Product Description

Lincoln and Amelia are recruited to track down a cargo ship carrying two dozen illegal Chinese immigrants, as well as the notorious human smuggler and killer known as the Ghost. But when the capture goes disastrously wrong, Lincoln and Amelia find themselves in a race to stop the Ghost before he can track down and murder the two surviving families who have vanished deep into the labyrinthine world of New York City's Chinese community.



Over the next forty-eight hours the Ghost ruthlessly hunts for the families while Rhyme, aided by a policeman from mainland China, struggles to find them before they die and Sachs pursues a very different kind of policework - forming a connection with one of the immigrants that may have consequences going to the core of her relationship with her partner and lover, Lincoln Rhyme.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5556 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-14
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Many fans will feel that The Stone Monkey is Deaver's strongest thriller yet.

The new book boosts the storytelling acumen onto a new level as Rhyme and Amelia Sachs take on the violent world of Chinese organised crime. Recruited to aid the US government in a highly difficult (and dangerous) task, Rhyme and Amelia succeed in tracking down a cargo ship carrying a group of illegal immigrants along with the sinister human smuggler and killer known as Youling--the Ghost. But the capture of the Ghost goes pear-shaped, and Rhyme and Amelia are launched into a frantic race against time; they must stop the Ghost before he can track down and destroy the surviving families who have gone missing in the cloistered and secretive world of New York City's Chinese community. As 48 hours anxiously tick by, the malevolent criminal ruthlessly hunts the families while his pursuers (aided by a policeman from mainland China) struggle to prevent the carnage. Amelia, meanwhile, has forged a connection with one of the immigrants that may have considerable consequences for t! he relationship with her partner and lover, Lincoln Rhyme.

Needless to say, the tension is ratcheted up as relentlessly as ever (Deaver has few peers in this arena), but it's the new wrinkles that he finds for the quixotic relationship between his two mismatched protagonists that are the wellspring of The Stone Monkey’s forceful appeal.--Barry Forshaw

ICE, London
'A must for any crime fan'

Review
'The best psychological thriller writer around' - The Times

'Teeth-chattering suspense' - Daily Mail

'Stunning' Scotsman

'This is Deaver as his followers expect him to be, crackling and compulsive' Publishing News

Customer Reviews

Whens the next one out?!
As an avid fan of Jeffrey Deaver and a follower of the Lincoln Rhyme series, I eagerly awaited for the fourth installment.

The Stone Monkey is another great story and well written addition. However, I found that this novel certainly isn't best of the four and my least favorite. I think this is mainly because there is less character development, particularly of Rhyme (the ex. head of forensics quadriplegic) and his partner Sachs (a crime scene officer).

Apart from the aforementioned, I must say once I started reading the book I couldn't put it down. Deaver's portrayal of the human smuggling underworld was grim as ever! and that of the chinese society brilliant. Deaver really delves into these subjects providing the story with intricate details. Add this with a chilling plot, unexpected turns, lovable and detestable characters - you end up with another outstanding Deaver thriller...

Topical, intelligent and good reading
Jeffery Deaver's popular duo of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are back again, as they did in The Bone Collector, The Empty Chair, The Coffin Dancer, and (after The Stone Monkey) The Vanished Man - which for me is just, just the best of the bunch. They are all good, and Deaver has created an enigmatic character in the immobile Lincoln Rhyme who, grumpy though he is, always displays such a lucidity of mind and exceptional talent for forensics that all other characters in the book pale into insignificance. He's human though, he has failings, but we always forgive him because we know that despite his intense frustrations (brought about by his almost absolute physical disability) he is a man of integrity and sound judgement. In The Stone Monkey he is on the trail of a 'Snakehead', a Chinese man who exploits the desperations of those in his home country and who seek a better life in The Beautiful Country (is New York beautiful?). The Snakehead, aka Ghost, is a pretty nasty piece of work and his identity is cleverly hidden throught most of this story although I have to confess that, for once, I got it right and quite early on. It didn't spoil a thing though, the book gave me new insights into the pain and politics behind human trafficking, and once again I can give a Deaver novel the thumbs-up and a strong recommendation. By the way, there's more to Deaver than the Rhyme/Sachs series - try Twisted (a series of short stories) and The Blue Nowhere for starters.

Let's twist again!
The fourth title in the Lincoln Rhyme (and Amelia Sachs) series is a fast paced enjoyable read with Deaver again proving he is one of the most enjoyable of psychological thriller writers currently working.

Anyone new to the Rhyme books will be able to have as much fun as seasoned readers in trying to guess the plot twists. But take a tip from me - I bet you won't be able to guess correctly. That is the fun part. I thought I had this one sussed but when the major twist was revealed I realised that Deaver had tricked me again.

A couple of minor quibbles - the story does seem a bit leaden when trying to develop certain characters relevant only to this book when the main characters still aren't given enough time. Also some of the plot developments gained from the crime scene evidence are a little bit convenient.

'The Stone Monkey' was overall a worthy addition to the Rhyme/Sachs series. Not as good as my favourite 'The Coffin Dancer' which had a plot twist which I could only liken to the movie 'The Sixth Sense'. It made me want to re-read it again to make sure the twist worked.

Now the plot for 'The Vanished Man' really does look interesting.