Jeffrey Deaver - The Broken Window

Reviewed on show by Malcolm Martland sept 09
I reviewed a Jeffrey Deaver book – the Vanished Man - a few weeks ago and would not have chosen to read another so soon – but while I was away in Shropshire last month the selection at the Wem Coop was limited so I got stuck into The Broken Window.

The scenario is familiar to fans of the crippled detective Lincoln Rhyme and His sidekick and girlfriend Amelia Sachs – but the first victim is Lincoln’s estranged cousin Arthur who arrives home to find he is a murder suspect with conclusive evidence that he is the killer - he goes to jail – but his wife contacts Lincoln to see what can be done. Lincoln and Amelia uncover a series of murders where the apparent perpetrators have had evidence stacked up against them despite protestations of innocence.

The detectives conclude that someone is getting very good information on the perpetrators movements and purchases and are setting them up – with evidence planted at their homes or in their cars. The investigate data collection agencies- the biggest SSD – Strategic Systems Datacorp – is run by Andrew Sterling who appears to want to help all he can – but all is not what it seems.

Asked about company logo – a lighthouse with a high window – Sterling says the window is a social metaphor: millions can be spent on security services in a troubled area – but repairing a few broken windows and tidying up an area for just a few thousand dollars can give the resident population a civic pride enough to for them to maintain the area themselves and encourage the reporting of wrong doers. I thought it was a nice explanation but could not see it had any bearing on the book.

During the course of the investigation the past of the 2 Rhyme cousins emerges – they were like brothers until Arthur got too jealous of his brilliant cousin and stole his girlfriend as well as trashing his university application – so relationships have been a little strained for 20+ years.

Then the profilers come in and conclude that the real perpetrator is a collector – not just of objects but of victims too – he calls his victims his “sixteens” – a reference to the numbering system in place at the Datacorp – and guess where he works too!

And of course girlfriend Amelia Sachs becomes a target – she always does in these novels – it’s about as predictable as the ending.

I did enjoy reading this book but I almost feel that there must be a circle of American Crime Writers who just churn one out after another with the same characters just going through a different plot – maybe they are all the same person – just changing the character set? Enjoyable but not great literature!
Malcolm Martland 10 September 2009