Jeffery Deaver (born May 6, 1950) is an American

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' *Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...

and

crime writer Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

. He has a bachelor of journalism degree from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

and a J.D. degree from

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

and originally started working as a journalist. He later practiced law before embarking on a career as a novelist. He has been awarded the

Steel Dagger The CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger is an annual award given by the British Crime Writers' Association for best thriller of the year. The award is sponsored by the estate of Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 196 ...

and Short Story Dagger from the British

Crime Writers' Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors' organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its "Dagger" awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. ...

and the

Nero Award The Nero Award is a literary award for excellence in the mystery genre presented by The Wolfe Pack, a society founded in 1978 to explore and celebrate the Nero Wolfe stories of Rex Stout. The Nero Award is presented annually at the Black Orch ...

from

The Wolfe Pack The Wolfe Pack is a literary society devoted to Rex Stout's character Nero Wolfe. History As publicity for William S. Baring-Gould's book ''Nero Wolfe of West 35th Street'', Viking Press ran a "Mammoth New Nero Wolfe Contest" in ''The New York ...

. He is also a three-time recipient of the Ellery Queen Reader's Award for Best Short Story of the Year and a winner of the British Thumping Good Read Award. His novels have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', Italy's ''

Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...

'', ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'', and the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''.

Life and career

Deaver was born near Chicago in

Glen Ellyn, Illinois Glen Ellyn is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. A suburb located due west of downtown Chicago, the village has a population of 28,846 as of the 2020 Census. History Glen Ellyn, like the neighboring town to the east, Lomba ...

. His mother was an artist, and his father an advertising writer. His sister Julie Deaver is an author of

young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

novels. The book that inspired him to write was ''From Russia With Love'', a

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

novel by

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...

. Deaver's most popular series features Lincoln Rhyme, a

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of Motor control, motor and/or Sense, sensory function in the Cervical vertebrae, cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weak ...

detective, and

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

Detective Amelia Sachs. Deaver's 2001 book ''The Blue Nowhere'' features criminal hackers (one using social engineering to commit murder), as well as a law enforcement

computer crime Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or networks. It has been variously defined as "a crime committed on a computer network, especially the Internet"; Cybercriminals may exp ...

unit. In this book, Deaver gives credit to

Lee de Forest #REDIRECT Lee de Forest {{redirect category shell, {{R from move{{R from other capitalisation ...

, the inventor of the

Audion The Audion was an electronic detecting or amplifying vacuum tube invented by American electrical engineer Lee de Forest as a diode in 1906.De Forest patented a number of variations of his detector tubes starting in 1906. The patent that most cle ...

(also known as the

triode A triode is an electronic amplifier, amplifying vacuum tube (or ''thermionic valve'' in British English) consisting of three electrodes inside an evacuated glass envelope: a heated Electrical filament, filament or cathode, a control grid, grid ...

tube), who is thus considered to have opened the world to electronic development. Deaver edited ''

The Best American Mystery Stories 2009 ''The Best American Mystery Stories 2009'', a volume in ''The Best American Mystery Stories'' series, was edited by Otto Penzler and by guest editor Jeffery Deaver.''San Francisco Chronicle'', Nov. 29, 2009 Short Stories included Other distingu ...

''. Three of Deaver's novels have been made into films: * ''A Maiden's Grave'' adapted as ''

Dead Silence ''Dead Silence'' is a 2007 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell. The film stars Ryan Kwanten as Jamie Ashen, a young widower returning to his hometown to search for answers to his wife's death. ...

'' (1997) * ''

The Bone Collector ''The Bone Collector'' is a 1999 American crime thriller film directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. The film is based on the 1997 crime novel of the same name written by Jeffery Deaver. It focuses on a q ...

'' (1999) * '' The Devil's Teardrop'' (2010) Additionally, ''The Bone Collector'' has been adapted as a television series, '' Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector''. ''Tracker'', a television series based on his novel ''The Never Game'', premiered in 2024. Deaver also created the characters and—in a collaboration with 14 other noted writers—wrote the 17-part serial thriller '' The Chopin Manuscript'' narrated by

Alfred Molina Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British and American actor. He is known for his leading roles and character actor roles on the stage and screen. In a career spanning over five decades he has received a Drama Desk Award ...

that was broadcast on

Audible.com Audible is an American online audiobook and podcast service that allows users to purchase and stream audiobooks and other forms of spoken-word content. This content can be purchased individually or under a subscription model in which the user re ...

from September 25 to November 13, 2007. It is also available in print. Deaver was chosen to write a new

novel: ''

Carte Blanche A blank cheque or blank check in the literal sense is a cheque that has no monetary value written in, but is already signed. In the figurative sense, it is used to describe a situation in which an agreement has been made that is open-ended or va ...

