The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

I don't ordinarily read historical fiction, but it was a slow day at the library for SF and Fantasy, so I thought I'd take a chance on The Last Kingdom. I was pleasantly surprised. Cornwell writes a gripping tales of swords sans sorcery, set in the time of King Alfred. Blood, guts, and glory aplenty.

All That Remains by Patricia Cornwell

All That Remains is a mystery novel right in the middle of a series about chief medical examiner Kay Scarpeta by Patricia Cornwell. From reading the list of books by the author in the front, I thought it was the first in the series, but they must have just alphabetized the titles, rather than putting them in series order.


That's OK, tho, as it reads pretty well even as a stand-alone. CME Kay is called out to the scene of the gruesome murder (after starting to read a second novel in the series, I'm beginning to think that's the only kind she gets called out on) of a young college couple. This murder turns out to be the most recent in a series of serial killings with similar MOs.
For some reason, the CME in Richmond ends up doing more detective work than the police detectives or the FBI agents on the job, but it's a pretty good tale, anyway. Ms. Cornwell has either done her homework well or done some time in an ME's office, and she pays a lot of attention to forensic details.

While not the best mystery novel I've ever read, I'll keep on reading her stuff and I suggest you do, too.