First of all, I am very hopeful that this is the first of a new series that will view Patricia Cornwall and Kathy Reichs some competition! This book was a fascinating foray into the world of forensic science, with a lot of gritty and realistic details. For example, the main character is a medical examiner named Dr. Jessie Teska. After doing a particularly odious autopsy, she desperately needs a shower and can’t get one, so her odorous self is described in explicit and yucky detail. In fact, there are graphic descriptions throughout the book, so for that reason, it will not be for everyone. I would categorize the book as a thriller/mystery/suspense. Jessie is faced with the challenge of following the clues wherever they follow and ends up being blocked by the police, big tech and her own boss. Her determination and grit made me cheer her on and encouraged me to read faster. This was a quick-paced book with some really unexpected twists as well as a surprise ending. I really encourage fans of forensic science mysteries to read this book, and I applaud the tremendously entertaining plot with the quirky and humorous new medical examiner.

Written by a husband and wife team, First Cut is a fictional story of a medical examiner starting a career in a new city (San Francisco) and finding herself in at the deep end, with underworld figures determined to see that what she’s found is never used to bring them to justice. Dr. Jessie Teska is a fascinating and very realistic and relatable character, with her working-class Polish-Boston background, her massive student debts to pay off and her not-terrific taste in men.

Judy Melinek is a real-life medical examiner and brings a wealth of knowledge to the plot, making it feel extremely realistic - far more so than any given episode of CSI, for example, where DNA results come back in a day. The terminology does occasionally get a bit technically dense, not just in medical stuff but sometimes in computer terminology as well as a bitcoin-laundering side plot pops up, but I think it’s actually handled very well, with Jessie demanding her techie brother who she uses as a source break down the computerese for her and Jessie herself explaining her pathology findings to medical students and homicide detectives as a vehicle for the reader to understand.

If you enjoy TV shows like CSI, Silent Witness or Crossing Jordan, I think you’ll really like First Cut. It’s a complex story with plot twists and turns you won’t see coming. If forensic detail and the inner workings of a medical examiner’s office aren’t your thing - you will want a fairly strong stomach as there’s quite a lot of gruesome detail which the main character just takes in her stride - you might want to give this a miss, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to see it as the first of a series about Jessie and the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s office. Five stars.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.

3.5 stars
I read Working Stiff back in 2015 and really enjoyed Dr. Melinek's account of her time as a medical examiner in New York City. So, I was eager to check out this author duo's first foray into fiction, First Cut. For the most part, I enjoyed the book. I really liked the main character, Jessie. She felt authentic to me. She is someone I would love to see in another mystery in the future. I'm not sure if this will be a series or not. I appreciated all of the detail that that author was able to lend to the autopsy scenes. As for the mystery, it was a bit predicable in places. I felt like it was a little convoluted with too many players. But I still had fun reading it. I do recommend picking this one up.

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “First Cut” by Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell, Hanover Square Press, January 7, 2020

Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell have written a thrilling, intriguing, intense and edgy novel. The Genres for this novel are Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, and Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the authors’ present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The authors describe their characters as complex and complicated.

Dr. Jessie Teska is the new medical examiner in San Francisco. Jessie is extremely determined and very stubborn. Also, she tediously takes in every detail. On her autopsy table, she is noticing that an accidental overdose is looking more like a homicide. Her Superiors at her job aren’t supporting her, and want her to close the case.

Jessie has some secrets from her last job and really needs this job, although it is not ideal. When more bodies arrive in the autopsy, and there are similarities, Jessie is more intent on finding the truth. It means fighting her superiors, the police, and facing more threats and danger. Illegal drugs, drug trafficking, big corporations, and murder are on the agenda. I would recommend this chilling thriller for those readers who enjoy suspenseful thrillers.

First Cut by Judy Melinek & T.J. Mitchell is a gritty, fast-paced medical thriller that follows Dr. Jessie Teska, a scrappy medical examiner who has just taken a new job in San Francisco. Jessie doesn’t want to rock the boat since she’s new and because she desperately needs the job, but when one of her very first cases goes from looking like a woman who died from an accidental drug overdose to a straight up murder, Jessie surprisingly finds herself at odds with her supervisor. While Jessie wants to dig deeper to find out what really happened to the young woman, especially after she starts to see connections between her case and a couple of others in the morgue, her supervisor is trying to force her to close the case immediately and sign off on it as an accidental death. Why?

