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The Broken Window: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel (Lincoln Rhyme) | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeffery Deaver
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy Used: $4.17
You Save: $22.78 (85%)
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Rating:  77 reviews
Sales Rank: 2349
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Large Print Edition
Pages: 432
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.4
ISBN: 0739497278
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781416549970
ASIN: 1416549978
Publication Date: June 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: UNREAD HARDCOVER, DUST JACKET BENT, SHELF DUST AND LIGHT WEAR (SJ) ISBN: 1416549978
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Product Description
Bestselling master of suspense Jeffery Deaver is back with a brand-new Lincoln Rhyme thriller. Lincoln Rhyme and partner/paramour Amelia Sachs return to face a criminal whose ingenious staging of crimes is enabled by a terrifying access to information.... When Lincoln's estranged cousin Arthur Rhyme is arrested on murder charges, the case is perfect -- too perfect. Forensic evidence from Arthur's home is found all over the scene of the crime, and it looks like the fate of Lincoln's relative is sealed. At the behest of Arthur's wife, Judy, Lincoln grudgingly agrees to investigate the case. Soon Lincoln and Amelia uncover a string of similar murders and rapes with perpetrators claiming innocence and ignorance -- despite ironclad evidence at the scenes of the crime. Rhyme's team realizes this "perfect" evidence may actually be the result of masterful identity theft and manipulation. An information service company -- the huge data miner Strategic Systems Datacorp -- seems to have all the answers but is reluctant to help the police. Still, Rhyme and Sachs and their assembled team begin uncovering a chilling pattern of vicious crimes and coverups, and their investigation points to one master criminal, whom they dub "522." When "522" learns the identities of the crime-fighting team, the hunters become the hunted. Full of Deaver's trademark plot twists, The Broken Window will put the partnership of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs to the ultimate test.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 72 more reviews...
 A 'Learning' Experience June 18, 2008
Richard B. Schwartz (Columbia, Missouri USA)
21 out of 23 found this review helpful
In the newest of the Lincoln Rhyme novels, Jeffery Deaver explores the world of identity fraud and the fact that there are people out there learning things about us that we are unlikely to want them to know. At the same time, he shows the ways in which they are doing this--the security issues which they face, the volume of computer memory required for the task and the precise sorts of information which they seek. Needless to say, this is as creepy as it is contemporary.
There are two villains at work--one at the periphery of the story, a man faced by Rhyme in the past, and one at the center, known to Rhyme and the members of his team as 522 (who recently struck on 5/22). Since he refers to all of them by number as well, this is appropriate.
The focus here is on forensics and computers, with a dash of abnormal psychology. The villain is plausible, nasty, and in for a major confrontation, though not quite the confrontation he might have expected. Amelia is in danger and Linc must rush to her aid in the only ways open to him. The world of the data-mining company is very nicely realized and just as weird, alienating, and plausible as we might fear. This is prime Rhyme, with a driving plot, an excellent ensemble cast, and even the chance to learn more about the private Rhyme, since his cousin Arthur is one of 522's victims. Linc must save everyone--relatives as well as loved ones--in this case. Structurally, the ending is different from what we usually expect in a Deaver novel, but I will save the details lest I spoil it for readers. Highly recommended.
George Orwell and Aldous Huxley are spinning in their graves! October 25, 2008
Paul Weiss (Dundas, Ontario Canada)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
"1984" and "Brave New World" gave us a brief glimpse of the world they feared we were creating but "The Broken Window" takes it over the top. Every reader will shiver as they come to grips with the realization of just how much the state likely knows about their life.
In "The Broken Window", Jeffrey Deaver has pitted Lincoln Rhyme, his famous paraplegic forensic consultant, against his most elusive foe to date - "Unsub 522", a deeply disturbed obsessive-compulsive hoarder, an ingenious data-miner, a psychopathic serial killer and "the man who knows everything". The chilling theme of this novel is data - information, storage and retrieval, tracking, privacy, identity and just who has access to what. Unsub 522 is an ingenious master of the dreaded crime of the 21st century - identity theft! He steals data, reconstructs people's lives, destroys some information, rearranges the rest and is even capable of planting legitimate evidence framing an unsuspecting victim for his own brutal serial murders. Arthur Rhyme, Lincoln's estranged cousin, is one of these victims. When he is arrested, his wife pleads with Lincoln to investigate. She and Lincoln both know that, despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Arthur is not the killer that the police suspect him to be.
If you have ever experienced a frisson of paranoia about who is looking over your shoulder, you might want to think twice about reading "The Broken Window". If you insist on reading Deaver's novel despite my warning, your little shiver will blossom into a full blown fear that will sit in the pit of your stomach and keep you awake at nights wondering who is looking into the metaphorical windows of your life.
