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paulabrandon's review against another edition
2.0
When forensic physician Dr. Anya Crichton accepts a private job to uncover the circumstances behind the drug overdose death of a young Muslim woman, she is shocked to find similarities between that death and several other women's deaths. They all went missing for a period of time before their bodies were found, and the autopsies reveals a strange fibre in their lungs. Anya works with her friend Det. Kate Farrer to determine whether a cunning killer is at work.
I enjoy a good forensic thriller (it's why I read Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell), and I was interested in reading an Australian version! I have actually read Skin And Bone by this author, which was part of this series, but didn't feature Anya Crichton at all! It features Kate Farrer, and was a pretty standard police procedural. This forensic thriller had the germ of a good idea, and the crimes were disturbing...but it was mostly dull. The focus here is on Anya trying to find out exactly what those fibres in the lungs of the victims were. I mean, zzzzz....
The book gets bogged down with too much extraneous material. Anya provides expert witness testimony at a court case. She attends a conference on how to be a good expert witness. She's in a messy divorce where she only has infrequent custody of her son. She's haunted by her past, in which she blames herself for the disappearance of her three-year-old sister many years ago, a crime that was never solved. All this only serves to dilute the potentially scary and disturbing central premise.
I wasn't fully convinced by Anya's custody situation. The courts granted full-time access to her unemployed husband? It didn't ring true. They would be more likely to grant access to the parent with a paying job and able to afford childcare if necessary. And the newspaper hatchet job committed against Anya later in the book frustrated the hell out of me. I hate vindictive journalist subplots in books like this! Plus, the said article would never be published! It's just asking for a lawsuit!
This had the beginnings of a decent forensic thriller, but got bogged down with too much extraneous detail that kept dragging me out of the plot. The killer's identity was extremely obvious too. I picked them from the moment they were introduced!
I enjoy a good forensic thriller (it's why I read Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell), and I was interested in reading an Australian version! I have actually read Skin And Bone by this author, which was part of this series, but didn't feature Anya Crichton at all! It features Kate Farrer, and was a pretty standard police procedural. This forensic thriller had the germ of a good idea, and the crimes were disturbing...but it was mostly dull. The focus here is on Anya trying to find out exactly what those fibres in the lungs of the victims were. I mean, zzzzz....
The book gets bogged down with too much extraneous material. Anya provides expert witness testimony at a court case. She attends a conference on how to be a good expert witness. She's in a messy divorce where she only has infrequent custody of her son. She's haunted by her past, in which she blames herself for the disappearance of her three-year-old sister many years ago, a crime that was never solved. All this only serves to dilute the potentially scary and disturbing central premise.
I wasn't fully convinced by Anya's custody situation. The courts granted full-time access to her unemployed husband? It didn't ring true. They would be more likely to grant access to the parent with a paying job and able to afford childcare if necessary. And the newspaper hatchet job committed against Anya later in the book frustrated the hell out of me. I hate vindictive journalist subplots in books like this! Plus, the said article would never be published! It's just asking for a lawsuit!
This had the beginnings of a decent forensic thriller, but got bogged down with too much extraneous detail that kept dragging me out of the plot. The killer's identity was extremely obvious too. I picked them from the moment they were introduced!
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
3.5***
From the book jacket: (Sydney’s) only female freelancer in the male-dominated field, pathologist Dr. Anya Crichton will take any work she can find to pay child support and her mortgage, get her new business of the ground, and battle her ex-husband for custody of their three-year-old son. When her expert forensic evidence is instrumental in winning a high-profile case, new work offers start pouring in. But Anya’s investigation into the drug overdose of a young Lebanese girl is raising troubling questions. Startling coincidences between this death and a series of seemingly unrelated suicides that Anya is also examining, suggest that there’s a [serial killer] at work.
My reactions
Great debut in a crowded field. Fox writes a tense, compelling mystery thriller with a (mostly) strong female lead. Anya is intelligent, resourceful, and tenacious. But she is also prone to self-doubt when it comes to certain aspects of her life. As a free-lancer, and female to boot, she’s fighting an uphill battle convincing the police that her findings point to a crime, so she forced to pursue the investigation on her own. Her best friend, Kate, is a detective and begins to become an ally, but then betrays Anya’s trust when dealing with the lone survivor.
