Body of the crime by Jennifer Chase.
A Chip Palmer Forensic Mystery Book 1.
Three grisly murders linked to five old cold cases, dubbed the Flower Girl Murders, pushes detectives to their limit to find a clever and extremely brutal serial killer, leaving a California town demanding justice. The District Attorney’s Serial Special Task Force retains the help of the reclusive Dr. Chip Palmer, a forensic expert and criminal profiler, to steer them in the right direction. Palmer is known for his astute academic interpretations of serial and predatory crimes, along with his unconventional tactics that goes against general police procedures. He is partnered with the tough and beautiful D.A. Inspector Kate Rawlins, a homicide detective transplanted from Phoenix, and the chemistry ignites between the team—both good and deadly.
A brilliant read. Great story and characters. 5*.

Chip Palmer is the type of character I enjoy, a reclusive forensic expert and criminal profiler, this is because I'm obsessed with Criminal Minds, true crime and anything to do with crime and forensics.

This is not a cozy mystery, it's more violent with darker themes but is well written with good characters who you know will flourish in the rest of the series, their back story and development will be well done and explored thoroughly.

*Huge thanks to Jennifer Chase, JEC Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

Great book and would highly recommend. Was engrossing and edge of seat all the way through. I was close with who the killer was but slightly out. I would like to read more of these if there were to be a ‘Dr Palmer’ series of books. I think these would be a great source of learning in an area of forensic science not commonly referred to.

Three grisly murders linked to five old cold cases, dubbed the Flower Girl Murders, pushes detectives to their limit to find a clever and extremely brutal serial killer, leaving a California town demanding justice. The District Attorney’s Serial Special Task Force retains the help of the reclusive Dr. Chip Palmer, a forensic expert and criminal profiler, to steer them in the right direction. Palmer is known for his astute academic interpretations of serial and predatory crimes, along with his unconventional tactics that goes against general police procedures. He is partnered with the tough and beautiful D.A. Inspector Kate Rawlins, a homicide detective transplanted from Phoenix, and the chemistry ignites between the team—both good and deadly.

The Flower Girl Murders leaves three homicides, five cold cases, two seasoned detectives, three suspects, and one serial killer calling all the shots. The investigation must rely on one eccentric forensic scientist to unravel the clues to solve the case. But at what cost?

My thoughts
While I did enjoy the story and it has the potential to become a really good series to pick up and read ,and I did like the characters a lot, and while it did pull me in ,there was just to much going on though out the story, that at times it felt like the author couldn't make up her mind on what part of the story she was telling. So she just put it all in to in story line.but even with all that going on I still want to pick up the next book.With that said I would love to say thinks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity as well as the chance to read and read a new to me author , in change for my honest opinion.

This is my first read by Jennifer Chase and I loved it. It was well written, the characters were great, I could really relate to them and the story line was interesting and kept me engaged right the way through the book. I had a hard job putting this one down, I really enjoyed it and will definitely look out for more books by this author.

This book really did keep you going, with several storyline intertwined. I liked the main characters, and look forward to following their relationship. Did feet the end was a bit messy with several loose ends, but guess they may continue in other books in the series.

There are no dress rehearsals... for this book.

Ay ya ya... where to begin with this one! This book centers around a forensic scientist and criminal profiler, Dr. Alexander Palmer, otherwise known as 'Chip'. He's a recluse that takes great lengths to ensure that no one knows where he lives. He's had many attempts on his life due to the many testimonies he's provided that have put criminals away. This seems a rather embellished and unlikely scenario, but I see how it added to the storyline. Chip is quite the eccentric character, and honestly, he's about the only thing I liked about the book. Chip is asked to consult on a case with Detective Hugh Murphy and Special Inspector Kate Rawlins, The Flower Girl Murders. The killer is known for raping his victims and leaving them strategically placed with a flower in their possession.

Sounds like it would be a interesting read right? Well... here's where I felt there was a problem. The storyline was far too over complicated, especially considering this is the first within a series. There are THREE antagonists in this story. We've got... The Killer... which is referred to as "the killer" in the book. Why wasn't he given a name? Why not dub him the Flower Girl Murder? Anything other than simply calling him "The Killer". Next, there's The Piper, a hired hitman that's looking to take out Chip Palmer... which, I could live with. BUT, what really didn't work for me was Kate's ex-boyfriend Robert Lee Reynolds. His character just took the storyline way over the top for me. I had to keep telling myself that this is the first in a series, but even still I think his character would have been better placed later in the series and not at the start.

