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    The Burning Wire: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel
    The Burning Wire: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel
    The Burning Wire: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Burning Wire: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel

    Written by Jeffery Deaver

    Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    From New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver—Lincoln Rhyme is back, and on the trail of a killer whose weapon of choice cripples New York City with fear. Now a major television series starring Russel Hornsby, Arielle Kebbel, and Michael Imperioli.

    The weapon is invisible and omnipresent. Without it, modern society grinds to a halt. It is electricity. The killer harnesses and steers huge arc flashes with voltage so high and heat so searing that steel melts and his victims are set afire.

    When the first explosion occurs in broad daylight, reducing a city bus to a pile of molten metal, officials fear terrorism. Rhyme, a world-class forensic criminologist known for his successful apprehension of the most devious criminals, is immediately tapped for the investigation. Long a quadriplegic, he assembles NYPD detective Amelia Sachs and officer Ron Pulaski as his eyes, ears and legs on crime sites, and FBI agent Fred Dellray as his undercover man on the street. As the attacks continue across the city at a sickening pace, and terrifying demand letters begin appearing, the team works desperately against time and with maddeningly little forensic evidence to try to find the killer. Or is it killers…?

    Meanwhile, Rhyme is consulting on another high-profile investigation in Mexico with a most coveted quarry in his crosshairs: the hired killer known as the Watchmaker, one of the few criminals to have eluded Rhyme’s net.

    Juggling two massive investigations against a cruel ticking clock takes a toll on Rhyme’s health. Soon Rhyme is fighting on yet another front—and his determination to work despite his physical limitations threatens to drive away his closest allies when he needs them most…
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJun 1, 2010
    ISBN9781442304239
    Author

    Jeffery Deaver

    Jeffery Deaver is the #1 internationally bestselling author of forty-four novels, three collections of short stories, and a nonfiction law book. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into twenty-five languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie and a hit television series on NBC. He’s received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world, including Novel of the Year by the International Thriller Writers and the Steel Dagger from the Crime Writers’ Association in the United Kingdom. In 2014, he was the recipient of three lifetime achievement awards. He has been named a Grand Master by Mystery Writers of America.

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    Reviews for The Burning Wire

