(the original review was written in 2018, however was lost after my website was hacked. This is an excerpt of the original review taken from my notes)

When 2018 rolled around, I made a New Year’s Resolution to get back into reading. My goal: I wanted to read 300 books during 2018. So far, I’ve managed to read 30 books, so… I’m a bit off the pace I set for myself.

Regardless, I’ve managed to read (and re-read) some great books so far this year. One of those is Jeffrey Deaver‘s fourteenth Lincoln Rhyme book, The Cutting Edge. Like most, I became aware of Deaver with the movie The Bone Collector, starring Denzel Washington (as Lincoln Rhyme) and Angelina Jolie (as Amelia Sachs), based on his book of the same name. Deaver is a masterful storyteller, and I burned through his books as fast as I could (2001’s The Blue Nowhere is my all-time favorite). One of the best parts of Deaver’s writing is his ability to keep you guessing right up to the end.

In The Cutting Edge, Rhyme and Sachs, who are now married, return to confront a killer in Manhattan’s Diamond District who is terrorizing couples during their happiest moment. With multiple twists and turns, The Cutting Edge weaves together Deaver’s incredible story that had me holding my breath as I turned each page.

My only complaint, and I don’t really consider it a complaint, it’s more of a personal preference, is Mr. Deaver’s writing is very detailed, intricate, and sometimes a little too complicated; which tends to slow down the pace of the story.

The Cutting Edge is a superbly written and suspenseful police procedural.

Note from Jay Bishop: I received an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of The Cutting Edge from Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley.

I normally devour any book by Jeffrey Deaver, but this book to an unusual amount of time for me to get through. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing horribly wrong with this book, it just didn't strike a chord with me. The plot was good, I just couldn't get into the book. Hopefully the next book by him will reach out and grab me!

Deaver’s pace keeps you breathlessly following the action in this fast moving thriller. It has fast turns and fast-paced action. Anyone who’s been waiting for the next Rhymes and Sachs novel should love it!

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

This is the 14th in the Lincoln Rhymes series. 14! And just as fresh as the first one.

Lincoln is now married to Amelia. This story is about murders in the Diamond district. And Diamonds are the key word.

This story had me wondering the entire time who-dun-it. I love stories that I can not figure it out and this one had me a bit stumped.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the latest in the Lincoln Rhyme series. I have read others in the series, which I really like, which includes this book. This book was quite complicated, which I loved. It was not just a simple serial killer story. It is well written with great characters that are well developed. The storyline was fabulous as well, You have to pay attention to this storyline. No speed reading this time! But it is well worth it Great book!

Having been introduced to the characters of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs through the movie THE BONE COLLECTOR when I read the novel of the same name I was puzzled at how different the character was from the page to the screen. It wasn’t that they were dissimilar to the extreme but they were different. In the end I enjoyed the movie but found myself waiting anxiously for the next book to come out.

Since that time I’ve read every Rhyme/Sachs book that’s come out. When I heard this new one was on the way I was overjoyed to hear it. The book doesn’t disappoint with new issues being faced by Rhyme, Sachs and the usual cast of characters that surround them.

It kicks off with the brutal murder of an exclusive jeweler and two of his customers. The only witness is a young man who worked for the jeweler off the books who is now on the run from both the killer and the police. In addition to that, the murderer begins killing or attempting to kill couples on the verge of marriage, all based around the diamonds that they choose for their rings. What should be the happiest moments in these people’s lives instead become a welcome to terror.

With each incident the forensic evidence on hand is sifted through by Rhyme, Sachs and his team. More and more clues mount up as they wend their way towards solving the puzzle. Making things even more difficult is when the press discovers the story and tags the killer with the name The Promisor. Now the pressure is on from those in the police hierarchy to solve the crime and solve it fast.

But this isn’t the only issue that the team are facing. Other cases require their attention and, of course, those cases all tend to come together and cross over one another. The pathway laid out for us to take in an effort to solve the case is clear and author Deaver is a master at directing us the wrong way but in the end brining us back to the destination we set out for to begin with, loving every minutes of the long way around.

I love a mystery and Deaver never disappoints. Not only are we presented with a solid story we continue to learn more about the characters we fans have come to care about as well. And in receiving that information it never feels like filler used to pad out the novel but information that we use to determine the mindsets of those involved and how they will think or behave. Deaver is a master at accomplishing this uneasy task.

If you’re a fan of the series by all means grab this book. If you’re not you should start from the beginning and make your way here. Trust me when I say the journey will be worth the effort it takes to get here.

