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Title: The Bone Collector
Author: Jeffery Deaver
Genre: Crime Fiction, Thriller
Book Number/Goal: 10/50

Plot: Noted forensic specialist Lincoln Rhyme was left a quadruplegic after an accident at a crime scene. But his brilliant mind is needed when a serial killer starts kidnapping and killing people in his home of New York City. He begins to teach protegée Amelia Sachs the procedures of Crime Scene work as they hunt down the killer.
My Thoughts: Lincoln is a shit, personality-wise. And yet, he's so much fun to read about to me. He has reason for it, but even better, people aren't afraid to put him in his place for it (most notably Thom, his caregiver/aide). But there's more to him than simply being an asshole, and part of what draws me so deeply into these books is the different characters and the way their personalities have depth. Lincoln and Amelia are undoubtedly the stars of the show, but you also get a feel for Thom, for Selitto and Dellray, for Jerry Banks, and even, at times, for the killer. Jeffery Deaver digs into the thoughts of everyone, killer included, and yet does so in a way that leaves us guessing as to just who the killer is, and what the ultimate goal might be.

There's also the forensic science to work with, and that procedure fascinates me. While I don't anticipate that Deaver's forensic procedures are completely by the book, they are comfortable enough with the book that it doesn't leave me frowning in frustration, or failing to enjoy the book. There is puzzle, there is interplay, and there is suspense, and all of those combine to frustrate me only when I'm forced to put the book down and focus on the real world again.

Would I read this book again? DEFINITELY! This entire series is one of my favorites. Each time I pick it up, I find myself sucked back into the interplay between the characters, and the teasing clues that the killer leaves us.

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Title: The Coffin Dancer
Author: Jeffery Deaver
Genre: Crime Fiction, Thriller
Book Number/Goal: 11/50

Plot: A bomb on a plane, two witnesses to protect in a federal investigation, and "the one that got away" are what draw Lincoln's attention to the case in the second book of the Lincoln Rhyme series. Alongside Amelia, Rhyme returns to track down a clever killer.
My Thoughts: Deaver's back with Lincoln and Amelia, and once more the forensics and emotions are two of my favorite things. Characters grow in this series, becoming more than a simple sum of their parts. Lincoln's still a shit, but he's changed, and you can see it. And there's a lovely little hint at a subplot, which continues the length of the series, that begins to coalesce. It was in the first book, certainly, but it needles at your brain here, and makes you aware of itself. Masterful twists and turns also lead you on a merry chase, as they lead Lincoln and Amelia.

Would I read this book again? Absolutely! I find the second book just as intriguing as the first, and just as much an addiction to read.

My List

Title: The Dark Is Rising (The Dark is Rising Sequence, Book Two)
Author: Susan Cooper
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Book Number/Goal: 6 out of 50 to be read in a year

Plot: On his eleventh birthday, young Will Stanton discovers he is far more than a simple boy, and he's desperately needed to hold back the Dark.

My Thoughts: I had a bit of trouble with this book, though I suspect it had a great deal to do with the fact that life kept interrupting me during the best bits. It did, however, remind me just why I took such a shine to Merriman from the beginning. It's still a wonderful story, but the parts with Merriman's liegeman really caught at my heart. Seeing the growth of Will into his destined roll was also a lot of fun.

Would I read this book again? Yes. This was my first introduction to the series, as my original boxed set didn't include Over Sea, Under Stone, and while I didn't need the first to understand the second, you need the first two to get a proper feel for the characters of the third. Either way, it was very good to return to my old friends.

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Title: Greenwitch (The Dark is Rising Sequence, Book Three)
Author: Susan Cooper
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Book Number/Goal: 7 out of 50 to be read in a year

Plot: Simon, Jane, and Barnabas Drew are back in Trewissick. But this time, Merriman has also brought Will Stanton to join them, as they all search for another key against the Dark.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this one a lot more this time around than I did the first time through, likely because Cooper didn't take quite as much time to establish who Simon, Jane, and Barnaby were in this book. Having read the books in proper order this time around, it was a lot of fun to watch from the Drews' eyes as another adventure unfolds, and see how they react to Will. A very small bit in the story reminded me of the movie Wickerman, though they are not connected, and not particularly similar at all.

Would I read this book again? Absolutely.

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My List