Those crazy New York cab drivers; if they don’t give you whiplash, they may just murder you. In Jeffrey Deaver’s “The Bone Collector,” a psychotic killer takes his twisted hobby to an entirely new level and collects the bones of his victims while cruising around in a New York City cab.

But even this black cloud has a silver lining. The killer includes others in his game by leaving the detectives crude clues to where the next victim can be found. This may seem like the sportsmanlike thing to do, but it would take a genius to figure out the meaning behind the trio of odd knickknacks the killer leaves behind.

But, coincidentally, the NYPD has its very own genius on hand, who just so happens to have dedicated his life to the art of knowing what no one else does.

This guy would kick ass on Jeopardy, but the game would have to be played in his living room. Lincoln Rhyme was the shining star of the force until an accident turned him into a suicidal, bed-ridden quadriplegic.

But Rhyme still has the mind of a detective, so he’s called onto the case. He demands that Amanda Sachs, an inexperienced and beautiful cop who has stumbled upon the first victim, work with him on the case. Sachs is tortured by her own demons of a legendary father and a long-lost love, and shies away from getting involved in a gruesome murder case.

Sachs soon learns she has no other option, so she agrees, and Rhyme begins to train her on how to walk a crime scene and gather evidence. The two clash at first, but both are attracted to the other’s bending of traditional rules, and they soon gain respect for each other.

The narrative of the book travels back and forth between the present crimes of the bone collector and the collection of true crime stories that the killer is copying. All the clues Rhyme and Sachs need to discover all of the collector’s victims are written out for them in black and white, but time is running out and the pair is beginning to discover that the killer may just be a trusted person close to them.

Deaver’s talent is writing mystery novels for those who don’t like mystery novels. Calling “The Bone Collector” a page-turner would be a huge understatement. The characters of the novel are unique enough, but the plot has no huge unforeseen twists. In this case, the story isn’t spectacular, but the writing itself could keep a guy up at night.

Even the first sentence of the book has an eerie quality to it, and the murder hasn’t even begun. Deaver begins, “She only wanted to sleep.” It doesn’t take a genius to know that whoever “she” is will get her wish soon enough and be sleeping forever.

No doubt about it — “The Bone Collector” is an excellent read. None of the traditional rules apply here, but Deaver guarantees you a good ride.

4 Stars

Rating based on a 5 Star scale