    4/5

    51 ratings24 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I loved the complex plot, major and minor characters and the emotional relationship between Rhyme and Sachs. Jeffrey Deaver thoroughly researched electricity and its related components and the result is a fabulously devious plot that only a slightly insane person could imagine. I learned so much about electrical workings and I highly recommend this book. It's thrilling and may keep you up at night because it's a page turner! I adore Jeffrey Denver, he is a master!
    • 5/5
      This was so far the best Lincoln Rhyme novel. Suspenseful, authentic, and well read.
    • 5/5
      One-tenth of one amp of electricity is enough to stop your heart and kill you. Your hairdryer pulls about ten amps. Scared now? I am.Jeffery Deaver takes this simple bit of information and expands it into a thriller that you can't put down. He's writing at the top of his form in The Burning Wire and I loved this book. Non-stop thrills, plenty of things to be scared of, good guys and bad guys, and lots of things to learn about electricity.Although he's always a good writer, I've been disappointed with the recent Lincoln Rhyme novels and was beginning to wonder if Deaver had jumped the shark with this series, but this book may be one of the best in this series yet.The only downside of this book is that I'm now highly aware of how much metal I touch every single day even when it's raining and how easy it is to electrify things. Walking home from work in the rain last night I actually hesitated before pushing the button to cross the street. It's metal and has a light in it and thus could be easily wired to kill. I did touch it, but it took a minute.
    • 3/5
      A year or two ago I discoverd the Lincoln Rhyme series and devoured them all, but for some reason this one just didn't grab me like the others. Nothing in particular that I can pinpoint, but perhaps the premise is getting old. However, given some changes that were made at the end of the book may acknowledge that and breathe more life into the series.
    • 4/5
      Electrifying (groan) thriller that'll change how you look at your light switch.
    • 3/5
      Readable but predictable keeping in mind I am a heavy reader and am finding little new these days.
    • 4/5
      This is a page turner and you want to get to the end as quickly as possible, if only because the more you reflect as you read the more you will realise the plot is weak and unrealistic. Aside from that I couldn't enter into his attempts to create angst in his readers by constantly reminding us that electricity is invisible, all around us and could kill us at any moment. It's a lot harder to kill someone with electricity than he makes out. I've met people who touched live overhead wires and they may have lost an arm but they lived. He mentions that electricity wants to get to ground asap but seems to forget that in creating electrified buildings and such. The most redeeming factor of this book is that develops Rhyme and furthers our understanding of him and his life. Deaver is certainly heavy on plot and light on characterisation that doesn't serve his plot.
    • 4/5
      Jeffery Deaver's series books never miss the mark. This Lincoln Rhyme story is very frightening as the villan is using electricity to kill people. It makes you a little paranoid as you're reading it with the lights, a/c and fan running! Another top notch thriller.
    • 4/5
      This was one of those books that was great to listen to (while driving) but I'm not sure I would have gotten through it in print. Repeated details of case notes and New York's electric grid are fine while dodging semis but would have driven me crazy if I had to read them. But I really liked it! Boutsikaris had the perfectly bored, almost snooty, tone that seemed to fit the character of the novel. This was definitely not predictable or "cookie cutter" detective fiction. Refreshing. My first Jeffery Deaver. There will be more.
    • 3/5
      Having only ever read the very first Lincoln Rhyme book, I was wondering if THE BURNING WIRE, the 9th in this series would work. Obviously there's been a lot happen in Lincoln Rhyme's life, not the least of which is the medical issues he deals with due to his quadriplegia. But he has a great supporting staff, including his personal carer, and a loving relationship with a member of his investigating team - Amelia Sachs. As somebody absolutely not immersed in this series, the backstory, his current situation, everything about Lincoln fell into place nicely and there was no feeling whatsoever of this reader being left out of the loop.The central plot of this book is an interesting one. Somebody is using the Manhattan electricity grid to kill people, holding the power company and the City to ransom. The instant conclusion is terrorism, and some authorities seem to head off down a series of rabbit holes, while Rhyme's group quietly, methodically and urgently build a picture of their quarry from the facts at each crime scene. As this picture builds, facts start to fit the profile - leading not too far down the path to an identity for the man at the centre of this threat. Finding him, however, is not so easy. There are a number of interesting aspects to this book, which moves along at a very rapid pace. Firstly there is the nature of the threat, and the way in which the electricity grid is being used as a weapon, rather than simply having the grid itself threatened. Then there is the way that the perpetrator is identified, but still not able to be located, despite his identity rapidly leading to motivation. As the profile of this man builds, the chase becomes more intense, and his team on the ground face