The fifth installment of the highly successful series starring Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs.
The next story of the brilliant detective Lincoln Rhyme begins at a prestigious music school in the heart of New York City, where the perpetrator of a murder takes refuge after fleeing the scene. Within minutes, the police surround the locked classroom and prepare to negotiate with the killer. Suddenly, there is a scream and a gunshot from inside, and the officers break down the door. But the room is empty. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are called in to help and immediately begin a thorough investigation. The paralysed Rhyme must rely on his girlfriend's help this time too, and for the ambitious Amelia, a successful investigation of the case could mean a promotion. This time, however, they are confronted by a masterful illusionist called the Magician, who toys with them and stirs up their professional ambition through horrific murders whose bestiality is constantly escalating.
The death toll is rising and the clock is mercilessly cutting time. Rhyme and Sachs must therefore penetrate the smokescreen as quickly as possible to prevent a grisly revenge that threatens to become the most spectacular disappearance in the history of crime fiction.
