Jeffery Deaver writes another great Lincoln Rhyme novel. This one is about Geneva Settle, a 16 year old black girl who is researching her ancestor, Charles Singleton who lived during the Civil War. He was active in the early Civil Right movement but the newspaper report tells of his arrest for theft. While Geneva is at the Black History Museum looking at the micro fiche tapes, she is attacked by Thompson Boyd. But Geneva is smarter than Boyd. She sets up a mannequin in her place and runs.
In steps Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs to help the police figure out why Geneva is the target of Boyd. Boyd is willing to sacrifice innocents to accomplish what he was hired to do. Who hired him and why? Is he working alone? Why has he become a person who feels nothing?
Another problem arises when Lincoln discovers that Geneva's parents are fictitious and she is living on her own. She is doing very well in school so no one suspects the real situation. Where are her mom and dad?
And, of course, there is always the side of the story where Lincoln's paralysis comes in. This time, he is exercising to attempt to create even a small amount of movement. Does all the hard work bring about what Lincoln hopes for? The twists and turns of this story kept me wanting to listen long into the night.
The reader, Dennis Boutsikaris, is adept at voice inflections and keeps the reader interested by not becoming monotone. He is clear and precise in his pronunciation of the words and does very well when reading the Black English Vernacular.
The Twelfth Card provides historical background on the civil rights movement and how hard life was for the black man. It also tell of what hard work and determination of a teenager can bring about and of Lincoln's constant struggle to gain even a little bit of freedom from the paralysis he suffers.
