请问哪位才是侦探？
不好意思，我们两位都是。
没有门铃只凭敲门拜访的侦探事务所，既是搭档又是对手的两位年轻侦探，兼职做饭打扫的美少女高中生，零食不离口的女警，还有定期出现在旧书店的神秘人……一群看似古怪的人，却让狡猾的凶手无处遁形。专攻动机分析的片无冰雨与专注研究作案手法的御殿场倒理，哪怕是让人毫无头绪的案件，两位分工明确的侦探也能通过天衣无缝的合作和默契来解决！

我們以為自己走在正確的道路上，
為什麼走著走著，人生卻變了樣？
第一本讓我們感到驕傲的華文警察小說最高傑作！
一組數字，六個片斷，
構成一位警探的故事，
一座城市的故事，
一個時代的故事……
四個月之前，沒有人想到這個城市會有這樣的改變！
因為一樁糾紛，蔓延成暴動，整個城市陷入蠢蠢不安，危機一觸即發。
有人怒吼著抗爭，想要改變現狀，也有人只是默默希望一個穩定的未來，而他徘徊在兩個極端之間，站在界線上。
曾經，他嚮往成為一名警察，只是身處在這個動盪的時代裡，讓他不得不打消念頭。
沒想到，偶然間聽到的一句話，竟把他捲進危險的漩渦，彷彿命中注定要跟警察同進退。
但他更沒想到的是，他和身邊的人都想反抗自己的命運，卻從此走上天差地遠的道路……
這是一部讓你想向作者脫帽致敬的小說！新生代作家陳浩基為我們展現了他無比的潛力和企圖心，六個短篇串連出一位警探傳奇的一生，充滿意外性與戲劇性的情節，緊緊扣住我們的脈息，而在虛實交錯的故事中，我們看見了關於使命、關於服從、關於公義與自由的叩問，更看見個人的抉擇、時代的移轉、城市的變遷，如何深深地在命運的畫布上烙下斑駁的印痕。

當惡魔的爪牙攫取了我的靈魂，
當窺伺的快意盤據了我的內心，
第歐根尼的狂想再次變奏，
化為一篇篇幽暗暴烈的死亡旋律……

〈窺伺藍色的藍〉
藍宥唯的內心蠢蠢欲動著，現實中的他沒有力爭上游的動力，但在網路的一隅，他正享受著在黑暗中窺伺目標的快感，準備向「深藍小屋」裡那名毫無防備的女子伸出魔掌……

〈時間就是金錢〉
在「時間交易中心」裡，時間可以換取金錢。為了贏得美人芳心，馬立文二話不說，就將42天的時間換成了2萬元！然而當他的美夢即將實現，人生卻從此再也無法回頭……

〈作家出道殺人事件〉
「想出道，先殺一個人看看！」中年編輯對想要成為作家的青年這麼說。青年對這個大叔的話半信半疑，但在得知名滿天下的推理作家們也都曾經殺過人之後，青年決定接受編輯的建議。只是……該殺誰好呢？

〈咖啡與香菸〉
醒來的我覺得好累……這是哪裡？現在是幾點？我好想喝杯咖啡，但周圍的人卻對我的渴望感到恐懼與不解。現在的我身在一個怪異的世界：小孩子可以抽菸，但咖啡卻被嚴格禁止……

〈隱身的X〉
教授發起了一場推理遊戲：只要找出隱藏身分的助教X，就能取得優異成績。代號鴨舌帽、曼聯、倖田來未、和尚、熊貓眼、胖虎、落湯雞和冰咖啡等參加者紛紛使出渾身解數，沒想到遊戲卻逐漸陷入失控的深淵……

我从睡梦中惊醒，头痛欲裂，完全记不清自己昨天的行踪，发生在东成大厦的双尸命案却渐渐清晰成形：一个狂暴的丈夫杀死了妻子的情夫及情夫怀孕的妻子。表面上看起来这个案件再简单不过了，但我却感到一丝的不协调感，或许是“刑警直觉”作祟吧。我挣扎着起身去上班，才从其他人口中得知今天是2009年3月15日，可我明明记得现在是2003年，命案发生后的一周啊。难道，我失去了六年的记忆……

