The Vanished Man by Jeffery Deaver

 

Somewhere there's a killer.  The first victim is a young woman, a student at a performing arts college.  The police arrive on the scene while the killer is there but somehow he escapes from a locked room.  That's odd enough that the case is turned over to New York's best consultant, Lincoln Rhyme and his team of police and forensic experts.  The most devoted adherent to Rhyme's methods is Amelia Sachs, a policewoman and his love.  Of course, Rhyme has been paralyzed for several years since he was hurt on the job, no movement below the neck except for one finger.

The killings continue and a pattern emerges.  This is the work of someone trained as a magician and he is using his knowledge to commit murders based on famous magic acts.  What is his motive?  Who is he?  Rhyme drafts a young woman training as a magician as a consultant but the murderer seems to be one step ahead at all times.  Can the team find him before he kills again?

This book is number five in the Lincoln Rhyme series.  Readers will be intrigued as the clues mount up and as the intricate forensic work gives up clues that bring the police ever closer to the killer.  The relationship between Rhyme and Sachs is always of interest.  Readers will learn about forensic methods and about life as a disabled person.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.