More like stole my time….  **

Jeffery Deaver is at his best when writing a Lincoln Rhyme novel. Unfortunately, his best, lately, is not great. Relying on the same tension between characters and a formuliac style can get boring to read. In The Steel Kiss, Deaver takes this approach and produces a mediocre novel.

Sadly, he also brings one of his threads to a close by essentially tricking the reader, which is a Writing 101 mistake. If this were not bad enough, the side story (can’t divulge or this would be a spoiler) and motivation of Ron Pulaski, a side character, is completely unbelievable.

To Deaver’s credit there is one twist I did not see coming and that kept this novel from getting a one star. The only fresh aspect to this story was the introduction of Juliette Archer, who becomes an intern to Rhyme and is a character I would like to see in future novels.

The forensic skills accredited to Lincoln Rhyme have usually been the highlight of books in this series, this time his deductions stretch believability and I am sure made Sherlock Holmes roll over in his grave.

This one gets two stars.