Editions

The Chemistry of Death

The Chemistry of Death

Brought to you by Penguin.


'A classy debut' The Times
'Best thriller I've read all year' Tess Gerritsen

Dr David Hunter hoped he might at last have put the past behind him. But then they found what was left of Sally Palmer . . .

It isn't just that she was a friend that disturbs him. Once he'd been a high-profile forensic anthropologist and all too familiar with the many faces of death, before tragedy made him abandon this previous life.

Now the police want his help.

But to become involved will stir up memories he's long tried to forget. Then a second woman disappears, plunging the close-knit community into a maelstrom of fear and paranoia.

And no one, not even Hunter, is exempt from suspicion.

Gruesome and gripping, this startling new British crime thriller has an unnerving and original twist.


© Simon Beckett 2006 (P) Penguin Audio 2006

Reviews

  • The best thriller I've read all year - I just couldn't put it down...fast-paced, fascinating and heart-stoppingly exciting

    TESS GERRITSEN

  • Spine-tinglingly frightening...hits the bull's eye from the word go!

    INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

  • Fresh and original...Simon Beckett perfectly captures the claustrophobic horror of a rural community in crisis...absolutely compelling - and deliciously scary

    MO HAYDER

  • Excellent...plotted and written with panache, with high marks for characterisation and shock value...an absorbing, scary tale

    Marcel Berlins, THE TIMES

  • In the mould of Patricia Cornwell, but by a Brit...brilliant

    MIRROR

More in this Series

About the Author

Simon Beckett

Simon Beckett is the No.1 international bestselling author of the David Hunter series: The Chemistry of Death, Written in Bone, Whispers of the Dead, The Calling of the Grave, The Restless Dead and The Scent of Death. His books have been translated into 29 languages, appeared in the Sunday Times top 10 bestseller lists and sold over 10 million copies worldwide. A former freelance journalist, he has written for The Times, Daily Telegraph, Independent on Sunday and Observer. The inspiration for the first David Hunter novel came after a visit to the world-renowned Body Farm in Tennessee introduced him to the work of forensic anthropologists. Joint-winner (with Arne Dahl) of Europe’s largest crime fiction prize – the Ripper Award 2018/19 – he has also won the Raymond Chandler Society’s Marlowe Award and been short-listed for the CWA Gold Dagger, CWA Dagger in the Library and Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year awards. He is also the author of several stand-alone novels including Stone Bruises and Where There's Smoke. Simon Beckett lives in Sheffield.

Simon Beckett

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