Synopses & Reviews
Dr. Alexandra Blake has the job of a lifetime. As a cutting-edge geneticist at AFIP---the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C.---Alex is charged with using her research into the genetics of viruses to find a vaccine against bioterrorism. The AFIP contains the pathology lab for the Department of Defense, manages the DOD blood bank, directs research like Alex's, and fosters the development of inventions to help the nation's armed forces. But the institute's new director, James Wiatt, wants to turn the AFIP into a mini FBI by directing its resources toward crime solving---an effort to rival the Bureau's forensic department. When a series of related murders falls under his jurisdiction, he gets his chance to prove the AFIP can compete with the Bureau.
Alex is forced to put her research on hold so she can cover forensics on the case, which involves a killer who murders women near military bases across the country and then tattoos their corpses. At first she resents being distracted from her lab work, but as she becomes immersed in the case, studying the forensic evidence, viewing the crime scenes, and piecing together the victims' last moments, Alex resolves to catch the killer. She knows it's only a matter of time before he leaves some evidence for Alex to trace back to him. But when another murder strikes closer to home for Alex and her colleagues---and her boyfriend, a congressman from Texas---it will take more than forensic science to keep them safe.
With its spellbinding mix of suspense, forensics, and romance, Lori Andrews's debut novel signals the arrival of a powerful new writer on the crime fiction shelf.
Review
"Plenty of excitement for fans of forensic-based thrillers in the Reichs and Cornwell mold."--
Booklist "A suspenseful...insiders' look into the armed-services pathology lab."--
Kirkus Reviews
"Engrossing...Sequence is a very credible and readable first novel."--Reviewing the Evidence
"A whodunit that is equal parts thriller and police procedural.... Blake's debut in what is clearly set to become a series is promising--she's a little edgy and very smart. But what sets Sequence apart from other thrillers is that Andrews brings every bit of her own background to bear on the subject matter, and her expertise is considerable."--Gentry magazine
"Sequence is a marvelous, whip-smart thriller with a twist--a double helix sort of twist, that is...Andrews has given us a protagonist who already feels like an old friend. Here's hoping she's with us for a long, long time."--Dylan Schaffer, author of the award-winning Misdemeanor Man mysteries
"It's rare to discover a new author who's actually found a fresh vein to tap in the area of fictional homicide investigation, and Lori Andrews deserves a standing ovation. Sequence is the best novel I've ever read that deals with the details of forensic science. Her protagonist, Alexandra Blake, is pitch-perfect as an academic who joins the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology to research a deadly flu only to be dragooned into investigating a violent serial killer targeting victims on military bases. Prediction: A nomination for Best First Novel."--Jeremiah Healy, author of Turnabout and The Only Good Lawyer
"Fast paced and fascinating, the perfect combination of modern genetics and a beguiling investigator who traces her lineage right back to Sam Spade. You can't ask for anything more: Sequence is fun and important, too."--Craig Nova, author of Cruisers
"Sequence is a great combination of interesting science and likable characters."--Elizabeth Becka, author of Trace Evidence
"Alex is a fabulous protagonist, a beautiful, brilliant woman who tempers her toughness with a hidden emotional side. The science of genetics is temperately discussed, never overwhelming the balance on this expertly crafted mystery."--Romantic Times
Synopsis
Advance Praise for
Sequence
"Sequence is a marvelous, whip-smart thriller with a twist---a double helix sort of twist, that is. In Alexandra Blake, a brilliant and resolute D.C. geneticist with a taste for old cars and major commitment issues, Andrews has given us a protagonist who already feels like an old friend. Here's hoping she's with us for a long, long time."
---Dylan Schaffer, author of the award-winning Misdemeanor Man mysteries
"Sequence is a great combination of interesting science and likable characters."
---Elizabeth Becka, author of Trace Evidence "Sequence is fast-paced and fascinating, the perfect combination of modern genetics and a beguiling investigator who traces her lineage right back to Sam Spade. You can't ask for anything more: Sequence is fun and important, too."
---Craig Nova, author of Cruisers
Synopsis
A serial killer case on military bases across the country falls under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, and geneticist Alexandra Blake and her colleagues know it's just a matter of time before the killer leaves traceable evidence.
Synopsis
Advance Praise for
Sequence
“Sequence is a marvelous, whip-smart thriller with a twist---a double helix sort of twist, that is. In Alexandra Blake, a brilliant and resolute D.C. geneticist with a taste for old cars and major commitment issues, Andrews has given us a protagonist who already feels like an old friend. Here’s hoping she’s with us for a long, long time.”
---Dylan Schaffer, author of the award-winning Misdemeanor Man mysteries
“Sequence is a great combination of interesting science and likable characters.”
---Elizabeth Becka, author of Trace Evidence “Sequence is fast-paced and fascinating, the perfect combination of modern genetics and a beguiling investigator who traces her lineage right back to Sam Spade. You can’t ask for anything more: Sequence is fun and important, too.”
---Craig Nova, author of Cruisers
Synopsis
A nationally renowned expert on law and genetics delivers a first novel of fascinating proportions and extraordinary suspense
ONLY ONE WOMAN
Dr. Alexandra Blake's new job puts her at the forefront of her industry. As a geneticist at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C., Alex is charged with finding a vaccine against bioterrorism. But the institute's new director, bitter over losing a bid to head the FBI, decides to refocus the institute toward crime solving. Soon Alex is forced to put her research on hold and cover forensics on a gruesome series of murders.
CAN CRACK THE CODE
Across the country, women near military bases are turning up dead, their corpses covered in strange tattoos. The more Alex studies the case, the more disturbing questions she has about the killer's motives. And when a new headline-making murder strikes particularly close to home, suddenly everyone around Alex--her boss, the Feds, even her congressman boyfriend--becomes suspect. Now it's up to her to succeed where forensics fail, and Alex will risk everything to trace the enemy...or die trying.
SEQUENCE
About the Author
Lori Andrews is a nationally renowned expert on law and genetics, called in by governments and professional groups ranging from the emirate of Dubai to the French National Assembly, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the College of American Pathologists. When the federal government undertook the $3 billion Human Genome Project, she was chosen to chair the federal advisory committee dealing with the legal, ethical, and social implications of the project. Andrews is a tenured professor of law at Chicago-Kent College of Law and directs the Institute for Science, Law and Technology at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The National Law Journal listed her one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America. The author of ten acclaimed nonfiction titles, including Body Bazaar and The Clone Age, this is her first novel. She lives in Chicago. Visit her online at www.loriandrews.com.