THE DEVIL'S TEARDROP

by Jeffery Deaver ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1999

Deaver's betwixt-and-between thriller pits the FBI and all its buddies against a blackmailer who's threatening terrorist attacks on revelers welcoming the millennium in the nation's capital. The blackmail scheme couldn't be simpler: a half-human killer called the Digger, who's already established his murderous credentials in a rash-hour massacre in a Metro station, will attack again at 4:00, 8:00, and midnight of January 1, 2000, unless a $20 million ransom is delivered to his accomplice by noon. Mayor Gerald Kennedy, against all advice, prepares to pay the ransom, but his agonizing and his precautions are both wasted, since the accomplice, Gilbert Havel, won't be picking up the money--he's been run down and killed by a track. This monkey wrench means that the Digger, who's essentially unreachable by any other human being, is still wandering the streets, waiting for the deadline for his next assault. Enter certified document examiner Parker Kincaid, ex-FBI, who braves the wrath of his ex-wife Joan (she's got both eyes cocked for evidence that his job is putting their children in harm's way), to help the Agency establish a profile of the two conspirators based on the one piece of physical evidence they have: the ransom-demand note. Naturally, Parker strikes up more than a friendship with Margaret Lukas, the agent heading the operation; naturally, Deaver has some nasty twists up his sleeve. This time, though, as if he knows that the case is less surprising and suspenseful than his two similar cases starring paralyzed New York criminalist Lincoln Rhyme (The Bone Polisher, 1997; The Coffin Dancer, 1998), Deaver restricts Rhyme to a telephone cameo. Fans of Rhyme will miss him, of course; more unfortunately, they'll suss out Deaver's biggest surprise long before they ought to. What's left is sturdy, reliable, ticking-clock thrills--just not as many of them as Deaver serves up at his best.

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999

ISBN: ---

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1999

Categories: FICTION