Trace Evidence [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Becka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2005

A gripping suspense novel that introduces forensic expert Evelyn James as she tries to decipher trace evidence and solve a bizarre crime t's a cold Cleveland November day when forensic trace evidence expert Evelyn James is summoned to the scene of a bizarre crime. A young woman has been forcibly drowned, her feet chained and sunk in cement. When a second young victim is connected to a prominent family, all hell breaks loose, and the police-and Evelyn-are up against it to find the murderer. Evelyn just wants to get the job done, but is pulled into a web of conflicting loyalties, unexpected relationships, and professional betrayal. When Evelyn suspects that her own teenage daughter has become a pawn in the killer's plans, she must remain true to herself and her skills and follow the evidence to the murderer's door.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Death is part of daily life for single mother Evelyn James, a forensic scientist in the Cleveland, Ohio, medical examiner's office. In the opening pages of this tepid debut thriller, Evelyn is called to the scene of a bizarre crime: a young woman has been drowned in the Cuyahoga River, her feet submerged in a bucket of cement. When a second victim, who escaped drowning only to be strangled, turns out to be the daughter of Evelyn's long-ago beau, Darryl Pierson (now Cleveland's mayor), Evelyn ventures beyond her job description to pursue the criminals behind the clues. Among those under suspicion: notorious mobster Mario Ashworth, the mayor's childhood friend and the first victim's employer; and overzealous hospital nurse James Neal, who once administered care to each of the murdered girls. As Evelyn inches ever closer to the killer, she fears for the safety of her own teenage daughter, Angel. Becka, a Cape Coral, Fla., forensic scientist, has created a frank, honest protagonist who loves what she does, but too many procedural details encumber rather than enliven the novel. While there's sufficient suspense to keep the pages turning, Becka's offering lacks the crisp prose and poise of Patricia Cornwell and Jan Burke.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Becka, a real-world "evidence specialist," is up against tough competition when it comes to forensic thrillers: Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta and Reich's Tempe Brennan already have substantial followings. Compared with those generally confident, high-powered gals, however, Becka's forensic scientist, Evelyn James, is a refreshingly ordinary mess as she tries to build a postdivorce life for herself and her teenage daughter, Angel. Called in to investigate the death of a young woman found in the river, feet encased in a block of cement, she can't help but think of her own child. When trace evidence links the murder to another girl's death, alarm bells sound, especially once Evelyn connects Angel and the murdered girls to a male nurse at a local hospital. Help comes from new homicide cop David Milask, but not before Evelyn faces a watery grave of her own. Although the story wanders a bit as it sets up character backgrounds, the ending is a nail-biter, and because Becka leaves much of the grisly stuff at the lab door, this will settle easier with sensitive readers. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; First Edition edition (August 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401301746
• ISBN-13: 978-1401301743
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,597,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a latent print examiner for a police department in Florida. (I haven't quit the day job yet, but I think about it every time the phone rings at 2 a.m.!)I come from a close family which includes many amateur writers--my grandfather, my father, my sister and nephew. I grew up watching cop shows with my dad (to the dismay of my mother) but since I don't have the personality to be an officer, I went the science route instead. At the Coroner's office in Cleveland, Ohio, I performed analyses of gunshot residue, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA and other trace evidence. It may be strange to miss working in a morgue, but I do. Please visit my website at www.lisa-black.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Start For a New Series, December 10, 2005

By 

book lover (Central Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trace Evidence (Hardcover)

The author's sister lives in Marion, so I knew this book was coming out almost a year ago and had been looking forward to it. I wasn't disappointed. This is a wonderful book, especially for people who are fans of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs. The author is a criminalist and she includes a number of details involving forensic investigations, but she doesn't get so bogged down in the science that lay people would be lost or confused. Her writing style is fast-paced, fresh and exciting, although she could stand to cut down on the hyperbole a bit. Anyone who is at all familiar with the Cleveland area will recognize her locations. The characters are fresh and appealing, especially the heroine, Evelyn James, a thirty-something single mother who is dealing with a teenage daughter who is upset about her parents' divorce, while trying to solve the gruesome slayings of several young women just a few years older than her daughter. Life experieinces become tangled with the case, and the ending will have the reader on the edge of his/her seat. I had a hard time putting this book down, and finished it in 2 sessions. I envy anyone picking it up for the first time, because you are in for a surprising and exciting read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finished it in two days, August 1, 2005

By 

S. KLINGBEIL "bookaholic" (Marion, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trace Evidence (Hardcover)

I thought the characters were easy to identify with, the plot was suspenseful, with enough action to keep you reading. No long-winded descriptions, and the humor was the kind of low-key throwaway lines that I can appreciate. The police work had the ring of authenticity, probably because of the author's background. All in all, I'm looking forward to the next Evelyn James story.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A suspenseful, realistic thriller from a debut author, August 11, 2005

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trace Evidence (Hardcover)

Cleveland, which serves as the setting for Elizabeth Becka's debut novel TRACE EVIDENCE, is no stranger to serial murderers. Jeffrey Dahmer was born and raised in a small community near Cleveland, and in the more remote past, Eliot Ness was stymied in his efforts to uncover the identity of a killer who stalked the city's (then) clandestine gay community.

While TRACE EVIDENCE concerns itself with the hunt for a serial murderer, the focus of the book is Evelyn James, a forensic trace evidence specialist who is investigating a series of bizarre, terrifying murders. The first involves the discovery of a young woman's body in a river, her feet encased in cement. The second victim, the daughter of one of Cleveland's most prominent citizens, becomes even more significant when a connection is discovered between the two victims.

James is drawn into the case on both a professional and personal level, and she finds some unexpected conflicts arising from the opposing loyalties that manifest themselves during the course of the investigation. Gradually James comes to the realization that her own daughter may have a connection to the murders --- and quite possibly could be the next victim.

James is a believable character, more so than some of her fictional peers. Despite being her first novel, Becka's handling of James is extremely proficient, especially with respect to her ability to make James walk the fine line between tough and tender in her professional and personal lives. Her descriptions of the problems faced by working single parents are right on the mark; somehow, things get done, even if they are not always done well. While Becka's characterization of James is first-rate, it is the plot that really shines. She moves the story along in perfectly paced doses, ratcheting up the suspense by slow but steady degrees.

Becka, a Cleveland expatriate who now resides in warmer climates, pulls off the Herculean task of capturing the essence of the city --- one that ebbs, flows and surges against its boundaries --- while effectively utilizing it as a backdrop for a tightly written, suspenseful story.

TRACE EVIDENCE is a fine introduction not only to Becka but to James as well. There's enough crime on the North Coast to keep both busy for some time to come. Recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub