A truly gripping story which begins in a library where sixteen year old Geneva Settle is trying to find out details about her ancestor as part of a school research project, when she is assaulted. She manages to escape the perpetrator and is taken under the supervision of NYPD and case assigned to Lincoln Rhyme & Amelia Sachs.
Lincoln Rhyme runs the case from his home as he is disabled and on the wheel chair, and Amelia Sachs is the red-haired Crime Scene detective who is not only in love with Rhyme but also acts as his eyes at the crime scene. They are a great team, the best in town and are assigned this case. Geneva is keen on not missing her classes, staying away from police investigations as she has her own secrets to guard.
As the story progresses, you will realize that everyone involved has some motive or another, victim is living alone and sets up a con uncle to support her story that her parents are out on a trip. The perpetrator leaves behind various misleading evidences to throw the criminologist totally off-track. They begin the case thinking the perp doesn't want Geneva to find out something about the family history but soon realize that the attempt to kill her was because she had seen a terrorist and a supposed bank robbery being planned. The killer is very smart and always a step ahead of the detectives, he never leaves any clue behind other than what he intends to leave to throw the police off-track. No finger-prints, no shoe prints, nothing. Detectives have to be extra careful because detective doesn't shy away from killing innocent people just to divert the attention or saving himself. And the killer would stop at nothing...
The story has more than enough twists and turns to make you sit on the edge of your seat and turning pages. This is the kind of book which keeps you guessing till the very end and is absolutely impossible to put down. Very well narrated story, beautiful descriptions that you can literally visualize the crime scene...
Story is based on the backdrop of discrimination between whites and blacks in America in the nineteenth century and the various equality laws that were passed during that era. It has the flavors of politics, black slavery, terrorism, life in Harlem, workings of NYPD, the internal conflicts police workers go through every day and so on. All and all a very good thriller, worth a read. Though it is an old book and might have been read by many of you, but if you have missed it, go for it now...
