THE CUTTINIG EDGE by Jeffery Deaver
Jeffery Deaver’s latest book, THE CUTTING EDGE, is a good book, That is no surprise as Deaver only writes good or better than good books. The problem is Deaver fans want his books to be great and this one isn’t. Let me rephrase that, this book is not as great as Deaver can be. It is great when compared to writings of other authors, but it isn’t Deaver great.
Let’s look at what is positive about THE CUTTING EDGE. Number one, it is a Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs book. This couple have become America’s favorite in the world of mystery thrillers. They are both super intelligent. They both have ailments – he paralysis and she arthritis. The chemistry between then is through the roof. So them being in this book together is a definite plus.
Number two, the plot is as complex and twisty as any Deaver has ever written. It starts out being a murder mystery concerning the death of a diamond dealer in New York.That singular event captures their focus for only a short while. Then it blossoms into an aggregate of murders all supposedly connected to the death of the diamond dealer, or are they?
Before the murders are digested by the plot we get another switch. This time it is a mad bomber case. And then we jump into the trial of a Mexican drug cartel leader. Did I say this plot had a lot of curves? Well believe me you will get whiplash moving from one crime to the next and yet Rhyme/Sachs balance them like master jugglers.
In a Deaver story it is all about the details and no one provides details like Deaver. I can not imagine how much time went into his research about diamonds and how they are formed, fpound and cut. The educational aspect of his writing is awesome. I’ll never look at a diamond in the same way again.
One last plus is Deaver not telling readers what is on the evidence board in Rhyme’s office. In all of his previous Rhyme/Sachs books Deaver has included all of the evidence statements on Rhyme’s board as soon as they are placed there. I have always poured over these charts wondering what I was missing, and knowing Rhyme was going to have an aha moment when the key to everything would be found on that board.
This time out Deaver states what is going to be put on the board but he doesn’t spell it out. So readers are no longer required to pour through these written statements of evidence and it is really a relief. I did not like those boards but I thought it was just something I had to endure to understand the story. Well they are missing in this book and I didn’t feel I missed a thing in the revealing of the plot.
So what is wrong with this story? It is simply the fact that the story of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs does not move forward in any way. They are married now and it seems the blahs have set in. They are both actively involved in their case(s) and they still apparently love each other, but there is no advancement of their story/relationship told here. And I missed that. I wanted to feel I knew them a little bit better at the end of the book than I had at the beginning.
That one little point kept THE CUTTING EDGE from being a great novel for me. The solving of the crimes is wonderful reading, and the twists of the plot make you turn the pages as quickly as you can, but I still wanted a personal touch. Picky me.
THE CUTTING EDGE is published by Grand Central Books. It contains 434 pages and sells for $28.00.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
