First Cut

I love a good forensic mystery, and this one pulled me right in. In First Cut, Dr. Jessie Teska has just started her new job at the San Francisco medical examiner's office. She's got to jump right in, because the caseload is slammed and the office is, to put it kindly, decrepit. Her first case is described as a slam dunk, a probable overdose. Shortly after, she picks up a homicide. What she doesn't yet know is how these two cases will overlap and intertwine, and what her investigation will reveal.

I was interested in this book because Melinek was an assistant medical examiner and Mitchell is a writer with an English degree. I majored in English and went to law school. Had life turned out differently, I would have stuck with a science degree and gone into forensics. So I expected First Cut would be right up my alley. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

This book has twists and turns and action aplenty. In the course of her investigating, Jessie gets on the radar of some pretty nasty dudes, and one comes after her with the intent to kill. That doesn't happen. Jessie is tough and persistent, and she does what she feels is right without much concern that the consequences to her may be unpleasant. I like her! I also love the little detail that her house is a converted cable car. Jessie sounds like someone I could really get along with.

The book ends in rather open-ended fashion. Don't worry, you won't find major plot line cliffhangers – it just reads like there could be more story yet to come. I would love to see more books set in Jessie Teska's universe. Thanks to Harlequin Hanover Square for the review copy of the book.