The Broken Window is by Jeffrey Deaver, copyright 2008. It’s another book I snagged from the shelves of the Wal-Mart during a fit of boredom. Deaver is the same guy who wrote “The Bone Collector” which was made into a movie with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Having read this book, it’s fairly clear to me that Lincoln Rhyme is a white guy, which seems odd with a name like Lincoln who has a cousin named Arthur. I suppose it could just be my prejudice coming through, but it seemed odd to me that the movie character is of a different race than the character in the novel. I don’t know why I even had to bring it up, but it nagged at me as I read the book.

Also, nagging at me as I read the book, was the ridiculous portrayal of computer technology. Deaver couldn’t write a “Hello World” program in TRS-80 BASIC. He just hasn’t the slightest clue how computer systems work. I suppose reading this book for me would be a similar experience to the way actual crime scene investigators feel when they watch CSI on TV.

I suppose the story was readable and engaging enough once you get past the terrible misunderstanding and misrepresentation of technology. I think I’d rather just read Neal Stephenson if I want believable technology in my stories.