大一新生椎名哼着鲍勃•迪伦的歌搬入独居公寓，和帅气邻居河崎初次见面就被邀请深夜一起去抢劫书店！
为了一本《广辞苑》去抢书店？有没有搞错？！椎名深知此事荒唐，却又莫名其妙地被这份荒唐所吸引，恍惚地参与其中。
河崎口中的荒唐事还不只这一件，单纯的椎名有些应接不暇，他想知道很多事的真相。椎名去跟踪、追问，寻找相关人士打探，最终他发现，所有的答案早就呈现在眼前。正如鲍勃•迪伦唱过的，Blowing in The Wind。

破获接手的第一起案件后，伊诺拉·福尔摩斯（米莉·波比·布朗饰）追随著名的哥哥夏洛克（亨利·卡维尔饰）的脚步，开办了自己的侦探事务所，却发现女性职业侦探的生活并不像看上去那么容易。在她不得不接受成年后的冷酷现实，准备关闭事务所时，一个身无分文的不幸女孩为她带来了第一单生意：寻找失踪的妹妹。但事实证明，这个案子比想象的要复杂得多，因为诺拉即将踏入一个危险的新世界 — 从伦敦险恶的工厂和色彩缤纷的音乐厅，到社会最高阶层和贝克街 221B。随着致命阴谋的触发，伊诺拉需要朋友和夏洛克本人的帮助才能解开这个谜团。游戏似乎又开始变得扑朔迷离！

You haven't read a thriller until you read #1 New York Times bestselling author Sue Grafton's novels with her unforgettable P.I. Kinsey Millhone...

"C" is for Corpse

He was young-maybe twenty or so-and he must once have been a good-looking kid. Kinsey could see that. But now his body was covered in scars, his face half-collapsed. It saddened Kinsey and made her curious. She could see he was in a lot of pain. But for three weeks, as Kinsey'd watched him doggedly working out at the local gym, putting himself through a grueling exercise routine, he never spoke.

Then one Monday morning when there was no one else in the gym, Bobby Callahan approached her. His story was hard to credit: a murderous assault by a tailgating car on a lonely rural road, a roadside smash into a canyon 400 feet below, his Porsche a bare ruin, his best friend dead. The doctors had managed to put his body back together again-sort of. His mother's money had seen to that. What they couldn't fix was his mind, couldn't restore the huge chunks of memory wiped out by the crash. Bobby knew someone had tried to kill him, but he didn't know why. He knew he had the key to something that made him dangerous to the killer, but he didn't know what it was. And he sensed that someone was still out there, ready to pounce at the first sign his memory was coming back. He'd been to the cops, but they'd shrugged off his story. His family thought he had a screw loose. But he was scared-scared to death. He wanted to hire Kinsey.

His case didn't have a whole lot going for it, but he was hard to resist: young, brave, hurt. She took him on. And three days later, Bobby Callahan was dead.

Kinsey Millhone never welshed a deal. She'd been hired to stop a killing. Now she'd find the killer.

"A" Is for Alibi
"B" Is for Burglar
"C" Is for Corpse
"D" Is for Deadbeat
"E" Is for Evidence
"F" Is for Fugitive
"G" Is for Gumshoe
"H" Is for Homicide
"I" Is for Innocent
"J" Is for Judgment
"K" Is for Killer
"L" is for Lawless
"M" Is for Malice
"N" Is for Noose
"O" Is for Outlaw
"P" Is for Peril
"Q" Is for Quarry
"R" Is for Ricochet
"S" Is for Silence
"T" Is for Trespass
"U" Is for Undertow
"V" Is for Vengeance
"W" Is for Wasted
"X"

B is for Burglar, from Sue Grafton's #1 New York Times bestselling Kinsey Millhone Alphabet mystery series

Beverly Danziger looked like an expensive, carefully wrapped package from a good but conservative shop. Only her compulsive chatter hinted at the nervousness beneath her cool surface. It was a nervousness out of all proportion to the problem she placed before Kinsey Millhone. There was an absent sister. A will to be settled--a matter of only a few thousand dollars. Mrs. Danziger did not look as if she needed a few thousand dollars. And she didn't seem like someone longing for a family reunion.

