This is the sixteenth book in the Lincoln Rhyme series by author Jeffery Deaver. I have read this series from the very start and still enjoy the series now.

“The Watchmaker’s Hand” by Jeffery Deaver is a good addition to the series with an intricate plot, the usual strong well developed characters and full of suspense.

A crane collapse in the heart of New York City, resulting in death and destruction. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are determined to unravel the reason behind this disaster which is made more difficult when a political group claims responsibility and threatens to unleash another crane collapse within twenty-four hours unless their demands are met. Lincoln Rhyme is facing a race against time.

An intriguing plot with plenty of suspense make this another exciting read in this excellent series. With the addition of the race against time the suspense is raised making this a real page turner. The already established well developed characters of Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs give this novel an excellent start and with the addition of the enigmatic nemesis known as the Watchmaker this is a very good read. A clever plot is well paced leading up to a thrilling climax and this series remains fresh even now in the sixteenth book.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

What a treat to cosy up with Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs again. What a tricksy book this is reuniting the devious Watchmaker with the detective duo and their team again.
With so many complex strands to untangle and so much sleight of hand this book kept me on my toes from start to finish.
I love the exploraton of different compounds and how they contribute to the investigation and keeping it on the right track. The Rhyme books are like no other and I'm already looking forward to the next

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - The Watch Maker’s Hand - Jeffery Deaver

More layers than an onion - and just when you’ve got one skin peeled, the next one sends you in a completely different direction.

The familiarity of Rhyme and Sachs makes for an enjoyable and comfortable read - but just not perhaps their most thrilling outing to date.

A little over complicated in places - but thankfully it still delivers enough twists and turns.

I'm a fan of Jeffrey Deaver and his Lincoln Rhyme long-running series, although it's a little while since I've read one.
This was a welcome return to the characters and series and a very good read.
Plenty of action, plenty of thought process and plenty leftover to carry on the series with for next time - what's not to like!?
My only gripe was that some of the analysis/thought-process was a little too far-fetched in this one to make it all stack up neatly. That spoilt the story for me slightly and I was trying to to over-think it at the time.
However, all in all, another great instalment and if another came along I'd be signing up tomorrow.

Thanks again for the ARC

I hesitated over the star rating - I don't like continuing villains; I don't like villains plotting the murder of the protagonist - but despite this I loved this book by the master of the intricate plot and multiple twists, Jeffrey Deaver. The cast are all gathered here, and we are giving cause to worry about some of them, notably Ron and Amelia in this case. As usual there is evidence of lots of research and I gained new knowledge. It even sets up a future book. Overall - wonderful!

This 16th, and most recent, instalment in the Rhyme series sees Lincoln and the team, facing a familiar adversary, The Watchmaker. Very few can match Rhyme intellectually, The Watchmaker is one of the small pool up to that task. I always appreciate Lincoln’s intellect, and found the mutual respect of their cerebral battle enjoyable.

New York City is effectively being held at ransom. The gargantuan, ever present symbols of a city’s wealth and success, are being used against the moneyed establishment, and it’s residents. These strikes are apparently random, leaving anyone and everyone in danger. An ominous clock, counts down. Time, quite literally, is of the essence in this complex case.

I am a fan of Jeffery Deaver, and this series, though I have not read them all, and not for a little while. I only mention this, because I want to point out that the book can be easily read as a standalone. Yes, I recognised the characters, and remembered some of their history, but the author reveals everything you need to know to enjoy this story, without having read previous books. Having said that, there are some cracking books in the series, so I highly recommend that you read them.

When reading a really good book, I am completely immersed, emotionally invested in the characters, feeling what they feel. There were many occasions where I felt their fear, felt their love and loyalty. I knew I would make the same choices, despite the risk.

I love returning to a long running, favourite series. Reacquainting with the characters, settling in to the familiar dynamic. I appreciate the uniqueness of Rhyme’s character, in this genre of book. His strength and merit apparent through his mind, not as a physicality.

