Reading order · 17 books · 1997 to 2026 · Set in New York
Lincoln Rhyme Books in Order
Lincoln Rhyme was the head of forensics for the New York police until an accident left him quadriplegic. Now a consultant, he solves crimes from his Manhattan townhouse by analysing every trace of evidence, with detective Amelia Sachs walking the crime scenes for him. The books are famous for their twists.
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Series facts
- Books
- 17
- Published
- 1997 to 2026
- First book
- The Bone Collector
- Latest out
- The Watchmaker’s Hand (2023)
- Next
- The Collateral Heart (2026, forthcoming)
- Setting
- Set in New York
The reading order
Every Lincoln Rhyme book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
17 books · Set in New York
- 1The Bone Collector1997With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsLincoln Rhyme, once the NYPD’s top forensic scientist, has been left quadriplegic and wants to die.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Coffin Dancer1998With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsA hit man known as the Coffin Dancer has been hired to kill three witnesses before they can testify, and Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs have two days to protect them.Buy on Amazon
- 3The Empty Chair2000With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsLincoln Rhyme travels to North Carolina for experimental surgery, and is drawn into a hunt for a teenage boy accused of kidnapping and murder in the swamps.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Stone Monkey2002With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsA human smuggler known as the Ghost sinks his own ship off New York, and Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs must find the surviving immigrants before he kills them.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Vanished Man2003With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsA killer with the skills of a master illusionist strikes at a New York music school and seems to vanish into thin air, and Lincoln Rhyme calls in a young illusionist to help.Buy on Amazon
- 6The Twelfth Card2005With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsA teenage girl in Harlem, researching an ancestor for a school project, is attacked, and Lincoln Rhyme finds that a secret from the nineteenth century may be the motive.Buy on Amazon
- 7The Cold Moon2006With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsA killer called the Watchmaker leaves antique clocks at the scenes of his murders, and Lincoln Rhyme calls in Kathryn Dance, an expert in reading body language.Buy on Amazon
- 8The Broken Window2008With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsA killer is using the vast databases of a data-mining company to frame innocent people for his crimes, including Lincoln Rhyme’s own cousin.Buy on Amazon
- 9The Burning Wire2010With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsA killer is using New York’s electrical grid as a weapon, and Lincoln Rhyme must stop him while also hunting the Watchmaker.Buy on Amazon
- 10The Kill Room2013With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsLincoln Rhyme investigates the killing of an American citizen in the Bahamas by a government sniper, a case that pits him against his own government.Buy on Amazon
- 11The Skin Collector2014With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsA killer is tattooing his victims with poison, and the ink spells messages that link to an old case.Buy on Amazon
- 12The Steel Kiss2016With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsAn escalator collapses in a Brooklyn shopping centre, and Amelia Sachs finds a killer who is hacking the smart devices in people’s homes.Buy on Amazon
- 13The Burial Hour2017With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsA man is kidnapped on a New York street, and the case leads Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs to Italy.Buy on Amazon
- 14The Cutting Edge2018With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsA jeweller and a young couple are murdered in New York’s diamond district, and Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs hunt a killer obsessed with stones.Buy on Amazon
- 15The Midnight Lock2021With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsAn intruder known as the Locksmith slips into homes in New York in the middle of the night, without harming anyone, and Lincoln Rhyme must find him before he does.Buy on Amazon
- 16The Watchmaker’s Hand2023With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia SachsCranes are collapsing across New York, and Lincoln Rhyme suspects his old enemy, the Watchmaker.Buy on Amazon
- 17The Collateral Heart2026With Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs · ForthcomingBuy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read the Rhyme books in order, starting with The Bone Collector. The team and some villains return through the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Lincoln Rhyme | Amelia Sachs | Lon Sellitto | Mel Cooper | Thom Reston | Ron Pulaski | The Watchmaker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Bone Collector | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 2 The Coffin Dancer | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 3 The Empty Chair | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 4 The Stone Monkey | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 5 The Vanished Man | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 6 The Twelfth Card | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 7 The Cold Moon | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 8 The Broken Window | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 9 The Burning Wire | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 10 The Kill Room | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 11 The Skin Collector | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 12 The Steel Kiss | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 13 The Burial Hour | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 14 The Cutting Edge | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 15 The Midnight Lock | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 16 The Watchmaker’s Hand | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 17 The Collateral Heart | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Lincoln Rhyme books
8 characters from Jeffery Deaver’s chart, with the number of Lincoln Rhyme books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln RhymeQuadriplegic forensic scientist and former NYPD captain | 17 | The Bone Collector 1997 |
| Amelia SachsNYPD detective and Rhyme’s partner | 17 | The Bone Collector 1997 |
| Lon SellittoNYPD detective | 17 | The Bone Collector 1997 |
| Mel CooperForensic technician | 17 | The Bone Collector 1997 |
| Thom RestonRhyme’s aide | 17 | The Bone Collector 1997 |
| Ron PulaskiRookie officer who joins the team | 11 | The Cold Moon 2006 |
| The WatchmakerMaster criminal | 2 | The Cold Moon 2006 |
| Kathryn DanceCalifornia Bureau of Investigation kinesics expert | 1 | The Cold Moon 2006 |
Crossovers with Jeffery Deaver’s other series
- Kathryn Dance: Lincoln Rhyme also appears in 1 of its books; Amelia Sachs also appears in 1 of its books