Still, business was slow, and even a private investigator has bills to pay. Millhone took the job. It looked routine.

Elaine Boldt's wrappings were a good deal flashier than her sister's, but they signaled the same thing: The lady had money. A rich widow in her early forties, she owned a condo in Boca Raton and another in Santa Teresa. According to the manager of the California building, she was last seen draped in her $12,000 lynx coat heading for Boca Raton. According to the manager of the Florida building, she never got there. But someone else had and she was camping out illegally in Mrs. Boldt's apartment. The job was beginning to seem a bit less routine.

It turned tricky when Beverly Danziger ordered Millhone to drop the case and it took on an ominous quality when Aubrey Danziger surfaced, making all kinds of wild accusations about his wife. But it only became sinister when Millhone learned that just days before Elaine Boldt went missing, her next-door neighbor and bridge partner had been murdered and the killer was still at large.

A house destroyed by arson. A brutally murdered a woman. A missing lynx coat. An apartment burgled of valueless papers, another ransacked in a melée of mindless destruction. And more murder. As Millhone digs deeper into the case, she finds herself in a nightmarish hall of mirrors in which reality is distorted by illusion and nothing--except danger--is quite what it seems.

"A" Is for Alibi
"B" Is for Burglar
"C" Is for Corpse
"D" Is for Deadbeat
"E" Is for Evidence
"F" Is for Fugitive
"G" Is for Gumshoe
"H" Is for Homicide
"I" Is for Innocent
"J" Is for Judgment
"K" Is for Killer
"L" is for Lawless
"M" Is for Malice
"N" Is for Noose
"O" Is for Outlaw
"P" Is for Peril
"Q" Is for Quarry
"R" Is for Ricochet
"S" Is for Silence
"T" Is for Trespass
"U" Is for Undertow
"V" Is for Vengeance
"W" Is for Wasted
"X"

四十年前，一桩占星术连续杀人案件轰动全日本！先是画家梅泽平吉在密室被人重击致死，接着是他早已出嫁的长女在家中被奸杀，最后甚至连与他同住的六个女儿也全部失踪。尸体陆续被发现埋在日本各地，而每个人身上都被切掉一部分！
梅泽平吉遗留的手记上写明他要依据“占星术”肢解重组六个女儿！难道他死而复活来完成幻异的艺术创作？当又没有证据与动机指向其他与本案相关的人——这可说是一桩找不到凶手的命案……
四十年后，眼见这桩诡谲至极的凶案变成邪灵的诅咒，本职占星师兼职侦探的御手洗洁却意外的得到一封告白遗书！悬宕四十年无解的奇案终于现出一线曙光，御手洗洁决定在一星期内破解这件史上最不苦思议、超大规模的占星术杀人魔法！

本书是华文推理鬼才陈浩基耗时9年完成的超越自我的科幻推理短篇连作。主人公“气球人”无意中发现自己身怀异能，只要是有生命的东西，一接触目标的皮肤，他就可以输入指令，让目标在指定时间内像气球一样充气、膨胀、扭曲，最后“意外”死亡。从此，“气球人”成为了一名职业杀手，专门为要求各异的顾客提供收费不菲的杀人服务。这些顾客中有为夺取遗产继承权的，有为杀掉丈夫第一任妻子的女儿的，有为了打击敌对企业的，还有为确保在选举中获胜的……尽管身怀异能，“气球人”也免不了麻烦缠身，黑白两道站在各自的立场都想除掉这个异类，但在被追杀的同时他却帮助警察解开了警局疑云。在“气球人”金盆洗手前最后一单委托，他却发现目标是跟他一样身怀异能的同类……这能力到底是礼物还是诅咒？世界上还有多少异能人？这世间，有善便有恶，善不是真善，恶也不是纯恶，亦正亦邪的“气球人”如何在荒诞不经的现实中游走，最终他能否如愿退休，隐姓埋名，安度晚年？

