In his classic thrillerThe Bone Collector, Jeffery Deaver introduced readers to Lincoln Rhyme-the nation''s most renowned investigator and forensic detective.

Now, a new killer is on the loose: a criminal inspired by the Bone Collector. And Rhyme must untangle the twisted web of clues before the killer targets more victims-or Rhyme himself.

THE SKIN COLLECTOR

The killer''s methods are terrifying. He stalks the basements and underground passageways of New York City. He tattoos his victims'' flesh with cryptic messages, using a tattoo gun loaded with poison, resulting in an agonizing, painful death.

When a connection is made to the Bone Collector-the serial killer who terrorized New York more than a decade ago-Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are immediately drawn into the case.

Rhyme, Sachs, and the NYPD must race against time to answer the many questions the investigation uncovers: Whom will the killer attack next? What is the message behind the victims'' tattoos? Does the killer''s own inking--a fanged centipede sporting a woman''s face--hold any significance? And what is his ultimate mission?

As time runs out, Rhyme discovers that the past has returned to haunt him in the most troubling way imaginable...