This return engagement for quadriplegic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme is strong on forensic details as Rhyme tracks an elusive assassin known only by the tattoo that gives this fast-paced thriller its title.

Three witnesses to a murder could put a millionaire arms dealer behind bars for good. When one of them, the co-owner of Hudson Air, is blown up in a plane bombing with the Dancer's fingerprints all over it, the FBI takes the other witnesses into protective custody. Only Rhyme can decipher a crime scene, read the residue of a bombing, or identify a handful of dirt well enough to keep up with the killer. Helped by Amelia Sachs, his brilliant and able-bodied assistant, Rhyme traces the Dancer through Manhattan streets, airports, and subways. The psychological tension builds rapidly from page one all the way to the stunning and unexpected denouement. At the same time, Jeffery Deaver slowly develops the against-all-odds love affair between Rhyme and Sachs. Fans of Patricia Cornwell and others in the growing subgenre of forensic thrillers will find a lot to enjoy in Deaver's latest. --Jane Adams

NYPD criminalist Lincoln Rhyme joins his beautiful protégé, Amelia Sachs, in the hunt for the Coffin Dancer -- an ingenious killer who changes appearance even faster than he adds to his trail of victims. They have only one clue: the madman has a tattoo of the Grim Reaper waltzing with a woman. Rhyme must rely on his wits and intuition to track the elusive murderer through New York City -- knowing they have only forty-eight hours before the Coffin Dancer strikes again.

As of yet, Jeffery Deaver has yet to disappoint me. From Rune to Lincoln Rhyme, his protagonists are very solid people. And this outing featuring Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs is a treat.

A year since the events in The Bone Collector, Lincoln and Amelia are busy with their new partnership. Amelia collects the evidence and from his very own crime lab, together they analyze what she finds. And then Lon Sellito comes calling with a case near and dear to Lincoln's heart. A killer from his past, the Coffin Dancer, is killing again and Lincoln Rhyme is on the hunt. But the Dancer is slippery and it will take both Lincoln and Amelia's best try to catch him.

I absolutely love the Rhyme/Sachs books and this one is no exception. Highly recommended.

As usual Jeffery Deaver delivers fabulous, multiple plot lines in Coffin Dancer, a Lincoln Rhyme novel. From start to finish the suspense never ends while Deaver develops CSI style forensic action. Couldn't put it down!

The Coffin Dancer by Jeffery Deaver is another Lincoln Rhyme mystery with the same gang of regulars getting together to catch a notorious killer for hire, who is actually a serial killer who has parlayed his mental proclivities into his profession. Rhyme's cohorts add color and his assistant Amelia Sachs adds spice. The killer adds a whole new level to deception. Getting the job done is all that matters and targeting airplanes carrying vital organ transplants or planting bombs that gut buildings are simply means to meeting his end. The story has a lot of suspense but woven throughout are the little pieces of relationship histories that add dimension to the characters and the story itself. This is one of those books that's hard to put down, every time you think you'll finish this page and start doing the things you're supposed to be doing, you find you need to read just a little more to find out what's going to happen.

After reading the Rhyme series debut "The Bone Collector," I was shockingly amazed on how vivid Deaver has created the two main characters in this series. I was yet more amazed at how strong the relationship between them gets throughout the series. It now makes sense as to why a majority of Deaver's fan's question whether or not these two characters will ever get married.

Following "The Bone Collector," Jeffery Deaver continues the series with Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. In this story, Lincoln teams up with Amelia again in the hunt for the Coffin Dancer, a ruthless hit man who continually changes his appearance after every murder he creates. With two witnesses about to testify against a multi-billionaire in another murder trial, the billionaire thus hires the Dancer to eliminate the witnesses. Aware that he has struck before, Rhyme stops at nothing to find this merciless madman. Throughout the investigation, the only clue that they have to go with is the killer's tattoo of the Grim Reaper waltzing with a woman. With time against their side, He and Sachs only have 48 hours before the Coffin Dancer strikes again.

Without a dout, I have to agree with People Magazine that Deaver is "the master of ticking-bomb suspense." I am in delightfully awed on how the author constantly keeps you guessing page after page.

I am absolutely shocked to read from fans that this book does not come up to par with "The Bone Collector." It is my belief that it all depends on the foundations for both books. "The Bone Collector" is well like of the myriad puzzles and clues throughout the story. "The Coffin Dancer," however, has a different mystery. In this one, you are aware of who the killer is (or should I say that he makes you think that way), but the real mystery that readers should ask themselves is what is the purpose for the Coffin Dancer resurfacing.

I didn't really care for THE COFFIN DANCER very much. Jeffrey Deaver is obviously a very intelligent author, but I didn't feel that much of an emotional connection to this book's storyline and its large cast of mostly stereotypical characters. For the most part, this was a rather colorless read, with a lot of action scenes and research on forensics, but not very much heart.

Further, most of the dialogue is quite stilted and the action scenes have a unbelievable, contrived quality. There's a bit of romance in this book, but the "love triangle" scenes struck me as forced and inauthentic. I would not recommend this novel to someone who cares deeply about good dialogue and characterization.

There are two very clever plot twists at the end of THE COFFIN DANCER, but they weren't enough to save the book for me. Clearly, I'm in the minority when it comes to Jeffrey Deaver's novels, since he obviously has a very large fan base. If you're never read Deaver before, I suggest reading THE BONE COLLECTOR, which is the first novel featuring his recurring character of Lincoln Rhyme.