the devil is in the detail but sometimes getting there can be a slog。 My highlight was the fire scene with Pulaski。 My heart was racing reading it。 Fantastic writing。Really enjoyed it overall， another solid installment in the series。 The wee book lady xx。 。。。more
Emily
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I used to read every Lincoln Rhyme novel and then got out of the habit。 That was a mistake。 "The Midnight Lock" is a very satisfactory entry to the series， with a clever， clever villain dubbed， "The Locksmith，" whose voyeuristic behavior terrifies women he has watched on the Internet; a blunder on Lincoln's part that gets a mobster off of a murder rap; a parting of ways between Lincoln and the NYPD; a conspiracy theory blogger called Verum; and the tie in of a famous scandal rag to the Locksmith I used to read every Lincoln Rhyme novel and then got out of the habit。 That was a mistake。 "The Midnight Lock" is a very satisfactory entry to the series， with a clever， clever villain dubbed， "The Locksmith，" whose voyeuristic behavior terrifies women he has watched on the Internet; a blunder on Lincoln's part that gets a mobster off of a murder rap; a parting of ways between Lincoln and the NYPD; a conspiracy theory blogger called Verum; and the tie in of a famous scandal rag to the Locksmith's crimes。 Add in a few particularly dysfunctional families， several fires; a disgraced cop from Albany who is head of security for the scandal rag and there's plenty of fodder for the forensic criminalist and his team。 I'd forgotten what a master Deaver is at putting every clue WE need out there while weaving together multiple subplots through the primary case。 Plus， you learn a lot about locks in the book。 。。。more
Brad
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The Midnight Lock is the 15th book in the Lincoln Rhyme series。 Deaver is back with a great story。"A young woman wakes up to find that someone has picked the supposedly impregnable lock on her apartment door。 Personal items are rearranged and it looks like he sat on her bed watching her。 Sachs and Rhyme are brought in and learn that the perp calling himself "The Locksmith" can get through any door。 They must follow the evidence to find his true mission and track him down before he escalates to m The Midnight Lock is the 15th book in the Lincoln Rhyme series。 Deaver is back with a great story。"A young woman wakes up to find that someone has picked the supposedly impregnable lock on her apartment door。 Personal items are rearranged and it looks like he sat on her bed watching her。 Sachs and Rhyme are brought in and learn that the perp calling himself "The Locksmith" can get through any door。 They must follow the evidence to find his true mission and track him down before he escalates to more than just watching the sleeping victims。"This is the Rhyme/Sachs story that we want from Deaver。 There's a criminal with an unknown agenda that thinks they are keeping the crime scene pristine。 But Rhyme can make a big deduction from the smallest piece of evidence。 One difference in this book is that Deaver does not give the reader a big whiteboard of all the evidence every few chapters。 It is listed a couple of times but shown differently than previous books。 （This is an ARC so the finished book may be different）There are a couple of storylines running throughout。 Deaver does a great job bringing them together at the end with some explosive twists。 You'll never look at a food truck the same way again。 I like that Deaver seems to have found the balance between introducing a topic and overexplaining。 There is a lot of information about locks and lockpicking here but it seems more incorporated in the story than just the data dump from some previous books。This is a fast-paced， wildly entertaining book from Deaver。 He keeps you guessing to the very end。 Fans of Rhyme/Sachs will enjoy this book。 And fans of police procedural/crime fiction thrillers will definitely enjoy this one。 This can be read as a standalone。 。。。more
Mairead Hearne （swirlandthread。com）
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The Midnight Lock by Jeffery Deaver will be published with Harper Collins November 25th。 It is described as ‘a roller coaster…features surprise after surprise and offers a fascinating look at the esoteric world of locks and lockpicking。’I have a rather embarrassing admission to make， I have never read any book in the Lincoln Rhyme series…until now。 Being that this is the fifteenth book in the series you can understand why I was a little reticent about jumping in at such a late stage， but I needn The Midnight Lock by Jeffery Deaver will be published with Harper Collins November 25th。 It is described as ‘a roller coaster…features surprise after surprise and offers a fascinating look at the esoteric world of locks and lockpicking。’I have a rather embarrassing admission to make， I have never read any book in the Lincoln Rhyme series…until now。 Being that this is the fifteenth book in the series you can understand why I was a little reticent about jumping in at such a late stage， but I needn’t have been concerned。 There is a reason why Jeffery Deaver is known as the ‘master of ticking-bomb suspense’。 He really does grab his readers from the offset and hold their attention until the final page is turned。