Because this is number one in a series, there’s a lot of personal background that has to be covered, and in this case Anya’s own back story is instrumental in shaping the current plot. It helps to explain why she’s such a loner, and her personal troubles with her ex-husband make her emotionally vulnerable.
I had identified the culprit pretty quickly, certainly by half-way through the novel, but enjoyed watching the characters figure it out for themselves. I recognized that Fox gave the reader clues that Anya and the police did not have. The ending somewhat sets the reader up for future installments. I would hope that her relationships with Kate, Martin and Brody are continued and developed further as the series progresses.
From the book jacket: (Sydney’s) only female freelancer in the male-dominated field, pathologist Dr. Anya Crichton will take any work she can find to pay child support and her mortgage, get her new business of the ground, and battle her ex-husband for custody of their three-year-old son. When her expert forensic evidence is instrumental in winning a high-profile case, new work offers start pouring in. But Anya’s investigation into the drug overdose of a young Lebanese girl is raising troubling questions. Startling coincidences between this death and a series of seemingly unrelated suicides that Anya is also examining, suggest that there’s a [serial killer] at work.
My reactions
Great debut in a crowded field. Fox writes a tense, compelling mystery thriller with a (mostly) strong female lead. Anya is intelligent, resourceful, and tenacious. But she is also prone to self-doubt when it comes to certain aspects of her life. As a free-lancer, and female to boot, she’s fighting an uphill battle convincing the police that her findings point to a crime, so she forced to pursue the investigation on her own. Her best friend, Kate, is a detective and begins to become an ally, but then betrays Anya’s trust when dealing with the lone survivor.
Because this is number one in a series, there’s a lot of personal background that has to be covered, and in this case Anya’s own back story is instrumental in shaping the current plot. It helps to explain why she’s such a loner, and her personal troubles with her ex-husband make her emotionally vulnerable.
I had identified the culprit pretty quickly, certainly by half-way through the novel, but enjoyed watching the characters figure it out for themselves. I recognized that Fox gave the reader clues that Anya and the police did not have. The ending somewhat sets the reader up for future installments. I would hope that her relationships with Kate, Martin and Brody are continued and developed further as the series progresses.
michellel123's review against another edition
3.0
The first of the Anya Crichton mysteries. When forensic pathologist Anya notices similarities between three apparent suicides - a disappearance leading up to the deaths, mysterious fibres in the lungs, she starts to investigate. While the ending took too long to unravel after the perpetrator was obvious, it was exciting, gave enough detail to be interesting, especially around forensic and medical procedures, and had likeable characters. And it's Australian. I'll make sure to read the next few.
Hadn't realised I'd already read it - so it obviously didn't leave too much of an impression. I wasn't as impressed this time around, so funny how my tastes have changed so much!
Hadn't realised I'd already read it - so it obviously didn't leave too much of an impression. I wasn't as impressed this time around, so funny how my tastes have changed so much!
chava_in_oz's review against another edition
5.0
I really hope more books are going to be published in this series. I just love it
bookish_amber's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
maddie_09's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting story with great lead character, fast paced and well-written, it's a really good start to a new series. I'll definitely be reading more.
midlifehedgewitch's review against another edition
4.0
Read it. Complex, vividly real protagonist. Cruel twist at denouement. Refreshing non American setting. Great forensic detail.
blood_rose_books's review against another edition
4.0
In her debut novel Kathryn Fox who is a medical practitioner with a special interest in forensic medicine introduces her readers to the world of forensic pathology, medicine and murder.
Dr. Anya Crichton has recently decided to go into practice for herself by offering her services as a expert witness, but work coming in has been slow. So she is forced to take an investigation from a brother whose sister who had OD and believed to have committed suicide in a bathroom stall. He does not see to care that she is dead, more about whether she had disgraced her family further by sleeping with a man before she died. Anya does not like his attitude, but she needs the money, so she agrees to look into the case and the autopsy report. However, while investigating this girl's overdoes she discovers striking similarities between cases involving a number of women and a number of suicides. As Anya looks deeper into each girl's death she realizes some gruesome pathological findings that she and the medical community have never seen before, which points to the frighteningly possibility that the deaths of these women are not only linked but apart of some sick game that she has unknowingly played a major role....
