THE BLOOD DETECTIVE

Brushing off archival dust, a genealogist helps nab a serialkiller.Corpses with a mysterious mix of letters and numbers carved ontotheir naked chests are turning up with alarming frequency, bafflingLondon's Metropolitan Police until Detective Sergeant Heather Jenkins hasa brainstorm. Something about the look and alignment of the carvingssuddenly makes her think of index references - an idea that reminds her ofcards her mom filled out during her recent research into family history.Heather's boss, Detective Chief Inspector Grant Foster, is old school andproud of it. He takes a predictably dim view of genealogy: "Bloody stupidhobby." Stuck between a rock and a clueless place, however, he agrees toaccompany Heather on a visit to family historian Nigel Barnes, who has hisown reasons for being glad to see them. Professional and romanticdisappointments have made him eager for a challenge. As the cops and thegenealogist talk, they find themselves unexpectedly compatible, and Nigelends up with his challenge and a part-time job. He digs into musty birth,marriage and death certificates, making connections and disinterringlong-buried secrets and lies. Along the way he experiences anew theunsettling ways the past can serve as prologue and a series of century-oldmurders can become terrifyingly contemporary.A strong debut offering afresh, intriguing spin on the police procedural.