Forensic pathologist Jonathan Hayes’ debut novel PRECIOUS BLOOD is now available in a mass-market paperback edition. And generally speaking, it’s worth a read.
New York medical examiner Edward Jenner never fully recovered from the emotional trauma of the “ground zero” rescues immediately following the 9/11 attacks, so he lives in a self-imposed retirement — that is, until a friend hires him to examine the crime scene and body of a murdered young woman in the East Village. The girl’s body is found nailed upside down to a wall of her apartment. But Ana, the murdered girl’s roommate, escaped from the scene before the killer could find her. Before long, she appears at Jenner’s door, frightened and desperate for help.
Just as he gets used to this intrusion on his solitary life, another young woman is found murdered. The method seems different, but upon closer examination, Jenner spots first one, then other similar markings on the bodies of both victims. That’s when he convinces the police investigators he’s working with that a serial killer is loose in the city. Jenner continues to explore the forensic clues found on the bodies and slowly pieces together how the killer chooses his victims and the ritual behind his murders.
Hayes doesn’t break much new ground in this forensic-based mystery. Where he shows real inventiveness, however, is in the motive and methodology of the killer and the murderer’s backstory formulation as well.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t devote as much revealing detail to his protagonist. Hayes hit upon a good idea when he first presents Jenner as a burnt-out case. But he fails to follow through with this trait, with Jenner acting only slightly hesitant during the initial examination. But once the similarities between the killings are discovered, his reluctance is completely forgotten. Some recurring doubt about his ability would have added some depth to his character. But perhaps owing to this being his first novel, Hayes is more interested in the plot than the characters.
On the other hand, Hayes’ prose is unchallenging and engaging enough to keep most of the 434 pages turning swiftly. This is especially helpful when he piles on the various anatomical and related forensic details he’s picked up from firsthand experience.
PRECIOUS BLOOD has more earnest talent and effort going for it than many similar stories in the currently crowded forensic detection field. So let’s hope Hayes takes the time to observe and record more about the living, breathing bodies — as well as the dead ones — in his next work. —Alan Cranis
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