The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver (2008, Hardcover)

What's not to love about a mystery wherein the villain enjoys looking at eBay, but won't shop there because of his obsessive-compulsive need to stay "off the grid"?

Its eBay reference aside, there is a lot to love about "The Broken Window", Jeffrey Deaver's 8th volume in the adventures of quadriplegic criminalist Lincoln Rhymes and his lover/partner, the arthritic and redheaded NYPD Detective Amelia Sachs. This time around, they face a killer whose ingenious staging of crimes is enabled by a terrifying access to the most detailed personal information.

They initially begin their investigation at the behest of Lincoln's estranged cousin Arthur's wife. The cousin has been arrested for murder, and the case against him is perfect -- too perfect, with forensic evidence from Arthur's home all over the crime scene.

But soon Lincoln and Amelia uncover a string of similar rapes and murders whose alleged perpetrators vehemently proclaim their innocence despite seemingly ironclad forensic evidence against them. That's when Rhyme's team realizes that all this "perfect" evidence could be the result of masterful identity theft and manipulation.

One information service provider -- the data-mining behemoth Strategic Systems DataCorp -- seems to have all the answers but is oddly reluctant to help the police. And as Rhyme and Sachs gradually uncover a chilling pattern of vicious crimes and cover-ups, the object of their hunt learns the identities of his hunters, so they in turn become the hunted. Full of Deaver's trademark plot twists, "The Broken Window" puts the partnership of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs to the ultimate test.

The plot's basic premise and subsequent development may be a little hard to swallow, but the information about identity theft is all too frighteningly plausible. It will make you think twice before ever filling out another appliance or gadget warranty card. And if you're willing to accept the fictitious set-up as given, then you are on board for one terrifying trip.

If you like to solve the mystery right alongside the fictional detective(s), then Lincoln Rhyme's systematic listing of the various types of mounting evidence and his periodic reviews thereof will be just your cup of hemlock. If lists make your eyes glaze over, you can just skim through those short sections without sacrificing the thrill of the story itself. But as always with Deaver, even the briefest characterizations are vividly drawn. The people in his books really get up off their pages and walk around, and "The Broken Window" is no exception.

Whether you read it for the people, the plot, or just to find out whodunit, "The Broken Window" is a roller-coaster ride with more than a few scary surprises along the way.

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