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The Cold Moon  By  cover art

The Cold Moon

By: Jeffery Deaver
Narrated by: Joe Mantegna
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Publisher's summary

On a freezing December night, with a full moon hovering in the black sky over New York City, two people are brutally murdered, the death scenes marked by eerie, matching calling cards: moon-faced clocks investigators fear ticked away the victims' last moments on earth. Renowned criminologist Lincoln Rhyme immediately identifies the clock distributor and has the chilling realization that the killer, who has dubbed himself the Watchmaker, has more murders planned in the hours to come.

Rhyme, a quadriplegic long confined to his wheelchair, immediately taps his trusted partner and longtime love, Amelia Sachs, to walk the grid and be his eyes and ears on the street. But Sachs has other commitments now, namely, her first assignment as lead detective on a homicide of her own. As she struggles to balance her pursuit of the infuriatingly elusive Watchmaker with her own case, Sachs unearths shocking revelations about the police force that threaten to undermine her career, her sense of self, and her relationship with Rhyme. As the Rhyme-Sachs team shows evidence of fissures, the Watchmaker is methodically stalking his victims and planning a diabolical criminal masterwork. Indeed, the Watchmaker may be the most cunning and mesmerizing villain Rhyme and Sachs have ever encountered.

©2006 Jeffery Deaver (P)2006 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. Audioworks is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[Even] Deaver fans...will be hard-pressed to peel back all the layers of the cunning plot at work beneath the surface". (Publishers Weekly)
"As always, Deaver's dialogue is exceptionally realistic, and his plotting is devilishly intricate." (Booklist)

What listeners say about The Cold Moon

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Another great puzzle!

I'm already an avid fan of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs, so I relish each new book. This story was again a great mystery with twists in the plot as well as continued development of the personal lives and relationships of the main characters. I enjoyed the buildup of suspense as "trace" evidences are pieced together to build and finally complete the puzzle style plot, with a smash ending that kept me enthralled. I listen to audible books while working out and this book kept me in the gym quite a long time because I just couldn't stop listening!

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Rhyme, Sachs & now Dancer whoopee!

I fully enjoyed this the 7th in the Lincoln Rhyme series and the 1st in a new series featuring Kathryn Dancer. As usual Rhyme uses Amelia Sachs' eyes to "walk the grid" finding physical evidence to analyze, but this time they are up against an adversary clever enough to evade identification and capture. To get the mastermind behind some bizarre murders they reluctantly request help from Kathryn Dancer an expert in interrogation and body language (kinesics). This has all the complexity and engaging storytelling Deaver readers expect.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

The Cold Moon

Joe Montenga is a great narrator. His performance of this title lends to the listening pleasure. The story line is date and time coded and this somewhat is annoying however, it does portray the plot and conditions of the search for the villians/killers. The ending is not what one would expect. I won't give it away here, but leave that for the listener. I give this book 4 stars. Highly recommended. I will look for more from this author.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Very intricate. Pay attention!

This is my first Deaver book and I am now going to listen to more. Drawing characters is the author's real strength. They are interesting, complicated and leave you wanting more. The plot of this book is fascinating, but rests on some coincidences that are a little hard to swallow. Suspend that instinct for disbelief a bit, and you'll have a great time. Good narration -- holds your interest. If half-stars were possible, I'd give another half.....

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Convoluted

The quadriplegic criminalist, Lincoln Rhyme, and his partner Amelia Sach take on a truly sinister serial killer, the Clockmaker. The plot is fascinating and this is a good story but it becomes a bit convoluted and relies on a lot of pieces falling into place like clockwork. One small cog in the works would have changed the entire story. Mantegna's reading makes it worth the time spent listening even when the storyline gets a bit tedious.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I'm hooked

I love puzzles, history and fascinating little tidbits with significant meaning. Deaver is excellent at detail and leading you down a heart pounding, but misleading path. I fear that revealing what I really liked best about this story would give too much away and ruin the book for other readers. Where is the sequel? I can't wait to read it.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I took the long way....

...everywhere I went while listening to this book! Twists and turns and only knowing how much time was left made me realize there was yet more to the story! Joe Montegna is a wonderful narrator,too. The only drawback was occassional repetition/plot review by "Rhyme."

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Terrific Rhyme Novel

This is a terrific story with many twists in the "Deaver" style. The reader creates wonderful voices for the characters, and I didn't want to stop listening.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Good, not Great

Deaver writes compelling characters set in thrilling and scary situations like few other authors, but this was not one of his best. This story was interesting and kept my attention for %70 of the book, but then the story took way to many plot twists and the author rambles on and on to tie up (almost) all the loose ends.
I did enjoy Joe Mantegna's readng of the book, it helped the pace of the audiobook. I hope for a little better offering from Deaver next time.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Almost gave up, glad I didn't

I haven't read one of Jeffery Deaver's books in a long time. I got this one because I love Joe Mantegna, and his narration didn't disappoint.

As for Deaver, he is a pretty good writer for the thriller genre, and the characters of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are interesting as always. Toward the middle, the plot almost made me give up because it was so ridiculous, but there were more twists to come and the ending was satisfying eventually.

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2 people found this helpful