什么时候你开始怀疑这个世界是假的？
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日本虚拟现实VR题材开山杰作，
超前《盗梦空间》20年！
传奇推理作家组合冈岛二人预言之书，以超强的技术预见力，30年前就已完美构想出虚拟现实游戏体验装置！
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这是一部拥有“噩梦特质”的小说，是一次鲜有的、堪比3D观影、脑洞大开的、深陷其中难以自拔的独特体验。——资深推理人天蝎小猪
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上杉彰彦从未如此兴奋——他写的故事被伊普西隆研发公司买下，即将制作成颠覆时代的全新游戏《克莱因2》（Klein 2），并受邀与少女梨纱一同担任游戏测试员。
上杉彻底陷入了由K2造就的完美虚拟世界，为它的逼真、超前赞叹不已。然而随着测试过程的深入，伊普西隆公司行事神秘得令他生疑，游戏中更不断听到有人警告他：“快逃！”
与此同时，一个自称是梨纱好友的女孩找到上杉，她说梨纱已失踪多日，音信全无。然而在寻人的过程中，两人都开始怀疑对方在撒谎，因为他们的记忆完全对不上……

The apparent suicide of his policeman brother sets Denver crime reporter Jack McEvoy on edge. Surprise at the circumstances of his brother's death prompts Jack to look into a whole series of police suicides and puts him on the trail of a cop-killer whose victims are selected all too carefully. Not only that, but they all leave suicide notes drawn from the poems of writer Edgar Allan Poe in their wake. More frightening still the killer appears to know that Jack is getting nearer and nearer. An investigation that looks like being the story of a lifetime, might also be Jack's ticket to a lonely end.

琳内特•里奇卫拥有一切——年轻、美貌、过人的头脑，而且还继承了巨额财产。但出乎所有人的意料，她闪电般地与自己的地产经纪人，也就是好友奎杰琳的男友多伊尔结了婚。婚后幸福的二人决定去埃及度蜜月。决意复仇的杰奎琳、偷偷在琳内特财产上做了手脚的律师，以及其他许多似乎是外人的游客，与他们登上了同一条船。
在尼罗河上，惨案发生了，一颗子弹贯穿了熟睡中的琳内特的头颅……

Beloved detective Hercule Poirot embarks on a journey to Egypt in one of Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries, Death on the Nile.
The tranquility of a cruise along the Nile was shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot through the head. She was young, stylish, and beautiful. A girl who had everything...until she lost her life.
Hercule Poirot recalled an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: "I'd like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger." Yet in this exotic setting nothing is ever quite what it seems.

Ten years ago in California, Daniel Pell, a self-styled Charles Manson, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering an entire family -- husband, wife, and two children, plus one of his young male followers. He is brought to Salinas, California, to interview with Kathryn Dance after he is implicated in yet another killing. Things go terribly wrong during an interview break and Pell, after badly injuring a fellow California Bureau of Investigation agent and murdering several bystanders, escapes. The late murder implication was just one of his many schemes, allowing him to travel outside of his high-security prison -- and continue to kill of the outside. It's up to Kathryn Dance, aided by her CBI partners, a Monterey County detective, and a brilliant FBI agent specializing in cult mentality. Hungry on his trail, Dance enlists three of Pell's former female followers, now raising families and leading normal lives, as well as the one surviving family member in the initial killing. Only eight years old at the time, she survived asleep in her bed, obscured by her toys and stuffed animals, prompting the press to call her "The Sleeping Doll." Now eighteen, this girl may have clues about Pell. Full of Deaver's trademark plot twists, Dance and the police know that Pell didn't escape from jail in search of freedom, and they must stop him before he kills again.

