By: Yohana de la Torre, Chief Editor

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
   

Theresa MacLean has returned in a chilling and fascinating new read. Trail of Blood is Lisa Black’s latest enthralling piece of fiction. Based on the real-life and still unsolved case of the “Torso Killer”, Trail of Blood is a forensic thriller no one can miss.

“My main protagonist, forensic scientist Theresa MacLean is called to an abandoned building where a desiccated, decapitated body has been found in a room that’s been sealed off for years,” Black says. “Although there’s no immediate proof, everyone assumes the same thing: that the newly discovered corpse was a Torso Killer victim. The body

 
 

has decayed beyond recognition, leaving few forensic clues, but Theresa sees this as an opportunity to shed some light on a big piece of Cleveland’s past that until now has been shrouded in mystery.”

But the mystery grows deeper when another body turns up, and all signs at the scene seem to indicate the work of a new Torso Killer. Suddenly, Theresa’s investigation takes on a whole new meaning. And as the body count rises, Theresa finds herself nearer to danger than she ever imagined, since the killer is keeping a watchful eye on her. Each step brings them closer and closer to each other as Theresa scours the city in her hunt for a murderous lunatic intent on reliving a terrifying past.

Like in her previous books, Black does an amazing job grabbing the reader’s attention and enlacing both cases effortlessly in order to entertain. Her attention to detail is exquisite, but what more can someone ask for from a real life forensic specialist.

Believe it or not, Black spent the happiest five years of her life in a morgue. Morbid, huh? Well, after 10 years as a secretary, she went back to school to get a degree in biology which landed her a job working at the Coroner’s Office in the Trace Evidence Department. For many years, Black’s work encompassed lab work with DNA, gunshot residue, hairs, fibers, clothing examinations and some crime scene work.

Needless to say, action and her love of murder mysteries gave her the upper hand on her job and her writing passion. But seriously, why the Torso Killer?

“The Torso Killer case is utterly bizarre and utterly real,” she explains. “It’s the combination of a prolific and bizarre killer, the difference in lifestyles between then and now, and the effects of the Great Depression all at the same time.”

With so much to play with, it’s no wonder Trail of Blood is an exciting page turner. But with more than a handful of forensic thrillers under her belt, how does Black do it?

“I keep expecting the process to get easier, and it doesn’t,” Black admits. “I have a lot of great ideas, but I think to keep people hooked, you have to give them what they want (a complicated plot, realistic characters, and a satisfying ending) without being predictable.”

In any case, I predict Trail of Blood will be a chilling and undeniably fun lure when it hits the shelves early September. I mean…what more can you expect from a woman whose day job is murder?

- Follow the Trail of Blood to Lisa Black’s book signing on September 18 at 2 pm at Books-A-Million, located at 5007 South Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers, FL. For more information please call (239) 936-8871.