Synopses & Reviews
New York City medical examiner Edward Jenner thought he'd gotten out, turning his back on forensics--and life--after the nightmare of September 11. But when a young student is found murdered, her mutilated body hanging on the wall of an East Village apartment, Jenner is forced out of retirement. One look at the victim and Jenner is sure there's a serial killer on the loose--a hunch confirmed when he uncovers a second horrific murder. And when a friend asks him to look after a beautiful girl threatened by the killer, Jenner can't refuse.
Dragged back onto the dark streets of New York City, Jenner is pushed to the limits of his physical endurance, pitting his sharpest intuitions against the elusive maneuverings of a psychopath. He's getting within inches of the answer, but the clock is ticking and the killer is just too fast--ten steps ahead of the police, two steps ahead of Jenner, and always just out of reach.
As the killings continue, Jenner's desperate chase brings him ever closer to the man behind the grisliest murders he's ever seen--and only one of them can survive.
This is real-world forensic investigation, where fingerprints lead nowhere, DNA doesn't help, and serial killers aren't always caught in the nick of time. . . .
Review
“Taut and chilling… a fast-paced thriller written by a real player in the game of forensic sleuthing.” Kathy Reichs, author of the bestseller BONES TO ASHES
Review
“Even hard-core lovers of the thriller genre may find parts of PRECIOUS BLOOD as shocking as the goriest contemporary slasher films.” USA Today
Review
“An intelligent thriller that takes you down the meanest streets . . . This reader was scared to death.” Linda Fairstein
Review
“An impressive debut . . . The murders are grisly and striking, and Jenner is a likable lead.” Romantic Times
Review
“Fans of CSI and the like would definitely like this one.” Library Journal
Synopsis
The nightmare of 9/11 left New York City medical examiner Edward Jenner shattered and emotionally scarred. He thought he'd turned away from forensics—and life—for good, but the mutilation murder of a college student is pulling him back. The body of a young woman, nailed to the wall of her East Village apartment, has Jenner convinced that there's a serial killer prowling the city—and a second horrific murder only confirms his most terrible fears. The desperate hunt for a psychopath—and Jenner's troubling obsession with a beautiful, frightened woman who could be the maniac's next victim—is pushing the forensic expert to the limits of his physical and mental endurance.
But as the shadows deepen it gets harder to tell who is the hunter and who is the prey. And which one will live . . . and who will die.
About the Author
Jonathan Hayes, a veteran forensic pathologist, has worked in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York performing autopsies and testifying in murder trials since 1990. Born in Bristol, England, he attended medical school at the University of London before moving to the United States to train in pathology at the Boston University Medical Center and in forensics at the Dade County Medical Examiner's Office in Miami. Since 1993 he has held a teaching appointment at the New York University School of Medicine. He lectures nationally on forensic science. Hayes is also a contributing editor at Martha Stewart Livingand writes regularly for the New York Times, New York, GQ, Gourmet, and Food &Wine. He lives in New York City. Precious Bloodis his first novel.