The Burial Hour (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel, 14)

*** LANGUAGE *** Written in Adult English, with just a smattering of f-bombs, this is the sort of Crime Fiction that, these days, would probably feel artificial if it didn’t include such profanities. This is all the more true, I believe, because some of our characters are of what some might refer to as high-brow stock. What I mean is, cultured. I always feel uncomfortable trying to fit in with people of this background – what were referred to as gentlemen in the Navy. [Please excuse my sense of humor if it annoys you.]

Quick Overview

This is another installment of a series of books begun in 1997. For fans of the series, I’m confident they will not be reading this review, so I’m going to write it more for those not familiar with the characters starring in The Burial Hour.

We learn quite a bit, in just a few lines in the opening chapter, about Lincoln Rhyme. His admiration of a local peregrine falcon, and the fact that he is a bit more cultured that most detectives we see portrayed in film is shown to us immediately. He is cultured and, as an example of how he thinks differently that most men, he’s planning on a romantic getaway to Greenland, instead of Niagara Falls. [New writers could gain immensely by studying this opening chapter on how to show, not tell, their readers a tale].

Mind you, Rhyme is a quadriplegic, having suffered a terrible injury at a crime scene years previously, and is a dedicated forensic scientist, so he may have more than one reason for skipping a visit to the more usual destinations frequented by honeymooners.

Without revealing too much, I hasten to inform you not to feel sorry for his bride-to-be, for she also is not too typical. Simply put, despite this being the 13th book, it is written as a stand-alone for those new Lincoln Rhyme fans-to-be.

This is Crime Fiction that keeps one guessing and that is a far faster read than the 752 pages it fills.

I’ve excerpted a small piece from Chapter 8 that gives a good feel for Lincoln and his wry humor that sounded like some of my retorts when watching television and somebody feels obligated to ensure they have the correct understanding.

Q - Target Audience/Genre and is it marketed as Nonfiction or Fiction: A – Crime Fiction, International intrigue.

Q - How was this book obtained? A – Bought on Amazon.

Q – If this is a recurring character or a series, does it have a cliffhanger ending? A – No cliffhanger ending.

To give a feel for the editing, and the style and flow of this work, I am posting a brief excerpt below.

Excerpt

He scanned the chart. “Those scraps of paper you found? The photo paper?

“Right.”

“Play jigsaw puzzle with them. See how they fit together.”

After pulling on gloves she opened the plastic evidence envelope and arranged the slips. “They make a frame, see? Something was cut out of the middle. A perfect square.”

Rhyme then consulted his computer. He asked, “One that measures fifty-one centimeters by fifty-one, by any chance?”

Sachs applied a ruler. She laughed. “Exactly.”

Sellitto grunted, “How the hell’d you know that, Linc?”

“G—d--n it.” He nodded at the burned triangle of paper, containing the mysterious code.

CASH T EXCHA CONVER TRANSAC

More typing. Rhyme reviewed the screen and said, “Try this: ‘Cash Tendered. Exchange Rate. Converted Amount. Transaction Amount.’” He nodded at the screen. “I found a receipt from a currency exchange. That’s what it is. And the square cut out of the glossy paper. It’s the size—”

Sellitto filled in, “A passport photo. Oh, hell.”

“Exactly,” Rhyme said, exhaling slowly. “Call Washington.”

“DC?” Cooper asked.

“Of course DC. I hardly want a cup of Starbucks or a Microsoft Windows upgrade, now, do I? Tell the State Department to alert the embassies that the Composer’s headed out of the country. Dellray too. Get him on the wire to the FBI offices abroad.” Another scowl. “Don’t know what good it’ll do. No solid description or other info to give Passport Control.” He shook his head in dismay. “And if he’s as smart as he seems to be, he’s not wasting any time. He’s probably halfway to London or Rio by now.”

Deaver, Jeffery. The Burial Hour (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel) (Kindle Locations 635-651). Grand Central Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Bottom Line:

I enjoyed this story enough to put the Audible version in my Audible wish list so I can listen to it in the future. I wish, though, that the publisher had considered a steep discounted Whispersync Audio version for those of us who buy print and audio.

