Jack Reacher
thriller
Series · thriller
Lincoln Rhyme
The Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffery Deaver has 22 known books (21 published; 1 announced) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Bone Collector (1997). The next announced book, The Collateral Heart, is due 17 November 2026.
- Books
- 22 known books (17 novels + 5 short stories)
- Published
- 21
- Announced
- 1
- First published
- 1997
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Thriller
- Last checked
Start here: The Bone Collector (1997) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series. Announced future books are marked below.
- Book 1:
The Bone Collector
The Bone Collector is the book that opens Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, a thriller published in 1997 at 432 pages. It's followed by The Coffin Dancer in a series that has run continuously since, to twenty-two entries and counting.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Bone Collector - Book 2:
The Coffin Dancer
The Coffin Dancer is the second book in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 1998 at 453 pages. It follows The Bone Collector and precedes The Empty Chair.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Coffin Dancer - Book 3:
The Empty Chair
The Empty Chair is the third entry in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2000 at 454 pages. It follows The Coffin Dancer and precedes The Stone Monkey.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Empty Chair - Book 4:
The Stone Monkey
The Stone Monkey is the fourth book in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2002 at 528 pages. It follows The Empty Chair and precedes The Vanished Man.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Stone Monkey - Book 5:
The Vanished Man
The Vanished Man is the fifth entry in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2003 at 488 pages. It follows The Stone Monkey and precedes The Twelfth Card.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Vanished Man - Book 6:
The Twelfth Card
The Twelfth Card is the sixth book in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2005 at 544 pages. It follows The Vanished Man and precedes The Cold Moon.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Twelfth Card - Book 7:
The Cold Moon
The Cold Moon is the seventh entry in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2006 at 465 pages. It follows The Twelfth Card and precedes The Broken Window.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cold Moon - Book 8:
The Broken Window
The Broken Window is the eighth book in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2008 at 414 pages. It follows The Cold Moon and precedes The Burning Wire.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Broken Window - Book 9:
The Burning Wire
The Burning Wire is the ninth entry in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2010 at 452 pages. It follows The Broken Window and precedes The Kill Room.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Burning Wire - Book 10:
The Kill Room
The Kill Room is the tenth book in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2013 at 507 pages. It follows The Burning Wire and precedes the short story A Textbook Case in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Kill Room - Book 11:
A Textbook Case
A Textbook Case is a 45-page short story in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2013. In the reading order it falls between the novels The Kill Room and The Skin Collector.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Textbook Case - Book 12:
The Skin Collector
The Skin Collector is the eleventh full-length novel in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2014 at 451 pages. It follows A Textbook Case and precedes another short story, Rhymes with Prey.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Skin Collector - Book 13:
Rhymes with Prey
Rhymes with Prey is a 17-page short story in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2014. It sits between the novels The Skin Collector and The Steel Kiss in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Rhymes with Prey - Book 14:
The Steel Kiss
The Steel Kiss is the twelfth full-length novel in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2016 at 562 pages. It follows Rhymes with Prey and precedes the short story The Deliveryman.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Steel Kiss - Book 15:
The Deliveryman
The Deliveryman is a 60-page short story in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2016. It falls between the novels The Steel Kiss and The Burial Hour in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Deliveryman - Book 16:
The Burial Hour
The Burial Hour is the thirteenth full-length novel in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2017 at 466 pages. It follows The Deliveryman and precedes The Cutting Edge.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Burial Hour - Book 17:
The Cutting Edge
The Cutting Edge is the fourteenth full-length novel in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2018 at 448 pages. It follows The Burial Hour and precedes The Midnight Lock.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cutting Edge - Book 18:
The Midnight Lock
The Midnight Lock is the fifteenth full-length novel in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2020 at 544 pages. It follows The Cutting Edge and precedes the short story A Perfect Plan.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Midnight Lock - Book 19:
A Perfect Plan
A Perfect Plan is a short story in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2021. It sits between the novels The Midnight Lock and The Watchmaker's Hand in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Perfect Plan - Book 20:
The Watchmaker's Hand
The Watchmaker's Hand is the sixteenth full-length novel in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2023. It follows A Perfect Plan and precedes the short story Swiping Hearts.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Watchmaker's Hand - Book 21:
Swiping Hearts
Swiping Hearts is a short story in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, published in 2023. It falls between the novels The Watchmaker's Hand and The Collateral Heart in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Swiping Hearts - Book 22:
The Collateral Heart
The Collateral Heart is, as of this catalogue, the most recent entry in Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series, due for publication on 17 November 2026. It follows Swiping Hearts in a series that has run continuously since 1997.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Collateral Heart
About the Lincoln Rhyme series
Lincoln Rhyme is a former NYPD forensic criminalist left quadriplegic by an on-the-job accident, who solves crimes from his Manhattan townhouse-turned-lab using nothing but his intellect, an encyclopedic command of forensic science, and a rotating team of field investigators who become his hands -- chief among them NYPD officer (later detective) Amelia Sachs, whose willingness to walk crime scenes exactly as Rhyme directs makes her his essential partner, both professionally and eventually romantically. Jeffery Deaver built the series around real, granular forensic detail -- trace evidence, ballistics, digital forensics, criminal psychology -- deployed at a breakneck pace, with the genre's signature Deaver twist: nearly every book contains at least one reversal designed to make the reader realize they misread the entire case.
Each novel typically unfolds over a tightly compressed timeframe (often 24 to 48 hours) against a methodical, resourceful antagonist -- the franchise-defining Bone Collector, art forger Richard Logan (the Watchmaker), assassins, hackers and con artists who force Rhyme to out-think rather than outrun them. The blend of hard-science procedural detail, breathless pacing and misdirection has made the series a touchstone of modern forensic thrillers, and inspired both the 1999 Denzel Washington/Angelina Jolie film adaptation of The Bone Collector and the 2020 NBC series Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Lincoln Rhyme series?
There are 17 novels as of The Collateral Heart (November 2026), plus five standalone short stories/novellas.
What order should I read the Lincoln Rhyme books in?
Publication order, starting with The Bone Collector. Rhyme and Amelia Sachs's relationship and the recurring Watchmaker antagonist arc build across the series.
Is the Lincoln Rhyme series finished?
No, it's ongoing. The newest novel, The Collateral Heart, is due November 17, 2026 in the US and Canada.
Is the Lincoln Rhyme TV series based on the books?
Yes. NBC's Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (2020) adapts the character, as did the 1999 film The Bone Collector starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, though both take liberties with the source novels.
Do I need to read the short stories?
No. A Textbook Case, Rhymes with Prey, The Deliveryman, A Perfect Plan and Swiping Hearts are bonus side stories -- Rhymes with Prey is a fun crossover with John Sandford's Lucas Davenport for readers of both series, but none are required to follow the main novels.
If you like the Lincoln Rhyme series
Reading order last verified .