As someone who has a huge fear of heights, I found the first chapter horrific. I was desperately trying to not create mental images from the words I was reading. I failed, my stomach dropped into feet many times.

I really enjoyed this twisting thriller, and I very much look forward to the team’s next outing. 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

Readers who are following Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme books will remember The Watchmaker - an accomplished assassin whose plans Rhyme has frustrated on several occasions and who now, it seems, it targeting Rhyme himself.

If that setup sounds a little familiar, Deaver makes no bones in this book about a comparison with Sherlock Holmes (and, by extension, Moriarty), musing on how both Rhyme and Charles Vespasian Hale (the Watchmaker) resemble the Great Detective and his nemesis, for example in ruthlessly discounting information that doesn't bear on their cases. And in one extended piece of of brilliant analysis here, we even see Rhyme track a suspect down to his car through close analysis of soil types, a feat that Doyle employs early on to establish Holmes's abilities. (There are also tongue in cheek references to Rhyme's bafflement at the success of published accounts of his cases).

Evoking Holmes and Moriarty in this way does of course bring with it a sense of foreboding. And Deaver evokes this in other ways as well. One of Rhyme's circle is being sounded out to ask as his successor, should anything happen to him. There are signs of vendettas and political agendas within the NYPD, interfering with the case and with the team. And Amelia Sachs, Rhyme's wife, stumbles into danger early on in the book, suffering injuries which will become concerning once we understand what is going on here.

Once we understand what is going on... one of the reasons I so much enjoy this series is the fiendishness of the plots. Deaver gleefully combines so much: personal agendas, criminal machinations, politics, and ever, the sprawling, complex mechanism of New York City. Out of that he draws addictive and ramified stories boasting plots within plots, red herrings aplenty and numerous twists. The Watchmaker's Hand is no exception, indeed I think it may be one of the more devious novels in the series, one which has, as Hale might say, many complications.

That made this story great fun for me to read. As ever, we're given some insight into what the bad guys are doing - but it's far from complete (and indeed, we don't know everything about Rhyme's countermoves either). So the tension is high, with many threats to the team and behind that, threats, as well, to the city and possibly, to the nation. Hale is a worthy adversary and one almost gets a sense that Rhyme is relishing the contest - as Holmes was wont to do.

Basically, explosive fun, in a story that really moves the series forward and which grips from beginning to end.

I love Jeffery Deaver books, especially the Lincoln Rhyme series. This is a book that didn’t disappoint. Reading one these books feels like you never left, you feel at home with the characters and the settings like they’re old friends. This had everything you would expect with twists and turns and guessing games aplenty. A fabulous read.

The Watchmaker's Hand by Jeffery Deaver is the latest installment in the enduring and bestselling thriller series featuring the brilliant Lincoln Rhyme.

As a long-time fan of this series in anticipation of this latest book, I revisited some of the previous books featuring The Watchmaker to refresh my memory. These included; "The Cold Moon," "The Burning Wire," and "The Skin Collector." Reading these again reminded and reinforced what an excellent series this is and why it’s earned its reputation as a best-seller in this genre.

Jeffery Deaver’s ability to craft unexpected twists and turns is for me unparalleled and I’m yet to discover another author who has the same ability to compel and shock readers again and again. I’d have thought by this sixteenth entry in the series that the author would have run out of ideas but the series never feels stale, repetitive and the crimes in each and every entry are different and unique. In this one, we have an antagonist who uses construction cranes as a weapon.

One of the highlights of this story (and the series) for me is the characters. In another review, I wrote that picking up these later books feels like returning to hang out with some familiar friends and this one is the same for me. I love all the side characters almost as much as the main characters. The author really takes the time to develop secondary characters who each contribute something to the overall plot and series. I particularly love Ron Pulaski and I hope he is in future books.