many personal threats and problems, and still the killer can't be found. Along the way Rhyme is following the story of his arch-enemy, The Watchmaker, who is far away and proving a problem for authorities in Mexico.The best part of THE BURNING WIRE is the way that the plot builds. As each element is revealed - the how / the who and the why, there is still that desperate feeling of how they are possibly going to find one man in a city like Manhattan. As each part of the puzzle contributes more to their understanding of what is driving this killer, how he works, what he's thinking, there's also the impact of that silent, invisible, deadly weapon. Even with an idea of what the killer is going to do next, the problem remains - how do they find him / how do they stop him / how do they avoid being one of his victims. What was less successful were the frequent forays into the whys and wherefores of electricity which will probably be exactly what appeals to others - but for this reader, it was too detailed and too intrusive. Add to that a rather convoluted final twist in the central plot which was disappointing. Until that point, there had been a sense of something particularly chilling and believable about a lone random threat. Whilst that did result in THE BURNING WIRE being a book where the journey was considerably more satisfying than the destination, it was a very good wild ride.
    • 3/5
      We’ve come a long way from the days of Agatha Christie or even Raymond Chandler: detectives no longer examine cigarette butts and wisps of fabric with a magnifying glass, its all DNA and UNSUB and a glossary of acronyms and abbreviations and scientific explanations that leave me somewhat perplexed, somewhat bored, but never intrigued. This time quadriplegic forensic consultant Lincoln Rhyme is investigating murder by electricity substation, involving rather too much technical detail for my liking. Never mind, series baddie The Watchmaker is back and Rhyme’s coterie need to be in top form while combating this most devilish of adversaries. A pleasantly paranoid pot-boiler.
    • 5/5
      Another great Lincoln Rhyme novel! After the little piece at the end, I can't wait for the next one.
    • 4/5
      I've long been a follower of Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series. I read the books for the excitement and for the forensic knowledge that I get from them. But this book was not my favourite. I found all the explanations about electricity and its dangers a little tedious after awhile, and I found that the stretches to get from Point A to Point B to the denouement of the killer were a little bit too wide to be believable. I have certainly read much better books where apparently two separate plot lines and two separate cases eventually turn into only one. This one just didn't make it believable for me. But the usually curmudgeonly Rhyme is up to par and I enjoy the character. I just didn't feel the tension and the excitement that these books generally provide for me. I've given it a 4, but it really is a 3 1/2. The extra half point is for Deaver's usual novel writing skills.
    • 5/5
      Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are back. This time they are investigating a serial murderer who is sabotaging the electrical grid in NYC. The first incident is catostrophic to a bus stopping to leave passengers in front of the offices of the power company. The second will electrocute many people in a public place. A lot of details about the power of electricity and how little of it is needed to electrocute. Deaver also talks about greening and how we need to lessen our dependency, but how can we? Could most of America live without air conditioning in the summer? What about our TV's, computers, syncing our iPods and other devices? Quadriplegics such as Rhyme need electricity to survive. five stars.
    • 4/5
      Jeffery Deaver has a new Lincoln Rhyme novel out, "The Burning Wire." It is a crime/suspense novel and it involves electricity. I will never feel quite the same about door knobs, metal doors, street lights, and my friendly local electric utility company.This a very good read. I got my copy from the library. I rate it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. It's good.
    • 4/5
      Someone is electrocuting members of the public by manipulating the power grid - a quite terrifying way to die - as each incident is bigger than the last, Rhyme and Sachs are engaged in a desperate race to stop the killer. At the same time Rhyme is monitoring an investigation tracking the Watchmaker in Mexico. Each investigation is filled with Deaver's trademark twists and turns. But far more fascinating to me were Rhyme's internal struggles with his health and his future.
    • 5/5
      I am a big fan of the Lincoln Rhyme series, as it brings together many things I enjoy: mystery, csi, light romance, disability awareness, quality of life, caretaking, while always educating me on a new topic. In Burning Wire, the topic is electricity. I never knew how much I didn't know. I have a new respect for and appreciation for the topic. Sachs and Rhyme continue their partnership in solving a NY City terrorist killing via electricity while at the same time continuing to follow the Watchmaker case. I love a mystery where the end isn't predictible but is realistic. Deaver delivers again. Real characters solving a realistic situation. I sure hope he didn't give anyone any ideas though.
    • 4/5
      Lincoln and crew work to find out who is murdering people by using electrical system
    • 3/5
      Audiobook......Sort of disappointing....This Lincoln Rhyme novel was overladen with technical jargon about electricity which, in my opinion, made the story drag.
