Product Description

'They found her in the East Village, nailed to the wall of a railroad flat'. Dr. Edward Jenner is a New York forensic pathologist: he has attended countless murder scenes and performed thousands of autopsies but the killing of 21 year old Andie Delore is different. The naked body is marked with an indecipherable ancient script and is arranged in the shape of a ritual sacrifice. The murderer poses as a cop. The sole eye witness is Andie's flatmate, Ana da Jong. She can't trust the police anymore. Instead she turns to Jenner for help. But then a second victim is found in rural Pennsylvania. Her head has been placed in a puddle of milk. And then the third. Another decapitation: her naked torso is decorated with exotic bird feathers...Both corpses have the same mysterious script. The killer is leading Jenner and Ana into his own private nightmare. A place for which there will be no escape.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10100 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

About the Author
Jonathan Hayes is a British-born career forensic pathologist. Having studied pathology in Boston, he became an Associate Medical Examiner in Dade County, Miami at the height of the Cocaine Wars of the late 1980s. His investigations included multiple homicide scenes and the recovery of dumped bodies from the Everglades. He is currently a Senior Medical Examiner in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Manhattan, and a clinical assistant professor at New York University School of Medicine. He lectures on forensic topics at the New York Police Department Homicide Investigation School, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the FBI Academy..

Customer Reviews

Great Debut
A star is born maybe. Hayes brings us Dr Edward Jenner, sorry Jenner. He hates Edward and prefers the surname. Morse, anyone? Having said that, it's a very good debut - borrows a bit from Boris Starling with Messiah, but manages to drive the story on at pace to a satisfying conclusion.

Bit like 24, you can't rely on all the main characters to successfully navigate their way all the way to the end, and Jenner manages to put his broken ribs, punctured lung and ruptured spleen to the back of his mind to perform heroics, but hey this is a good dose of fiction with a believable villain. Only problem for me was the 2 dimensional character Whittaker who was on Jenner's back all the time. Didn't need this.

Exciting and Powerful
I've never written a book review before, but was driven to do so after reading this book in one day! The characters are likeable, and hopefully Jonathan Hayes will take Doctor Edward Jenner forward into a sequel. Clever and scary plot! Extremely well written and the best read for me this year.

EDGE OF YOUR SEAT DEBUT NOVEL
A real rivetting page turner, edge of your seat stuff, that i just couldnt put down.

British born (but living long time in America) forensic pathologist Edward Jenner, becomes involved in a series of gruesome murders of young women.

The murderer posing as a policeman cons his way into the womens homes, kidnaps them then murders them, all in a differntly horrific way, leaving a message written in coptic writing on their bodies.

One woman called Ana who manages to hide in their flat, hears her friend being murdered.As the killer posed as a policeman, she distrusts the police and begs to stay with Jenner until the killer is caught. The pair eventurally become close, However Ana is eventually caught by the killer and kidnapped. It then becomes a race against time for Jenner, the police and his friends to find her - to save her life.

But dont be fooled, this is not your usual serial killer story, the author gives lots of background details of the main characters and you feel as though you really get to know them. A cracking story and great read.

Clearly there is going to be a sequel and i just cant wait!!

The best debut novel i've read in a long time.