Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the other Lincoln Rhyme novels
Review: Yes, this book is again a page turner. Our familiar characters Lincoln and Amelia are back in action. The plot is nicely developed, the forensic conclusions seem to be "logical" for a lay person, and the set up (Chinese immigrant community) is well chosen.However, there are a few things which I don't like. One thing, although minor, is the way the author deals with China. While he is very fair and also educational about Chinese culture and the life of Chinese immigrants, his conception of mainland China is not accurate. It seems to me, as if he had a close Chinese friend as an adviser, who left mainland China some decades ago (and has never returned since), and who is full of antagonism and hatred concerning the communists. It may accommodate the (American) reader, that the US of A are considered as a sort of paradise amongst mainland Chinese, that these people live under abysmal conditions, are constantly suppressed by their regime and so on, but this view is pretty ignorant. Descriptions of China as a land without skyscrapers (because they have not enough elevators?) or rotten, dirty buses is quite ridiculous, considering cities like Shanghai (with one of the highest buildings in the world harbouring the highest hotel in the world), Canton or other southern cities. The Chinese just build a hospital for 1000 SARS patients within a few weeks. The only thing a Chinese immigrant would be impressed about in New York is the high crime rate, not the architecture or public transport. Whilst these things may be merely irritating to an educated reader, the constant "surprises" in the plot are deeply annoying. Although we know from every Deaver novel, that there will be a hidden villain somewhere amongst the good guys, in this book he goes over the top. As a reader you feel cheated, and the only effect this has, is a constant uncertainty about everybody in the book. This is not good story telling: To introduce a bad guy, turn him into a good guy, introduce a good guy, turn him into the bad guy, have several ambiguous good guys around, who may ultimately be bad guys and vice versa. Instead of following the plot and the forensic evidence (which should be the reason you read this book and not any other thriller), you try to read between the lines to guess, which kind of rabbit Deaver might pull out of the next page. Bottom line: If you have never read a Deaver book, don't start with this one. If you are a fan of Linc and Amelia, this book will entertain you. But Deaver should change his strategy in his following books, unless his main intention is to constantly fool his audience, laughing all the way to the bank.
Rating: 
Summary: Ying and Yang Equal One Great Mystery
Review: Deaver has managed to keep this unique and incredibly interesting series fresh and new through four books now--with "The Stone Monkey," the fourth, providing a fascinating clash of East and West. A boatload of illegal Chinese immigrants, most of them vocal dissidents on the mainland, never reaches the shores of the U.S. Their cruel fate is the work of The Ghost, a vicious killer who also doubles as the clandestine agent in charge of smuggling illegal aliens from his homeland. When The Ghost embarks on a killing spree in New York's Chinatown (having conveniently dispatched his human cargo), Rhyme and Sachs are called into the case. Impatient and haughty Rhyme must learn whole new ways of facing life as he is unwillingly drawn into the "tao of life" by a Chinese cop, one of the few survivors of the fatal voyage. And Sachs must do her usual job while hiding a sad secret. What gives the story its depth is the constant "yin and yang"--Rhyme needing to absorb and work with the very different Asian way of solving crimes while still using his New York moxie (all in a wheelchair); Sachs and Rhyme juggling their relationship against dual personal problems (Rhyme's upcoming operation and Sach's secret); and Eastern justice meted out secretly--and horribly--on U.S. shores. This is a fascinating and fast-paced book, not to be missed for fans of the series.
Rating:
Summary: RHYME IS CHASING THE GHOST THIS TIME
Review: Chinese people save money to TheGhost to smuggle them into America but are lefy to drown when the ship is about to be intercepted by the Coast Guard. The Ghost survives and is determined to kill any survivorswho can testify against him. New York's Chinatown hides a lot of people who know secrets Rhyme wants answers to. With his skillful deductions Rhyme and Sacks are led thru twisting and unexpected turns raising the suspense level to the highest. It becomes a page turner as the reader tries to keep up with the unusual events. A good read to keep your interest high. Sad insights as to the plight of the Asians seeking refuge in America.
Rating:
Summary: The stone monkey
Review: This is the 4th book in the Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs series. The story is about a human smuggler and killer known as the ghost. After the ghost's capture goes bad, they need to catch him. And that's what this novel is all about. The crew tries to catch him trough all the forensic hints they can find. In this book Deaver has done his homework about the chinese country, native country of the ghost. It's an interesting book with the usual twists. 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but not Deaver's Best
Review: This is the 4th book in the Lincoln Rhyme series, and although I'm not thrilled with the increasingly romantic undertone between the quadripeligic forensic genius Rhyme and his grid-walking ally and now lover Amelia Sachs, this book still upholds the Deaver stylings of twists and turns that I've grown to thoroughly enjoy. The Stone Monkey begins with the Coast Guard circling in on a ship near New York that is carrying illegal Chinese immigrants and the notorious Ghost. However, the Ghost scuttles the ship and now is on a mission to eliminate the group of passengers that escaped their watery grave. With the help of Sonny Li, a breath of fresh air in the series, Rhyme matches wits with the Ghost, working against time to prevent more murders from taking place. As with all Deaver's novels, the ending was at a frenetic pace that left me shaking my head, thrilled with the ride and eagerly waiting his next novel.
