About to present a lecture to medical students, pathologist Dr Anya Crichton notes optimistically, in Kathryn Fox’s new novel, that the word ‘forensic’ in the title will pretty much guarantee her a full house. Sadly, when the overstressed and overambitious students discover that the topic is not going to figure on their exam paper, a significant number depart, therefore missing out on such compelling topics as how to spot the suspicious death of a diabetic, or when to accuse the family pet of snacking on the deceased.
In terms of crime fiction and television crime series, Crichton is, of course, right. Forensics appears to exert a particular fascination for the lay reader and viewer. Consider the popularity of the books of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs, and of the obsessively revelatory CSI franchise, which by means of computer-generated effects often takes us on a joyride through the body, tracking the trajectory of a bullet. Author Kathryn Fox, herself a doctor with an interest in forensic medicine, is therefore right on the money with her first crime novel.
Malicious Intent by Kathryn Fox
Macmillan, $30 pb, 345 pp
The Walker by Jane Goodall
Hodder, $29.95 pb, 362 pp
Queen of the Flowers by Kerry Greenwood
Allen & Unwin, $19.95 pb, 279 pp
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