当太阳系成为一座监狱，人类的宿命就是要冲出牢笼！
煽动两次世界大战，搅乱中东局势，策划东南亚危机……藏在历史幕后的神秘势力翻云覆雨，竟逼得美苏两个超级大国联手应对。人类尚未弄清敌人是谁，来自太空的威胁已悄然而至：地球被外星文明监控，太阳系即将成为一座监狱，永久囚禁人类！刚破解完月球人之谜的科学家亨特和丹切克，再度出手力挽狂澜，他们借助伽星人提供的感知机神游宇宙，终于查明真相：一切危机在五万年前就已埋下伏笔。
本书是《星之继承者》三部曲的终章，人类终于作为星之继承者，登上了宇宙的舞台。我们失去的只是枷锁，得到的将是星辰。
……………………………………………………………………………………………
纯正的科幻小说，阿瑟·克拉克得让点儿位置出来了！
—— 世界科幻巨头 艾萨克·阿西莫夫
虽然有些不愿承认，但阿西莫夫说得没错。詹姆斯，欢迎加入硬科幻俱乐部。
—— 世界科幻巨头、《2001：太空漫游》作者 阿瑟·克拉克
我偶然在书店看到了《星之继承者》。在我仔仔细细阅读之后，终于又找回了那种熟悉感。我和“我们的科幻”重逢了。
—— 《合金装备》《死亡搁浅》游戏监督 小岛秀夫
这本书虽然是科幻小说，但绝对也是独一无二且精彩绝伦的推理小说。真不知道作者是怎么想出这么多谜题的。这是此生必看的一本书。
—— 著名日本推理作家、《尸人庄谜案》作者 今村昌弘
……………………………………………………………………………………………
艾萨克·阿西莫夫、阿瑟·克拉克、小岛秀夫、今村昌弘 激烈赞赏
《高达》《凉宫春日》《蓝宝石之谜》） 纷纷致敬
进化史上的终极谜团！硬科幻与本格推理的完美融合！影响一代科幻迷与推理迷的不二神作！
《星之继承者》系列荣誉：
荣获1981年、1994年日本星云赏海外最佳长篇奖
提名1978年、1982年轨迹奖
入选Twitter网友票选“世界本格推理100强”
2011-2012年被漫画大师星野之宣改编为同名漫画

随着人类对自身了解的深入，一团阴影笼罩在现代生物学之上：种种证据表明，人类大脑的构造决定了我们原本绝无可能进化为智慧生物，是谁藏在幕后改写了人类的命运？
这一终极拷问，又跟失手引爆恒星而逃亡的外星文明有什么关系？
伽星人来到2500万年后与人类相遇，只是意外遭遇了相对论效应？
但有一件事可以确认：他们的到来，终于使我们知晓一个关于人类诞生的黑暗秘密……
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
纯正的科幻小说，阿瑟·克拉克得让点儿位置出来了！
—— 世界科幻巨头 艾萨克·阿西莫夫
虽然有些不愿承认，但阿西莫夫说得没错。詹姆斯，欢迎加入硬科幻俱乐部。
—— 世界科幻巨头、《2001：太空漫游》作者 阿瑟·克拉克
我偶然在书店看到了《星之继承者》。在我仔仔细细阅读之后，终于又找回了那种熟悉感。我和“我们的科幻”重逢了。
—— 《合金装备》《死亡搁浅》游戏监督 小岛秀夫
这本书虽然是科幻小说，但绝对也是独一无二且精彩绝伦的推理小说。真不知道作者是怎么想出这么多谜题的。这是此生必看的一本书。
—— 著名日本推理作家、《尸人庄谜案》作者 今村昌弘
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艾萨克·阿西莫夫、阿瑟·克拉克、小岛秀夫、今村昌弘 激烈赞赏
《高达》《凉宫春日》《蓝宝石之谜》 纷纷致敬
进化史上的终极谜团！硬科幻与本格推理的完美融合！影响一代科幻迷与推理迷的不二神作！
《星之继承者》系列荣誉：
荣获1981年、1994年日本星云赏海外最佳长篇奖
提名1978年、1982年轨迹奖
入选Twitter网友票选“世界本格推理100强”
2011-2012年被漫画大师星野之宣改编为同名漫画

