Molten Mud Murder

By Sara E. Johnson

First book in the Alexa Glock Mystery series! For a normal tourist, finding a body in a geothermal pool in New Zealand might ruin a vacation. Forensic specialist Alexa Glock, however, sees a chance to help local law enforcement with a baffling case. But as she finds herself embroiled in the tense investigation, she can't help but wonder: is the past better left undisturbed, or unearthed?

These thrilling New Zealand mysteries are:

• Perfect for fans of Kathy Reichs and Nevada Barr
• For readers of international mysteries and forensic investigation mysteries

When a body is found half-submerged in a molten mud pot in one of Rotorua's famous geothermal wonderlands, forensics expert Alexa Glock spots a way to prolong her stay in New Zealand, which she has been visiting for work. Teeth are her expertise, and the investigation needs her help, as other ways of identifying the body may have... melted away.

Joining Detective Inspector Bruce Horne and his team, Alexa finds herself sleuthing out more than teeth. She soon discovers that the murder victim, a city councilman, had trespassed on an island sacred to the Maori. The ancient punishment for such a transgression is disaster, demonic possession, or death… and when she visits the island to investigate, the same outcome is promised for her. Alexa is fascinated by New Zealand culture but doesn't quite believe in ancient spirits returning to exact revenge, so when another victim turns up dead, she begins to wonder whether the real threat is something—or someone—much closer to home.

A fast-paced forensic mystery set in New Zealand, Molten Mud Murder introduces Alexa Glock, an investigator with a knack for gleaning the truth from bones and teeth. Full of enough forensics and action for fans of Kathy Reichs or the tv series Bones, Sara E. Johnson presents a page-turning story about facing the past and cracking the door open to an unexpected future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Sep 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781464211249

Sara E. Johnson

Sara E. Johnson worked as a middle-school reading specialist and local newspaper contributor before her husband lured her to New Zealand for a year. Her first novel, Molten Mud Murder, was the result. She lives in Durham, North Carolina.

Reviews for Molten Mud Murder

[junipersun · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A standard mystery, with the advantage of an exotic locale and sprinkling of Maori words and customs. Alexa has found a temporary stint as forensic investigator, a good excuse to prolong her stay in New Zealand, based on her specialty of identifying people based on their teeth. This comes in handy for the victim whose head and upper body were scorched in a mud bath. This appears to mimic traditional Maori killings, but is the murderer just intending to lead the investigation astray?

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

procedural, law-enforcement, New Zealand, cultural-exploration, culture-shock, forensics, romantic, murder-investigation, Maori ***** As an exploratory into Maori customs and the lack of respect from non-Maori locals and tourists I found it to be quite well done. As an introduction to forensic sciences I felt it was also quite well done. As a cosy mystery I really enjoyed it! Lots of misdirection, plot twists, and red herrings along with some really great imagery of a land I will never be able to visit. Personally, I could have done with less romantic obsessing by forensic odontologist Alexa over Senior Constable Horne but I suppose it sells. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it! I requested and received a free ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

[cathyskye · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sara E. Johnson's first Alexa Glock mystery has a superb setting. New Zealand is visually stunning to begin with, and Johnson does a fantastic job of weaving Maori culture and Kiwi slang into her story. In fact, the setting was my favorite part of the book.However, other parts of Molten Mud Murder didn't match the strength of the setting. Take the main character's name, for instance. Alexa is a name that seems to be the flavor of the month lately. I can't turn around without bumping into that name either on humans or on technology. Her last name, Glock, led to several instances of the eye-rolling reply, "Like the gun?" This is the first time in a long time that I've been irked by a character's name, but I found Alexa annoying for more reasons than that. She is a very skittish woman, and although readers are told that she suffered trauma in her past, it didn't really explain why she is so jumpy. Alexa must also suffer from Biological Clock Syndrome because she spends way too much time daydreaming about the handsome Detective Inspector Horne.The mystery was percolating quite well, and I was having a difficult time trying to identify the killer when, toward the end of the book, a character is introduced, and it was like turning a searchlight directly into my eyes. If the character had been introduced with some subtlety earlier in the book, I probably would not have been able to figure it all out.Even though the mystery and the main character had the tendency to annoy me, I still enjoyed Molten Mud Murder for its superb setting. So much so that I'm tempted to read the next book in the series.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The scene for the first Alexa Glock mystery fascinates. A body discovered in a New Zealand mud pot, similar to the ones found in Yellowstone National Park, provides an opportunity for North Carolina forensics expert Alexa Glock to assist the local police with their investigation. Although the boiled corpse leaves few clues, Alexa carefully uncovers a couple which assist the investigation. Maori customs and culture plays a part in the investigation. Glock inserts herself into the investigation, over-extending her charge and possibly jeopardizing work of investigators. Glock's interest in one officer causes readers to wonder if Glock will remain in New Zealand longer to pursue a relationship, which seems "tentative" at the moment. I found the book easy to put down for the first half, but it picked up later. The ending was a little anti-climactic. With an interesting setting, I will likely read the next in the series. I received an advance electronic reader's copy through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.