‘The Steel Kiss’ is the twelfth book in the series by Jeffery Deaver featuring quadriplegic detective and forensic expert Lincoln Rhyme. Here, Rhyme and his partner (and lover) Amelia Sachs, New York police detective, try to hunt down a serial killer who uses smart technology to kill from afar. The enthralling tale begins with an exciting chase and what follows is a lot of twists and turns. You will never be able to guess the ending, even if you read a lot of murder mysteries and can sense a perpetrator halfway through the plot.

 

 The good thing is that not much has changed in Deaver’s writing style since Rhyme made his first appearance in ‘The Bone Collector’ in 1997. He still delivers the same fast paced narrative that has come to be the trademark of the Lincoln Rhyme series. The plot of The Steel Kiss begins with Sachs chasing a suspect through a busy mall when an escalator malfunctions and a mall employee is mangled to death. Though initially it seems the incident has no connection with the serial killer, it soon becomes apparent that he is hacking into home appliances and other gadgets to kill people, and used the escalator as a distraction to escape when he feared getting caught.

 

 A psychopathic hacker intent on turning ordinary things like a car, table saw, or microwave oven into lethal weapons is the stuff of nightmares but, besides this main storyline, there are many sub-plots in the book as well. There’s the relationship tension between Rhyme and Sachs, and Sach’s ex-boyfriend is also in the picture. He asks for her help in clearing his name after being released from prison. Then there’s officer Ron Pulaski who goes undercover to prove Rhyme wasn’t responsible for someone’s death during a case. Deaver also introduces a new character, Juliette Archer, who is a quadriplegic too. She lightens everyone’s mood with her humor and riddles.

 

Any other thriller writer and the labyrinth of plots and sub-plots would have made for one heck of a confusing read. But Deaver knows what he is doing and ties the different plot lines together brilliantly to come up with one engaging and engrossing story. He also manages to deliver a subtle warning about the dangers of letting electronic gadgets control our lives. Deaver is best known for complex plots and unpredictable endings and, in this cleverly crafted novel, he proves, yet again, that he is perhaps one of the very best thriller writers out there.

 

 

The Steel Kiss

Author: Jeffery Deaver

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Published: 2016

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages: 632, Paperback