When the bizarrely mutilated and long-dead body of a young woman is found in a ditch in Manham, an isolated and insular village in the Norfolk marshlands, it isn t just the fact that she had been a friend that disturbs Dr David Hunter. He was once a high-profile forensic anthropologist and all too familiar with the different faces of death, until a devastating personal tragedy made him turn his back on his former life and career. Now hidden away as a country doctor, Hunter s past is a secret he hopes will remain buried. So ...
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When the bizarrely mutilated and long-dead body of a young woman is found in a ditch in Manham, an isolated and insular village in the Norfolk marshlands, it isn t just the fact that she had been a friend that disturbs Dr David Hunter. He was once a high-profile forensic anthropologist and all too familiar with the different faces of death, until a devastating personal tragedy made him turn his back on his former life and career. Now hidden away as a country doctor, Hunter s past is a secret he hopes will remain buried. So when he s asked by the police to use his arcane skills to help track down the killer, he s reluctant to become involved, knowing this will only stir up the painful memories he s been trying so hard to forget. Then another young woman disappears, and Manham is plunged into a fog of fear and paranoia that threatens to tear it apart. And no one seems exempt from suspicion as the twisted killings continue. And as the once peaceful community is riven by fear and mistrust, David Hunter realises it will take all his knowledge and expertise if the killer is to be stopped. But not even he is prepared for the terrible cost that will exact or the awful price that failure
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Simon Beckett has written a great mystery for those who love the suspense and forensic style such as Cornwell and Reichs but I liked Beckett better for his style and plot. This is a writer you look forward to seeing in his next installment.
Lynne
Apr 3, 2007
First in a wonderful new forensic thriller series!
Set in Norfolk, England "The Chemistry of Death" provides lovers of 'forensic' mysteries with a wonderful new setting and protagonist. Dr. David Hunter has tragically lost his wife and daughter. That coupled with his stressful work as a forensic expert have led him to the decision to move to a small English village to work as a simple country doctor. Once there, he unwillingly becomes involved in the investigation into a young woman's death. Suspicion surrounds his every move. When the young woman he has begun to date goes missing and a drinking buddy is taken in for questioning he realizes that his work in the investigation is getting too personal... The novel is a promising debut to a new series. This reader is avidly awaiting the second title. Anyone who enjoys the work of Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell will welcome this new addition to the genre.