Jeffery Deaver combines scientific research and discussion of criminology with a sympathetic portrayal of a paralyzed man who struggles to do a job that requires all the senses and full mobility. The gathering and analysis of evidence is key to Deaver's plots, but the twist is that the person responsible for—and most skilled at—deciphering that evidence faces seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

1. Rhyme is hindered from doing what he loves because of physical disability. Analyze Deaver's portrayal of Rhyme's physical state. Does it seem accurate?

Fair? How do other characters in the novel respond to Rhyme's situation?

How does he overcome his disability?

2. Deaver presents a conflict between what the mind is capable of and what the body is capable of. Examine the mindbody duality in the novel. How is Rhyme able to transcend his situation through his mind? To what extent is it...