The Falls, by Ian Rankin

An Inspector Rebus novel. And another great one.

Rebus is called in when a wealthy student at Edinburgh University disappears. In the course of this mystery, Rebus falls typically afoul of his commanding officers and winds up on suspension. This does not stop him from working on, and ultimately solving, the mystery.

This one is full of academics, quirky pathologists, strange artifacts, and Rebus's co-workers who, in varying degrees, either admire or despise him for his methods.

Ian Rankin's Website

Observer Review

Little Demon in the City of Light, by Steven Levingston

Washington Post Review

Maureen read this book and recommended it to me.

It's interesting in many ways, and wasn't much of a chore to read. A glimpse of the 1890s, a time when civilization was in transition. Hypnotism and early neurology plays a part in this story, in which a young woman, Gabrielle Bompard,  has been an accomplice to murder, and the question arises, was she controlled by her lover, Michel Eyraud? Had he hypnotized her, instructing her to assist in the foul deed, effectively removing her will, and thereby making her innocent by reason of hypnosis? Had his post-hypnotic suggestions caused her to lie and fail to remember important details of the case?

For me, the entire story was overshadowed by the horror of the guillotine, which was still in use at the time. There is something especially evil about State-sanctioned murder, even when done in revenge for a crime as horrid as the one committed in this story.

Body of Evidence, by Patricia Cornwell

An audio book.

Kay Scarpetta is the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Virginia. In this novel, Scarpetta is drawn into the case of the murder of a young novelist and her mentor. The setting is mostly the Richmond VA area, and some in Key West.

Good commuting entertainment.

The time setting is approximately late 80s. It's interesting to note the lack of cell phones, and the non-ubiquity of computers, although computers are used to some degree by the law enforcement agencies. The FBI is involved.