Precious Blood by Jonathan Hayes

Dr. Edward Jenner is a pathologist.  He worked for the city of New York until after 9-11, which left him emotionally scarred.  Now he makes his living consulting and occasionally lecturing.   His latest case is that of a young girl who has been horrifically murdered; tortured and her body nailed to the wall.  Her parents have hired him to use his expertise in addition to that of the forensic office to find out what happened.

When the killer left, he didn't realize that the girl's roommate was also in the apartment.  Ana De Jong, managed to flee by the fire escape; the killer saw her too late once she was on the ground.  She saw him and is able to give the police a description, although she is traumatized and feels that he will come after her as well. 

Jenner has problems from the start.  Although he still has many friends in the medical examiner's office from his time there, the head of the office dislikes him intensely and fired him a year ago.  Any help given him has to be done under the radar.  The policeman in charge of the case, Roggetti, is willing to work with him.  Soon, it is apparent that this is not a singular murder but one in a series.  Each features a young woman brutally tortured before her death.

Jenner has the insight that the killer is following the deaths of various saints and kills on that saint's day.  Ana has come to him for help and he is protecting her, although there seems to be a romantic relationship starting there as well.  That fact gives Jenner a personal stake in finding the killer before he can strike again. 

This is the debut novel of an author who is a pathologist himself.  His expertise with the procedures gives the book more authority but there are issues as well.  It is fairly unbelievable that the police would decide to work hand in hand with an man who is not associated with either the police or the medical examiner's office.  It is also unlikely that the experience of being a pathologist would make one able to carry out a high stakes murder investigation.  That was the biggest problem I found with the book.  Otherwise, it was an impressive debut.  The ending is particularly suspenseful and the reader will be affected by this killer.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.