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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Graphic violence — a serial killer's elaborate scenes; forensic examination; the race to find victims
Language
Some
Moderate profanity
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild — some adult situations
Substance Use
None
No meaningful substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The killer's clues — what the 1868 guidebook means; Lincoln's confined perspective; the race to reach victims before they die
What this book is about
Lincoln Rhyme is a former NYPD forensic investigator now quadriplegic, living in his brownstone with technology as his interface with the world. When a serial killer starts leaving victims with clues drawn from an 1868 New York guidebook, Rhyme is persuaded to consult. He chooses NYPD patrol officer Amelia Sachs as his detective in the field — his eyes, hands, and legs. The Bone Collector is the first Lincoln Rhyme novel — adapted as a film with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
A quadriplegic detective — Lincoln Rhyme's perspective is the series' defining innovation
A serial killer with elaborate historical clues
Adapted as a film (1999) with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie
First in the Lincoln Rhyme series
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