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The Cutting Edge  By  cover art

The Cutting Edge

By: Jeffery Deaver
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
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Publisher's summary

Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs return to New York City to investigate a triple murder and confront a killer terrorizing couples at their happiest—and most vulnerable in this explosive New York Times bestseller.

In the early hours of a quiet, weekend morning in Manhattan's Diamond District, a brutal triple murder shocks the city. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs quickly take the case. Curiously, the killer has left behind a half-million dollars' worth of gems at the murder scene, a jewelry store on 47th street. As more crimes follow, it becomes clear that the killer's target is not gems, but engaged couples themselves.

The Promisor vows to take the lives of men and women during their most precious moments—midway through the purchase of an engagement ring, after a meeting with a wedding planner, trying on the perfect gown for a day that will never come. The Promisor arrives silently, armed with knife or gun, and a time of bliss is transformed, in an instant, to one of horror.

Soon the Promiser makes a dangerous mistake: leaving behind an innocent witness, Vimal Lahori, a talented young diamond cutter, who can help Rhyme and Sachs blow the lid off the case. They must track down Vimal before the killer can correct his fatal error. Then disaster strikes, threatening to tear apart the very fabric of the city—and providing the perfect cover for the killer to slip through the cracks.

©2018 Jeffery Deaver (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Deaver's approach excels in THE CUTTING EDGE, the 14th novel to feature Lincoln and his assistant, Amelia Sachs... Deaver keeps the level of suspense high as he also examines the gem trade and takes readers on an insider's tour of New York City. Deaver's intelligent characters show their mettle as the twists mount."—Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Stellar... The tension rises [and] Deaver keeps the twists and surprises coming in this roller-coaster ride of a thriller."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Deaver is at his graciously cruel best in THE CUTTING EDGE. [His] singular flair for ghastly irony is on full display. Sympathetic characters... Deaver seduces us."—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

What listeners say about The Cutting Edge

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Deaver continues writing First Rate novels!

Once again I am really upset because someone has left a one star rating only hours after this book has been released. There is no review to go along with the rating and that's not fair to either the author, narrator or potential readers.
I've been listening for hours now (I'm about 3 hours from completion) and I personally think this is a wonderful book. It is on par with any and all of the other Lincoln Rhyme books. Jeffrey Deaver has not lost his touch as many long time writers have who ride on past laurels.
And who gives Edoardo Ballerini a one star rating? Ballerini's voice is silk, he's perfect for Deaver's (as well as the Patterson/Karp) books.
The publisher's summary is excellent and if I add anything to it, I would be giving away too much.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book, that's just my personal opinion...
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350 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Top Notch Mystery

I have "read" all of the Rhymes/Sachs mysteries so far, and each one has been thoroughly engaging and captivating. This is no exception. Several threads are introduced that seem to have little bearing on one another but... well, just read on.

I also must give highest marks to the narrator, Edoardo Ballerini. He captures accents, both foreign and domestic to a tee, and he's one of the best male narrators to read female parts. He doesn't adopt the whiny simpering voice that some do, nor does he attempt some quasi-falsetto. Strong women sound like strong women, not made weak and ineffective simply by the voice given them by a less accomplished reader.

Give me more Deaver/Ballerini collaborations, please.

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69 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

I always enjoy the Lincoln Rymes series. Always entertaining from start to finish. I recommend it for any avid reader.

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42 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Predictable. Disappointing.

In the past, I have enjoyed Denver’s novels for their depth of forensics. This one offered none of that, and a bunch of random plot detail that amounted to absolutely nothing. I ended up listening to this on double-speed just to get through it.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Tedious

This gets really bogged down with the details of diamonds-- which is mildly interesting but not as captivating as a who done it ought to be.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good story but very convoluted

Love jeffery Deaver, love Lincoln Rhyme but.... every time it appeared that you knew who the bad guy was - another twist appeared. Sometimes that's a good thing but there was one too many twists to give this a 4 for the story.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

This book is the definition of a 3 star effort.

The book is interesting enough to warrant a full read, but not enough to cause me to sing it's praises to those who need 5 star performances for every read. Let's be clear, 5 star reads are scarce...notwithstanding those who too often grade too high. This one has it's fair share of violence and mystery, but it does get overly wound around it's own plot. And that's when I began to question it's overall merit. That said, I found it worth the finish, and Ballerini is a talented reader. Cheers, Ken

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Susan...UES

Oh what fun it is to hang out with Lincoln and his group!You will enjoy this audible performance from the very first chapter until its completion.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another terrific duo book

Once again we have a tight plot and characters we identify with and care about. Deaver has slipped in the running theme of bravery with sacrifice with engaging humor and another brilliant narration by Eduardo Ballerini.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

It wanders

This is a good story, with an unusual angle on the same old stuff. Deaver likes to digerss, though, and sometimes I just want him to get on with it. Too often the digression is to set up characters who will vanish sadly, jsut for the effect . . . kind of a cheap bid for affective response, and it takes the tale away from its complex unraveling.
The narrator's good. Not gerat . . . but good enough. He misses some cues, misses some emphases, but all in all knows how to read and do voices and pronounce odd names.

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19 people found this helpful