[Dr Anya Crichton 01] • Malicious Intent

A gripping and powerful new thriller -- the debut of a stunning new voice in suspense fiction -- and the first appearance of a tough and remarkable investigator, pathologist, and forensic physician, Dr. Anya Crichton.

The only female freelancer in the male-dominated field, pathologist Dr. Anya Crichton will take any work she can find to pay child support and her mortgage, get her new business off the ground, and battle her ex-husband for custody of their three-year-old son. Things turn around rapidly, however, when her expert forensic evidence is instrumental in winning a high-profile case -- and new work offers start pouring in.

But Anya's investigation into the drug overdose of a young Lebanese girl is raising troubling questions. Startling coincidences between this sad and tragic death and a series of seemingly unrelated suicides that Anya is also examining at the urging of her friend and colleague, detective sergeant Kate Farrer, suggest that there's a monumental evil at work in the shadows. With each scalpel cut, Anya Crichton's forensic prowess and deductive brilliance are pulling her relentlessly toward a sinister plot and a devastating truth -- and once she enters the lethal darkness, she may never again see the light of day.

From BooklistAustralian Anya Chrichton, a relative newcomer to the ranks of forensic detectives, has a three-year-old son, Ben, who is the light of her life. Unfortunately, court-appointed weekends with Ben are threatened by the whims of her ex, whom she supports by working as a forensic specialist for private clients. When Anoub Deab shows up demanding that she investigate his sister's death, she agrees, though she insists she's not a detective. That's just what she turns out to be, however, after discovering eerie forensic similarities between Deab's sister and several other, very different women. Is there a serial killer on the loose? As Anya pursues the answers, someone begins a campaign of harassment that calls up memories of a family tragedy involving her own sister. A delicious buildup of clues and plenty of gruesome details will please genre devotes, as will the satisfying outcome, which is likely to surprise even a few seasoned thriller fans. Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs--move over. Stephanie ZvirinCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

ReviewKathryn Fox has created a forensic physician who readers of Patricia Cornwell will adore James Patterson Much better than anything Cornwell has written lately, and much superior to anything Reichs has ever written ... deeply satisfying. A new talent to watch Australian Book Review Will keep you gripped from start to finish...break-neck plots...fascinating medical and police procedural details ... What a compelling new talent! Jeffery Deaver It's a wonderful moment when you track down something that's really worth reading... Gripping from its very first page, it carries you breathlessly through its deftly plotted twists and turns Australian Vogue MALICIOUS INTENT is top-notch in its genre Sunday Telegraph (Australia) Fox is stomach-churningly good... Mail on Sunday