Any new Lincoln Rhyme book is a cause for celebration. However, too much information about diamonds makes The Cutting Edge one of the least interesting books in the long-running series.
Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are chasing a serial killer targeting engaged couples in The Cutting Edge, the 14th book in the series. A diamond cutter and the engaged couple in his shop are killed but only a few diamonds are stolen. The diamond cutter appears to have been tortured. In addition, there is evidence that someone walked in on the scene and was wounded by the killer and then left the scene. The novel just adds more and more plot twists and turns until its conclusion.
Usually I adore Mr. Deaver’s books. I was so happy to have received the digital ARC of The Cutting Edge. However, this particular book in the series left me shrugging my shoulders. Some of the motivations seemed contrived. I saw the final twist coming about 100 pages before it was revealed. The author obviously did a lot of research into diamond mining, cutting and grading. While that is great, I don’t need to read all of it. There was a large quantity of information that I just skimmed because it didn’t interest me. I realize that the author wouldn’t necessarily know what would interest me personally (like the US spends $40 billion on diamonds each year, which is a full 50% of the world’s sales). However, 30% of the book reads like a non-fiction book about the diamond trade and none of that information is needed to solve the mystery.
Without revealing any spoilers, there were several twists in the book that I was genuinely surprised by and the characters were different from the usual police procedural suspects. Overall, The Cutting Edge deserves 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.