Chop Shop

by Tim Downs

Book Overview

Intern forensic pathologist Dr. Riley McKay has noticed irregularities in autopsies at the Allegheny County Coroner's lab. Suspecting foul play, she seeks help from Dr. Nick Polchak, the "bug man" renowned for his ability to solve murders by analyzing the insects on victim's bodies. Nick and Riley uncover a sinister link between the lab's director and PharmaGen, a start-up drug company specializing in genetic research. They also discover that PharmaGen...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582294011
• ISBN13: 9781582294018
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Howard Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Made me laugh and made me cry

Not quite as good as the first book but was still pretty darn good. Had a surprise ending.

#2 in series

Another fantastic Bug Man mystery. Nick is approached by Riley, a coroner's office employee, about abnormalities in autopsies and the suspicious behavior of her supervisor. What starts out as a small investigation leads to a larger conspiracy of money, greed, organ harvesting, murder, & betrayal. Nick & Riley don't know who to trust but each other, but both have secrets that could drive them apart.

Smart, Funny, Fun = One Great Book - mild spoiler warning

I had almost come to the point of despair over how few truly wonderful books I've read of late. This book cured that. I count myself lucky to be such a latecomer to this series because now I can snap up a few more of them without waiting. Why isn't this author world wide famous? His story has plot, humor, action, intellect, and handles them very well. Dr. Polchak is an interesting character. Not your typical drop-dead gorgeous hero, but a smart guy who isn't afraid to take risks or dump himself and some poor woman into a river if the cause is right. Some plot twists seemed a little too convenient, but that's the way a tight story's run. Dr. McKay is a nice foil to the lovable bug man. Most importantly, this book made me laugh. I hate mysteries that simply overdo the seriousness factor. Chop Shop handles humor with a deft hand. Many many thanks to the author for this intriguing tale.

Excellent. I can't get enough of these bugs.

What an excellent book! A great improvement over the first in the series "Shoofly Pie" which I liked very much. Not as funny but much more intense. Both books had excellent endings. A lot of thought went into the writing of "Chop Shop" and it shows. Deep character, intelligent plot and sharp wit. Tim Downs is rising on my list of favorite authors. Now for the problem; there's very little that's Christian about it. It's clean, no sex, no cursing and it brings up some good ethical points (absolutes being the big one) but as far as spiritual growth it's not really there. Don't get me wrong this book is excellent but I do miss knowing our God just a little bit better when it's all over.

Another winner with more texture than the first...

After reading his debut Bug Man novel Shoofly Pie, I knew I had to get ahold of Tim Downs' second (and latest) installment of the Bug Man series - Chop Shop. Once again, Downs pulls off a definite winner, with even more texture than the first. Dr. Nick Polchak is once again censured from the university for "dissecting" a sleeping student in his class. No matter to him, as it just gives him time to work on his forensic entomology studies... in other words, the effect of bugs on dead bodies. He gets sidetracked when he's approached by Dr. Riley McKay, a budding pathologist in the fellowship study program of a local coroner office. She wants Polchak to offer some opinions on some anomalies she's seeing in the cases of the head pathologist, and she's willing to pay him out of her own pocket to answer the questions. This all leads to the door of a cutting-edge pharmaceutical company looking to manufacture custom genetically tailored medicines. The concept is great, but there appears to be a side business going on involving the black market sale of organ transplants. Polchak and McKay have uncovered a lot of the truth, but they really don't know who to trust to stop it all, or even if they'll survive long enough to get to that point. Downs' first Polchak novel was very good, but it was really just a vanilla murder mystery. You knew there were some incidents in Polchak's life that had caused him to treat other humans with a fair amount of disdain, but none of that was really revealed. Chop Shop starts to cover some of that ground, as well as introducing some real medical ethics that have varying degrees of right and wrong. You meet Polchak's mother and learn a bit about his childhood that caused his withdrawal. You also see him struggle to come to terms with the affection he feels for McKay and how that can (or should) play out in his life. Polchak now is more than just a quirky intelligent scientist. He's a person with feelings and a history. This bodes well for future installments of the series. The only bad thing I have to say is this... How much longer do I have to wait for #3???

Blowflies and maggots and death, oh my!

This is fresh fiction at its best! Tim Downs' original approach to storytelling keeps you reading well past your bedtime. His "Bug Man" Dr. Polchak is the most unique individual you could ever hope to meet. While the "guts" of the story can be incredibly revolting, the humor is so "laugh out loud" funny that you just can't resist another peek through the microscope to see what you will find. Five stars just isn't enough to truly rate this story. My ONLY complaint is the wait for the next book in this series! Please hurry!

This Sucks!

Tim Downs has created a fresh, believable character in Nick Polchak. Nick studies bugs. He loves insects. And, with his unusual knowledge, he's able to extract valuable clues from corpses and cow-patties. Yes, this is some strange stuff. How can you not enjoy such well-done, quirky fiction? The Bug Man, once again, leads us into an urban mystery. This time, a growing corporation gets its hand stuck in the criminal cookie jar. Their altruistic goals become justifications for very naughty organ-harvesting. Although the subject is gruesome, Downs keep a light touch. His characters keep us laughing. Meanwhile, we are faced with serious issues of our modern age. "Chop Shop" is more than a tale of murder and mayhem, more than a treatise on medical ethics; it is a study in human motivation. Nick's budding romance with Riley clashes with his mother's good intentions and his own disturbed childhood. When the final surprises are brought to light, we're convinced they could happen--even if we wish they didn't. For those looking for preachy fiction, you've come to the wrong place. The Bug Man gives very faint references to Christianity. On the other hand, the ethics and values here are straight forward and to be admired. This is one of the best mystery series going, bar none. The only problem: we have to wait another year for a third book...and, like one of Polchak's mosquito friends, this sucks!