I picked up The Midnight Lock last weekend and read it over the course of one day。 It was just what I needed to escape the chaos of the here and now。 At no point did I feel confused about the characters and I was able to keep up with the back story without doing any research into the history of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs。 Now of course I have no doubt that those of you who have followed the series will have a very different reading experience to mine。 I have nothing to compare it to， but I liked that。 I had no preconceptions and no expectations， except that I was hoping to be captivated， and I clearly was。Lincoln Rhyme， for the uninitiated， was first introduced in 1997 when Jeffery Deaver released The Bone Collector。 At that point Lincoln Rhyme was ex-head of NYPD forensics after an accident on the job left him a quadriplegic。 Angry and frustrated， a case involving a highly intelligent killer， brought Rhyme out of retirement。 With his extraordinary mind， and with Amelia Sachs as his arms and legs， a partnership was born。Now twenty-three years later and Lincoln Rhyme is in court with a testimony that is being ripped apart by the defence。 His ability comes into question， resulting in the NYPD wiping their hands of him as a consultant。 He and his team are immediately removed from any active NYPD cases。 The message filtered down the ranks of the NYPD is that no member of the force is to interact with Rhyme in any way or to pass on any information。 There will be stiff penalties for any one caught in a compromising situation。But Rhyme is not one to sit idly by and do nothing， especially when he is convinced he can assist。 There is an open and active investigation within the NYPD involving a sinister character nicknamed The Locksmith， a creepy individual who stealthily picks locks late at night， gaining access to the homes of women。 While they sleep， The Locksmith sits by their beds watching them， perhaps eating a biscuit or having a glass of wine。 When the woman wakes up she initially is a little discombobulated but then comes the frightening realisation that someone has been in her home。 Someone has observed her in sleep， someone has rifled through her underwear drawer taking souvenirs and， most unnerving of all， is that a knife is missing and a note is left behind。 The Locksmith is clever and leaves no trace， no DNA， no prints whatsoever。 But this does not deter Rhyme and Sachs。 With great risk and a little ingenuity， the team get access to some of the evidence gathered at the scenes and the analysis begins。I can honestly say I did not see how this book was going to end and the shock was real folks。 Packed with suspense， the pace of The Midnight Lock was relentless。 Twisted characters， with very disturbed mindsets， are depicted with superb imagination and flair。 The tension is ramped up， with multiple possible suspects throwing confusion and uncertainty into the mix。 This is pure entertainment with quite a complex plot， containing multiple threads， all expertly woven together to create a brilliant and very engaging novel。 Recommended to all who love a compelling thriller with a very gripping storyline。 。。。more
Charlotte Baddeley
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I have yet to read a Jeffery Deaver that I haven’t enjoyed and this one did not disappoint。 As ever it is rich in facts and detail。 Some reviewers have said that there were perhaps too many facts for them， particularly concerning the amount of information about locks， but I found it fascinating and it enhanced my enjoyment of the book。 However， you really need to keep your wits about you。 This is not a book you can read with one eye on the kids。 There are so many threads to this storyline。 We ha I have yet to read a Jeffery Deaver that I haven’t enjoyed and this one did not disappoint。 As ever it is rich in facts and detail。 Some reviewers have said that there were perhaps too many facts for them， particularly concerning the amount of information about locks， but I found it fascinating and it enhanced my enjoyment of the book。 However， you really need to keep your wits about you。 This is not a book you can read with one eye on the kids。 There are so many threads to this storyline。 We have the Locksmith。 Who is he？ What motivates him？ Will he get the chance to step up to murder？ That is one I didn’t figure out until the big reveal， although I really thought I had it sussed。 We have the gangster， Buryak。 Will he ever be brought to justice？ Will he get his revenge on Lincoln through Amelia？ We have the mystery of who murdered Alexos Gregorios。 Who can be trusted， who is the villain？ All is revealed in not one but several dramatic climaxes。 One thing’s for sure。 I will never post another on-line video from my home and I will never again trust the burglar alarm to protect me。Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Miki Jacobs