In short, "The Broken Window" is a first rate thriller with a gut-wrenching theme. But Deaver has also gone above and beyond the call of duty as an author and has brought his protagonists into the real world with a characterization and history that almost brought tears to my eyes. We learn the story of Lincoln Rhyme's father and his brilliant uncle. We discover why he hasn't spoken to his cousin for years. And have you ever wondered about the idea of a paraplegic having sex? In an absolutely fabulous sidebar that doesn't have the slightest scintilla of prurient voyeurism about it, Deaver explains how a paraplegic is capable of a loving relationship that includes a fully functional sexual relationship.
Highly recommended and then some!
Paul Weiss
Someone knows "everything" about you.... June 12, 2008
Theresa A. Betros (Mercerville, NJ (USA))
10 out of 13 found this review helpful
Rhyme and Sachs follow evidence. However, a clever killer finds out all he needs to know about his victim and his "fall guy" and "plants" conclusive evidence that wrongly convicts the innocent, the latest "murderer" being Arthur Rhyme, Lincoln's estranged cousin.
Killer "522" is brilliant. He has Amelia, Lon Selitto and Ron Pulaski all fighting for their careers and their family. He picks apart the team, one at a time. "522" knows everything about them; including how to hurt them, and their family. Endless virtual data leads to a real killer, who knows how to turn the pressure on those who are hunting him.
Like every Rhyme/Sachs book, this book also contains subplots; including one clever nemesis who escaped Rhyme, but continues to taunt him. Hopefully, there will be sequel and a final confrontation.
You will not be able to put this book down.
PRIME RHYME July 20, 2008
W. Zollo (MA, USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
In arguably one of the better Rhyme novel in the series, Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs take on a serial killer for the new millennium -- one who uses information to a chilling degree.
Dever takes identity fraud to an unnerving level with the creation of '522'. The '522' killer, who masterfully uses the overwhelming amount of information that corporation, governments, etc, have gathered about us (which Dever lists, spins and repeats on a scale that is both redundant and frighteningly Orwellian), to destroy peoples lives...literally.
Caught in the alarming web is Lincoln's distantly cousin Arthur, a suspect in a '522' murder. While weaving through a diverse cast of characters and suspects, and laying out a brilliantly plotted maze that suspense fully keeps us glued and guessing due to the killer's clever misleading tactics. Deaver also reveals a huge chapter into Lincoln's past and continues chronicling The Watchmaker, yet another fine touch by the author.
I only fear Rhyme may be losing a bit of his annoying snappiness as his contentment in his relationship with Sachs grows. Still, an extremely minor grumble considering this is by far one of the best thrillers of the year.
If you weren't already paranoid, you will be after reading this one June 30, 2008
Bookreporter.com (New York, New York)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Jeffery Deaver never disappoints. His latest work, THE BROKEN WINDOW, marks the return of Lincoln Rhyme, one of the most unique characters in contemporary thriller fiction, as he battles a serial murderer who has the advantage of knowing everything. About everyone.
Lincoln's adversary in THE BROKEN WINDOW is not so much invisible as indiscernible, hiding in plain sight and using cyberspace, particularly all of the information contained within it to carry out his plans. He is able to get close to his murder victims by gaining access to the most intimate and minute details of their lives and then killing them --- and more --- when they are at their most vulnerable. The additional aspect of his crime, which is equally frightening, is that, after committing a murder, he leaves detailed clues that inexorably lead the police, who have an airtight case, to the front door of an innocent and quickly bewildered party.
Lincoln becomes aware of the fiend's existence only indirectly when a rape and murder is pinned on Arthur, his cousin. Lincoln and Arthur, once close as brothers, have been estranged for many years, and Lincoln is drawn into the case only with great reluctance after being contacted by Arthur's wife, who is profoundly convinced of her husband's innocence. Lincoln examines the case against his cousin and is convinced that it is almost too perfect. Researching similar murder cases in which the police seemed to have been pointed to a particular suspect, Lincoln discerns the existence of a hidden hand behind the killings, one that commits the crime while diverting suspicion elsewhere. Dubbing the unknown subject "522", Lincoln realizes that the unknown mastermind has to have an almost universal knowledge of not only his victim but also his diversionary target.
The investigation ultimately leads to Strategic Systems Datacorp (SSD), a data mining company with an Orwellian ability to gather, collate and interpret data on anyone and everyone, for the purposes of reporting both an individual's historical behavior and their future performance. Several clocks are kept ticking throughout Deaver's fast-paced narrative: Arthur is in dire straits in prison, a fish out of water; 522 continues his crime spree; and Lincoln's own office and its personnel, including his lover, Amelia Sachs, are at risk from a criminal who can strike at them from anywhere at anytime, without even having to leave his room.
Deaver continues to impress, dazzle, delight and, perhaps most significantly, frighten. While Lincoln's not-inconsiderable handicap is certainly present in the narrative, it is not the author's primary focus. Lincoln's intellect, combined with his multi-abled team and ever-present technology, result in a swift-paced, if not always sure, pursuit of 522. Deaver also provides some background information concerning Lincoln's past, some of it bittersweet but all of it realistic. And, as with his other works, THE BROKEN WINDOW is meticulously researched, to the point that one comes away from reading it with the feeling that someone, somewhere, knows everything about everyone and can gather it just at the push of a button.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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