The Kill Room - Jeffery Deaver

Jeffery Deaver's latest book is The Kill Room, the tenth entry in The Lincoln Rhyme series.

Retired NYPD investigator Lincoln Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs are approached by Assistant District Attorney Nance Laurel to pursue an unusual case - that of a U.S. citizen killed by a sniper in the Bahamas. The catch? It's a U.S. alphabet agency who ordered the hit. But was the assassination ordered on faulty information? Is there a clandestine group operating on their own within the agency?

Deaver takes Rhyme out in the field in The Kill Room, with quadriplegic Lincoln heading to the kill site in the Bahamas. It was refreshing to see him operate outside of the normal townhouse setting. Sachs continues to work the case in New York.

The personal relationship between Sachs and Rhyme continues to grow and I enjoy their interaction.  Favourite supporting cast members such as Thom,  Lon Selitto and  Ron Pulaski return.

The killer is especially nasty this time out and has a cooking fetish -and a sharp knife to go along with it. (Deaver has helpfully provided full recipes of the killer's dishes.) And although I found his initial chapters quite chilling, they grew repetitive. The head of the agency was also a bit of a disappointment. Early attempts to sway us on this character definitely work - our thinking is steered in one direction, but the ending takes another tack and just didn't ring true for me.

Rhyme continues to employ his whiteboard technique to list the clues and connections when on a case. I enjoy them the first couple of times as they help to cement the clues in my mind. But subsequent entries repeat and add to the tune of 10+ pages and I found myself skipping those pages. The forensic leaps and connections made by Rhyme are always fun, with a Holmes-like feel to them.

The plotting is ambitious and original. We are aware of who the killer is and are privy to his thoughts. We are kept guessing as to who his handlers might be. Deaver inserts some timely social commentary into this latest offering. He presents many viewpoints, letting readers make their own judgement on what is ethically right or wrong.

 I've enjoyed Lincoln matching wits with killers in previous book, but found I didn't enjoy this one quite as much - perhaps too much political comment for me. I prefer a good, old serial killer. The Kill Room was a solid read, but not a stand out for this reader. Read an excerpt of The Kill Room.

However, I am looking forward to Deaver's next book, a stand alone - The October List, coming in - yes - October 2013.

You can find Jeffery Deaver on Twitter and on Facebook.