    • 4/5
      I am a huge Deaver fan. I especially like the Lincoln Rhyme collection. I am reading Roadside Crosses currently and the collection of stories in The Chopin Manuscript and Broken Window were great. Lincoln is a highly organized and brilliant investigator in the area of forensics and is quadriplegic as a result of his career. Amelia Sachs) is his partner and lover and “hands on” investigator in the field. A bus explosion, a breakdown of the power grid unable to handle it’s “load” and threats of more terror by the "Watchman" start this thriller off with a sense of foreboding. There is a great amount of information about the power and energy that we use to run our lives and out country and it makes us remember not to take our resources for granted. This book was not a disappointment and I will continue to red Jeffrey Deaver’s mysteries.
    • 4/5
      Spoiler sensitive need not continue.He didn't get me this time. I had my suspicions about the real plot and the Watchmaker's involvement. I don't know how much of it was me being clever or just suspecting everyone when I read one of these now, but when he showed up it wasn't surprising. Then it was only whether the thing was a set up (a trap) or if there would have to be some hair-brained rescue at the end since there was quite a bit of book left.The handling of Dellray's side of the case and his boss's attitude was a bit heavy handed. I mean, what else could happen after all his ineffectiveness and brooding? Vindication, that's what and of course we got it. Eh, I wasn't caught up in it and so it fell kind of flat. I also tripped over and was distracted by several clunky sentences scattered around, like "the criminalist said". Now really, that's a bit community college Creative Writing 1 if you ask me. We know who Rhyme is and what he is so just tell us who's speaking and leave the aides de memoir out of it. I haven't noticed this kind of amateurish prose in Deaver books before, but it stuck out this time.Funny that at the beginning of the book I mused that Rhyme's condition didn't take up much time and that he seemed present and in top form at all hours of the day. In the past more emphasis was put on how much of his life was taken up by the necessities imposed by his paralysis and that we'd veered away from that for a while. Then he had that episode and again Rhyme was prevented by his condition from communicating or otherwise helping in an investigation. Trigger guilt and unhappiness. But the visit from Susan Stringer was enough to keep me from thinking the worst at the end and his trip to the hospital wasn't a guessing game for me; I knew he went to have something done to improve his condition and leave him more able and effective. I'm glad it went that way and we'll have a bit of bionic Rhyme to deal with in the future.
    • 4/5
      The Burning Wire is the ninth novel in Jeffrey Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme series. This time Rhyme’s target is a killer who utilises the power grid to cause arc flashes and set his victims on fire, or electrifies a building or an elevator to electrocute them. It seems that the people of New York are under threat unless the Algonquin Power company acquiesces to demands made by letter. The authorities fear terrorism, eco- or other. Whilst Amelia Sachs, Ron Pulaski, Mel Cooper and Lon Sellitto work at a frantic pace to process the crime scenes and investigate further, and Fred Dellray makes a dubious move to get information from one of his CIs, Rhyme is also monitoring the progress of the possible apprehension in Mexico of Richard Logan aka The Watchmaker. Once again, Deaver gives fast-paced action with a few plot twists. Apart from one or two false notes (uncharacteristic behaviour that should have been obvious to those present), once again, a great read.
    • 5/5
      Not meant for students - this is one of the few adult books I read over the holidays. I love the Lincoln Rhyme books, and very unusually, I love them even more after having seen Denzel Washington bring the character to life. Usually the movie ruins the books for me, but in this case, I agree with the actor's interpretation of the books.
    • 4/5
      Murder by electricity substation…obviously, this is a case for paraplegic forensic consultant Lincoln Rhyme.Jeffery Deaver continues to write tight, well-paced crime novels within each of which we are treated to a twisty ride through the author’s latest research project. It’s a wonderfully sustainable formula, keeping me coming back to Deaver’s novels when other crime writers might lose me at book five or six. I have to admit, I preferred Deaver’s writing in A Maiden’s Grave and his earlier Lincoln Rhyme novels, (The Bone Collector era) because it was less pared to down to accommodate the plot advancements, and he seemed to work harder at atmosphere, but the groove that he’s fallen into is an entertaining and intriguing one. I like that the author is still giving Rhyme and Sachs some character sketching, even growth, this far in, and using his peripheral characters well, too, giving them lots of depth.That said, the ending to The Burning Wire was so projected that the reader is left slightly less impressed with the perp’s astonishing skills than we might otherwise have been; particularly given the character in question: we’ve been waiting for this particular wrap-up for a while, and in the end it was the other things going on in the plot that propped it up and kept it from being a bust (which it was. But not in that way. Grah, word-choice). For an author who has a well-deserved reputation for playing the plot-twist like an instrument, both the identity of the bad guy and method of collar were something of a let-down here.