The Cutting Edge is the fourteenth book in the Lincoln Rhyme series and while I don't think it's the mos suspenseful book of the series, the premise was definitely interesting, the story telling was quite good, and as always, the author manages to throw in a few surprises that were unexpected. I think that is why I keep coming back to these books time and time again; the author never really disappoints with his twists and turns, even if I expect them to happen now.

First of all, one of the weaknesses to the novel was kind of also its strength. Let me explain. Much of the time, Rhyme and Sachs are usually in so much danger and the tension usually revolves around them and this is expected in one of these books. This time, except for a couple of situations, Rhyme and Sachs actually took a backseat to a lot of the tension and the story line revolved around the other characters in the book, which was a bit different. The brutal triple murder of the jeweler and his customers was witnessed moments later by a worker and the story revolves around his story and the killer's pursuit of him throughout the city. It was kind of nice to get the perspective of someone who has no training in deception trying to escape a killer in the city; and how Rhyme and Sachs go about helping him, or inadvertently hindering him, in his escape. What this does however, is diminish the actual tension in the novel. I am fully invested in what happens to Rhyme and Sachs, but was not really invested into what happened to Vimal; in some ways, I just don't think there was enough time to really develop his character and make the reader empathize with him other than to feel sorry for the fact he witnessed a brutal slaying. That being said, there was, at one point, some really interesting stuff happening with a trial that could have caused Rhyme a lot of potential trouble and I thought this was where the story really picked up; but unfortunately, it didn't really go the path that I thought it would and I was left a bit disappointed because I was looking for a bit of excitement and didn't really get it. I don't want to see Rhyme get in a lot of trouble, but perfect Rhyme is a bit boring too, you know?

The plot itself was actually quite convoluted, much more than I initially gave it credit for as I first thought the villain was a bit daft. As the novel jumped from the murders to these explosions that rocked the inner city and killed some people, I began wondering what the connection was although for the life of me I couldn't really see it. What I did learn was an awful lot about diamonds I didn't really know before, and that information was actually quite informative. It definitely made me look at my own jewelry a bit differently. That being said, I did think this plot was a bit too far-fetched, with too many plot twists and too many convolutions. Sometimes, simpler is better as one can get caught up in all the threads and lose one of them. I also don't do very well with huge shifts in personalities, where one minute someone is locking someone up because they don't agree with their decisions, and suddenly, at the end, they have a huge change of heart and give that someone their blessing. It just didn't ring true for me and left a bad taste in my mouth.

The Cutting Edge (totally get the title now) was an interesting, but convoluted read with a lot of plot twists, maybe too many. The author is a great writer with an amazing ability to draw the reader in to his stories, but sometimes simpler is better. For the first time in a long time, I actually debated whether to give this one 3.5 starts rather than 4. And don't get me wrong, I loved Vimal's story; I just wished the author had more time to spend on his story. Maybe without some of the other stuff that wasn't really needed, he could have fleshed out some of the other story lines a bit more and allowed us to feel more empathy to those characters. While it was so great to revisit these characters, overall I felt a bit letdown. It will be interesting to see where this heads in future books though as the ending definitely left some questions unanswered, not so much for this story arc, but for the future of the team

Another exciting crime solved by dynamic duo - Lincoln & Amelia and their band of crime solvers. Deaver never disappoints!

Not my favorite Lincoln Rhyme book. Some parts were better than others. It was a bit too predictably twisty and lacked the emotional connection to the main characters.

Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are back in the 14th installment of the Lincoln Rhyme Series, The Cutting Edge, by bestselling and award-winning author Jeffery Deaver. Vimal Lahori, a young man who works for a popular diamond cutter, walks in on a triple homicide – his boss and an engaged couple - and is able to escape. However, the murderer wants to tie up loose ends, and searches for Vimal with the intention of killing him too. Lincoln and Amelia, (Amelia has a new large diamond herself, which puts her at risk) get involved in the investigation as other engaged couples are murdered. The murderer is dubbed “The Promiser,” and causes a bit of panic in the area.

Lincoln Rhyme readers will welcome this installment of the series. Deaver’s storytelling skills are excellent, as usual, and his beloved characters are true to form. Deaver has the ability to build suspense throughout the novel, and keep readers on the edge of their seats. There are dozens of twists and turns, and a surprise ending, as is the norm for Deaver.

Another positive aspect of this novel is the information about the diamond industry, and it is apparent that Deaver has actually done his research, resulting in interesting facts as a bonus to a good story. Just because a novel is fiction, doesn’t mean there aren’t things to learn, and this book is a prime example. Jeffery Deaver and his Lincoln Rhyme Series enjoys a huge following, and this novel is not one to miss.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
I don't usually give crime thrillers 4 stars especially when they are part of a series so they are not really complete in and of themselves. This time I did because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I don't recall having read others in this series and this is #14. Loved the characters, lots of action with twists and turns and surprises. The author did not go to great lengths to fill the reader in on the back story so some of the characters were rather a mystery. It didn't matter. Like the book enough that I would love to start with #1 and read them all.

What The Crime Warp thinks:
The Cutting Edge, is just that - Cutting Edge fiction at its best. Deaver, is clearly a detailed researcher who takes keeping the details accurate very seriously. One of the things i loved most about The Cutting Edge was the factual stuff. It's so in keeping with Rhyme's character and it's what i look forward to in Deaver books. I found out more about diamonds than I realised there was to know. Having visited Surat myself, i was amazed to discover it had a huge diamond industry.
Sach's and Rhyme's relationship is beautifully crafted. the understated love and respect , beautifully portrayed. I love seeing kick ass Sachs at her most vulnerable, then picking herself up and getting on with it. The earthquake scene was beautifully woven to show Sachs' human side, whilst juxtaposing this with another 'human' struggle.
The Promiser is eerily written, with just the right amount of menace followed by the drip feeding of his backstory. The sub story of Vimal Lahori and his family drew me in and really had me rooting for the lad.
All in all another triumph from the Deaver camp.

3.5 Stars
Getting engaged. What a wonderful time in your life. When your special someone "pops the question" and gives you the ring. Wealthy, eccentric, couples love to show off their engagement rings. The bigger and more opulent the better. Now there's a murderer, dubbed the Promisor by the media, who has turned this happy time inside out. The Promisor has a love for diamonds too. Uncut. Untarnished. The raw, beautiful stone as it was unearthed. He is disgusted by the thought of this precious gem being flaunted on the "miserable fat fingers of rich women." The police want The Promisor caught quickly and as quietly as possible. Three murders and a wounded eyewitness on the run, in Manhattan's Diamond District. Tortured victims and millions of dollars worth of jewelry left untouched. Obviously, robbery is not what motivates The Promisor.

(Jeffery Deaver knows how to get a reader's attention.)

As If chasing this elusive killer and trying to find the missing witness wasn't enough, Deaver throws in a few subplots for our enjoyment. Multiple earthquakes in Brooklyn have resulted in gas leaks and explosions, sadly claiming the lives of several citizens. These rare occurrences are centered around an active geothermal drilling site and protestors are quick to blame them. Is it a coincidence? Of course not, this is a Lincoln Rhyme story.

Now while getting to the bottom of these earthquakes and chasing a remorseless killer, Rhyme somehow has time to get involved in yet another case. This time he seems to be switching sides. At least that's the way the dirtbag prosecutors see it. Rhyme and Ron Pulaski begin digging into the prosecution of a Mexican drug lord who claims the evidence in his case has been tampered with and fabricated. We can always count on Rhyme to follow the evidence and present the truth. Even if that means exonerating a criminal and pursuing a case against federal prosecutors. Pulaski and Rhyme have put themselves in jeopardy simply by "looking into the case." Although operating on a genius level, Rhyme is quite slow on the uptake this time. Maybe it's his sense of service - I don't know. He just did not see what kind of people these prosecutors really were.

I can't believe this is the 14th book featuring Lincoln Rhyme. In 1997 I read The Bone Collector. I was hooked! Over the years some books have been great, while others...well, not great. Still good - just not great. The Cutting Edge falls in the latter. A good read, just not great. It is interesting, exciting, and features plenty of classic Deaver style writing. But it also gets tedious, almost mind-numbingly so at certain points and a good 50 pages read like stuffing...just to make the book longer. There's a lot going on in this book. The short, crisp chapters make for a fast read. Until you get to the detailed, I mean detailed information on diamond mining. I did enjoy this story. The ending wrapped up quiet surprisingly and Deaver leaves just enough string to keep us hanging on until the next chapter in the Lincoln Rhyme saga. I will most certainly keep reading Rhyme books as long as Jeffery Deaver keeps writing them.

Happy Reading,

RJ
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and share my opinion of The Cutting Edge.

If you like to read about the diamond industry, geo thermal drilling, and industrial sabotage, then this book is for you. I don’t, and it wasn’t. However, the story was well written with plenty of action and unexpected twists. The bad guys kept changing and you never knew who was responsible for what. Lincoln Rhyme seemed to be featured less, with Amelia Sachs being more involved. A decent, reliable procedural that set up the next book, but I found the subject matter tedious and struggled to finish.