2027年，月球上发现一具五万年前的人类尸体。如果地球存在高科技史前文明，不可能没有任何遗迹；但若说他来自外星，则又违背进化论。同时，科研发现月球正面与背面的土壤年份相差几十亿年，而从猿猴到智人的进化链上缺失的一环一直没有找到……这一切谜团，都指向五万年前太阳系的那场浩劫，人类创世的史诗大幕，已徐徐拉开。
本书能重新唤起我们生而为人的雄心与尊严：整个地球生物史上，从未出现过人类这样的狠角色！亿万年前驱使鱼爬上岸的那股动力，亿万年后推动我们奋斗一生。
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纯正的科幻小说，阿瑟·克拉克得让点儿位置出来了！
——世界科幻巨头 艾萨克·阿西莫夫
虽然有些不愿承认，但阿西莫夫说得没错。詹姆斯，欢迎加入硬科幻俱乐部。
——世界科幻巨头、《2001：太空漫游》作者 阿瑟·克拉克
我偶然在书店看到了《星之继承者》。在我仔仔细细阅读之后，终于又找回了那种熟悉感。我和“我们的科幻”重逢了。
——《合金装备》《死亡搁浅》游戏监督 小岛秀夫
这本书虽然是科幻小说，但绝对也是独一无二且精彩绝伦的推理小说。真不知道作者是怎么想出这么多谜题的。这是此生必看的一本书。
——著名日本推理作家、《尸人庄谜案》作者 今村昌弘
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
荣获1981年第12届日本星云赏海外最佳长篇奖，提名1978年轨迹奖
入选Twitter网友票选“世界本格推理100强”
被漫画大师星野之宣在2011-2012年改编为同名漫画
人类进化史上的终极谜团！硬科幻与本格推理的完美融合，影响一代科幻迷与推理迷的不二神作！

14岁的女中学生曲雅雯死了，她从二十二楼坠下，警察说是自杀，但她的姐姐阿怡知道，小雯是被“杀死”的。毕竟她在去世前，才因为一起性骚扰案遭到网络霸凌，姓名、学校都被公开，一个网名“kidkit727”的网民以骚扰犯外甥的名义对她发动攻击，声称她是诬告。小雯每天忍受着网友不 堪的辱骂和陌生人恶毒的眼光。为找出背后攻击小雯致使她自杀的始作俑者，阿怡找上了神秘的阿涅，阿涅茧居在破落的旧大楼里，生活邋遢、性情乖戾，却拥有超凡的黑客技术。他很快缩小了调查范围，推断幕后黑手就隐藏在小雯身边，小雯的死会是校园霸凌的恶性后果吗？
但随着真相一层层剥开，阿怡心底那个“妹妹”的形象却渐渐模糊。不知不觉中，她陷入亲情与谎言的迷障里无法抽身，而罪与罚的天平也开始倾斜，急速倒向难以意料的结局。