'' is set in 2011 and was published on May 25, 2011. He is the second American author to write Bond novels, after

Raymond Benson Raymond Benson (born 1955) is an American writer known for his James Bond novels published between 1997 and 2003. Early life and education Benson was born in Midland, Texas and graduated from Permian High School in Odessa in 1973. In primary sc ...

Bibliography

Standalone works

* ''Mistress of Justice'' (1992) * ''The Lesson of Her Death'' (1993) * ''Praying for Sleep'' (1994) * ''A Maiden's Grave'' (1995) * ''Speaking in Tongues'' (2000) * ''The Blue Nowhere'' (2001) * ''Garden of Beasts'' (2004) * '' The Chopin Manuscript'' (2008) (

collaborative fiction Collaborative fiction is a form of Writing style, writing by a group of authors who share creative control of a Storytelling, story. Collaborative fiction can occur for commercial gain, as part of education, or recreationally – many collaborat ...

) * ''The Bodies Left Behind'' (2008) * ''Edge'' (2010) * ''The October List'' (2013) * "Buried" (2020) (''Amazon Short Stories'')

Rune Trilogy

# '' Manhattan Is My Beat'' (1988) # '' Death of a Blue Movie Star'' (1990) # ''Hard News'' (1991)

John Pellam (Location Scout series)

# ''Shallow Graves'' (1992) # ''Bloody River Blues'' (1993) # ''

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...

'' (2001)

Lincoln Rhyme

# ''

'' (1997) # ''

The Coffin Dancer ''The Coffin Dancer'' is a 1998 crime novel by American writer Jeffery Deaver. The book features his regular character Lincoln Rhyme, a quadriplegic detective. Plot Detective Lincoln Rhyme Jeffery Deaver (born May 6, 1950) is an America ...

'' (1998) # '' The Empty Chair'' (2000) # ''

The Stone Monkey ''The Stone Monkey'' is a crime novel by American writer Jeffery Deaver. First published in 2002, it is the fourth Deaver novel featuring the quadraplegic detective Lincoln Rhyme. Plot summary As the US Coast Guard moves to intercept a ship ...

'' (2002) # '' The Vanished Man'' (2003) (includes an appearance by Parker Kincaid) # ''

The Twelfth Card ''The Twelfth Card'' is a crime novel by American writer Jeffery Deaver, the sixth in the series featuring Lincoln Rhyme. It was published in 2005. Plot summary The story starts out in a museum where Geneva Settle, a high-school student in Harl ...

'' (2005) (includes an appearance by Parker Kincaid) # ''

The Cold Moon ''The Cold Moon'' is a crime thriller novel by American writer Jeffery Deaver. It is the seventh book in the Lincoln Rhyme series, and also introduces CBI agent Kathryn Dance, who would get her own series of books. Plot It is the night of t ...

'' (2006) (Introduces Kathryn Dance) # ''

The Broken Window ''The Broken Window'' is a crime thriller novel by American writer Jeffery Deaver, published in 2008. It is the eighth book in the Lincoln Rhyme series. Plot In the book, a killer has access to the world's greatest data miner called Strategic S ...

'' (2008) # '' The Burning Wire'' (2010) # ''The Kill Room'' (2013) # ''The Skin Collector'' (2014) # ''The Steel Kiss'' (2016) # ''The Burial Hour'' (2017) # ''The Cutting Edge'' (2018) # ''The Midnight Lock'' (2021) # ''The Watchmaker's Hand'' (2023)

Kathryn Dance

# ''The Sleeping Doll'' (2007) (includes a brief appearance by Lincoln Rhyme) # ''Roadside Crosses'' (2009) # ''XO'' (2012) (includes a brief appearance by Lincoln Rhyme) # ''Solitude Creek ''(May 12, 2015)

Parker Kincaid

* '' The Devil's Teardrop'' (1999) (introduces Parker Kincaid, includes a scene with Lincoln Rhyme)

Colter Shaw

# ''The Never Game'' (2019) # ''The Goodbye Man'' (2020) # ''The Final Twist'' (2021) # ''Hunting Time'' (2022) # ''South of Nowhere'' (2025) # ''Captivated'' (short) (2019) # ''The Second Hostage'' (short) (2020) # ''Forgotten'' (short) (2021) # ''The Deadline Clock'' (short) (2022)

James Bond

* ''

'' (2011)

Collections

* ''A Confederacy of Crime'' (2001) * '' Twisted'' (2003) * ''

More Twisted ''More Twisted'' () is a 2006 collection of short stories by American crime writer Jeffery Deaver. The book was published in 2006 by Simon & Schuster and is a follow-up to Deaver's 2003 '' Twisted''. ''More Twisted'' contains fifteen previously ...