I was disappointed by Jeffery Deaver's last Lincoln Rhyme novel, The Burial Hour, (Lincoln Rhyme goes to Italy!? Terrible.) However, I was hopeful when I got an advance copy of The Cutting Edge. Both Deaver and Rhyme are back in top form. Lincoln Rhyme and his wife/detective Amelia Sachs are back in his NYC brownstone working with the old team using their forensic expertise to solve complicated crimes -- just the way it should be.

Published by Grand Central Publishing on April 10, 2018

The Cutting Edge begins with a robbery and murder at the office of a Manhattan diamond cutter. The robbery is interrupted by the diamond cutter’s young assistant, Vimal Lahori, who barely avoids being murdered itself. The killing is the kind of crime that the city doesn’t want to publicize, for fear that it will bring more crime to the rundown part of Midtown that diamond merchants populate. In the hope of getting a quick resolution, the police turn to Lincoln Rhyme.

Rhyme and Amelia Sachs soon discover that the murder is linked to other diamond-related killings that seem bizarrely motivated. The case becomes even stranger when the presumptive killer is seen lurking about a geothermal drilling site. Rare New York earthquakes are attributed to the drilling, but Rhyme and his team wonder whether the geothermal company is being falsely blamed by environmental protestors, or by a competing fossil fuel company, or perhaps by someone else.

The actual motivation for the murder (and for several that follow) is a bit of a stretch, but I forgive Jeffery Deaver because the plot is original and clever. While the nuts-and-bolts of the forensic work undertaken by Rhyme’s team becomes a bit tedious (how many times do we need to be told that crime scene analysts need to “walk the grid”?), the detailed discussions of diamonds and earthquakes and geothermal drilling are interesting. An extended explanation of cryptic crosswords suggests that Deaver is a fan, but it comes across as filler.

Character development is always a strength in a Deaver novel, and while nothing much is added to the lives of the Rhyme or his supporting cast, the characters who are unique to this novel, including Vimal and a couple of bad guys, are rich in texture.

In a subplot, Rhyme crosses to the “dark side” (or so his colleagues believe) by working for a Mexican drug lord to investigate a claim that the feds fabricated evidence against him. Rhyme enlists the help of Ron Pulaski to uncover the truth, putting both Pulaski and Rhyme at risk of prison sentences when vengeful federal prosecutors decide that Rhyme and Pulaski should be arrested for obstructing justice and a litany of other federal crimes. In fact, they seem to think that working for a defendant is itself a crime, an attitude that is entirely consistent with that of many (but not all) career prosecutors who believe they have a monopoly on the truth. Unfortunately, by the time the subplot is completed, Rhyme still hasn’t recognized the prosecutors as the sleazebags they prove themselves to be (because their view of whether Rhyme and Pulaski broke the law depends on which side he’s helping, not on the facts). The subplot, it seems to me, is a major disappointment.

A much better subplot involves Vimal’s relationship with his parents and his desire to live his own life, not the life his father has chosen for him. The subplot is predictable, but Deaver handles it well. While not everything about The Cutting Edge appealed to me, that’s often the case with Lincoln Rhyme novels. I keep reading them because Deaver does so things well that I can easily overlook their faults.

RECOMMENDED

How have I missed reading Jeffrey Deaver's books?!! Lincoln Rhyme is an excellent and unusual main character. Even though this book is part of a series, I had no problem understanding the characters and the story. The descriptive writing is excellent and the narrative has enough twists and turns to please any mystery-lover.

The Cutting Edge is a superb title choice in more ways then one - Jeffery Deaver's writing is cutting edge as always, the intensity of the story-line is cutting edge, and, of course, the diamond cutting aspect fits right into the title. Love me some Deaver and this novel, one of his Lincoln Rhyme series, doesn't disappoint. It is intense, full of twists and turns, and had me guessing right up till the end! A very enjoyable read!

I've read several of Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme mysteries but it's been a while so I jumped at the chance to read an arc of his latest. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this book for an honest review.

Lincoln Rhyme is a quadriplegic who works with the NYPD as a consultant to solve complicated cases using forensic science. His wife, Amelia Sachs, is often his eyes and ears as she walks the grid of a crime scene collecting evidence.

In this latest outing, someone has brutally murdered several people in the diamond district, while taking several extremely valuable 'in the rough' diamonds, but curiously leaving many cut stones behind. An eyewitness makes the 911 call reporting the crime and it appears this person was wounded while escaping. Can the police find him before the killer can? The race is on!

But Lincoln Rhyme stories are always complicated, and this one is no exception, so you can bet there is so much more to the story, including earthquakes, explosions, and treachery. There are many different layers to this story, many twists and turns that you won't see coming until you reach the final exciting conclusion.

Deaver does it again--delivering suspense which is stunningly original and surprising.