I really enjoyed this booked, it had me thinking the whole way through which I loved. Fox was quickly able to describe the world of forensic pathology, though I do think it went more into a PI investigation as the book went on. However, she was always able to always bring it back to the medical evidence. I appreciate the fact that she did not get too technical with the medical terminology, so those of us that have not study medicine can understand what was going on and what the anomalies in the case were. This helps the book flow really easily and did not have me stopping to scratch my head and question what was just written. The build up for information and evidence may be slow in parts but that is what part of a real investigation is about, especially if you are outside the community looking in.
I really liked Dr. Anya Crichton as a character and how she struggled with having her role as a doctor and a mother. You could just tell that she relished every moment with her son, Brad, and how she hated when her work took her away from him. You can tell that her true passion was for her work and helping the families of those who have had a loved one pass away or helping a victim who has been sexually assaulted. Anya had her flaws too, but she was always focused on helping others and the importance of life. There are some secondary character within the book as well, but they are not as developed as Anya, for the most part you get your impressions about those other characters through their interaction with Anya. I do no think that this causes the book to be lacking, I think it helps create more mystery within the book because you really don't know who Anya can trust, from her ex-husband to, her best friend Kate who is a detective in the local police force to Lawyer Dan Brody who seems to be the only one who will give her some work.
I think that Kathryn Fox has found a second calling in writing. It is nice to see that a doctor and medical practitioner who can write something that one can not only understand, but is well written novel that has all the making a great medical thriller book.
Individuals who have enjoyed Patricia Cornwall and Kathy Reich in the past need to pick up this book by Fox. They won't be disappointed.
Enjoy!!!!
Dr. Anya Crichton has recently decided to go into practice for herself by offering her services as a expert witness, but work coming in has been slow. So she is forced to take an investigation from a brother whose sister who had OD and believed to have committed suicide in a bathroom stall. He does not see to care that she is dead, more about whether she had disgraced her family further by sleeping with a man before she died. Anya does not like his attitude, but she needs the money, so she agrees to look into the case and the autopsy report. However, while investigating this girl's overdoes she discovers striking similarities between cases involving a number of women and a number of suicides. As Anya looks deeper into each girl's death she realizes some gruesome pathological findings that she and the medical community have never seen before, which points to the frighteningly possibility that the deaths of these women are not only linked but apart of some sick game that she has unknowingly played a major role....
I really enjoyed this booked, it had me thinking the whole way through which I loved. Fox was quickly able to describe the world of forensic pathology, though I do think it went more into a PI investigation as the book went on. However, she was always able to always bring it back to the medical evidence. I appreciate the fact that she did not get too technical with the medical terminology, so those of us that have not study medicine can understand what was going on and what the anomalies in the case were. This helps the book flow really easily and did not have me stopping to scratch my head and question what was just written. The build up for information and evidence may be slow in parts but that is what part of a real investigation is about, especially if you are outside the community looking in.
I really liked Dr. Anya Crichton as a character and how she struggled with having her role as a doctor and a mother. You could just tell that she relished every moment with her son, Brad, and how she hated when her work took her away from him. You can tell that her true passion was for her work and helping the families of those who have had a loved one pass away or helping a victim who has been sexually assaulted. Anya had her flaws too, but she was always focused on helping others and the importance of life. There are some secondary character within the book as well, but they are not as developed as Anya, for the most part you get your impressions about those other characters through their interaction with Anya. I do no think that this causes the book to be lacking, I think it helps create more mystery within the book because you really don't know who Anya can trust, from her ex-husband to, her best friend Kate who is a detective in the local police force to Lawyer Dan Brody who seems to be the only one who will give her some work.
I think that Kathryn Fox has found a second calling in writing. It is nice to see that a doctor and medical practitioner who can write something that one can not only understand, but is well written novel that has all the making a great medical thriller book.
Individuals who have enjoyed Patricia Cornwall and Kathy Reich in the past need to pick up this book by Fox. They won't be disappointed.
Enjoy!!!!
wealhtheow's review against another edition
1.0
Dr.Anya Chrichton is smart, poised and attractive--but her foolish ex-husband and a wave of suicides complicate her hectic life as a forensic pathologist. I didn't like Anya and I didn't like this book. It's a very basic plot, with unrealistic dialog rife with infodumps. Seriously, the whole book is one long uninteresting infodump. I say uninteresting because, although the author works in forensics herself, there was nothing I didn't already know. This book would have been intriguing, if not enjoyable, if it had at least been informative, but instead it's just a by-the-numbers mystery novel with a thin veneer of science.