Whispers of the Dead

From Amazon:

A field of corpses, laid out in a macabre display…A serial killer who confounds even the most seasoned profilers…A doctor whose life has been shattered by crime—plunged into the heart of a shocking investigation… In this masterful new novel by Simon Beckett, #1 internationally bestselling author of Written in Bone and The Chemistry of Death, forensic anthropologist David Hunter is thrust into his first murder investigation on U.S. soil—and his most devastating case yet. In the heat of a Tennessee summer, Dr. Hunter has come to Knoxville’s legendary “Body Farm”—the infamous field laboratory where law enforcement personnel study real corpses—to escape London and the violence that nearly destroyed his life. show more He’s also here to find out if he’s still up to the job of sorting through death in all its strange and terrible forms.… Hunter will soon find his answer when he’s called to a crime scene in a remote Smoky Mountain cabin—a scene as grisly as it is bizarre. The body is taped to a table. Everything about the crime scene—the wounds, the decomposition, the microscopic evidence—quickly short-circuits the tools and methods of forensic experts. Within days, Hunter knows he’s dealing with a serial killer, someone intimately familiar with the intricacies of forensics. All around him, egos and hierarchies clash—from the boasts of a renowned criminal profiler to the dogged work of a young female investigator—but fate keeps pushing Hunter further into the heart of the manhunt. And the killer keeps coming up with surprises: booby-trapping corpses, faking times of death, swapping bodies—finally turning his sights on after Hunter himself. An electrifying race against time, a fascinating journey into the world of forensic science, and a terrifying portrait of a killer in love with death itself.

My Thoughts:

Whispers of the Dead is sinister and unnerving...but the fascinating forensic details almost make it all worthwhile. It was very well written with well rounded characters. A great novel for any that like forensic crime stories which are similar to the early Patricia Cornwall books. I totally enjoyed this look into the life of Dr. David Hunter. Too bad there is only one more book in this fascinating series. show less

There are several things to like about the third book in the Dr. David Hunter series. The plot is very interesting and the tension runs high, particularly toward the end. You become involved and begin to feel that you "see where this is going". And sometimes you are right on and sometimes the story takes an unanticipated 90 degree turn. I was particularly looking forward to this book because the author chose to end the previous book with a cliffhanger. Throughout the first quarter of Whispers of the Dead then we are given bits and pieces to explain what happened subsequently. A well done for that whole treatment and a scratch of the head as to why more series authors don't occasionally employ a similar device - too campy? Not if it's show more done well, and (duh !) you are writing a series, afterall. Anyway, the only disappoinment I had with this book was the characters, big time. A key female is characterized in a very cliched way. Hunter, a Brit, is in the US on training/sabattical at a research facility in the Knoxville area and a number of local characters treat our somewhat wimpy hero in a very un-American, unwelcoming, grumpy fashion. And it went on and on throughout the book - it became annoying and distracting because it is not an accurate portrayal of a typical American reaction to a visitor, particularly a foreign one, whether it's at Disneyland or a crime scene. Disappointing, took a lot away from the book for me. show less

Dr, David Hunter, recovering from wounds he received in his last case, is working as a visiting specialist at the Tennessee lab better known as The Body Farm. Hunter, who has lost his self-confidence and is melancholy about the ending of a relationship, is enjoying his scientific investigations under the guidance of Tom Liebermann, the director. In this strange facility, people who have donated their bodies to scientific research are left outside after their deaths and the decomposition of their corpses is studied by scientists, with the aim of improving future forensic investigations.

All is going reasonably well for David when a body in an advanced stage of decomposition is discovered in a remote cabin in the woods nearby. The show more Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), led by Dan Gardner, don’t want Hunter involved in their investigation. Liebermann is nearing retirement age and suffers from a heart condition, so he insists that Hunter be involved in the analysis of the body. It quickly become apparent they are on the track of a serial killer, one who always seems to be one step ahead and who has unusually detailed knowledge of forensic pathology.

I thought the first half of the book was a bit slow but once it got rolling I thought the story was very compelling and the tension high. This is the third book in the Dr. David Hunter series and can easily be read as a standalone. I definitely plan to read the final (currently published) book, The Calling of the Grave. show less

4 stars. This was an enjoyable book but I didn't manage to identify the killer! As usual the book had many twists.Whilst it was very enjoyable I did prefer the first two bokks in the series. However I look forward to completing the series very soon, although I will be sad to say goodbye to Dr David Hunter.

Though David Hunter has physically mostly recovered from a grave injury, his confidence and trust in his professional instincts are still very shaky. So he accept an invitation from his colleague and mentor Tom Lieberman to join him at the Body Farm for a while. In this environment he should be able to ease back into his field of work, forensic anthropology. When a consult job from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation comes up, he asks David to come along. Reluctantly at first, David joins the investigation and as the pace picks up, so does Davids confidence return. Into the narrative of the investigation are interspersed burst of thought by the killer.
A good addition to the series.

Telkens verrassend. Altijd goed doordacht. Het einde getuigt van een sterk staaltje ‘op het verkeerde been zetten’. Je denkt dat je er bent en een moordzaak hebt afgerond en op het meest onverwachte moment is er opnieuw actie, spanning en opnieuw klopt de hartslag wat sneller. https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2019/04/23/het-sanatorium-van-simon-beckett/

This was my third Beckett and as the two beforehand I enjoyed the reading very much. It is fast-paced and enthralling and kept me guessing until the very last page who is the evil one. David Hunter has left his British ground to join his friend in Tennessee. This trip should help him to recover and to pick up his courage for his work back in England. Although he was forced to vault his shadow his inquisitiveness to help solving the case was much bigger. He's got strength to help others and has found back his gut instinct on which he always can rely.