Trace Evidence

May 30, 2005
Death is part of daily life for single mother Evelyn James, a forensic scientist in the Cleveland, Ohio, medical examiner's office. In the opening pages of this tepid debut thriller, Evelyn is called to the scene of a bizarre crime: a young woman has been drowned in the Cuyahoga River, her feet submerged in a bucket of cement. When a second victim, who escaped drowning only to be strangled, turns out to be the daughter of Evelyn's long-ago beau, Darryl Pierson (now Cleveland's mayor), Evelyn ventures beyond her job description to pursue the criminals behind the clues. Among those under suspicion: notorious mobster Mario Ashworth, the mayor's childhood friend and the first victim's employer; and overzealous hospital nurse James Neal, who once administered care to each of the murdered girls. As Evelyn inches ever closer to the killer, she fears for the safety of her own teenage daughter, Angel. Becka, a Cape Coral, Fla., forensic scientist, has created a frank, honest protagonist who loves what she does, but too many procedural details encumber rather than enliven the novel. While there's sufficient suspense to keep the pages turning, Becka's offering lacks the crisp prose and poise of Patricia Cornwell and Jan Burke. Agent, Elaine Koster.

June 1, 2005
Becka, a real-world "evidence specialist," is up against tough competition when it comes to forensic thrillers: Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta and Reich's Tempe Brennan already have substantial followings. Compared with those generally confident, high-powered gals, however, Becka's forensic scientist, Evelyn James, is a refreshingly ordinary mess as she tries to build a postdivorce life for herself and her teenage daughter, Angel. Called in to investigate the death of a young woman found in the river, feet encased in a block of cement, she can't help but think of her own child. When trace evidence links the murder to another girl's death, alarm bells sound, especially once Evelyn connects Angel and the murdered girls to a male nurse at a local hospital. Help comes from new homicide cop David Milask, but not before Evelyn faces a watery grave of her own. Although the story wanders a bit as it sets up character backgrounds, the ending is a nail-biter, and because Becka leaves much of the grisly stuff at the lab door, this will settle easier with sensitive readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)