Jeffery Deaver is an American contemporary crime/mystery fiction author. He has written prolifically and published thirty-two novels, a non-fiction law book and three collections of short stories.
Born on May 6, 1950, Jeffery Deaver grew up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He studied journalism from the University of Missouri and later earned a degree in law from Fordham University. He began his professional career as a journalist then he practiced as an attorney. These career opportunities provided him with ample knowledge to embark on his writing career.
His debut stand-alone novel Mistress of Justice was published in 1992. It is a mystery and legal thriller and Deaver’s law background came in handy to highlight legal issues. The novel revolves around a paralegal, Taylor Lockwood, who works in one of New York’s finest Wall Street law firms. Her monotonous life goes on uneventfully until one day her employer, Mitchell Reece, asks for her help to locate a valuable document. As she stumbles upon the document she discovers more than what she is supposed to know. The explosive dark secret of her law firm are powerful enough to cost careers and lives if exposed. Deaver sketched the mystery that keeps readers guessing who could be behind the illegal crimes.
Subsequent to writing stand-alone thrillers, Deaver began to publish trilogy series in 1988. He wrote Rune Trilogy (1988) and John Pellam series (1992). His successful series, Lincoln Rhyme, was published in 1997. The series is based on the central character a former NYPD Homicide Detective Lincoln Rhyme. Now quadriplegic, he works as a Forensic Consultant. Police Detective, Amelia Sachs teams up with him and becomes his eyes and ears as she walks the crime scenes for him. The first book in the series, The Bone Collector follows a brutal crime wave in New York City. A psychopath is on a killing spree and trying to tease Rhyme with clues. The clues lead them into dark history of New York and in the recess of killer’s mind. The books in the series immediately climbed the The New York Times Bestselling novels’ list. The first novel was adapted into a major motion picture in 1999 starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie.
In addition to Lincoln Rhyme series, Deaver has penned a book on criminal hacking. The Blue Nowhere is a stand-alone mystery thriller published in 2001. It centers on the cybercrime and hacking universe. Wyatt Gillette is a tech-savvy who has been wrongly accused and imprisoned for committing cybercrime. However, for his talent he has been asked to consult the police department tracking a fellow hacker called Phate who used to rule the cyberspace with Wyatt. But now Phate has tapped into his dark side and lures innocent people to their death through a program, Trapdoor. Wyatt and police are on his tail to catch him before he strikes again.
Moreover, Deaver has offered his services as an editor for The Best American Mystery Stories (2009). He collaborated with 14 notable writers on the 17-part serial thriller The Chopin Manuscript. Another two popular works of his have been adapted into films, A Maiden’s Grave as the TV film Dead Silence and The Devil’s Teardrop (2010). He was offered a privilege to pen an official James Bond novel. The novel, Carte Blanche, published in 2001, garnered huge praise for his work. Some of the awards Deaver received include Nero Wolfe Award, Ellery Queen Reader’s Award and British Thumping Good Read Award.
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