The Midnight Lock by Jeffery Deaver

A killer without limits

He comes into your home at night.

He watches you as you sleep. He waits.

A city in turmoil

He called himself 'The Locksmith'.

No door can keep him out. No security system can catch him. And now he's about to kill.

A race against time

Nobody in New York is safe. It's up to forensics expert Lincoln Rhyme to catch him.

But with Lincoln under investigation himself, time is running out...

I'd never read anything from Jeffery Deaver before and once I realised this book was part of a long series I got nervous that I'd be missing out on lots of information and inside jokes but, as it turns out, you are given all the details needed to thoroughly enjoy this story; either way I liked this book so much that I'm sure I will be getting more of this series after reading this segment of it.

The Main Plot

Introducing Lincoln Rhyme, renowned New York criminalist who, even from a wheelchair with only limited movement in one hand, solves crimes using forensic analysis, special knowledge of his city and the help of his wife and friends\colleagues.

New York is being terrorised by a man calling himself The Locksmith; he's able to pick any lock due to his extensive practise and know-how when it comes to locks. Fuelled by his dark childhood (explained in parts throughout the book) The Locksmith sneaks into the rooms of sleeping women, rearranges their intimate belongings, makes himself a snack (to really show off his casual attitude at breaking into someone else's apartment) and leaves a note on the same page of a local newspaper, 'Reckoning - The Locksmith.' Knives are taken from the victims but aren't used in anyone... Yet. No trace is left, no surveillance footage, no witnesses and no motive can be found, at first that is. Detective Lincoln Rhyme with his wife and friends (all in the NYPD) are hot on The Locksmith's tail, as Lincoln uses his state of the art forensic analysis lab to track and predict what The Locksmith will do next.

When Lincoln's own reputation is called into question, the city mayor called for Lincoln to no longer be used as a consultant and for him to not be involved in any police matters or cases, bar none. Not many on the force agree with this decision as Lincoln has helped time and again to solve cases but this comes from a place way above their pay grade, so they comply... On paper, at least.

Now it's a case of making sure the stolen knives aren't put to use on a human by this illusive Locksmith and bring him to justice while juggling a case or two and avoiding being found out to still be consulting by the mayor and his men! Lincoln Rhyme is a new kind of genius though, and somehow he and his brilliant detective wife manage to stay one step ahead of the danger that faces them.

The Pros and Cons

➕The characters in the book are so well thought out - they have their own fears, lives, histories and agendas. There are many characters and though it's tricky to keep track of them all, they are integral to the story and Jeffery Deaver clearly put a lot of forethought into them.

➕The way the cases were handled really intrigued me; it's not every day you read a true crime book that is so science-heavy. Normally it's got a lot to do with physically tracking someone and catching them in the act or something, but Lincoln being chairbound meant he uses his noggin (is that too old school?) and shockingly great science-smarts to nail this perp.

➖The flow of the story is really good throughout the entire book, except for this one part where it clearly goes all the way back in time to when The Locksmith first became The Locksmith and I was truly confused at first because there was no indication of this before the chapter started. I did figure it out but it took a second read of the chapter to understand the scene described was a flashback (of sorts) that just hadn't been distinguished by a time stamp.

➕The switching between perspectives in every other chapter or so was really interesting - hearing from The Locksmith himself and piecing together his tragic backstory was almost spooky. There was some obvious abuse in his history but Jeffery Deaver managed to allude enough to it without going into unnecessary detail which I really appreciated; too many movies or books go into unnecessary and gruesome detail when it comes to triggering factors.

➕Every time I had my heart in my throat that something terrible had happened or was about to, Jeffery cleverly gave an explanation or something to that effect which had me breathing a sigh of relief. I loved how none of it felt forced or fake.

➕Although I personally enjoyed this book to the max, I must give a warning that it isn't a particularly easy read; there are lots of characters, there's lots of cases to keep track of, there's plenty of intricacies and drama throughout - lots of plates spinning in the air which can make a person muddled. So be aware!

I'm going to give Jeffery Deaver a 5/5 for this one!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book had everything: cut-throat politicians, mob bosses, a dark, mysterious foe. Comedy, sorrow and tension that'll keep you on the edge of your seat for most of the book! Though it isn't an easy read, it's a fantastic read, and I can't wait to get another book from this series.

That's it for this Thursday! I hope you enjoyed this week's book review! The next book in my TBR list is The Power by Naomi Alderman - on the surface it sounds like a awesome feminist novel about women around the world finding themselves suddenly burdened with awesome power that can inflict death - reversing the control of the world into their hands instead of (predominantly) men. I'm here for all the badass ladies vibes, so I'll be reading through that this week and I'll see you back here next week for my review!

Let me know if you've read The Midnight Lock before and what you thought of it! Haven't read it yet? See the LinkTree in my Instagram\Facebook bio to order it online in time for the weekend - in the meantime, come join me on Instagram for extra content!

Love and Light,

Melissa x