Quadriplegic ex-cop criminalist Lincoln Rhyme's latest larger-than-life quarry is a man who invades the apartments of sleeping women and ignores their bodies, preferring to mess with their heads. Chagrined that Rhyme's expert testimony ends up persuading several jurors that gangster Viktor Buryak is actually innocent of the murder of laundromat chain owner Alekos Gregorios, Alonzo Rodriguez, head of the Detective Bureau, orders the NYPD to sever all ties with outside contractors, imperiling not only Rhyme's long and fruitful association with the department, but maybe even his marriage to Detective Amelia Sachs. The timing of this announcement is especially unfortunate because Rhyme has just begun to work on identifying the Locksmith, who's broken into the homes of fashion marketer and influencer Annabelle Talese and two earlier victims, rearranged their tchotchkes, helped himself to a snack, left behind an unsettling note on a page from the tabloid Daily Herald, and locked the door behind him on his exit. The Locksmith, whose point of view Deaver periodically enters, goes on to commit two more break-ins without violence, leaving Rhyme increasingly frustrated and readers wondering if anybody else will ever get killed. The news that Averell Whittaker, longtime publisher of the Herald, is liquidating the scandal sheet to fund a foundation on journalistic ethics may seem to add a more homely dimension to the Locksmith's spree. But what Whittaker's plans really add are new layers of criminal complications that take a hundred pages to wind down. Some readers will be aghast in admiration at the nonstop revelations, others impatient for every last T to be crossed so that they can turn the last page and get to sleep before dawn. In the end, everyone will agree that there's no other detective under the midnight moon like Lincoln Rhyme. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In MWA Grand Master Deaver's disappointing 15th Lincoln Rhyme novel (after 2018's The Cutting Edge), Rhyme, a former cop who does consulting as a forensic expert, must deal with the fallout from a devastating courtroom embarrassment. His conclusions about traces of sand are discredited on cross-examination, leading to the acquittal of a known criminal who was charged with the murder of "a psychotic wannabe gangbanger." As this occurs in the middle of a taut gubernatorial race, one of the candidates, the New York City mayor, responds by banning the use of civilian consultants such as Rhyme. That places the criminalist, and his wife, Amelia Sachs, who's an NYPD detective, in a tough spot as a creep known as the Locksmith begins breaking into women's apartments, leaving behind evidence he invaded their space. One of his targets finds a note with the word reckoning that's signed "the Locksmith" on top of some panties. While the mastermind Rhyme seeks has an unusual m.o., the derivative cat-and-mouse plot pulls its punches. Hopefully, Deaver will return to form next time. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider Literary. (Nov.)

Deaver fans sit up and take notice: Lincoln Rhyme is back. It's been three years since the last novel in the series (The Cutting Edge, 2018), which is a long time to wait, but the good news is the wait has been worth it. This is prime Rhyme: a fiendishly smart villain, bewildering crimes, plenty of plot twists, and Lincoln, the quadriplegic criminalist, is at his cranky, belligerent, brilliantly clever best. A man who calls himself the Locksmith is breaking into women's homes while the victims are there, moving things around, leaving creepy messages. Why? He seems to be simply showing off, demonstrating that no security system can keep him out, but what's his plan? And can Rhyme and his associates track the Locksmith down before he escalates? Although he's distracted by a previous case (he may have made an uncharacteristic error during the investigation), Rhyme never loses focus. Deaver is a master plotter, and Rhyme is, as always, a compelling hero, the kind of sleuth whose main appeal comes from watching his mind at work.

The Locksmith: he's New York City's latest criminal mastermind, capable of defeating any bolted door or security system, as he demonstrates by breaking into an apartment and rearranging the owner's personal possessions while she sleeps. The NYPD knows that much worse is to come, and forensic detective Lincoln Rhyme and NYPD Det. Amelia Sachs are on the case. But when the police fire Rhyme as a consultant owing to a mistake made in an earlier case, he must operate in secret. Fans have waited three years for the next Rhyme/Sachs thriller.