Wanda's Reviews > The Burning Wire

Yawn. I have been a fan of Deaver's for years. His "The Blue Nowhere" might be one of the best mystery stories that I have ever read. And more recently, I've looked forward to his newest e-books, which Brian and I find to be a great way to pass the miles driven back and forth on I-95 visiting the kids.
This one was a disappointment.
All the usual elements are there, Sachs, Rhyme, crime details, suspense -- but these Sachs-Ryme stories are beginning to sound uncomfortably the same. A crime occurs, Rhyme is pulled into the case, Sachs walks the grid, Rhyme gets cranky with Tom - a lot, Rhyme drinks single malt scotch, Sachs walks the grid, several twists and turns, details, details, pedantic recitation of details, Rhyme gets cranky and fights with Tom, Rhyme drinks scotch, Sachs walks the grid, Rhyme, a quadraplegic dependent on multiple gadgets and electronic equipment to sustain his post spinal cord injury, is implausibley left alone (yeah right) and almost gets knocked off, drinks scotch and on and on.
Even IF the details are familiar to Deaver fans, THIS book lacked zip and suspense. I think Deaver needs to change his focus. He is such an incredible writer, but his books are becoming formulaic. He can do much better than this last effort.