The Chemistry of Death

From Amazon:

Three years ago, David Hunter moved to rural Norfolk to escape his life in London, his gritty work in forensics, and a tragedy that nearly destroyed him. Working as a simple country doctor, seeing his lost wife and daughter only in his dreams, David struggles to remain uninvolved when the corpse of a woman is found in the woods, a macabre sign from her killer decorating her body. In one horrifying instant, the quiet summer countryside that had been David’s refuge has turned malevolent—and suddenly there is no place to hide. The village of Manham is tight-knit, far from the beaten path. As a newcomer, Dr. Hunter is immediately a suspect. Once an expert in analyzing human remains, he reluctantly joins the police show more investigation—and when another woman disappears, it soon becomes personal. Because this time she is someone David knows, someone who has managed to penetrate the icy barrier around his heart. With a killer’s bizarre and twisted methods screaming out to him, with a brooding countryside beset with suspicion, David can feel the darkness gathering around him. For as the clock ticks down on a young woman’s life, David must follow a macabre trail of clues—all the way to its final, horrifying conclusion.

My Thoughts:

I read this book 4 years ago and soon had read the entire series. Simon Beckett quickly became one of my favorite writers. I will gurantee you that The Chemistry of Death is no cozy English mystery. Forensic detail contained in this book is not for readers with weak stomachs.... but neither is it a tale of endless torture. The plot moves along very quickly and the final revelation is something that you just don't see coming. I loved the view of life in this small English village. Perhaps I will reread the rest of the series. show less

I really enjoyed this book. I don't often read books by British authors, and some of the vocabulary used threw me out of the story at first, but soon I found myself enjoying the small differences in the English language that kept popping up. I liked the main character quite a bit, and although the mystery was interesting enough, it was the forensic aspect that had me utterly fascinated. The book is quite descriptive when it comes to matters of decay and decomposition, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't have a strong stomach for that sort of thing. Personally, I love TV shows like CSI and Bones, and I often find myself completely engrossed in the scientific aspects of what happens after we die. Morbid, but there you have show more it. Beyond those compelling aspects, the book kept me guessing until the end. I thought the wrap-up was a bit too neat and tidy, but I didn't mind too much. I will be looking by more books by this author. show less

Former forensic anthropologist David Hunter is on the run from his old life, but when a dead body is found in the forest and it looks like a serial killer is on the loose, he's forced back into service, inadvertently placing his friends in danger. When I started reading this, it was late at night and I was planning on reading a few chapters. At around 2 am, I realized I was halfway through the book and really not wanting to stop. There is a lot of forensic information that I found particularly interesting, but even if it's not a special interest, the story is still absolutely captivating. The stakes are enormous and the mystery virtually impossible to guess due to all the twists and turns - can't wait to read the next installment in the show more series and can only hope it's as good as this one. show less

Chemistry of Death of the first book in the Dr. David Hunter series. Hunter is a forensic expert who left his job in London after a tragedy forced him to make a change to his life. He's currently working in the small Norfolk village of Manham as a General Practitioner. While he can't stop dreaming of his dead family, he's as content as he can be under the circumstances. When the savagely mutilated body of Sally Palmer is found, Hunter knows he needs to help the police find the killer, despite his reluctance to return to his former profession. When another woman disappears, it becomes painfully clear that a serial killer is at work.

I found this book quite gripping. It had a great story and the setting and characters were very realistic. show more The horrific details of what occurs to a decomposing body may not be for the faint of heart, but if you are a fan of Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell you will really enjoy this book. I'm definitely planning to read the next in the series, Written in Bone. show less

Three years ago, David Hunter moved to rural Norfolk to escape his life in London, his gritty work in forensics, and a tragedy that nearly destroyed him. Working as a simple country doctor, seeing his lost wife and daughter only in his dreams, David struggles to remain uninvolved when the corpse of a woman is found in the woods, a macabre sign from her killer decorating her body. In one horrifying instant, the quiet summer countryside that had been David's refuge has turned malevolent—and suddenly there is no place to hide.

The village of Manham is tight-knit, far from the beaten path. As a newcomer, Dr. Hunter is immediately a suspect. Once an expert in analyzing human remains, he reluctantly joins the police investigation—and when show more another woman disappears, it soon becomes personal. Because this time she is someone David knows, someone who has managed to penetrate the icy barrier around his heart. With a killer's bizarre and twisted methods screaming out to him, with a brooding countryside beset with suspicion, David can feel the darkness gathering around him. For as the clock ticks down on a young woman's life, David must follow a macabre trail of clues—all the way to its final, horrifying conclusion

Cut above the usual formulaic ‘nasty, yet inventive, serial killer’ book. The writing is excellent (curiously old fashioned style I thought) and Dr David Hunter an appealing and believable lead with a fine supporting cast.
The creepy atmosphere of the book was excellent especially around the village of Manham with its paranoid/hostile community which put me in mind of the film The Wicker Man. Good stuff show less

A very enjoyable read. Just enough forensic detail to stop you from skipping past it - i find some books on the forensic theme waffle on a bit too much and you are waiting for them to get back to the story!! Well written and nice to have a Crime Thriller set in England. Plenty of twists and turns along the way. I would definately recommend this and look forward to reading some of his other books.

The Chemistry of Death of the first book in the Dr. David Hunter series. Hunter is a forensic expert who left his job in London after a tragedy forced him to make a change to his life. He's currently working in the small Norfolk village of Manham as a General Practitioner. While he can't stop dreaming of his dead family, he's as content as he can be under the circumstances. When the savagely mutilated body of Sally Palmer is found, Hunter knows he needs to help the police find the killer, despite his reluctance to return to his former profession. When another woman disappears, it becomes painfully clear that a serial killer is at work.

I found this book quite gripping. It had a great story and the setting and characters were very show more realistic. The horrific details of what occurs to a decomposing body may not be for the faint of heart, but if you are a fan of Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell you will really enjoy this book. I'm definitely planning to read the next in the series, Written in Bone. show less