A review by skyring
The Twelfth Card by Jeffery Deaver
3.0
This wasn't quite so far-fetched as The Vanished Man, but still a tough act to swallow. Murders abound, red herrings and misdirections likewise and the ultimate secret is barely credible.
The plot is complex, as you'd expect for a JD mystery, but what really keeps me galloping along are the characters. A fine set of sleazy, saucy and cerebral people. Introducing Geneva Settle, who has more than a few mysteries in her life already, and an ex-graffiti tagger named Jax, strangely linked in Harlem past and present.
The main villain is pretty fascinating in his own right, but I won't spoil the story by saying how, exactly, except that the twelfth card of the title has something to do with it.
With the cast of detectives who have to run this case, it's more of a soap opera than ever. Crimes present themselves to be solved, crises present themselves to be resolved, and there's some change and progress in relationships and characters. The Lincoln Rhyme franchise rolls steadily on!
The major character in this novel is not so much a person but a place. Harlem. Dangerous streets, pocket parks, alleys, security-gated schools, markets and warehouses. I've walked those streets, and it was interesting to learn more about the culture, the literary traditions, the history and the geography.
Deaver has put a lot of effort into his research. I just wish he'd make his crimes a tiny bit more credible. Something like this plot would be front page news around the world, but there's barely a journalist to be seenn
The plot is complex, as you'd expect for a JD mystery, but what really keeps me galloping along are the characters. A fine set of sleazy, saucy and cerebral people. Introducing Geneva Settle, who has more than a few mysteries in her life already, and an ex-graffiti tagger named Jax, strangely linked in Harlem past and present.
The main villain is pretty fascinating in his own right, but I won't spoil the story by saying how, exactly, except that the twelfth card of the title has something to do with it.
With the cast of detectives who have to run this case, it's more of a soap opera than ever. Crimes present themselves to be solved, crises present themselves to be resolved, and there's some change and progress in relationships and characters. The Lincoln Rhyme franchise rolls steadily on!
The major character in this novel is not so much a person but a place. Harlem. Dangerous streets, pocket parks, alleys, security-gated schools, markets and warehouses. I've walked those streets, and it was interesting to learn more about the culture, the literary traditions, the history and the geography.
Deaver has put a lot of effort into his research. I just wish he'd make his crimes a tiny bit more credible. Something like this plot would be front page news around the world, but there's barely a journalist to be seenn