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Precious Blood (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: Precious Blood, Father Martin, New York (more...)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

New York City medical examiner Hayes provides plenty of authentic forensic atmosphere in his grisly debut. But his tale of a maniacal serial killer loose on the streets of Manhattan dwells too much on the carnage with insufficient focus on his protagonist's emotional state. Dr. Edward Jenner, an occasional private consultant who resigned from his post as a New York City forensic pathologist after the trauma of 9/11, is positive the gruesome crucifixion murder of a young college student is the handiwork of a burgeoning serial killer. When Ana de Jong, the murdered girl's roommate, appears in his loft, desperate for help, Jenner is plunged deep into a world of cruelty and death, a world he tried so desperately to leave behind. As more bodies pile up and the killer's methods become increasingly sadistic, Jenner races to identify the ancient text engraved in the victims' flesh, hoping it will lead him to the truth behind the murders. The somewhat creepy relationship that develops between Jenner and Ana distracts, while fans familiar with the conventions of the serial killer genre will find much of the action predictable. Hopefully, Hayes will combine his impressive forensics knowledge with a fresher plot and deeper characterization in his next thriller. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Review

"An impressive debut . . . The murders are grisly and striking, and Jenner is a likable lead." -- Romantic Times

"An intelligent thriller that takes you down the meanest streets . . . This reader was scared to death." -- Linda Fairstein

"Fans of CSI and the like would definitely like this one." -- Library Journal

"Taut and chilling… a fast-paced thriller written by a real player in the game of forensic sleuthing." -- Kathy Reichs, author of the bestseller BONES TO ASHES

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Harper; 1 edition (November 6, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060736666
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060736668
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.6 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #847,324 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan Hayes
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not "Silence of the Lambs", but a solid debut for Hayes, November 12, 2007
By Brian Baker (Santa Clarita, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
Putting his considerable knowledge and experience as a forensic pathologist to work in his debut novel, Hayes has given us a very enjoyable read.

I found his central character, Jenner, well developed and likeable, human and multi-faceted, contrary to the publishing reviews.

The "whodunit" aspects were well written and nicely played, interesting, and engaging.

The story moves along smartly, without getting bogged down in trivia and minutiae, and my only quibble there is that I'd have liked to have seen a final chapter or epilogue tying up a couple of the loose ends, particularly as applies to Whittaker; that story thread was left dangling.

The bad guy is truly a monster, the kind of guy you love to hate. Not quite as scary as Hannibal Lechter and Buffalo Bill from "Silence", but not too far off, either.

A couple of the peripheral characters had a lot of unrealized potential, I think; one priest in particular comes to mind, and I can't be more specific without creating a spoiler. But I feel a real opportunity was missed in his case.

But overall, a very solid four stars.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars solid serial killer investigation, October 30, 2007
Following the 9/11 tragedy, Manhattan forensic pathologist Dr. Edward Jenner retires from the medical examiner's office unable to cope after having witnessed for weeks afterward the results of the calamity. Edward conducts occasional consulting work.

The uncle of East Village resident Ana de Jong pleads with his close friend Edward to help her for she fears for her life. As she explains to him someone brutally murdered her roommate Andrea nailing the Hutchins College law student to a crucifix. Reluctantly Edward takes on the case even while he fears that a ritual serial killer is surfacing and that he mentally may not be able to deal with the horrific deaths that he expects to see. Still more for Ana's sake than his morbid curiosity, he digs deeper into the investigation and realizes the killings follow a pattern with each new ritual homicide crueler than the previous ones occur.

Fans of serial killer investigations that emphasize forensic science will appreciate Jonathan Hayes' fine entry as the whodunit inquiries dominate the tale. Jenner is a fabulous protagonist as he suffers from post traumatic fatigue syndrome caused by the 9/11 nightmare; however Mr. Hayes fails to dig deep into the demons eating at his soul. Still PRECIOUS BLOOD is a fine mystery that sub-genre readers will welcome.

Harriet Klausner
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars If You LOVE Forensics, This Thriller is For You, July 3, 2008
By C. Clift (Jersey City, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Jonathan Hayes, a forensic pathologist himself for the city of New York, writes his first thriller PRECIOUS BLOOD from a place of pure authenticity. Though Publisher's Weekly complained of the lack of "...insufficient focus on his protagonist's emotional state...", I found that the essence of that emotional state permeates every fiber of Dr. Jenner's being as he is dragged into the dark, sickness of the killer's escalation into mind-bending cruelty. The book may seem to some slow to build but I found as the serial killer mounted his campaign of carnage, the author used clinical detatchment brilliantly to imbue his characterizations: They are not so much gross-out moments of blood lust as they are a sensory, visceral, tactile explosion of a killer on a mission that parallels Jenner's coming to terms with his own demons in the aftermath of 9/11's senseless horror. Jenner is as human as Hayes himself while remaining a fictional character.

This may be Hayes first attempt at writing a serial killer thriller, but something tells me Jenner's story isn't finished and we can only hope for a series that continues to explore his journey with many more page-turning, realistic stories.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes the beginning is really in the middle
In Precious Blood, we follow in the steps of Edward Jenner as he tries to gather evidence, protect a witness to a murder, avoid a medical examiner out to destroy his life,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gayle Surrette

2.0 out of 5 stars Not that good
Like another reviewer, I found the "love" between Jenner and Ana yucky and weird. Why one earth would the police let a near victim of a crime go home with Jenner - and stay... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Darian Ray

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth Taking A Stab
Here's a serial killer tale that satisfies even as it doesn't break any new ground. We're teased with some professional insight into the M.E. Read more
Published 17 months ago by EddieLove

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice beginning
Edward Jenner, is a complicated and emotionally scared ex-Medical Examiner for the State of New York. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Michelle L. Beck

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Debut Novel

This is a debut novel by Jonathan Hayes who is a British born forensic pathologist. Having studied pathology in Boston, he became an Associate Medical Examiner in Miami at... Read more
Published 19 months ago by J. Chippindale

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost perfect
I really liked this book until the end. All of a sudden it was over. No tie-ups. Too many loose ends. I can only hope that his second book will help us all out.
Published 21 months ago by S. Kass

4.0 out of 5 stars good debut NYC serial killer tale
This is an excellent New York story. The workings of the forensic lab at NYU are well described.The weird downtown secondary characters, especially the Japanese couple, are nicely... Read more
Published 21 months ago by George A. Fielding

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good read
Others have described the story...I'll just say that it was a very good read. I could "care" about the characters, which is a good first step in enjoying a book. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Jos M. Hohmann

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Debut, but not Without Flaws
If you like serial killer stories, PRECIOUS BLOOD might be worth a try. It's not a great novel, but it's a decent thriller about a hunt for a deranged serial killer in New York... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Thriller Lover

5.0 out of 5 stars Ritual Murder
This first novel is far more accomplished than anyone had a right to expect. It is well-plotted, sharply written and exciting. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Ted Feit

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