Lori Andrews Sequence

Sequence

Lori Andrews

St. Martin's, Jun 2006, $23.95, 278 pp.

ISBN: 0312352700

Geneticist Dr. Alexandra Blake works at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) and no scientist can be as happy as she is with her current assignment. Since they discovered the frozen body of an Inuit women who died from the 1918 Spanish Flu, Alex spends her time mapping out the DNA sequence of the genome of the virus in order to replicate it so a vaccine can be made thus rendering it useless as a bioweapon

Politics invades AFIP when an outraged Colonel Jack Wyatt, expecting to be the FBI director, is instead named the head of this agency. The FBI ignores difficult criminal cases so Jack takes them on. He especially wants a serial killer, who leaves tattoos on women's breasts stopped as he intends to make the FBI look like idiots. Alex is annoyed that her research slows down because she has to help on the serial killer case using her genetic expertise. However she becomes interested when on another case, the female FBI director, who is her lover's former significant other, is arrested for killing her ex husband, Ale gets involved and almost becomes collateral damage.

Readers who enjoy the works of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs will find SEQUENCE is an exciting tale that compares well to the novels of these great authors though this is Lori Andrews' fiction debut tale. The fascinating story line moves out on several layers starting with what looks like a medical thriller, but spinning into a politically motivated serial killer investigation. The key character is likable and realistic especially as she does not hide her disdain for her new boss, her disappointment with her new assignment and especially her anger. Fans of Scarpetta will appreciate the new kid on the block.

Harriet Klausner