Rating: 
Summary: so so
Review: This is my least favorite Deaver book so far. But that's not all bad. It just didn't seem as well constructed as its predecessors. Yeah, there are interesting characters, intelligent dialog, and some thrilling detective work. But, there are also fascinating ideas (insect behavior, the empty chair, tracking the criminal through the wild) that don't develop. These ideas fly towards you from all different angles, bounce off, and then disappear. And this book has the distinction of having the most unbelievable, laughable, more-ridiculous-than-"The Prisoner"-finale ending of all time.On the plus side, however, even a so-so Deaver book is better than 99% of the other crime novels out there.
Rating: 
Summary: riveting
Review: Deaver's latest novel, The Empty Chair, is absolutely riveting. With the return of Lincoln Rhyme, Deavers spins a fast-paced novel that fascinates with many unexpected twists and turns and leaves the reader wishing for more. Having read several of Deaver's novels, The Empty Chair is definitely one of his best, certainly better than The Bone Collector. This book is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Great Novel
Review: I didn't know Lincoln Rhyme before. It is a great story and I have read it in one night...
Rating: 
Summary: THE "EMPTY" CHAIR IN THE "EMPTY" TERRAIN
Review: This is the third book that Jeffery Deaver has written in the Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs' series and my advice is that if this is your first Deaver book, go back and read the other two first -- The Bone Collector and The Coffin Dancer -- to get a better understanding of the dynamics between these two powerful main characters. If you are already up-to-date on these previous two novels, then you know the routine. Lincoln Rhyme is an ex-NYPD detective and a renowned criminalist. He is also a quadriplegic having been hurt while dissecting a crime scene a few years ago. This doesn't stop him from continuing his forensic evidence gathering as he has delegated that job to Amelia Sachs, who he uses as his legs in walking the grid through crime scenes and reporting back to him so that he can decipher the evidence and ultimately solve the crime. While unraveling the crime is no easy task, Lincoln is able to analyze the smallest piece of dirt or the thinnest piece of fiber to come up with another piece of the puzzle to decipher the mystery. The Empty Chair finds Lincoln and Amelia on someone else's turf -- North Carolina -- as they are enlisted by the local police there to help them find the "Insect Boy" who has just kidnapped two women and is allegedly responsible for some other gruesome murders in the small town. Lincoln's initial reason for leaving New York and going to North Carolina was to have a risky operation -- one that would give him some more mobility if successful or could kill him if unsuccessful. Amelia is against this operation so encourages him to get involved in finding the Insect Boy with the hope that it would delay and eventually cancel the operation. The story that follows finds Amelia chasing the suspect through the marshes and quarries of North Carolina and, at one point, becoming too sympathetic to the culprit against Lincoln's wishes. What ensues leaves the reader a bit speechless as it is unbelievable to fathom that the succession of events could ever end up with any kind of legally acceptable ending. As usual, Deaver does manage to tie the pieces together but perhaps a little too neatly in this reader's opinion. I think I enjoy these books more when Lincoln and Amelia are in their own territory -- New York -- a place that each of them knows like the back of their hand. I also missed all the state-of-the-art equipment in Lincoln's townhouse as well as the collection of NYPD detectives that aggravate Lincoln on a daily basis. And, perhaps I'm getting tired of all the evidence collecting. After a while, one piece of dirt is the same as the next piece as far as I'm concerned. I may have run the gamut with this series but will probably give it one more try when the next book comes out.
Rating:
Summary: Great, But not his best!
Review: This is the 2nd book I've read by Jeffery Deaver, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Just when you think the story is getting boring, he throws another twist into the story line. The ending was great because of all of the twists. I couldn't put it down, but I still think "The Devils Teardrop" was better. I was very pleased with this book none-the-less!
Rating: 
Summary: boneyard
Review: Sorry Jeffery , Hollywood and deadlines for mass producing novels have gotten to you too. This one starts with a good concept [getting Linc and Amelia out of the Apple] and even satisfies the good writing criteria , but fails miserably in its lack of Deaver's compelling villain chacterizations. The Insect Boy character had some real potential but failed miserably in the end, just as the entire novel did. This is truely one of the most unbelievable endings I've ever come across. The author would have us believe that the true villain tries to murder half the town in a tiny berg in North Carolina where almost nothing happens until Lincoln and Amelia show up. The entomology lessons were cute but if good ole Linc analyzes any more dirt like this he should wind up in the BONEYARD. Truely disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: EMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
Review: Congatulations to Deaver for an excellent novel. It was refreshing to see Rhyme and Sachs in a new locale as well as in a moral dilema. Twists and turns abound yet once again! Read this one for a guaranteed thrill!
Rating:
Summary: A must read for Patricia Cornwell fans!
Review: If you enjoy great murder mysteries that deal with forensics, and you are looking for a great read in-between Patricia Cornwell books, you will love this one. I decided to read "The Empty Chair" after watching the movie version of "The Bone Collector". Now I want to read everything by Deaver! "The Empty Chair" was fascinating and suspenseful right to the end.
Rating:
Summary: A fun ride dispite the tired formula
Review: I was excited to see the return of Lincoln Rhyme & Amelia Sachs in "The Empty Chair" after a disappointment in both "The Coffin Dancer" and "The Devil's Teardrop." Unfortunately, I was let down once again. The story, set in a dismal, swampy North Carolina, has Lincoln preparing for a surgery that could forever change his life, for better or worse. Sachs, at his side for the upcoming operation, takes more interest than Rhyme in an unsolved kidnapping case that they are asked to assist on. Soon, Amelia finds herself in a cat & mouse chase, an accomplice to a jail-break, and responsible for the death of another cop. And this is all within the first half of the novel. After two previous novels, I'm aquainted with the main characters, Amelia & Lincoln, and have come to accept that they don't need much more in the way of developement (aside from maybe a little more insight as what it is Amelia sees in Lincoln, romanticly speaking). However, I do expect more from new characters or those returning from previous stories that we still don't know much about. The villian in this novel, the Insect Boy, is pretty much nothing more than a scared, misunderstood kid who lacks the typical evil and violence Deaver delivers with his bad guys. Of course, the reader is still taken on a wild chase as the author fills every other page with a new twist and an ended that no one can predict, but something I've come to expect after reading his five previous novels. Overall, "The Empty Chair" is an enjoyable read like Jeffery Deaver's last two novels but it lacks the originality of "The Bone Collector" that made it so special. I'm glad to hear we'll be seeing more of Mr. Deaver's earlier work as his first novels are about to be reissued soon, which is the author's best work to date.
Rating:
Summary: WHERE IS THE EVIL?
Review: Being a new member of the Jeffrey Deaver bandwagon, I am already used to a number of things about his books. First, the plot has more twists and turns than a boxful or pretzels. Second, the Hero is always after someone that appears to be pure evil on a stick. With THE EMPTY CHAIR you get one without the other. Lincoln Rhyme travels to North Carolina to get an operation that may or may not help him in his desire to gain more mobility. Shortly after their arrival, he and Amelia Sachs get involved in a murder and kidnapping investigation that centers around a young man that goes by the name Insect Boy. The plot does go through the usual roller coaster and for that reason the book is worth the read. But the Insect Boy is not as menacing as a Coffin Dancer or a Digger (if you have read his other material you know what I am getting at). I expect a Deaver villain or supposed villain to give me more of a creepy feeling. I was dissapointed in the Insect boy character and I was dissapointed in the aspect of the plot that had Sachs flurting with the wrong side of the law. The suspense was good, the writing great, but the overall effect fell a tad bit short for what Deaver usually gives.
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