Jeffery Deaver is not just an auto-buy author for me but one that I recommend time and time again when anyone asks for recommendations for a well-written, unique crime thriller. If you’re new to this series, I’d recommend starting at the beginning but technically this could be read as standalone but I don’t think it would have the same resonance or impact with the reader without the backstory and previous clashes with this unique villain.

Omg this was absolutely worth the wait! I've read the entire series but you're still given all the salient background to read it as a standalone of this is your 1st. Its masterfully written, so cleverly layered, full of twists, turns and questions. Its the peak in crime/ thriller/ mystery writing and I was hooked from that explosive opening to the very last page

A crane collapses in the middle of New York - luckily the operator managed to direct it's landing so that the number of casualties were low. The crane had been sabotaged with acid and communication is received from a group claiming they carried out the attack to highlight the need for more affordable housing in the city. The group also claim another crane will be attacked in 24 hours. Lincoln Rhyme, his wife Amelia Sachs and their colleagues from law enforcement are investigating and it doesn't take long for them to identify the attacker as Rhyme's nemesis - Charles Hale - aka the Watchmaker.

Won't write anymore about the story as I don't want to spoil it for anyone but can confirm that this is another fantastic instalment in the Lincoln Rhyme series. Plenty of twists, turns and sub-plots that keep you gripped.

Thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Jeffery Deaver for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Jeffery Deaver and reading a Lincoln Rhyme novel is like seeing an old friend again. He is definitely someone you want as a friend and not a foe!
The watchmaker, Charles Vepasian Hale, who's a killer, a scam artist, a burglar, and a mercenary is back and he is even more devious than before.
This is a story where time is not on Rhyme's side (pun intended!)
A crane has been sabotaged by a group calling themselves The Kommunalka Project and if their demands are not met more cranes will come down. Will Rhyme, Amelia Sachs, and Ron Pulaski be able to figure out who Un-sub 212 is and how he is connected to the Watchmaker?  Will they be able to figure out what the reasons behind these attacks are before time runs out or will they pay the ultimate price?
Tik-tok, tik-tok........

“Lincoln is a grain of sand that keeps ending in my wheelworks."

You will also learn a lot about the art of watch-making!
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

The Watchmaker's Hand sees the welcome return of not only Lincoln Rhyme, wife Amelia Sachs and the rest of his team but also his nemesis, the equally cerebral "Watchmaker".
When a massive Crane is deliberately toppled in Manhattan, an act planned to inflict massive casualties, and a previously unheard of activist group claiming responsibility and threatening more sabotage
the race is on to prevent a major atrocity. Meanwhile Rhyme learns that the Watchmaker has entered America covertly,not long after he's received a letter from his "Moriarty" threatening to kill him.

This is Jeffrey Deaver on top form, with an intelligent storyline that often educates......I now know why a kind of crane is called a Derrick, which kind of Owl is the only one with Brown Eyes and possibly learned more about English Grammar than I did at school thanks to Rhyme's OCD on the subject.
As always in a Deaver novel there are twists and red herrings galore that even regular readers like myself still get caught out by time after time despite being veterans of Deaver's "got you again" traps.

This is the 16th book in the series and big changes are mooted amongst the team as Rhyme ponders the future and the Watchmaker closes in. Tension is ramped up with a countdown alongside a skull and crossbones at the beginning of the later chapters.

This can be read as a standalone but readers of previous books in the series will get far more out of it.
Highly recommended.

This is the latest in the Lincoln Rhyme series featuring his arch enemy The Watchmaker. I found I could not out this book down; it is a pacy thriller that doesn't disappoint. New York is threatened after a crane collapses causing devastation and a political group threatens that another will fall. behind the chaos is The Watchmaker and Lincoln must hunt him down to prevent further death and destruction. I would recommend this to all thriller lovers - another excellent book from Jeffery Deaver.

Who doesn’t love a Lincoln Rhyme book? The man is a genius and whilst this is not quite the stand out book that the earlier stories are it’s still a welcome addition to the library