The Chemistry of Death [Import] [Paperback]

Simon Beckett (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: ISIS Publishing (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753176033
• ISBN-13: 978-0753176030
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars `A human body starts to decompose four minutes after death.', March 27, 2008

By 

J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Chemistry of Death (Mass Market Paperback)

Dr David Hunter seeks refuge in general practice in a remote Norfolk village after a family tragedy. When the police seek his expertise in forensic anthropology to find the killer of a young woman, he is anxious not become involved. When a second woman goes missing, the small community is deeply unsettled and suspicious. As events unfold, and it becomes fairly clear that the murderer is a member of the community, accusations follow.

I read this novel in two sittings, and a number of the characters are going to occupy my consciousness for a while. This novel is full of page turning twists and turns. It is also full of detail which, while it may be too much for some, adds to the complexity of solving the case and increases the tension in the tale. I also enjoyed `Written in Bone' and will be looking for more from this author.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Edgy, January 30, 2008

By 

Linda Pagliuco "katknit" (CT, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Chemistry of Death (Mass Market Paperback)

Move over, Patricia Cornwell, Simon Beckett's on your turf. The Chemistry of Death is a page turner of a new, forensic/police procedural novel, with lots of psychology, chemistry, medicine, and red herrings. The stage for this creepy serial killer story is set as a young woman on her morning run through the woods and marshes senses that someone or something is watching her, and the suspenseful atmosphere is sustained throughout. Just about any of the male residents who patronize the local pub could be the sick murderer, not excluding Dr. Hunter, the forensic anthropologist upon whom this new series centers. Manham, whose population is being terrorized, is a remote, somewhat inbred village in the Norfolk downs, where there is no shortage of interest in blood "sports".
Chemistry is no cozy English mystery. Forensic detail of the type contained in this book is not for readers with easily-turned stomachs. But neither is it not one of the repulsive tales, so popular now, with plots that focus primarily upon sadistic, endless, gruesome torture scenes (ala Chelsea Cain, for instance.) Simon Beckett is a promising newcomer to the genre.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I like to be led astray, February 20, 2008

By 

Kathy from Anchorage (Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chemistry of Death (Mass Market Paperback)

As an avid and long-time mystery reader, I like to be fooled. More often than not, I correctly figure out the perp by the halfway mark. In "Chemistry of Death," I changed my mind about "who done it" three times in the course of reading this excellent yarn. Highly recommended for those who like twisty mysteries and can handle a fair amount of gruesome details.