Look for the sequel to trace evidence, coming February 5, 2008:
AN IMPOSSIBLE CRIME....
A beautiful socialite is found dead in her fortress-like penthouse suite. The job gets personal for Cleveland forensic expert Evelyn James when the elusive killer's next target is her best friend. Evelyn and her detective boyfriend must put aside their own conflicts to follow the sparse and perplexing clues--and save the next high-profile victim before it's too late.
from jeff lindsay, author of the dexter series:
German edition
Elizabeth Becka has that rare combination of authentic detail and good story-telling that makes Unknown Means an irresistible read.
from KIRKUS:
A forensic analyst is steamrolled by what looks like rush hour for violent death in greater Cleveland. Heiress photojournalist-turned-philanthropist Grace Markham’s wealth bought her an ultra-secure penthouse in an ultra-private building, but it couldn’t shield her from the man who strangled her and carefully posed her body before leaving with scarcely a trace. The only physical evidence Evelyn James, of the Medical Examiner’s Trace Evidence Department, finds on the scene is a smear of grease, a line of some waxy substance and, rather providentially, the killer’s DNA. But the manner of Grace’s death links it to the very similar murder of Lakewood socialite Frances Duarte and the not-quite-fatal attack on Evelyn’s best friend, Marissa Gonzalez, who had the misfortune to live in Grace’s building. Mysteries abound. How did the murderer bypass the elaborate security measures at Grace’s apartment, and how did he make his escape? Even more teasingly, what do his many assaults—there are more—have to do with the loss of seven workers in a salt-mine explosion deep under Lake Erie? With a little help from her cop lover and an army of other specialists, Evelyn (Trace Evidence, 2005) tracks down the killer and ties up most, though not all, of the loose ends. Fashionable forensics, sound procedural work and a likable and believable heroine. Very reminiscent of Patricia Cornwell’s early novels, before she went off the deep end and started sending Scarpetta against monsters in human form. (12-1-07)
from publishers weekly:
Forensic scientist Evelyn James of the Cleveland Medical Examiner's office returns for this welcome second novel, following Becka's debut, Trace Evidence. Single mother Evelyn must manage her relationship with her sullen teenage daughter, her sputtering romance with homicide detective David Milaski and the demands of a job she loves. As the book opens, a wealthy woman is found murdered in a locked apartment; soon, Evelyn's friend and colleague Marissa Gonzalez, who lives in the same high-security building as the murdered woman, is attacked twice, and another woman is murdered elsewhere. Evelyn works with Milaski and his partner, Bruce Riley, to find the connection among the victims. In addition, claustrophobic Evelyn must collect trace evidence following a salt mine explosion under Lake Erie. Becka, a Cape Coral, Fla., forensic scientist formerly with the Cleveland coroner's office, keeps the details of this gripping procedural vivid all the way up to the harrowing finale. Fans of Patricia Cornwell's prickly Kay Scarpetta will find Evelyn a complementary contrast. (Feb.)
Publisher's Weekly Fiction Reviews 11-5-07
German edition
