Trail of Blood: A Novel of Suspense

By Lisa Black

“Quite simply, one of the best storytellers around.”
—Tess Gerritsen

 

Murders past and present collide in Trail of Blood, the third riveting crime fiction masterwork by Lisa Black to feature forensic scientist Theresa MacLean. Based on the real-life and still unsolved “Torso Killer” murders that terrified residents of Cleveland, Ohio more than seventy five years ago, Trail of Blood is a masterful forensic thriller from the acclaimed author of Takeover and Evidence of Murder that fans of Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Jefferson Bass, and Michael Connelly, and, of course, C.S.I., will absolutely adore.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Sep 7, 2010
• ISBN: 9780062010810

Lisa Black

Lisa Black is the author of several thrillers, including the Theresa MacLean series and the Gardiner and Renner series. A latent fingerprint examiner and crime scene investigator, she is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and has testified in more than fifty homicide trials. Native to Cleveland, where she worked for the coroner's office, she currently resides in Cape Coral, Florida.

Reviews for Trail of Blood

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book. The mystery surrounding the killings was nice. the way that Theresa's mind works and the way she looks at a case is impressive. She is not easily shoken up by anything. This I liked. She made for a strong female lead. Yet despite the strong presense of Theresa and the grusome killings of the Torso Killer, which were not really that gory, I found the story just alright. I was only after I had gotten almost all the way done and had a third of the story left that I was like what just happened? The killer had been idenified but I could not remember the clues pointing to him and then the ending did not finish strongly. The whole time the story again was fine but then when it came to the ending it seemed to just be rushed and over quickly.

[bitsy08_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm still reading this book but it seems like I've been reading it forever. It's such a slow read, I don't know if I'm going to finish it. It's a good story but unlike the other reviews, I feel there's something wrong here but I can't put my finger on it. Perhaps it's because it doesn't flow for me. I like the story but I'm just not engaged.

[oldbookswine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thersa MacLean, forensic scientist tracks the trail of modern serial killer repeating the acts of one some 75 years ago. How are they related? Can they save the next victim? Known as the Torso Killer, Cleveland Ohio again faces murder of a strange kind.Good read.

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reason for Reading: The publisher's summary grabbed me on this one and I just had to read it.This is a fantastic serial killer thriller! What makes it even more thrilling is that is combines a true unsolved case from the 1930's, The Torso Killer, with a modern case of someone who is exactly duplicating that psycho's 12 (proven) murders consecutively over the next 12 days. This was a fabulous read! The narrative switches between the present case on which Theresa and her cousin Frank are working with the past telling the Torso Killer tale through the eyes of the detective who worked the original case. The whole thing starts when a building is being demolished and the construction workers find a sealed off room containing a mummified and decapitated body on a table, apparently a never found victim of the 1930's Torso Killer.Great story with plenty of action taking place. We have two serial killers to keep us busy turning the pages and guessing who the unsubs will be. The past storyline is fascinating because it is all based on the true story, while Ms. Black has fictionalized it she did keep the details of each killing accurate. This storyline is given less page time than the main present day plot but the characterization of the main detective and the historical fiction aspects make a great story. The present day story arc is adrenaline-fueled as the connection to the past is made and the police are aware of exactly where each new victim will turn up and yet the killer still manages to outwit them every time. I like Theresa as a main character, as a forensic scientist she is called in to work the case from her professional side but with a family history of cops can't keep herself away from getting into the detective work as well. This isn't so hard since her cousin Frank is a cop and the detective who called her onto this case in the first place. Theresa and Frank make a delightful and unique team. Being cousins, there is no sexual tension as with most detective pairings, and this makes their chemistry together familial and refreshing as they joke, bicker and tease each other while also knowing each other better than they know themselves at times.Apparently I read the first book in this series when it came out in 2008, Takeover, and I also own the 2nd book, Evidence of Murder, but have not read it yet and did not make the whole series connection until I started to read this one. I'll have to make sure I get book 2 read before book 4 comes out!

[minjung_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Part true crime and part fiction, this book was drew from two genres that I generally enjoy.The true crime part came in as the author drew from the Torso Killer crimes that took place largely in the Cleveland area in the 1930s. The serial killer was never caught, and the killings took place amidst a backdrop of police corruption.In modern times, our protagonist Theresa MacLean, a forensic scientist, gets called to a crime scene in which she examines a decapitated body. The police officers at the scene immediately tell her that the scene is reminiscent of the Torso Killer's works. While MacLean retains a more open mind, she soon concludes that not only does the scene have much in common with a Torso Killer's scene, but it may actually be the work of the Torso Killer.Soon, other killings start happening around Cleveland, and MacLean intuits that either a copycat is at work or the Torso Killer is very old and is reliving his greatest hits.The narrative flips back and forth in time between MacLean's investigation and the original investigation.The plot was interesting, I found MacLean's character compelling, and the pacing was fine. However, for reasons I could never quite put my finger on, it took me about 2-3 times longer than usual to get through a book this length.