James Schneider is the overarching antagonist of the Jeffrey Deaver novel The Bone Collector and serves as the inspiration to the book's main antagonist.
Biography[]
Schneider was a serial killer who operated in New York City in the turn of the 20th Century. After the loss of his parents, especially as his father who had died whilst in jail, Schneider took to killing and was dubbed the 'Bone Collector' Whilst being chased down by police he had jumped from a bridge and his body had washed up on shore. His killings were documented and made its way into a book, Crime in Old New York.
A century later, a man named Colin Stanton/Marcus Andrews took on the identity of the Bone Collector, copying his crimes in revenge against Lincoln Rhyme. The reason for Colin to take on the Bone Collector's persona was due to his vow to never take a life as he was a doctor. Colin/Marcus had also changed his name to Peter Taylor/Richard Thompson. The surname Schneider is also German for 'Tailor'. However Colin/Marcus' plans had failed and he was killed by Rhyme/Amelia.
Trivia[]
- Illustrations of Schneider committing his crimes can be seen in the 1999 adaption of The Bone Collector, although he is simply listed by his alias and his actual name isn't given. His copycat killer has different motivations and identity than the book.
- In the 2020 television series Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector; what appears to be an "original" Bone Collector is depicted without any hint that he copied another serial killer's crimes. This version lives in the modern era, and is an enemy to Lincoln Rhyme. In the first episode, another serial killer attempts to mimic his crimes only to end up dead in the end, with the original killer resurfacing to sort out his "unfinished business" with Rhyme.