The Coffin Dancer

“[Lincoln Rhyme is] among the most brilliant and most vulnerable of crime fiction’s heroes.”
    — New York Post
    Praise for Jeffery Deaver and his New York Times bestsellers
    THE COFFIN DANCER
    “Intense and heart-stopping . . . leaves readers gasping at the stunning climax.”
    — Booklist
    “Rhyme . . . is more relentless than ever.”
    — People
    “Supercharged tension.”
    — USA Today
    “Revelations and reversals punctuate this thriller like a string of firecrackers . . . . Superb plotting and brisk, no-nonsense prose.”
    — Publishers Weekly
    “Quick to the punch . . . diabolically packed with the good stuff: cover-ups, mystery, action.”
    — Library Journal
    “Wake up, Scarpetta fans—Lincoln Rhyme is here to blast you out of you stupor.”
    — Entertainment Weekly
    “There is no thriller writer today like Jeffery Deaver.”
    — San Jose Mercury News
    THE VANISHED MAN
    “A page-turner . . . . Engaging . . . . Entertaining, suspenseful . . . . The Vanished Man [has] a well-sculpted plot and a fascinating villain.”
    — Chicago Sun-Times
    “Deaver delivers. Movie thrillers should be this good.”
    — People
    “Giddily entertaining . . . . The storyline twists—and twists and twists—through Deaver’s masterful sleight of hand . . . . Rich in magic lore and lingo.”
    — Publishers Weekly
    “It’s the details that help solve crimes, and no one does detail better than Deaver . . . . Well-researched and exciting, this has all the elements of good crime fiction: likable leads, a colorful supporting cast, fascinating scientific analysis, and a look at the secrets of an otherwise unknown world. A sure hit.”
    — Booklist
    “Deaver’s control of his material is most enjoyable . . . . Deaver should take a deep bow.”
    — Santa Fe New Mexican (NM)
    THE STONE MONKEY
    “Rock-solid suspense . . . . The Stone Monkey performs all the gymnastic plot twists typical of Deaver.”
    — People
    “[Deaver] can give the reader whiplash with his twists and turns.”
    — San Jose Mercury News
    “Monkey see, monkey do . . . and this monkey did the best so far.”
    — Publishers Weekly
    SPEAKING IN TONGUES
    “A shocker . . . . Speaking In Tongues is like Cape Fear on steroids. It’s a supra-nasty, but unquestionably suspenseful, tale of revenge . . . . The villain is smooth and beguiling.”
    — Los Angeles Times
    “What sets this thriller apart from anything else . . . are the characters of Matthews and Collier . . . . There’s plenty of action . . . . Enough violence and madness to satisfy the most bloodthirsty of appetites.”
    — Chicago Tribune
    THE BLUE NOWHERE
    “A terrific thriller.”
    — USA Today
    “High-tension wired . . . . Deaver keeps the excitement streaming . . . . [He] fills every keystroke with suspense.”
    — People
    THE EMPTY CHAIR
    “Masterful . . . . Gripping . . . . You’re drawn into Deaver’s diabolical, high-speed fun house, a ride through a thicket of twists that will have you tumbling toward the conclusion as quickly as you can.”
    — New York Post
    THE DEVIL’S TEARDROP
    “A fiendish suspense thriller . . . . Leaves us weak.”
    —The New York Times Book Review

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To the memory of my grandmother
    Ethel May Rider

AUTHOR’S NOTE
    All writers know that their books are only partly products of their own efforts. Novels are molded by our loved ones and friends, sometimes directly, sometimes in more subtle but no less important ways. I’d like to say thanks to some of the people who’ve helped me with this book: To Madelyn Warcholik for keeping my characters true to themselves, for making sure my plots don’t move so recklessly they get pulled over for speeding, and for being an unlimited source of inspiration. To editors David Rosenthal, Marysue Rucci, and Carolyn Mays for brilliantly and unflinchingly doing all the hard work. To agent Deborah Schneider for being the best in the business. And to my sister and fellow author, Julie Reece Deaver, for being there throughout it all.

I
Too Many Ways to Die
    No hawk can be a pet. There is no sentimentality. In a way, it is the psychiatrist’s