Police are called to the scene of a murder.  As luck would have it, the officers sense the killer is still in the room.  They can hear his or her every move.  Blocking off all possible exits, thus cornering their criminal, they know that they can now easy catch their killer and quickly wrap up the case.  However, their murderer disappears without a trace.

Lincoln Rhyme and his associate, Amelia Sachs, become involved in this baffling case.  Amelia has her chance to prove just how good she is at her job; Lincoln has to delve into the area of illusions and magic.  Challenged by this case, they both are determined to find the killer, dubbed The Conjurer, before the final act is performed.

THE VANISHED MAN relies heavily on the art of illusion and magic.  Research must have been extensive, and I truly appreciated finally knowing how some of the tricks I have seen are performed.

I have not had prior experience with Lincoln Rhyme, so learning about his character and Amelia was important.  The book does work as a stand-alone, but I think reading the previous books would offer more insight into the pair.

Regardless, this is one of the most intense, edge-of-your-seat books I have picked up in some time.  I can see this becoming a blockbuster film; maybe Hollywood will agree…