The forensic investigator has become a cottage industry in both the publishing and television world, with such things as Kathy Reich’s books and, of course, the never-ending supply of CSI shows. Adding to it but defiantly of its own is WRITTEN IN BONE, the second novel from Simon Beckett featuring forensic anthropologist Dr. David Hunter.
David is called upon to investigate a body found on the island of Runa, off the coast of England, after a former police officer stumbles upon the corpse of a woman who, from the looks of it, might have spontaneously combusted. This theory is put to rest very quickly by David, when he discovers that she actually was struck in the head first before being set aflame.
But who she is and why she was killed on this island are the questions that dog him. Beckett ratchets up the story chapter by chapter to great effect, throwing in a slight clue here and there, but nothing that will give away the massive surprises that come much later. Hunter figures if he can keep it quiet that it was a murder and not some bizarre accident until the police show up, he’ll be fine.
That’s when a storm hits the island, so all he has with him for help is an ex-officer, a drunk sergeant and a young constable. Then there is a local reporter who feels this story will be her big break, stopping at nothing to get a scoop, and the husband-and-wife island benefactors/South African transplants who seem to have a weird control over the locals, who make the cast of STRAW DOGS look like gentle folk.
But as the investigation grows, things happen that make the murder of the dead girl pale in comparison, and Beckett will have readers eating out of his hands. As he leads the readers on such a path, you won’t know what’s coming next. When the reveal of the guilty party is made, it makes sense, but it’s a bit too over-the-top. This only takes away slightly from what otherwise is a great read.
Since Beckett works the reader like a puppet, he rips the rug out from under our feet – not once, but twice. That’s nothing compared to the final scene, which plays like an amazing thriller and has the best kind of ending for this genre, which is a nice surprise. –Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• THE CHEMISTRY OF DEATH by Simon Beckett
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