David Hunter

Seeking refuge from a tragic past, a forensic pathologist must search for a devious killer in a rural English village in this crime thriller series debut. Three years ago, Dr. David Hunter left London for rural Norfolk to escape the tragic loss of his wife and daughter. Giving up his career in criminal forensics, he now works as a simple country doctor in the village of Manham. But when the corpse of a woman is found in the woods, a macabre sign from her killer decorating her body, David struggles to remain uninvolved. As a newcomer, David finds he must join the investigation in order to avoid suspicion. When another woman disappears, the case becomes personal. This time, she is someone David knows-someone who has managed to get past the barrier around his heart. With the killer's twisted methods screaming out to him and a brooding countryside beset with fear and distrust, David can feel the darkness gathering around him. As the clock ticks down on the young woman's life, David must follow a macabre trail of clues-all the way to its final, horrifying conclusion. "Brilliantly original . . . Simon's first crime novel The Chemistry of Death absolutely blew me away and he just gets better by the book!" -Peter James, UK No. 1 bestselling author

A forensic pathologist discovers a vicious killer loose on a remote Scottish isle in this British thriller by "one of the country's best crime writers" (Sunday Express). Dr. David Hunter should be at home in London with the woman he loves. Instead, as a favor to a beleaguered colleague, he's on the remote Hebridean island of Runa to inspect a grisly discovery. David is shocked by what he finds: a body almost totally incinerated except for the feet and a single hand. The local police are certain it's an accidental death, but David is not convinced. After examining the scorched remains, it's clear to David that this was no accident-it was murder. But as the small, isolated community considers the enormity of David's findings, a catastrophic storm hits the island. The power goes down, communication with the mainland is cut off, and then the killing begins in earnest . . .

While visiting his mentor in Tennessee, a forensics expert matches wits with a killer of terrifying skill in this acclaimed crime series. To escape the violence that nearly killed him, forensic pathologist Dr. David Hunter leaves the United Kingdom for America, returning to the Body Farm-the Tennessee research center where he once trained. David is there to find out if he's still up to the job of confronting death in all its strange and terrible forms. So when his former mentor asks David to accompany him to a crime scene, he agrees. But even David is unprepared for what awaits them in a remote cabin. The victim has been tortured, the body decomposed beyond recognition. The fingerprints seem to identify the killer, but David is unconvinced. When a second body is found, it's clear that the killer is dangerously familiar with the intricacies of forensics. Pushed deep into the heart of a terrifying manhunt, David begins to wonder if they're on the trail of a maniac who cannot be stopped.

A forensic pathologist must once again confront a twisted serial killer in the international bestselling author's "bone-chillingly bleak" crime thriller (Financial Times). When Det. Insp. Terry Connor turns up on David Hunter's doorstep, it's an unwelcome reminder of the past in more ways than one. They had once worked together, recovering the victims of a serial killer on the bleak expanse of Dartmoor in Southern England. When Terry's behavior caused a bitter rift, the partnership ended. But now the serial killer-a psychotic rapist and murderer named Jerome Monk-has escaped from high-security prison. And he seems to be targeting anyone involved with the search. David has no choice but to return to his past that is far from dead and buried-especially when he receives a mysterious appeal for help from Sophie Keller, who also worked with the recovery team in Dartmoor. As he is drawn back into Jerome's twisted world, David discovers that nothing about the original case was what it seemed. And as the maniac's bloody trail edges ever closer, David is forced to question who he can really trust.

A forensic pathologist gets mired in the deadly secrets of an English backwater village in this "tense, gripping" crime thriller (The Sunday Times). Top forensics expert Dr. David Hunter is facing an uncertain future. His career hangs in the balance and his personal life has taken a turn for the worse. Then, he takes a call from Detective Inspector Lundy from the Essex force. Just up the coast from Mersea Island, a badly decomposed body has been found. The local police would welcome David's help with the recovery and identification-and they would especially like it if the body was identified as Leo Villiers. Leo Villiers is the adult son of a prominent regional family who went missing weeks ago, and the investigators are under pressure to close the case. Villiers was allegedly having an affair with a married woman, Emma Derby, who is also missing. The theory is that the young man disposed of his lover and then killed himself. But with the hands and feet missing and the face no longer recognizable, David has his doubts about the identity of the remains. As the remote wetlands give up ever more grisly secrets, David is slowly drawn into a toxic mire of family betrayals, provincial lies, and deadly stakes.

A forensics pathologist discovers evidence of murder-and worse-inside an abandoned hospital in this crime thriller: "A superbly strong read" (The Times, London). Once a busy hospital, St. Jude's now stands derelict, awaiting demolition. When a partially mummified corpse is found in the building's cavernous loft, forensics expert Dr. David Hunter is called in to take a look. David can't say how long the body's been there, but he is certain it's that of a young woman. And that she was pregnant. Then part of the attic floor collapses, revealing another of the hospital's secrets: a bricked-up chamber with beds inside. And some of them are still occupied. For David, what began as a straightforward case is about to become a twisted nightmare-and it soon becomes clear that St. Jude's hasn't claimed its last victim. "Simon Beckett's sixth novel featuring the forensic anthropologist David Hunter is arguably his best." -The Times (London)

The first three David Hunter crime thrillers, together in one set, featuring the English forensic pathologist and reluctant sleuth. The Chemistry of Death After the tragic loss of his wife and daughter, Dr. David Hunter trades his gritty career in criminal forensics in London for the village of Manham and the peaceful life of a country doctor. But a grisly murder and the kidnapping of a friend pull David back into a world he desperately wishes to leave behind . . . Written in Bone When the scorched remains of a body are found on a remote Hebridean island, local police are certain it's an accidental death. David, however, believes otherwise. As his investigation begins, a catastrophic storm hits the island, taking out the power. With communication cut off from the mainland, a killer is on the prowl . . . Whispers of the Dead David travels across the Atlantic to Tennessee to visit the Body Farm, the research center where he once trained. There, his former mentor asks David to accompany him to a horrific crime scene in a remote cabin. The corpse is unidentifiable, and the evidence is inconclusive. After a second body is found, David wonders if they're on the trail of an unstoppable maniac . . . Praise for the David Hunter Thrillers "A nice balance between forensic detail and thrilling action." -Booklist on The Chemistry of Death "Well-drawn characters and a highly atmospheric closed setting, this is a traditional detective . . . updated for modern tastes and with a likable detective." -The Denver Post on Written in Bone"This entry reinforces the author's place in the front rank of forensic crime novelists." -Publishers Weekly on Whispers of the Dead