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It has been a while since I've read anything by Jeffrey Deaver and I had forgotten how much I enjoy reading his books。A night stalker is breaking into women's homes， he moves items and helps himself to food and drink。 Enough for the women to be completely freaked out as their doors and windows are locked。 Eventually he leaves a note calling himself The Locksmith。Meanwhile Lincoln's testimony at the trial of an "untouchable" criminal is debunked in court resulting in the Mayor declaring that he m It has been a while since I've read anything by Jeffrey Deaver and I had forgotten how much I enjoy reading his books。A night stalker is breaking into women's homes， he moves items and helps himself to food and drink。 Enough for the women to be completely freaked out as their doors and windows are locked。 Eventually he leaves a note calling himself The Locksmith。Meanwhile Lincoln's testimony at the trial of an "untouchable" criminal is debunked in court resulting in the Mayor declaring that he must not be used in any investigation and anyone helping him will be prosecuted。A man is killed and the police decide that a homeless man has killed him。Lincoln is approached by the owner of a media company to help find his son。Are all of these things connected？ You need to read the book to find out。 Once you start you won't be able to put it down。I really enjoyed this。 。。。more
David Harris
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I enjoy Deaver's novels and especially his Lincoln Rhyme thrillers。 It's something to do with the strong setting and the collegiality of Rhyme and his group of friends/ helpers， but it doesn't hurt that， as Deaver described on a recent online session to launch The Midnight Lock， the author knows he's competing for attention with social media， games， video and countless other channels and he sets out to write books that grab the attention。 And how。 In this latest visit to Rhyme's townhouse forens I enjoy Deaver's novels and especially his Lincoln Rhyme thrillers。 It's something to do with the strong setting and the collegiality of Rhyme and his group of friends/ helpers， but it doesn't hurt that， as Deaver described on a recent online session to launch The Midnight Lock， the author knows he's competing for attention with social media， games， video and countless other channels and he sets out to write books that grab the attention。 And how。 In this latest visit to Rhyme's townhouse forensics lab - we've been away for a coupe of years following the doings of new Deaver protagonist Colter Shaw， on the West Coast - there is， as always， plenty of action， but behind it all， a distinct air of menace。 Rhyme has learned that he's being targeted by old adversary The Watchmaker; he's also fluffed a case， and the crime boss who's free as a result want revenge for Rhyme's involvement all the same; 'Verum'， an online purveyor of fake news and rabble-stirring conspiracy theory highlights Rhyme's failure as the outworking of a vast conspiracy; and， perhaps worst of all， the Mayor and the City authorities have turned against him， forbidding any police officer to work with or even speak to him。It's all getting very dark， and though this we see， in a first person narrative， the mysterious stalker known as 'The Locksmith' lay their plans and carry them out。 This figure， who will be Rhyme's main opponent in The Midnight Lock， is a master of burglary， entering women's apartments are night and disarranging things just enough to alarm。 In some truly tense scenes， we see him break in， move around and make himself at home， toying with thoughts of going further still。 Deaver gives us the dry， technical background to the lockpicking， with serves both to cast light on the depth of the Locksmith's skill and knowledge and to undermine any faith I had in the ability of locks to protect。 Bolts， bolts are the thing， and don't trust electronics either。As usual in these books， it's very much a game of cat and mouse - or several games， in fact; Rhyme can't of course let the fact that he's still looking into the case come out， and there are other hands at work too， with their own agendas， their own truths。 The malleability of truth here is something of a theme， the story covering not only Verum's bizarre ravings but also the activities of a sleazy tabloid which monetises lies for the sake of sales。 Amidst all this， Rhyme's absolute faith in the truth as revealed by evidence （by which he means， scientific evidence， not testimony） is a rather helpful touchstone and pointed up something I should perhaps have spotted sooner， that Deaver is pitching Rhyme as a modern day Sherlock Holmes。 Certainly the setting of the two men is similar， solving crimes from their homes at the heart of the world-cities of their age， London and New York， but the focus in The Midnight Lock on samples of material from shoes to enable identification of movements put me in mind of Dr Joseph Bell， whose deductions Conan-Doyle reflected in Holmes。 More prosaically， I think Rhyme has some of Holmes' disdain for "unnecessary" information， even for commonplace knowledge if it isn't related to crime or forensics。 And the same sense of ennui when not actively engaged on a case。I wouldn't take this parallel too far - Rhyme has married！ - but the presence of The Watchmaker as a Nemesis does also create a parallel。 In this book， the first question to be determined is， of course， whether The Locksmith and The Watchmaker might be the same person， a possibility that adds to the sense of threat in the air， a sense that only builds as the unknown stalker becomes aware of Rhyme's interest and builds it into his plans。。。As always with Deaver's books， The Midnight Lock is terrific， page-turning fun and I was pleased to re-acquaint myself with Rhymes after the break （although also glad to hear on that Zoom event that Shaw will also be back again）。 。。。more