Book Description
Quadriplegic detective Lincoln Rhyme is asked to find a menacing kidnapper while visiting a renowned hospital in a small North Carolina town. While Lincoln has his own suspicions about who the perpetrator might be, so does his love and protegee Amelia Sachs. As the two lovers go head to head in a desperate battle of wits, their loyalty is tested as rigorously as their investigative skills.
Reviews
The Empty Chair is the third - or, if you count a guest appearance in the millennial thriller The Devil's Teardrop, the fourth - novel to feature Lincoln Rhyme, the irascible forensic genius who became a quadriplegic when a cave-in at a crime scene damaged his spinal cord beyond repair. The series began in 1997 with The Bone Collector, which was recently made into a so-so film starring Denzel Washington. Every Rhyme novel to date has been characterized by authentic forensic detail and wild, even extravagant plotting, and the latest entry is no exception. The Empty Chair may, in fact, be the single trickiest suspense novel published so far this year.
Unlike earlier volumes, The Empty Chair takes place outside of New York City in the bucolic but sinister environs of Paquenoke County, North Carolina. Rhyme - accompanied by his long-suffering physical therapist, Thom, and his beloved forensic assistant, Amelia Sachs - has just been accepted as a patient at the Medical Center of the University of North Carolina, where he is scheduled to undergo an experimental procedure that might increase the range of his mobility but might, on the other hand, result in his death. Shortly after his arrival, Lincoln's plans are disrupted by an unforeseen emergency. Jim Bell, Paquenoke County sheriff, has trouble on his hands and needs Lincoln's expertise.
According to Bell, a disturbed teenager - known, for reasons that become graphically clear, as the Insect Boy - has murdered a local football hero and abductedtwoyoung women. Convinced that the women have only hours to live, Bell asks Lincoln to examine the trace evidence found at the abduction site in the faint hope of pinpointing the kidnapper's location. Though he knows nothing about the physical composition of the surrounding area - he and Sachs, as he repeatedly comments, are "fish out of water" in the American South - Rhyme agrees to help. Once again using Amelia Sachs as his eyes and legs, he sets up an ad hoc forensic lab in a borrowed corner of the local Sheriff's office and goes to work.
This sort of scenario - a crazed killer, a race against time, a scattered handful of clues - offers more than enough drama to fuel any number of traditional suspense novels. In The Empty Chair, however, this same scenario is merely the first level of a complex, multitiered mystery that constantly confounds our most fundamental expectations. The first indication that The Empty Chair contains unexpected depths comes when Lincoln, flawlessly interpreting his disparate bits of evidence, locates both the Insect Boy (Garrett Hanlon) and his most recent victim (an oncology nurse named Lydia Johannsen) within the first 150 pages. At that point, Deaver throws away the rulebook.
After talking with Garrett Hanlon in the Paquenoke County jail, Amelia develops the instinctive sense that Garrett might, as he continually claims, be a victim, and that another unidentified killer might still be at large. In a moment of intuitive - and reckless - empathy, Amelia abandons her professional principles and escapes with Garrett, determined both to prove the boy's innocence and rescue the remaining victim, a local history student named Mary Beth McConnell. From this point forward, almost nothing that happens in The Empty Chair is even remotely predictable.
It would spoil too many of the carefully constructed surprises to reveal the plot in any more detail. Suffice it to say that the narrative - which seems, at first, a simple but effective chase story - broadens and deepens to become something stranger and infinitely more complex. Throwing a varied assortment of people and elements into the mix - a trio of Deliverance-style rednecks, an emotionally scarred cancer survivor, a revisionist account of the Lost Colony of Roanoke, an apparently deranged deputy sheriff, a pair of incipient rapists, the hidden motivations of a wealthy industrialist, and the tragic history of Tanner's Corner, a "town without children" - Deaver constructs an artful, entertaining melodrama that has much to say about the destructive consequences of uncontrolled greed.
If The Empty Chair has a besetting weakness, it is Deaver's relentless determination to dazzle the reader with his narrative sleight of hand, piling on an endless, constantly escalating series of shocks, surprises, and unexpected twists that might, in a lesser writer's hands, have become just a bit too much. But Deaver, as usual, is a consummate professional, and he holds it all together with the ease and assurance of a natural storyteller. Readers familiar with the earlier adventures of Lincoln Rhyme will be lining up for this one, which seems likely to attract a substantial number of new readers, as well. The Empty Chair is Jeffery Deaver at his best and most devious and is recommended, without reservation, to anyone in search of intelligent, high-adrenaline entertainment.
-Bill Sheehan