The Bone Collector is a 1997 thriller novel by American author Jeffery Deaver. The book introduces the character Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic forensic criminologist.It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1999. A pilot episode for a television series based on the novel was ordered by NBC in 2019. Although the pilot episode was made available through several services on January 1, 2020, it first aired on January 10, 2020.
Two co-workers, T.J. (Tammie Jean) Colfax and John Ulbrecht, catch a taxi at a New York City airport. After a short ride through New York, they find themselves in an abandoned warehouse district. The taxi doors are locked and the driver ignores their pleas to let them out.The next day, New York Police Department Patrol Officer Amelia Sachs is called to investigate a possible murder near some train tracks in Midtown. Her initial search is fruitless until she spots what she thinks is a dead tree sticking out of the ground near the tracks. She climbs down the embankment and, upon closer inspection, sees that it is actually a hand sticking out of the ground, with the flesh removed and a large diamond ring strapped to a bony finger. She digs into the ground and discovers the face of John Ulbrecht, who has been buried alive.Amelia calls in and secures the area by blocking a train and traffic above.
Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic former forensic scientist, is waiting for a visitor at his apartment when the doorbell rings. Thom’s caretaker opens the door and informs him that he has two uninvited guests, homicide detectives Lon Sellitto and Jerry Banks. Rhyme tells Thom that he doesn’t want to see them but eventually agrees to talk to them.Sellitto is Rhyme’s former partner, and the officers are there to ask Rhyme for help with a kidnapping and murder case, but he says he’s in no condition to help. Sellitto says that all he wants is for Rhyme to look over the case file and tell them what it means. The detective explains that the kidnapper still has a hostage they need to find. At this point, the visitor Rhyme was expecting arrives and he asks the detectives to leave, telling them that he’ll review the case notes. He finds himself drawn into the case and agrees to work with Amelia Sachs’ help as he looks down at the ground.
The killer was Peter Taylor, Rhyme’s doctor. Real name Colin Stanton, he had lost his family years earlier when Lincoln failed to properly examine the crime scene. The suspect hid under a bed and started a gunfight in the street, shooting Stanton’s family to death. Stanton then collapsed and was hospitalized, where he attempted suicide. After his release, he planned to kill Lincoln Rhyme, who was now a quadriplegic, and created the identity of Peter Taylor. The name was inspired by James Schneider, a serial killer in New York in the early 1900s – “Schneider” means “tailor” in German. However, when Stanton/Taylor realized that Lincoln was contemplating suicide, he had to give him a reason to live so he could kill him. He took on Schneider’s nickname, “The Bone Collector”, and began copying Schneider’s crimes. Stanton randomly selects his victims and passes them off as Schneider’s victims.
In the climax, Stanton lures Rhyme into his apartment, killing Rhyme’s former superior, Polling, who admits his guilt for his alleged role in Rhyme’s accident. The investigation team has a witness to the crime Rhyme was investigating when he was injured and does not need Rhyme’s testimony. Stanton reveals his true identity to Rhyme, and his plan to kill everyone he cares about and then slowly kill him. After a struggle, Rhyme manages to bite Stanton’s neck, severing an artery and severely injuring him.
