Once the nation's foremost criminologist and the ex-head of NYPD forensics, quadriplegic Lincoln Rhyme abandons his forced retirement and joins forces with rookie cop Amelia Sachs to track down a vicious serial killer.

This thriller pits forensic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs against an unstoppable "invisible" killer. As the fatalities rise and the minutes tick down, they must move beyond the smoke and mirrors to prevent a terrifying act of vengeance that could become the greatest vanishing act of all.

On a freezing December night, with a full moon hovering in the black sky over New York City, two people are brutally murdered -- the death scenes marked by eerie, matching calling cards: moon-faced clocks investigators fear ticked away the victims' last moments on earth. Renowned criminologist Lincoln Rhyme immediately identifies the clock distributor and has the chilling realization that the killer -- who has dubbed himself the Watchmaker -- has...

Quadriplegic forensic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme leads his team--NYPD detective Amelia Sachs, officer Ron Pulaski, and FBI agent Fred Dellray--to find and stop a killer who uses electricity as modus operandi. Meanwhile, Rhyme is consulting on another high-profile investigation in Mexico with a most coveted quarry in his crosshairs: the hired killer known as the Watchmaker, one of the few criminals to have eluded Rhyme's net.

"Amelia Sachs is hot on the trail of a killer. She's chasing him through a department store in Brooklyn when an escalator malfunctions. The stairs give way, with one man horribly mangled by the gears. Sachs is forced to let her quarry escape as she jumps in to try to help save the victim. She and famed forensic detective Lincoln Rhyme soon learn, however, that the incident may not be an accident at all, but the first in a series of intentional attacks....

Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs return to New York City from their honeymoon in Italy to discover a killer is terrorizing New York City. Dubbed the Fiancé Killer, their latest foe targets newly engaged couples by following them into jewelry stores, ending the couples' lives just before they can purchase the ring that symbolizes the future that will never be theirs. As panic grips the city, Rhyme and Sachs quickly spring into action with the full weight...

"When a New York City construction crane mysteriously collapses, causing mass destruction and injury, Rhyme and Sachs are on the case. A political group claims responsibility for the sabotage and threatens another attack in twenty-four hours, unless its demands are met. The clock is ticking. Then a clue reveals to Rhyme that his nemesis, known as the Watchmaker, has come to town to fulfill his promise of murdering the criminalist. Now Rhyme and Sachs...