Deaver on customarily sharp form. A killer flees the scene of a homicide at a prestigious Manhattan music school and locks himself in a classroom. Within minutes, the police have him surrounded. Then a scream rings out, followed by a gunshot. The police break down the door. The room is empty. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are brought in to help with the high-profile investigation. For the ambitious Sachs, solving the case could earn her a promotion. For the quadriplegic Rhyme, it means relying on his protégée to ferret out a master illusionist they've dubbed 'the conjurer', who baits them with gruesome murders that become more diabolical with each fresh crime. The tiredness of the last Rhyme entry has vanished -- this is Deaver as his followers expect him to be, crackling and compulsive.
