The Scent of Death

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)

"An arresting setup . . . Beckett has regained his best form . . . the exigencies of a macabre investigative thriller are dispatched with characteristic aplomb." -Financial Times