Five stars out of five.

Comments regarding your opinion of this book or of my review, whether favorable or unfavorable, are always welcome. If you buy the book based on my review and become disappointed, especially, I do want to know that and I want to understand how I can improve as a book reviewer. Just please be polite.

Thank you.

Once again, Jeffery Deaver has concocted a thrilling tale of intrigue and mystery. It begins when a traveling business man is snatched from an Upper East Side street in broad daylight. The only witness is a little girl whom no one seems to believe at first. But the perp leaves a clue – a miniature hangman’s noose made of catgut. Such a puzzling crime scene screams for the expertise of the world famous Lincoln Rhyme and his beautiful assistant Amelia Sachs to investigate. The perpetrator eludes them and escapes to parts unknown.

The investigation soon takes on an international flavor when a similar crime is committed across the ocean in a small town outside Naples, Italy. As with the crime in America, the perpetrator leaves clues that indicate an obsession with music and death. He records the victim’s breaths as marking time beats in an otherworldly recording of some classical tune.

The search for the killer then takes on a more complex aspect as the investigation of clues begins to show a pattern of a more complex plot. Rhyme and Sachs soon find themselves in the middle of a very dangerous game involving shadowy figures from across the globe. The reader knows that all is not as appearances seem. The final denouement is one not to be missed. As a bonus, the lives of Lincoln and Amelia are brought to another level of development. This reader cannot wait for the next Lincoln Rhyme thriller!

The Burial Hour is the umpteenth entry in the Lincoln Rhyme series. In each of these books, Deaver keeps to a standard formula and writing style: complex (and often absurd) chemical forensic analysis, a weirder than can be believed villain, danger for one or more of the protagonists, fast pace chapters, and unique twists to keep it interesting.

One would think that after so many entries, the series would grow tired and dull. In fact, some of the recent entries have been borderline. But Deaver adds life to the series in the Burial Hour. Moving from New York City to Naples, Italy provides a refreshing setting and ambiance. I even learned a few factoids of the area. New partners with the Italian police, although somewhat cartoonish and stereotypical, provides for unique dialog and interaction. And Deaver goes out of his way with the number and creativity of the plot line, twists, and turns. At least for one book, Deaver "saves" this series.

Never to be confused wi fine literature, the Burning Hour is nevertheless an extremely engrossing and engaging police procedural.

THE BURIAL HOUR is the new Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs novel by Jeffery Deaver. It begins in NYC with a very strange (which is to say a normal) case for Lincoln and Amelia. A man is kidnapping individuals, putting their heads in nooses and then using their gasps or heartbeats or whatever as parts of the rhythm sections in traditional melodies. He is labeled the ‘Composer’. At the crime scenes he leaves miniature nooses made of animal intestine—the best material for strings on some musical instruments.

Then he goes to Italy. And the case continues in straightforward Rhyme/Sachs fashion. Evidence is found and analysed and charts of information are constructed, the latter serving as helpful summaries of the case-to-date for the reader. In the course of the story we learn about the many branches of Italian law enforcement. We are introduced to a pleasant young man from their, in effect, forest service, who is part of law enforcement but who is regularly ridiculed for dealing with truffle thieves rather than real criminals. We are also introduced to a canny but bullying prosecutor who, in Italy, participates in the investigative process. Finally, we receive a putative subplot concerning a Neapolitan rape, which may or may not be related to the overarching case of the ‘composer’.

The story ends (SPOILER?) with a series of twists and turns, in standard Deaver fashion, but here those twists are, in my humble opinion, so preposterous as to stretch the imagination to the breaking point. The book ends with Rhyme’s receiving an offer to take his career in a new direction. Whether or not it is Deaver’s decision to actually do this . . . we will have to wait for the next book.

