Murder of a Dead Man [Hardcover]

John Katherine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1997

When a homeless man is found dead on Jubilee Street, the police discover that he can be clearly identified as someone who died two years earlier, and Inspector Trevor Joseph delves into the mysterious world of facial transplants to solve the crime.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

John's third British police procedural featuring Sergeant Trevor Joseph and the detectives on the Serious Crimes Squad (after Six Foot Under) sets the group on a gritty, compelling case predicated on an ultramodern medical technique. A pair of red shoes worn by a vagrant in an amateur documentary film suggests that he was the victim who doused with gasoline and set afire near a homeless shelter. Gradually, members of the Squad determine that the distinctively shod man in the film, called Tony, is not the victim. They refocus attention on the now missing "Tony," whose past is uncovered to reveal murder, an escape from prison, an association with one of the Squad and an unsanctioned medical procedure. All of this, including finding out who performed the illegal surgery on "Tony" and a new case of arson in which teenage indigents are killed, proves an uphill battle for the Squad, especially for Joseph and his former partner, Peter Collins, who are also beset by domestic problems. John expertly weaves together information about the medical, psychological and procedural strands of this taut story of revenge and retribution.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 314 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st U.S. Edition edition (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312153694
• ISBN-13: 978-0312153694
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,859,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Well written, but utterly unlikley., September 28, 2004

By 

pc6 "pc6" (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder of a Dead Man (Trevor Joseph Thrillers) (Paperback)

I enjoyed the style of this book. It is a well written mystery, with a reasonably likeable cast of characters. Great setting, interesting comments on social problems, and relationships.
The things that made me not like this book more are the following. 1)The killer is obvious. 2)For me was the clincher. In this case, we are supposed to accept that a prisoner who signed up for a clinical trial of an influenza drug instead is taken in for a total face transplant. Umm, hello? Even if you assume that the doctor is stupid and unethical enough to do such a thing, there is NO WAY the data could be used. It would be a criminal offense, and at the very least, could lead to the doctor's being blacklisted and sued for malpractice. Because of this, I couldn't give the book a higher rating. Still, it is an interesting read.