Trail Of Blood [Mass Market Paperback]

A competent but somewhat slow-moving mystery, inspired by the unsolved crimes of Cleveland's notorious "Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run" (active 1934-1950). The novel is something of a tour-de-force, because it "solves" the cold Mad Butcher case through flashbacks, even as the heroine solves present-day murders committed by a copycat killer who is methodically recreating the Butcher's gruesome crime scenes.

I particularly enjoyed the flashback mystery, which tells the story of fictional detective James Miller, who is probably the only honest cop in the corrupt depression-era Cleveland police force. James figures out the Mad Butcher's identity, but ends up as one of the Butcher's victims. It is the present-day discovery of James' decapitated body (with head tucked between the legs) in a walled-up portion of a building that is being demolished, that triggers the murderous rampage of the present-day killer.

James is a likeable and believable character, and one is saddened by the knowledge of his ultimate fate as one reads the well-plotted account of his ill-fated 1935-1936 investigation. The author's theory about the possible identity of the real Mad Butcher is a very good one, except that, as she admits in her back-of-the-book acknowledgments, that theory is exploded by certain facts about historical train routes. No matter, as this is not a true crime book.

Unfortunately, the heroine--forensic scientist Theresa MacLean--is yet another post-Patricia-Cornwell female investigator who always runs directly into danger, even as her own common sense screams "foolhardy!" For example, when Theresa is alone at night on a deserted hillside in a bad Cleveland neighborhood, and stumbles on a perp who happens to be burying parts of a body, she runs after the fleeing perp. Her explanation: "I was thinking I would like to get a look at the guy who was burying two dead bodies."

Despite Theresa's occupation, there are relatively few forensic details, and forensics do not ultimately solve the present-day murders. There are various loose ends that aren't particularly well handled at the end of the book, although these generally involve red-herring clues that were only included to misdirect readers, and don't really detract from the story. The greatest weakness of the book is the unbelievable, over-the-top ending, which neatly disposes of the killer, but calls for both Theresa and the killer to demonstrate extraordinary physical strength and stamina.

This is an entertaining mystery. I was never tempted to jump forward to the end to find out whether it was worth finishing the book. However, I rate it 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars because of the incredible closing scenes. The author is a skilled writer, and could have written a much better ending without changing anything that preceded it.

This is the first book by Lisa Black that I have read, and I can't imagine why. It was well-plotted with sympathetic, well-developed characters. Every now and then, it would veer close to common errors that plague similar books, but Black manages to avoid the traps -- her heroine remains likeable, the police are shown fairly, CSI-style magic is wistfully considered by the investigators who don't have budget (or databases of every fiber ever created, where it is sold locally and which dark-haired Latin men have purchased it within the last 6 weeks).

I will definitely look for more books by this author, and especially the others in this series!

They definitely could have done better with the title. The book is well written (very dialogue driven). The main character sort of comes off as a Dr. Temperance Brennan knock-off, college-age daughter included. There is not much in the way of science in the book, but that's okay. It took me a long while to finish the book, but I was interested the whole time, just very busy.

The characters are a bit flat, but the mystery is kind of cool (er, unless you are related to any of the poor victims).

It's a worthwhile read, but I still think they got lazy with the title.

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