Criminalist Lincoln Rhyme to Detective Amelia Sachs: "Didn't we say this whole plot was complicated?"

Thirteen books in the Lincoln Rhyme and I am still thrilled and eager to crack open the latest in the series. And Book 14 in the series, The Cutting Edge, is an …" Oh, wow!" Actually I give this book five "Oh Wows!" on the Richter scale (which does have relevance to the story.)

At this point, Lincoln and Amelia need no introduction other than to say that if there's an impossible crime to be solved, they are on it with their keen minds and intense investigative procedures.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I can tell you that you will learn about the brilliant side of diamonds- such as the story of the Cullinan Diamond. This stone was cut into the Great Star of Africa and the Lesser Star of Africa which are part of the British Crown Jewels.
You will also read about the dark side of the diamond business- murder, sabotage, threats. I appreciated that each section of the book was named after a diamond creating process.

Vimal is a young and passionate sculptor and apprentice diamond cutter. He witnesses a crime and we are off! Every page brings villains, such as The Promisor, and their horrific acts with Amelia roaring around in her Gran Torino and Lincoln with his intrepid mind also firing on all cylinders to solve the mystery in time.

In addition to the usual well-drawn main characters, this book is flavored with cameo character appearances that add vibrancy to the story. There is Carmella Romero, who often said gravely, that she was a spy. She added so much to my enjoyment!

This book seemed to focus less on the psychological aspects of Lincoln, Amelia and the evil-doers than earlier books, which I liked because the plot was enough to keep me engaged until the amazing and unexpected ending. Highly recommend.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of The Cutting Edge.

Lincoln Rhymes and Amelia Sachs are working on a case in the diamond district of New York. A diamond cutter was found tortured and murdered and an engaged couple who had stopped by to pick up their rings were also murdered. The culprit took uncut diamonds from the scene but left behind cut diamonds worth a lot of money. When more couples are targeted it seems the people are the target not the diamonds. The killer aka the Promiser has left a witness at the first scene and he is determined to find and eliminate him. When chaos strikes the city Lincoln and Amelia have more on their plate. They need to figure out what’s going on before more lives are lost.

There is a lot going on in this book, multiple plot lines that at first seem to have no connection. There are multiple twists that will make your head spin. This is part of the Lincoln Rhyme series but it could stand on its own. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy of this book.