Tempe Brennan out, David Hunter in

If you've read my last Kathy Reich post, you'll know that, sadly, I have tapped out of the Tempe Brennan series after 23 books. I'm super interested in forensic science, so I am thrilled to have found a replacement for Tempe in Dr David Hunter. There are six books in the series on the British forensic anthropologist, published between 2006 and 2019, with book 7 due out later in 2025. My review in this post is of books 2 and 6, Written in bone and The scent of death.

Author Simon Beckett uses his real life anthropological experience working with Bill Bass at Tennessee's world famous Body Farm to craft stories that concentrate on the science and medicine in solid forensic procedurals. There are loads of interesting forensic details provided in the book but they presented in simple enough terms. Dr Hunter is a relatable character and a decent human being, something that Kathy Reichs could learn from in the characterisations of her later writings in the Tempe Brennan series.

I've read one other book by Simon Beckett, the first in a new series about Met Firearms Officer, Jonah Colley. You can read my review of The lost here.

The scent of death | Book 6 | Published October 2019 | Read January 2025

I first met Dr David Hunter in The scent of death. I had heard about the series and spotted book 6 at my local library. Having then read book 2, I highly recommend reading the series in order if you want to avoid information that will help you work out what is going on in the later stories.

Book 6 has an appropriately creepy setting, an old North London hospital that is slowly deteriorating as it awaits demolition and rebirth as an office block. David is brought in as a police consultant after a partially mummified corpse is found in the hospital's loft space. As the remains are being removed, the floor collapses, revealing a sealed-off part of a ward and two further bodies. David becomes entrenched in a complex case involving drug addicts and other societal outcasts, a popular and vocal human rights lawyer, a young forensic scientist out of his depth, and persistent developers determined to continue their work on the site.

I'm writing this review having read two of the books in the series. My thoughts on the books are that they are intelligently constructed with the right amount of forensic detail to keep a layperson interested. I like Dr David Hunter: He is smart, methodical and empathetic, with enough going on in his personal and professional lives to flesh him out as the central protagonist without these details overshadowing the forensics.

There's quite a cast of characters in The scent of death, but I had no trouble keeping track of them all. The gothic, moody atmosphere of the derelict hospital is the perfect backdrop for the story, as is the depressing situation of Lola, an ex-nurse caring for her disabled son. The story kept me intrigued from the beginning, and I didn't guess what was going on. I liked that the book's discoveries are clever yet realistic and they align with the central themes of the book. There is a perfect mix of character-building, forensic science, and police procedure. I was impressed with the level of detail that Beckett provides in an absorbing and accessible way.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Written in bone | Book 2 | Published January 2007 | Read January 2025

In Written in bone, Dr David Hunter does a favour for a colleague and reluctantly travels to the remote Hebridean island of Runa after an incinerated foot and hand are discovered in an old cottage on a remote part of the island. David examines the remains and concludes the victim was murdered. He works with the local police and a retired detective to identify the victim as a powerful storm hits the island, leading to more deaths and devastation.

I've read some reviews that suggest that Written in bone is derivative and cliched. True, there's a small community on an isolated island, full of weird characters with secrets. There's a storm that cuts off power and havoc ensues. There's a single mother with a dark past, an incompetent local police officer, a persistent journalist, a sensible retired detective, and a wealthy couple living on the island who seem to be funding its revival.

All of these things are present in the book, sure, but I found the characterisation intriguing and constructed in a natural and authentic way. The story is written to a more leisurely pace than The scent of death but I didn't mind that, as I enjoyed David's interactions with the islanders, and there is enough going on to hold interest throughout the book. Written in bone is essentially a locked-room story as someone on the island has to be the murderer, and the book lurches from one suspect to another. The last part of the book ramps up the action and this makes the book's overall pace a bit uneven. While I found the ending surprising and well-engineered, it did happen rather quickly and it might have been nice to have had more context to it. That said, I had no idea what was going on. Clever!

Part of the ending links to book 6 so I suggest reading Written in bone before you read The scent of death.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