Book Review – Cold Moon by Jeffery Deaver

Cold Moon, written by Jeffery Deaver, was released in 2006 and is part of what is now an 8 book series surrounding the intense cases of Lincoln Rhyme and detective Amelia Sachs. For those of you who do not know the series, it started with The Bone Collector, which became a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington as the insanely smart quadriplegic forensic sleuth with an attitude and his new and super hot detective partner with an attitude, Angelina Jolie as Amelia Sachs.

Truth be known, this is the first book in the series I have ever read and I have to admit that I rather enjoyed it. I saw The Bone Collector back in the day, but never got around to reading any of Deaver’s books until now. I know it just isn’t proper to start in the middle of a series, but I did in this case. I enjoyed this book just enough to run down to the local charity book sale this past weekend to raise money for our local library, so I could pick up as many of Deaver’s other books as I could find for the bargain price of .50 cents a piece. I got about 8 of his books in hardback and paperback for less than $10 bucks. Gotta love that!

Anyway, back to the book being reviewed…Cold Moon. I generally prefer to read a book before it becomes a

I just write about killers...I don't actally kill people...

movie so that I can then have the right to say how much better the book was. On occasion though, a person may be turned onto a book series because of a movie, which is the case here. It is kind of cool in this case because it allows me to have a clear mental image of some of the characters as I am reading. Specifically, I see Angelina and Denzel as the characters while I am reading and I just imagine the rest. I have also decided that Jeffery Deaver himself will take on the visual persona of the serial killer in this book as well as all of the other books as I read them because he just looks like a scary serial killer.

Cold Moon is a page turner for sure, but it is chock full of what I like to call “head-fakes”. By the third one, I wasn’t falling for it anymore. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…you know the rest. The super sleuth duo is after their most villainous and challenging killer yet, the Watchmaker!!! Over the period of just a couple of days, Sachs and Rhyme are pursuing two different cases, one to capture the serial killer, while Sachs also tries to bring down a group of corrupt cops in her first lead homicide case. Big surprise, the cases somehow merge through a bizarre twist of events and evidence, and just when they have it all figured out, they realize the Watchmaker is playing them like a cheap knock-off Rolex.  Now it is up to Sachs and Rhyme to get back in the game and try to get a step ahead using a new form of investigating known as kinesics.   Their new and temporary partner in crime fighting, Katheryn Dance, specializes in kinesics and will hopefully give them the edge they need to take down the Watchmaker.

This book has more twists and curves than I have ever read. Of course it is completely unbelievable, but compelling just the same. The one thing I really liked about this book was the very profound use of “time”. In this story, “Time” is the true antagonist, and Deaver portrays the depth, importance, and infinity of it perfectly.  Each second, minute, and hour is just as vital as the next and no one, good or bad, can escape the clutches of it.  It affects and eventually undermines everyone in the story, because in the end, time kills us all, right?  The use and explanation of time-pieces from the most simple to the most complex is another fascinating part of story that I found very interesting.

If your a Jeffery Deaver fan, you have already read this one. If you aren’t a fan, but enjoy suspense and mystery, then I definitely recommend it. Like I said, after the second head fake, I wasn’t falling for it anymore, and just when I thought I had it figured out, Deaver starts spinning out the plot twists faster than I can keep up.

Deaver doesn’t need approval from me, but good job just the same. You are still one scary looking guy though.

That’s my opinion and I am sticking with it…until Deaver comes to kill me.