Search This Blog
2025 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2025 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (2)
- Colorado (3)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida (1)
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa (2)
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.* (1)
International:
- Australia (2)
- Canada (1)
- England (5)
- France (1)
- Puerto Rico (1)
- Scotland (1)
2025 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
Booklist Queen's 2025 Reading Challenge
2025 52 Club Reading Challenge
2025 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
2025 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge
2025 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge
2025 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge
2025 Mount TBR Reading Challenge
2025 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge
2025 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge
The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge
The Life Skills Reading Challenge
Thursday, January 09, 2020
Debut Medical Mystery by Wife/Husband Duo Engrossing, But Otherwise Nothing Special
6:07 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
In need of a start-over, forensic pathologist Jessie Teska moves from L.A. to San Francisco. The 31-year-old is not thrilled with the foggy city, her cramped converted cable car apartment, or the aging equipment in the dingy building where she's employed as an assistant medical examiner. She needs to make it all work, though, even if she's feeling increasingly overworked and underpaid.
When the body of a young Filipino nursing student, dead of an apparent heroin overdose, lands on Jessie's table, she's taken aback. Especially when she notices several inconsistencies between the detectives' version of what happened to her and the story her corpse is telling. Although she's told repeatedly to let it go, Jessie can't. Something about the death doesn't compute. With more and more bodies piling up on her table, she's convinced—there's more to these overdose deaths than meets the eye. No one else seems to care, but Jessie won't rest until she figures out what's really going on. Even if it means putting herself in the crosshairs of a killer's weapon.
First Cut is the debut novel of wife/husband team Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell and the first installment in a new mystery series. A Harvard-educated forensic pathologist with many years of experience, Dr. Melinek clearly knows her stuff. First Cut is filled with interesting, though graphic and gory, depictions of medical examiner life. Storywise, the novel isn't anything mystery/thriller lovers haven't seen before. The tale is predictable, the killer not all that surprising. There's enough action to keep readers turning pages, though. Jessie is a complex, admirable heroine, although she's impulsive and has questionable people-judging skills. Overall, First Cut is an engrossing book, but one I didn't end up loving. I doubt I'll continue with the series.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of First Cut from the generous folks at HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
6 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Reading
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Listening
If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell
Followin' with Bloglovin'
Followin' with Feedly
-
Heartwood by Amity Gaige10 minutes ago
-
-
-
34. Dead Happy5 hours ago
-
Top Ten Tuesday ~ Foolish Books7 hours ago
-
Bookish Travel: March 20257 hours ago
-
Fear Stalks The Village by Ethel Lina White10 hours ago
-
-
-
-
Randomness...14 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
State Of The ARC #4917 hours ago
-
-
-
Monthly Round-Up: March 20251 day ago
-
Lethal Prey by John Sandford1 day ago
-
What I Wore in Australia1 day ago
-
Sunday Salon: March 30 20251 day ago
-
Nonfiction Books on BookTV3 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
I have been reading...1 week ago
-
-
February 2025 Reading Wrap Up3 weeks ago
-
-
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery5 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
I'm Still Reading - This Was My October4 months ago
-
Review: The Duke and I7 months ago
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus8 months ago
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Design by:
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ▼ 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction
2020 - Middle Grade Fiction
I was curious about this one , having read Melinek’s memoir Working Stiff. Thanks for sharing your thoughts
ReplyDeleteHmmm...this is not one I'd heard about. Even if it didn't work so well for you, I'm intrigued. Might not buy it, but will likely see if the library has it or is getting it.
ReplyDeleteThere's so many similar books to this one out there, they need to be really good if I'm going to continue on in the series. 'Cause life is short, and I already don't have enough time to read the books I want to read.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like it could be interesting but I'm not sure I want that level of gore and grimness. I burned out on the Temperance Brennan series a few books in.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a way much more likely to expose the cracks in your marriage than to write a novel with your spouse as co-author. LOL
ReplyDeleteToo bad this one isn't a winner because the premise is a good one. I've enjoyed the Patricia Cornwell books about a medical examiner, but I think she is probably the queen of the genre.
ReplyDelete