Karen Hancock
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Fans of Jeffery Deaver （and what thriller aficionado in their right mind isn’t） will be excited at the release of the 15th installment in the bestselling Lincoln Rhyme series， The Midnight Lock。 Several women who have influence on the internet are waking to find that someone has come into their homes and moved things around and watched them sleep。 These women have so-called impenetrable locks for protection， and authorities have no idea how this person has gotten into their homes。 It has scared Fans of Jeffery Deaver （and what thriller aficionado in their right mind isn’t） will be excited at the release of the 15th installment in the bestselling Lincoln Rhyme series， The Midnight Lock。 Several women who have influence on the internet are waking to find that someone has come into their homes and moved things around and watched them sleep。 These women have so-called impenetrable locks for protection， and authorities have no idea how this person has gotten into their homes。 It has scared them enough that they have found other places to live and it has ruined their lives。 Lincoln Rhyme is investigating with his wife， Amelia Sachs and the regular team。 Unfortunately， there are political goings on and Lincoln and his team are fired from the job and it is given to the incompetent police forensics department， who obviously can’t solve the crime。 Amelia， et al， find some ways around it， and continue to investigate this case as well as a murder and other nefarious incidents related to the case。Deaver is a master storyteller as well as character developer， and it is evident in the fact that all of his Lincoln Rhyme novels are bestsellers and keep fans on the edge of their seats。 His imagination is amazing – no regular person could think these plots up – and he never seems to falter。 Although some of the Lincoln Rhyme novels are better than others， and this isn’t his best， it is much better than some famous， sloppy writers who have others write their novels， and The Midnight Lockis definitely Jeffrey Deaver doing what he does best。 Lincoln Rhyme is a unique protagonist， as well as Amelia Sachs， and they actually have flaws and readers can relate to them。 This makes it so that it seems readers are learning about what is going on with familiar friends。 As is Deaver’s style， the dénouement doesn’t come till the very end， and there are multiple surprises。 As usual， Deaver gets five stars for this one。Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book。 。。。more
Denis Wheller
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This is the 13th in the Lincoln Rhyme novels， so the disabled criminalist （consulting forensic scientist） and his wife， Detective Amelia Sachs， need no introduction。 The story starts with the usually infallible Rhyme apparently messing up some forensic evidence which results in a major criminal， Buryack， going free。 A number of unconnected cases have fallen through recently and the Mayor， who is up for re-election， orders a clampdown， starting with Rhyme being banned from all consultancy work wi This is the 13th in the Lincoln Rhyme novels， so the disabled criminalist （consulting forensic scientist） and his wife， Detective Amelia Sachs， need no introduction。 The story starts with the usually infallible Rhyme apparently messing up some forensic evidence which results in a major criminal， Buryack， going free。 A number of unconnected cases have fallen through recently and the Mayor， who is up for re-election， orders a clampdown， starting with Rhyme being banned from all consultancy work with the NYPD。 Active cases， including a murder， have to be transferred to the central labs。 This is unfortunate timing since it coincides with the appearance of ‘The Locksmith’， an expert at lockpicking who breaks into the homes of young women while they sleep， moves things around， steals a pair of panties and a kitchen knife， then leaves without waking them。 A strange sort of stalker。 However， he also leaves a page from a sensationalist newspaper embellished with the word “Reckoning” written with the young woman’s lipstick。 Is there some connection to the paper？ Separately， Buryack is convinced that Rhyme is out to get him， fit him up， and sets in motion a plan to get Rhyme first。 Needless to say， Rhyme has no intention of ignoring the cases and contrives with his wife， and other police officers with whom he usually works， to ensure that he sees all of the evidence and can feed his findings back without him being implicated。The separate plot-lines are threaded together very well and the result is a complicated bit of intellectual macrame。 However， I did feel that there was a bit too much dependence on discoveries springing from concealed information。 Otherwise this is a solid read， very much in the style of the other novels in the series and you will also learn a great deal about locks and how to pick them。I would like to thank NetGalley， the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review。 。。。more
Kori Potenzone
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