I am always impressed with JD’s command of forensic detail. Here he adds the fascinating problem of individuals conversing with native English speakers in broken English. The Italians (and some Arabs) attempt to use idiomatic English and they are gently corrected, often by Sachs. This adds humor to the narrative, though it risks distraction and a shifting of tone. In general, Deaver handles it very well.

While at first the book seems to be about serial killing it shifts and becomes a story about the refugee crisis in Europe and, simultaneously, a study of the levels of law enforcement in America, Italy and the world. I liked the characters but the implausibilities were too great for me this time. Hence only four stars.

I was not sure what to think about this novel. It was engaging, but toward the end I felt somewhat cheated. I also felt like Deaver may have had a political axe to grind, and I recently banned two other favorite authors for that. They were actually blatant and somewhat offensive, but I cannot accuse Deaver of that. Yet you cannot help but take note of who the authors choose to depict as bad guys prone to bad deeds, especially when they consistently belong to one political persuasion.

Sending Lincoln and Amelia in pursuit of kinky kidnapper all the way to Naples saved this novel.. I enjoyed the Italian characters and the descriptions of the surroundings and culture. So it was worth reading, but not my favorite Deaver novel.

The story begins in New York, switches gears and the remainder takes place in Italy. Lincoln, Amelia, and Thom have a new cast of supporting characters in this one. I found the change in location refreshing. The Italian supporting cast becomes well developed in a short time. I found plausibility, or not, a large question. The book starts in NY with an odd murder. Very quickly, the suspect winds up in Italy. While in Italy, the reader and the cast are involved in the original murder being tied to a large terrorist, refugee plot. Moreover, there is a tie from the original story to a second sex crime. The book starts going all over creation and there are sections where it became a chore and I felt myself muddling through.

Jeffrey Deaver saves the book by typically including his usual knack of well-done forensic detail.

In the end, Mr. Deaver gives the reader a "bonus chapter." The bonus is more a short story, than a chapter or an epilogue. There's an offer on the table which may take Lincoln in a new direction. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. This small short story has only a very loose connection to the book. The main plot has really ended and this is more a welcomed, complimentary treat for the reader. Its actually a short story which can stand alone.

Not Rhyme's best, but worth the read.

THE BURIAL HOUR is very topical in that it deals with the refugee crisis in The Middle East. But this is Jeffery Deaver, so you know you're going to get a wild twist along the way.

The plot starts with this weirdo, hangman musician who is kidnapping people to use their dying gasps in musical compositions. Surprisingly Lincoln and Rhyme refer to him as “The Composer”. Naming serial killers in the press is supposed to be taboo, as they seem to revel in the attention.

Lincoln and Amelia get involved just in time for Stephan (We get his point of view along the way) to escape to Italy. Lincoln and Amelia use various forensic methods to track him and their next confrontation is in a refugee camp in Italy, where he kidnaps a Libyan. Stephan has these booby traps that gradually tighten a noose. He leaves a small version made out of cello strings at the various scenes. Lincoln and Amelia always seem to get their just in the nick of time, which should make you suspicious.

As in a lot of mysteries, a minor character, Ercole, a forestry cop, is the one we pull for. The Italian cop in charge of the investigation is impressed with Ercole's preparation, and he assigns him to the case. A villain in the form of an Italian prosecutor, named Spiro, seems awfully jealous of American intrusion in the case. He makes things tough for Lincoln and Amelia. We later find out why.

The Deaver twist has to do with a secret American intelligence group that needs to find a way around torture to find out where the next attack might be. Hint, Stephan is involved.

So then there's a definite theme. Even in Italy you have groups and people who oppose using Italy as THE BURIAL HOUR, which means the country is unwittingly bringing terrorist into the country disguised as refugees. When does it get out of control? This would be the Burial Hour. Others want to help the refugees. Deaver seems to be taking a swipe at the conservative take on the issue as a rich American is involved.

This effort is not up to Deaver's usual standards. Deaver is obsessive when it comes to research, and we usually learn something along with finding out what happens in the plot. In this one we learn a little bit about truffles. Ercole is working on truffle smuggling when he is called in to help with the Composer case.