TRAIL OF BLOOD

Decapitated bodies, one new and one 75 years old, bring an infamous mass murder case to forensic scientist Theresa MacLean.

When a mummified body is found bricked into an abandoned warehouse, police assume he is one of the victims of the Torso killer, a Depression-era mass murderer who terrorized Cleveland—and was never found. But for forensic scientist MacLean, the case has personal implications. Evidence suggests the victim was a cop, as was MacLean’s grandfather during that era, when corruption was rampant and Eliot Ness was only beginning to clean house. But just as MacLean starts to follow up on the missing-cop investigation, a new body shows up, also decapitated, with parts of her neck removed. As the bodies pile up, MacLean and her cop cousin Frank have to wonder if the Torso killer has somehow miraculously survived—or passed along his gruesome mission. To MacLean, it's clear the past holds the key, but the present-day terror—as well as political pressure to release the antique murder site—frustrates her investigation. Black (Evidence of Murder, 2009, etc.) has a strong heroine in MacLean. There’s a dash of romance thrown in, but the real action is in the field, as MacLean and her cousin look into crimes decades apart. The present-day narration is cut by the 1935–'36 saga of detective James Miller. At times, his simpler story, colored by rich history and period police work, threatens to take over. But the two work well together as police procedures past and present match up to reveal the truth behind the horrors haunting Cleveland.

A smart step-by-step thriller.