Rating:
Summary: Too Much!
Review: Maybe I've been reading too much Michael Connelly and T Jefferson Parker but this book sure seemed weak to me. The premise from the get go seemed preposterous to me and a rehash of The Coffin Dancer but not as well done. Implausable in the extreme! Maybe I'm just tired of having Rhyme look at a microscopic piece of dirt and conclude that the killer enjoy's Star Trek re-runs from it and be expected to swallow that kind of implausibility.(That does not happen in this book...but that's the kind of thing Rhyme does and we're expected to go along with that. It was entertaining on a pretty superficial level.
Rating: 
Summary: DEAVER DOESN'T "MONKEY" AROUND WITH THIS ONE
Review: This is the fourth book in the Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs' series featuring Lincoln as the quadriplegic consultant to the NYPD with Amelia acting as his eyes and legs by walking the crime scenes for him, while reporting back everything she sees and feels. While one might think that having someone heading up an investigation, who's confined to a wheelchair, might be a little far-fetched, then you haven't made the acquaintance of Lincoln Rhyme. Deaver makes this series so interesting by putting top notch technology at Lincoln's fingertips (just a figure of speech as Lincoln only has feeling in his left ring finger). As the story opens, Lincoln has tracked down a cargo ship, the Fuzhou Dragon, said to be bringing in illegal Chinese immigrants. The smuggler is a man known as "The Ghost" -- aptly named as there are no known photographs of him in existance. Not only is The Ghost a smuggler of illegal aliens, he is also a killer and Lincoln has been asked by the FBI and the INS to help them capture this murderer before he strikes again on Lincoln's turf. A good part of this story takes place in New York's Chinatown as The Ghost tries to track down two of the families he has smuggled into this country. At the same time, Lincoln and Amelia are trying to reach these families first before The Ghost gets to them. This is the real mystery.....why is The Ghost after immigrants he, himself, has smuggled into this country? Deaver's descriptions of this area and its Chinese cultures are well researched and make for some very interesting reading. It's actually one of the best fictional trips into Chinatown that I've yet to come upon. I especially liked the story Deaver tells of the "Ten Judges of Hell" who keep a book called "The Register of the Living and the Dead" -- which is actually the balance sheet of life and death for the Chinese people. Comparing this book to the other three in the series (The Bone Collector, The Coffin Dancer, The Empty Chair), I'd have to say it's right at the top of the list for me because Deaver weaves a tale that has a number of twists and turns, some of which totally caught me by surprise. He also introduces a wily policeman from China, Sonny Li, who will grow on the reader as much as he is growing on Lincoln (which isn't an easy feat). I know the next book in the series, The Vanished Man, has just come out and I look forward, with great anticipation, to another adventure with Lincoln and Amelia. I hear it's a winner.
Rating:
Summary: The game of Wei-Chi
Review: One could not guess all the moves in this novel, and with each move and new twist, the story remains fresh and compelling. This is the second Jeffery Deaver novel I've read. I found that this story was so good that I slowed down reading it towards the end in order to savor it, and once finished, I was out the door to pick up another of Mr. Deaver's novels.
Rating: 
Summary: The Stone Monkey
Review: I bought this book for myself and my grandson who was overseas, we both love Deaver's writing, The Stone Monkey left a lot to be desired. My grandson wrote me, Grandma I just can't get anywhere with this book, I felt the same, I had no feeling for the people involved. Deaver's books I usally can't put down once I start reading them, this book I had a hard picking it back up, I did finish it. At work we all read Deaver's books I told them not to waste their time with this one. It is nothing like the Empty Chair, or Maiden's Grave which keep you on the edge of your seat while reading. Sorry
Rating:
Summary: Hard to put down to go to work... and I love my job!
Review: This is the first review I've written for Amazon. This book was very entertaining. I literally was late to work (twice) because of it, and stayed up way too late to finish it.
This is a story for those mainly looking for amusement, and not the "deeper meaning of life"! It moved quickly, without confusing narrator shifts which make you flip back to the start to figure out "who is this talking again?" Like-able main characters and like any good serial novel, makes me want to go find the other titles!
Enjoy!
| 
