Im tired of novels that spell out obvious details about certain aspects of their plot. Here we have an intelligent woman, holding down two full time roles - head of museum and head of a forensics lab (for want of a better name) being told by a spotty student type (almost young enough to be her son) the diamonds aren't really rare, they're quite common, it's because one company (DeBeers actually) controls almost two thirds of the market to keep the price high. She was then flabbergasted that the diamond she was looking at could cost 10000 dollars! Shock horror - NOT 10000 DOLLARS! Oh my God who'd have known!Why is it that we all now have to live in a world where society has to be run for the benefit of the most stupid amongst us? I hear that they now have a law in New York that makes it illegal to text as you cross the road! For heavens sake - isn't that just modern day natural selection? I could go on and on but this would take me beyond the realms of Goodreads remit and I won't bore you all here. Suffice to say I'm tired of novels that treat me like I'm an idiot!Typical average crime novel. Not that inspiring but enjoyable enough.
A nice forensic novel. Not as grittily real as Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series, but meat enough to satisfy any die-hard procedural fan. The protagonist, Diane Fallon, is likable enough, but despite the superb writing technically, there's just a wee bit of that ellusive "spark" missing -- that spark of reality that elevates the Scarpetta books to the A-List, in my opinion. Nevertheless, this book is a very strong B or B+ itself. This being the first book I've read in this series, I will definitely read the others with eagerness. Might even recommend it to my 4N6 Science Olympiad students-- But just the high schoolers, not the middle school kids. Though handled very tamely and with a minimum of gore, there's still a rape and some torture in this novel. But also included lots of good details on trace evidence handling (and knots!) Great inspiration for some clever 4N6 scenarios!
I really love Diane Fallon as a character. She keeps a calm head under pressure, even when her life and the life of her friends are threatened. Diane has her vulnerabilities, but she does not let them define her.What keeps this from a higher rating for me is how the "bad guy" comes into the story; he is barely a whisper in the mind of any of the main characters because his existence (view spoiler)[(even as a police officer, not perp) (hide spoiler)]
—Katie
I'm one of those mystery fans who love to read about detectives using technical expertise and arcane knowledge--rather than brute force or trickery--to solve crimes. The Diane Fallon series features a forensic anthropologist who is also the director of a natural history museum in north Georgia. For fun, she goes caving and is an expert on rope tying. Who knew there was such a thing as forensic rope analysis, but there is, and it helps find a killer who has hanged three unidentified victims. While tracking the killer, Diane is also working with the museum staff to find out more about the Egyptian mummy they have acquired. Both the museum staff and the crime lab staff get involved, and it makes for a good read.
—Kay
DEAD GUILTY (Forensic Investigation-Georgia-Cont) – OkBeverly Connor – 7th in seriesOnyx Fiction, 2004 – PaperbackForensic anthropologist Diane Fallon is called to the site of a murder scene where thee people have been hanged. But it becomes personal when she starts received threatening emails and phone calls.*** While I always learn new things in reading Ms. Connor’s books, I also find myself wishing she’d get on with the story. After being told, way too many times, that the character is an expert in knots and likes caving, I did a lot of skipping through the story. The dialogue is wooden and awkward, and, for my taste, the plot could have been edited down to a tighter, faster-moving story. It’s an okay book
—LJ
