Precious Blood (Edward Jenner Series, 1)

by Jonathan Hayes

Book Overview

New York City medical examiner Edward Jenner thought he'd gotten out, turning his back on forensics--and life--after the nightmare of September 11. But when a young student is found murdered, her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060736674
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.1" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Precious Blood

Other reviewers have offered plot lines and such, so I'll just say that Dr. Hayes wrote a surprisingly good novel, one much better than I expected before and in the early process of reading. The protagonist, Dr. Jenner, was a believable character, even if he was the cookie cutter 6'2" and handsome, and he developed well over the book, the emotions and history unfolding as needed without the sometimes awkward biographical sketch other authors force into a piece. Other characters worked well, also, and were sympathetic and believable, even the bad guy. I've never been to NYC, so can't comment on the environment of the work, but it felt real enough, just based on the L & O's I've seen over the years. The parts using NYC's finest rang true with L & O's hard boiled detectives and I admit I visualized Jerry Orbach in a few places. Other reviewers have mentioned "Silence of the Lambs", a fine book dependent on a living Satan of Biblical stature, but the two works I thought of while reading this were "Red Dragon", best of the series, and "Seven Deadly Sins", given the religious progression of the crimes. I recommend this to fans of CSI and the Hannibal Lector works, especially to those who wished that Gil Grissom had twenty straight hours working on a single case packaged into one show.

If You LOVE Forensics, This Thriller is For You

Jonathan Hayes, a forensic pathologist himself for the city of New York, writes his first thriller PRECIOUS BLOOD from a place of pure authenticity. Though Publisher's Weekly complained of the lack of "...insufficient focus on his protagonist's emotional state...", I found that the essence of that emotional state permeates every fiber of Dr. Jenner's being as he is dragged into the dark, sickness of the killer's escalation into mind-bending cruelty. The book may seem to some slow to build but I found as the serial killer mounted his campaign of carnage, the author used clinical detatchment brilliantly to imbue his characterizations: They are not so much gross-out moments of blood lust as they are a sensory, visceral, tactile explosion of a killer on a mission that parallels Jenner's coming to terms with his own demons in the aftermath of 9/11's senseless horror. Jenner is as human as Hayes himself while remaining a fictional character. This may be Hayes first attempt at writing a serial killer thriller, but something tells me Jenner's story isn't finished and we can only hope for a series that continues to explore his journey with many more page-turning, realistic stories.

Ritual Murder

This first novel is far more accomplished than anyone had a right to expect. It is well-plotted, sharply written and exciting. Authored by a New York City forensic pathologist about a New York City forensic pathologist, it smacks of realism and self-knowledge. It is a striking debut. The protagonist, Edward Jenner, is caught up in a web of grisly murders; the police are baffled, the clues non-existent. He's called in as a consultant on one, which starts him on a loose trail, as he uncovers a little forensic evidence, some history which should have been gathered by law enforcement officials. He then uncovers another murder in Pennsylvania, and it becomes a race to the finish to put an end to the serial killer who ritualistically "prepares" and exhibits his victims. This debut portends much more to come, perhaps a series built around Jenner. The descriptions of New York City, the emotions displayed by Jenner who was a medical examiner post-9/11 (as was the author) are real, the characters complex and unusual. Run, don't walk, to get a copy and read.

A Real Page-Turner!

You are hooked from the first chapter and as the story and characters develop, the pace increases until you reach that point of no return - where you absolutely can't stop reading until you've reached the end. I'm looking forward to a sequel!

Not "Silence of the Lambs", but a solid debut for Hayes

Putting his considerable knowledge and experience as a forensic pathologist to work in his debut novel, Hayes has given us a very enjoyable read. I found his central character, Jenner, well developed and likeable, human and multi-faceted, contrary to the publishing reviews. The "whodunit" aspects were well written and nicely played, interesting, and engaging. The story moves along smartly, without getting bogged down in trivia and minutiae, and my only quibble there is that I'd have liked to have seen a final chapter or epilogue tying up a couple of the loose ends, particularly as applies to Whittaker; that story thread was left dangling. The bad guy is truly a monster, the kind of guy you love to hate. Not quite as scary as Hannibal Lechter and Buffalo Bill from "Silence", but not too far off, either. A couple of the peripheral characters had a lot of unrealized potential, I think; one priest in particular comes to mind, and I can't be more specific without creating a spoiler. But I feel a real opportunity was missed in his case. But overall, a very solid four stars.