Product Description

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 threatens to bring.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #305368 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Tess Gerritsen
‘Has to be the best thriller I’ve read all year...fast-paced, fascinating and heart-stoppingly exciting.’

Mo Hayder
‘Fresh and original...perfectly captures the claustrophobic horror of a rural community in crisis...absolutely compelling – and so deliciously scary.’

From the Publisher
Terrifying suspense and chillingly authentic forensics come together in this stunning thriller from a frighteningly good British crime-writing talent.

Customer Reviews

This is a very, very good book
I read a lot of crime novels and this is the best I have read in a long while. Its potential weakness is that it is operating in such well ploughed territory. A hero/forensic expert who tries to escape personal tragedy by escaping to a remote Norfolk village only to find that he has a serial killer on his doorstep. It could all feel a bit like Silence of the Lambs meets The Wicker Man but Beckett pulls it off with some style.

He keeps it all fresh and avoids the clichés by terrific writing and plotting. This is not an author who gives us some gruesome crimes, lobs in a dozen suspects and then comes up with a solution as an afterthought. Beckett doesn't waste a single sentence. Whether he is building a creepy atmosphere in his village setting, or unfolding his intelligent story or writing a scary denouement, he always keeps things under wonderful control. Amazingly for a novel which by definition should be a bit improbable, Beckett makes it all feel very believeable.

More please !!

The Chemistry of Death
First book by this author that I have read, and it won't be the last, superb, writing, and an excellent plot, the story grabs you from page one, and doesn't let go until the last page, I lierally could not put it down, the technical detail, and the way it was presented was so well done that although it was gruesome to say the least, it just adds to the tension that you so seldom find in crime scene descriptions in the average crime novel, the prime character (David) is totally convincing, and has emotions that most people will be able to identify with, as is the senior police officer. Great plot well written, and a sting in the tail, which is not suspected, or even hinted at until it hits you between the eyes.I have not read any of Simon Beckett's books before and this one was purchased, after seeing him interviewed on BBC Look North, evening news. Such a modest man too. I sincerely hope it is a great success and that other purchasers, enjoy it as much as I did,I have now ordered some of his earlier work and hope that they are as good.Tech' Details are as good as Patricia Cornwell writes, without, the American over the top, characters. ENJOY>

Superb
Rachel Walkers review basically sums up my own opinion so I won't waste your time repeating it.

I'm a big crime fiction fan, but have been disapointed by how little really good new authors seem to be coming along. In the early 90's there was a huge wave of fresh British crime writing talent (people such as John Harvey, Ian Rankin, Val McDiarmid etc) heavily promoted by the publishing houses. These guys are still writing great books, but with familiarity comes predictability.

Simon Becket writes a totally different type of thriller. Very well researched, scientifically accurate and best of all very, very exciting. I was literally kept awake wanting to know how it ends and even before finishing the 'chemistry of death' I'd bought his second book..... and its been a long while since I did that!