The Midnight Lock

The best thriller of the year.Beats the new Lee Child novels.Would like to see a movie or a series onLincoln Rhyme.

The Locksmith is the newest scare to haunt young women living alone in New York. Unimpeded by even the most sophisticated of locks, he invades their homes, watches them sleep from their bedside, marks his intrusion by moving things around, and leaves undetected. He is extremely smart and leaves absolutely no evidence that might help the police catch him before he starts hurting people. But there is one man who can coax a lead out of the virtually non-existent evidence—the brilliant criminalist (frequently called a criminologist, to his chagrin) and ex-cop, Lincoln Rhyme, who works as a consultant for the NYPD. Unfortunately, Lincoln is fired before he could take a look at the case for an impossibly rare mistake of his in another murder case that results in the acquittal of a slippery mobster named Viktor Buryak. The excommunication means that Lincoln cannot be involved in any of the investigations, has to return all evidence that is under his custody, and is liable to be punished—along with his co-conspirators—for any transgression. Still, there are some sensible people in the force who understand Lincoln's importance for the investigation’s success and they try to circumvent the departmental decree. Meanwhile, the mobster Buryak, infuriated to have been nearly convicted for murder, and paranoid that Lincoln will try to nab him again somehow, plans to neutralise him. The Locksmith too takes note of the threat that Lincoln poses to his freedom and decides to eliminate him.Thus, The Midnight Lock by Jeffery Deaver pits the much-loved Lincoln Rhyme’s phenomenal forensic and analytical skills against some near-perfect criminal masterminds and what results is a fantastic thriller that reaffirms its author’s undisputed skill. In his fifteenth outing, the quadriplegic Lincoln—one of the finest fictional creations ever—is his usual ingenious, acerbic self and he still can’t let go of a case that tickles his brain cells. Lincoln’s wife and his surrogate on the crime scenes, Detective Amelia Sachs is beautiful, smart and daring as ever. There are more characters, all well-crafted with Deaver’s deft touch, and quite interesting to watch in action.Right from the chilling start, the plot is gripping and is filled with clever, unpredictable twists and turns that make reading The Midnight Lock a world of fun. Just the thought of someone that can defeat all locks and enter one’s home in the night is terrifying and Deaver hits the perfect spot with the Locksmith’s character. As can be expected, Deaver garnishes this delicious tale with numerous nuggets of information about locks and lockpicking, and of course, forensic sciences including trace evidence analysis. The dialogues, especially Lincoln’s pithy ones, are crisp and eminently enjoyable.A few sequences that need the reader to suspend disbelief and a bit of cluttering due to the multiple subplots—these are a couple of minor issues I had with this book. Barring those, The Midnight Lock is yet another superhit from this prolific master who still retains the magic that has thrilled readers for almost four decades! I loved it and am ever ready for more!

I meccanismi sono sempre elaborati ma dopo aver letto tanti libri dello stesso autore risultano un po’ prevedibili

At one point, the story threatened to tip over from detective mystery into horror, and as it was the middle of the night I put the book down and hesitated to continue. But in the morning, I did continue and discovered the horror was averted by a simple narrative trick.I give it 4, not 5, stars because that trick is used again. And again. Until it loses its effect because the reader now knows what to expect.Well written, apart from that, and you learn more than you probably want about locks. The author has obviously done his homework.

This is one of his best ever!! It’s an exciting story which has a number of subplots running cleverly throughout the main story & each is riveting. The main story is about a man who loves locks, & who loves watching people. But why? And what about the court case where Lincoln’s expert testimony is tested? Then we have an anonymous person who makes daily accusations on the web against the government. The book grabbed me from the start & as I read I was amazed by the complexity & breadth Deaver had created.This book is one of his most satisfying & those who were disappointed with his previous Rhyme, as I was, will be absolutely thrilled once they start this book. I found the ending extraordinary clever & utterly satisfying. This is one of the great novels of the the series & of the year. The standard Deaver sets has risen dramatically. It’s an absolute must read.

文字が小さすぎて読むのが大変、目が疲れて1日に数ページしか読めない。眼精疲労の素。

jefferey deaver writes great novels