Trail of Blood

by Lisa Black

Overview

“Quite simply, one of the best storytellers around.”
—Tess Gerritsen

 

Murders past and present collide in Trail of Blood, the third riveting crime fiction masterwork by Lisa Black to feature forensic scientist Theresa MacLean. Based on the real-life and still unsolved “Torso Killer” murders that terrified residents of Cleveland, Ohio more than seventy five years ago, Trail of Blood is a masterful forensic thriller from the acclaimed author of Takeover and Evidence of Murder that fans of Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Jefferson Bass, and Michael Connelly, and, of course, C.S.I., will absolutely adore.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061989360
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	07/26/2011
Series:	Theresa MacLean Series , #3
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 6.60(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Lisa Black is the author of three previous thrillers featuring Theresa MacLean: Trail of Blood, Evidence of Murder, and Takeover. A latent fingerprint examiner and CSI in Florida and a former forensic scientist for the Cleveland coroner's office, she is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and has testified in more than fifty homicide trials. A native of Cleveland, she lives in Cape Coral, Florida.

Editorial Reviews

Fans of the forensic mysteries “CSI” TV series and Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta novels will enjoy the emphasis on evidence. An amazing read that rivals…the best of the genre.

Associated Press

Fans of the forensic mysteries “CSI” TV series and Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta novels will enjoy the emphasis on evidence. An amazing read that rivals…the best of the genre.

Associated Press Staff

Two parallel serial murder cases 75 years apart drive former forensic scientist Black's compelling if formulaic third crime thriller starring Cleveland forensic scientist Theresa MacLean (after Evidence of Murder). When a mummified corpse turns up in an abandoned warehouse, the police believe the body to be a victim of the 1930s Torso Killer, the real-life perpetrator of Cleveland's first and still unsolved string of gruesome dismemberments. Then a copycat killer strikes. Black shifts between Theresa's Nancy Drewesque reason-defying chase of the present-day killer and the Depression-era pursuit of the original Torso Killer by James Miller, the honest Cleveland cop whose tragic death comes to obsess Theresa. On the personal front, the divorced, recently empty-nested Theresa, edgily nearing 40 a year after her fiancé's death, feels shaky about Chris Cavanaugh, a handsome hostage negotiator. Amid facile stereotypes and unconvincing plot twists, the fast-paced action hurtles to a breathless conclusion. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

When forensic pathologist Theresa MacLean (Evidence of Murder) is called in to examine a slightly mummified corpse, she realizes it's a likely victim of the infamous Torso Killer, a serial murderer never caught despite the bold statements he left all over the train yards of Cleveland. It turns out the victim was a young detective trying to solve the cases. Locally born and bred, with police department lineage, Theresa and her cousin Frank Patrick grew up on tales about the Torso Killer. When a copycat killer starts in, both know they are chasing madness. Black constructs a compelling parallel story of the 1930s investigation with the modern-day pursuit. Readers may figure out the murderers—past and present—before Theresa does, but it's nonetheless a wild ride to the end of the line. VERDICT Black's carefully drawn descriptions of 1930s Cleveland and its rail yards create an intense feeling of suspense. True-crime buffs will appreciate her attention to accuracy. This third outing for Theresa will appeal to readers of Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles series as well as fans of Michael Harvey's The Third Rail.—Teresa L. Jacobsen, Solano Cty. Lib., Fairfield, CA

Library Journal