Despite the multiple storylines, I found it all to be very predictable. I knew very early on who "The Killer" was, even when we're meant to believe it's someone else... I won't say who as to not spoil it, but to be honest, it was very obvious. I don't think I'm going to continue on with this series.

The book also lacked in editing. I found several grammatical errors which was very distracting. On the plus side, I will say that I did find that the forensics wasn't overly complicated, it was clear and easy to understand as a reader who has never worked in forensics.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had many creepy characters to suspect. some fun twists and turns. Overall, it was an enjoyable mystery. The main characters were well developed and enjoyable. Some of the plot was unbelievable but that did not detract form the story.

I did not like that some of the story line was left without an ending in my opinion.

The ending leaves you ready for a sequel.

Finding a dead body is never a pleasant thing to do but when you realize it's connected to murders in the past of a serial killer, it's even more chilling.

JEC Press and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Kate is here on a new job. She's left her past behind and wants to move on from an abusive relationship. However, he's not willing to let her go... She assigned to work with the forensic doctor (who prefers to be called Chip) on trying to profile the killer.

The most chilling part of this story is that there are three killers in the area. One after Kate, one after Chip and one after both of them. They're getting too close to the truth.

Once you start this book, it will be hard to put it down again until you've finished. It moves at a fast pace, they come close to death several times, and it takes teamwork to survive. There are casualties along the way. You'd have to be tough to live in this world!

Great read. Gets you hooked from the start. Would highly recommend!!

would like to thank Netgalley and JEC for an advance copy of Body of the Crime, which features forensic and behavioural scientist, Chip Palmer, in his hunt for a serial killer

This author is new to me so I didn't know exactly what to expect, although the synopsis interested me. Switching back and forth between following the different characters, it tells the story of serial homicide and the people who catch the killer. I quite enjoyed the read and how quick it was. From start to finish it drew me in and made me not want to put it down. I only wish the author had spent more time fleshing out each character as I would have loved to know more about Chip and Kate.

This was absolutely an amazing action packed, mystery, crime thriller, with a little tinge of romance, the serial killer is a real psycho case and detective Rawlins ex is a real morbid contestant for that role even the forensic tech guys they all seem to be dipped in the same morbid muck. The storyline is an excellent dozy and the characters are really highly energized except for Chip Palmer, he had a cool attitude although he was bothered by what they were saying about him he didn’t let it show. This book was very entertaining, what with so many killers on the loose, I am puzzled was Detective Rawlins ex the hit man, whatever the answer he sure got his just deserve, this has been an adrenaline packed book from start to finish.

It's a good book. I recommend it for people who like mysteries. I can't wait for the next one .

Thank you Net Galley. An interesting police procedural with a major role for the CSI/profiler. I enjoyed it and have no hesitation in recommending it to others.

Read a Jefferson Bass book instead. They're basically the same character, if the other character was weird and had no personality. Or you could just watch "Bones." Both have characters who only spout knowledge of forensics. "Bones" has great secondary characters, though.
The secondary characters here are either overwhelming with back story, or none at all. The investigating detective is being violently stalked by her ex boyfriend. The main character has to hide where he lives because seemingly every person he has ever testified against has put a hit out on him.
The crimes are very interesting, but gets completely lost in the sub stories. It's as if the "Body of the Crime" is the sub story.
For a book that is only 226 pages long, it shouldn't be that hard to get through.

I would like to thank Netgalley and JEC for an advance copy of Body of the Crime, which features forensic and behavioural scientist, Chip Palmer, in his hunt for a serial killer.

Chip is called in as a consultant by the Monterey county DA when another body, displayed in the same way as 5 previous victims of the so called Flower Girl killer, is found. The DA wants a task force which will quickly solve the case. DA's investigator Kate Rawlins is assigned to babysit Chip but she has her own troubles and if that wasn't enough a mob hitman is after Chip.

Body of the Crime is a difficult novel to review. It is high octane and full of action which make it an exciting read but the plotting and Chip's character are impossible to swallow.

We are asked to believe that Chip has become paranoid about his safety because such is the quality of his testimony that several people want and have tried to kill him. Based on his sterling work in this novel it seems highly improbable. We are also asked to believe that he is the best at both forensic and behavioural analysis, not a combination I have come across before.

In her quest for excitement it would seem that Ms Chase forgot logic. The plot is a series of set pieces which individually make for good reading but strung together they don't seem possible. I cannot give examples of this without issuing spoilers.

There is a first person narrative from the Flower Girl killer interspersed throughout the novel but it concentrates more on actions than motive so we are left fairly clueless about his trigger and motivation.

The novel has its moments but overall I found its illogicality annoying so it's not for me.