Elizabeth Becka Trace Evidence

Trace Evidence

Elizabeth Becka

Hyperion, Aug 2005,

ISBN 1401301746

Medical Examiner's Office forensic scientist Evelyn James and homicide detectives Bruce Riley and David Milaski stare at the young woman in chains and her feet stuck inside a bucket of cement drowned in the Cuyahoga River. Making matters worse Mayor Daryl "Mobbuster" Pierson arrives; he was once Evie's lovers before she married and since divorced her cheating spouse Rick. At home, their teenage daughter Angel blames the split on Evelyn while Rick and his girlfriend Terrie play the good guys.

A second victim surfaces, the mayor's daughter Destiny making the case the top story. Evelyn crosses the thin line into cop territory fearing her daughter might be part of the inner circle of targets of a serial killer as she begins seeing a pattern. The killer becomes aware that the forensic scientist is closing in on him so he plans to lure her into a trap. David, who was attracted to Evelyn from the moment they first met overlooking that first corpse by the Cuyahoga, worries about the safety of the scientist he is falling in love with, but he may not be enough to keep her safe from a clever consistent killer.

Readers who appreciate the details will enjoy this strong forensic police procedural. The heroine is a super person who enjoys her work and worries about her relationship with her daughter even while fighting an attraction to the new homicide detective. The suspense takes somewhat of a back seat to Evelyn on the job and at home, but though the tension is not stratospheric, the investigative depth seems genuine, candid, and insightful making for a fine tale held together by its star.

Harriet Klausner