The Mosquito Tapes by Chris Holmes, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Chris Holmes' latest thriller, The Mosquito Tapes, features Dr. Jack Youngblood, Chief Medical Examiner for the city of San Diego, investigating the deaths of two men, found in the same general vicinity but both, inexplicably and most unlikely, without any identification.

Jack "studies the dead for a living." His friends call him a ghoul, which he readily admits he is, but he also loves his job. He received his first microscope when he was just 8 years old, and studied everything he could: yeast cells, hair and fur, amoeba from the local pond, and more. And he's working in a profession that allows him to continue to study the minutiae of life. Or death, as the case may be. His current case involves two men. The first is a young man shot in the forehead, no ID, no distinguishing marks, no money, no jewelry. He was found on the side of a road not far from a local Indian casino. It also wasn't far from a tract of Federal property on which the company Biologistics is located. The second is also a young man, this one dead from a hit-and-run. Again, no ID, no distinguishing physical characteristics, but he did have $3000 in his pants pocket and a dead mosquito in a jacket pocket. He, too, was found in the same general area as the first man. Are their deaths related? Might the two men have known each other?

Jack is assisted in his investigation by a new forensic specialist, Jill Hanraty. She's very good at her job, but she's also a stunner to look at. Jack, divorced from his first wife, a widower following his second marriage, a Labrador named Lilly his only companion, realizes he has feelings for his new partner, which may complicate further what is already a very complicated case.

The Mosquito Tapes is a most unusual mystery, fascinating and extraordinary. The author seems to clearly know his science, incorporating the latest forensic methodology into Jack's investigation in a manner that furthers the plot without weighing it down. The relationship between Jack and Jill is both touching as it develops and heartbreaking as it unwinds. Allow for plenty of time when starting this captivating novel; it will be hard to put down.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Mosquito Tapes.

Acknowledgment: Chris Holmes provided a copy of The Mosquito Tapes for this review.