'' (2006) (includes a story featuring Lincoln Rhyme) *''Trouble in Mind'' (2014) (includes two stories featuring Lincoln Rhyme, one story featuring Kathryn Dance and one story featuring John Pellam) * ''The Lineup: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives'' (2009) (Includes a short Mysterious Profile about Lincoln Rhyme)

Anthologies

* ''Faceoff'' (2014) (includes Lincoln Rhyme vs. Lucas Davenport in “Rhymes With Prey,” by Jeffery Deaver and John Sandford * ''Nothing Good Happens After Midnight'' (2020) edited by Jeffery Deaver (includes his story "Midnight Sonata") and includes Rhys Bowen, Linwood Barclay, Heather Graham, et al.

Adaptations

* ''

'' (1997) A

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

film based on ''A Maiden's Grave''. Starring

James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...

Kim Coates Kim Frederick Coates (born February 21, 1958) is a Canadian-American actor who has worked in both Canadian and American films and television series. He has worked on Broadway portraying Stanley Kowalski in ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' and in th ...

Marlee Matlin Marlee Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, activist, and author. Deafness, Deaf since she was 18 months old, Matlin is known for her portrayals of deaf women, and for her activism on behalf of deaf individuals in Cinema of the ...

and

Lolita Davidovich Lolita Davidovich (born Lolita Davidović; July 15, 1961) is a Canadian film and television actress, best known for portraying Blaze Starr in the 1989 film '' Blaze'', for which she received a Chicago Film Critics Association Award nomination. ...

. * ''

'' (1999) A feature film based on ''

''. Starring

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe ...

Michael Rooker Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor who mainly plays roles of antagonists. He first rose to prominence for portraying the titular role in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986), and is best known for starring as Mer ...

and

Ed O'Neill Edward Leonard O'Neill (born April 12, 1946) is an American actor, comedian, and former football player. Over his career, he has earned four Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe ...

. * ''The Devil's Teardrop'' (2010) A Lifetime television film based on '' The Devil's Teardrop''. Starring

Tom Everett Scott Thomas Everett Scott (born September 7, 1970) is an American actor. His film work includes a starring role as drummer Guy Patterson in the film '' That Thing You Do!'', the protagonist in '' An American Werewolf in Paris'', and notable roles i ...

and

Natasha Henstridge Natasha Tonya Henstridge (born August 15, 1974) is a Canadian actress. In 1995, she rose to prominence with her debut role in the science-fiction horror film ''Species (film), Species'', followed by performances in ''Species II'' and ''Species ...

. * '' Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector'' (2020) An

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

television series, based on ''The Bone Collector''. Starring

Russell Hornsby Russell Hornsby (born May 15, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Edward "Eddie" Sutton on ABC Family's '' Lincoln Heights'', as Luke on the HBO drama ''In Treatment'', as Detective Hank Griffin on the NBC series ''Grimm'', a ...

and

Arielle Kebbel Arielle Kebbel (born February 19, 1985) is an American actress and model. She has starred on several television series, including ''Gilmore Girls'' (2003–2004), ''The Vampire Diaries'' (2009–2017), ''Life Unexpected'' (2010), 90210 (TV serie ...

. * '' Tracker'' (2024) A

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

television series, based on ''The Never Game''. Starring

Justin Hartley Justin Scott Hartley (born January 29, 1977) is an American actor, television producer, and director. He has played Fox Crane on the NBC daytime soap opera '' Passions'' (2002–2006), Oliver Queen on the WB/ CW television series ''Smallvill ...

Robin Weigert Robin Weigert is an American television and film actress. She is best known for portraying Calamity Jane on the television series ''Deadwood'' (2004–2006), for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Suppor ...

, Abby McEnany, Eric Graise,

Fiona Rene Fiona Rene (born April 5, 1988) is an American actress, director, and producer. She is best known for her roles in the CBS series '' Tracker'' (2024), Netflix's '' The Lincoln Lawyer'' (2022), and Amazon Prime's ''I Know What You Did Last Summer ...

, and

Wendy Crewson Wendy Jane Crewson (born May 9, 1956) is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film ''The Doctor''. Crewson has appeared in many Hollywood films, inc ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deaver, Jeffery Living people 1950 births American mystery writers People from Glen Ellyn, Illinois Nero Award winners 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists Novelists from Illinois American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers