Customer Reviews

Body Trace (A C.S.U. Investigation)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've just finished "Body Trace" and I want to tell you how much I enjoyed it. It was VERY difficult to put down once I'd started reading. The mystery is mysterious, the pace is perfect, the characters develop very naturally, it's funny, and there are wonderfully creative details throughout - observations, descriptions - that go an extra step in creating an engaging story."

I'm not sure how I managed to miss reading Body Trace when it first came out (it's been part of my mountainous TBR pile for quite some time), but I'm delighted that it finally made it to the top of the heap. I absolutely could NOT put it down! This is a fascinating police/CSI procedural that expertly introduces us to Madison Cross and the rest of the Philadelphia PD's Crime Scene Unit. While the novel centers around the lives and jobs of a team of crime scene investigators, its resemblance to the well-known CSI TV series ends there. Dublin's characters are original, the group dynamic is quite interesting, and the story is totally fresh and new. So, while the premise isn't exactly unfamiliar, there is nothing worn or faded about this series! As soon as I finished reading Body Trace, I went to Amazon online and ordered Blood Poison and pre-ordered Freezer Burn. Yes, I really liked it!

Madison Cross is intelligent, empathetic, and tenacious. I like her, a LOT. She had a difficult childhood but graduated from medical school at the top of her class and had been accepted into the residency program at Stanford University Medical Center. The world was her oyster, but she felt unfulfilled and unhappy, and didn't feel there was any real purpose to her life. As many of us do when troubled, she longs for the familiarity and comfort of home, Philadelphia - where her Uncle Dave just happens to be Lt. David Cross, head of the the PPD CSU. When Madison explains her doubts about her future to her uncle, he offers her a position as a technician with the CSU, and she immediately accepts.

Madison's first day on the job starts out like a whirlwind. She has barely touched down at the airport when she arrives at work, her suitcases in tow. After meeting the very interesting bunch of characters who are now her co-workers, Madison goes out on her first call as a CSU tech - an apparent double overdose in a dorm room at the University of Philadelphia. While everyone else is ready to wrap it up and call it a day, Madison voices some doubts about what seems to be an all-too-obvious cause of death. She asks a couple of questions of some of the students hanging around, and what everyone else hopes is cut and dried becomes anything but.

Maddy proves to everyone, including herself, that she has what it takes to work in the CSU - she follows the evidence where it leads, the consequences be damned! She is obstinate to a fault - and refuses to be deterred from a search for the truth, even when her job and her relationship with her uncle are on the line. She also learns not to be so quick to pigeonhole others. The book's ending couldn't have been better - it gave me goose bumps! I can hardly wait for my copy of Blood Poison to arrive from Amazon and for Freezer Burn to be released. They will go directly to the TOP of my TBR pile!

Carol Ann Hopkins 3/21/2008

I call it the "3 a.m. test" - and "Body Trace" passes it with flying colors, establishing itself as a book I read way past my bedtime on a week night, causing me to bargain with myself and lose one negotiation after another. Long after I should have gone to sleep, I was telling myself I'll just read to page 127, or the space break on page 146, only to read to that point and beyond, until I could not keep my eyes open and had to get to sleep. And then the next morning, I'd read a page and half before brushing my teeth. So, if you're looking for a book with vivid characters, street-smart dialogue, and a plot that impels you forward, "Body Trace" is a crime novel you'll want to read - even if it does cause you to drag your you-know-what around at work the next day.


- Steve Oskie, Philadelphia , PA

Thought this was well written. It was exciting, kept my attention and led me to look for more by this author.

Madison Cross, newly minted med school graduate and conflicted about her future, joins the C.S.U. (Crime Scene Unit) in Philadelphia as a technician. On her first day she manages to stir up a hornet's nest as she and her colleagues investigate the deaths of two sorority co-eds. Everyone but Madison wants to write it off as an accidental overdose and hush it up as quickly as possible. But Madison sees evidence of foul play, and the more she digs--increasingly jeopardizing her job--the more others try to stop her, including the mysterious black SUVs that trail her everywhere.

Body Trace is a gripping page-turner chock full of fascinating characters and unusual details and a nifty mystery that kept me guessing. The author does a pretty good job of rationalizing why evidence techs are running around investigating crimes (Madison is new and green and gung-ho). Fans of CSI will LOVE this book

D H Dublin's first Madison Cross mystery delivers the goods with a wickedly complex plot that will satisfy anyone who loves CSI or COLD CASE. Rich with local Philadelphia detail and written in a smart and accessible style, BODY TRACE is a fantastic kickoff to what promises to be an outstanding series of mystery thrillers.

The main character in this great new mystery series has my attention. She may be the Philadelphia version of Adam Dalgliesh. Smart, understated and focused on the job. Look forward to more from D.H. Dublin.

Part of the fun of reading mystery novels is the excitement of discovering a new author with a fresh perspective on the genre. D.H. Dublin is definitely a name I'll be looking for in the future. From the first page Dublin gives us memorable characters I cared about, driven by an inventive, fast-moving plot. I don't know why we don't have a CSI: Philly by now -- as this book makes clear, there's a lot of interest to be mined from the contrast of an Ivy League setting with the crackdens of North Philly. Definitely pick this one up!!!

Finally, a CSI -- in Philly it's the CSU -- operating in a real city, not just a collection of tourist images, and making use of real science, not just computer simulated wet dreams invented to propel the plot.
I can't wait for more Madison Cross!

I enjoyed the sense of place evoked by the author. He effectively portrays the city of Philadelphia--attitude, odors, and grit. The story was fast paced with just enough time between events for a little humor. Budding romance and family history humanize the characters so that their struggle to solve the case is set against the backdrop of their personal lives.