I thought Jessie was such a great character. She’s incredibly competent in her work and very professional, but she’s also one of those complex, messy types that I love so much. I was intrigued by the hints of a troubled past that drove her to leave her home and start over in San Francisco, and I especially loved how stubborn she was and how determined she was to find out what happened to the victim in her case, even if it meant butting heads with her superiors. I loved that when her superiors try to force her to back off, she pushes back even harder because now she wants to know why they want the case closed when there are clearly still more questions than answers. Jessie is the quintessential scrappy little underdog that you can’t help but cheer on in her relentless pursuit of the truth.

In addition to creating such a fantastic protagonist, the authors also craft an utterly gripping plot that takes the reader into the deep underbelly of the drug trafficking world. The writing is raw and real, drawing from author Judy Melinek’s experience working in forensic pathology. The story was also fast-paced and well written, with lots of intricate and seemingly unrelated threads that gradually get woven together as Jessie gets closer and closer to the truth. Just a small word of warning regarding the writing – First Cut does feature some pretty graphic autopsy scenes. While this isn’t surprising, based on the nature of the book, I still wanted to give a head’s up in case some readers get squeamish about blood and other bodily fluids.

If the world of forensic pathology is of interest to you and you like a good twisty thriller, you should add First Cut to your reading list.

First Cut is suitably named, and it goes into some pretty disturbing details about Jessie's job as a medical examiner. Normally, I'm not overly squeamish, but this gave me a little more than I bargained for, and parts of it did bother me. Given Melinek's background, I have no doubt that her attention to detail with this story is accurate, but there are just some things about the world of autopsy that I don't need to know. I think I'm probably not the target audience for this one, but I do recognize the talented writing, and the authors certainly know how to set a scene. The story does have a pretty good pace, and other than those somewhat gruesome details that I mentioned earlier, it held my interest. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a thriller, but it there is good suspense, and the characters, while not all likable, are interesting. In the end, First Cut may be a little more detailed on autopsies than I prefer, but it was worth the read.

Love me a good medical drama!

I've read A TON of police procedurals so it's refreshing to read a medical procedural.

After ten months, thirty-one-year-old Dr. Czeslawa (Jessie) Teska leaves her position as a forensic pathologist in Los Angeles and is hired as an assistant medical examiner in San Francisco. Melinek's expertise as a Board Certified Forensic Pathologist is readily apparent. The author goes into great detail describing how Jessie conducts postmortems and meticulously records the results.

The main character is quirky, smart and a great heroine! I can definitely see this as the start of a series.

Jessie is a highly-qualified professional with a conscience. Her desire to tell it like it is instead of pleasing Chief Medical Examiner Dr. James Howe, brings her into conflict not just with the big boss, but also with her immediate supervisor, Dr. Michael Stone.

Melinek and her husband, Mitchell touch on corruption in the judicial system; financial malfeasance in the corporate world; and Jessie's complicated and disturbing past. There is even a dollop of romance to spice things up a bit. It turns out that relocating to San Francisco might not have been Jessie's smartest move. She lands in deep trouble when her passion for the truth places her career and her life in jeopardy.

CSI, Grey's Anatomy and drug dealing bad gu

I was convinced after reading this book that medical examiners could solve the cases much better than the cops as the dead bodies spoke to them.

And Dr. Jessie Teska was one such doc who could find clues in the minute bruises on the body. And boy, was she a genius. This was the story from the POV of a medical examiner and how dead bodies and murders and examiners were all linked in multiple cases.

My first book by the author duo, I loved reading it. The writing had medical jargon interspersed, and that made my heart sing. The living witnesses could say anything, but the dead never lied. Or did they? Dr. Jessie had quite a complex time with a murder which were linked to her boss's cases. I could understand her dilemma.

This was a lot of action and the good doc was quite proactive with the investigation. Her logical reasoning had me in awe. A little more friendlier way of writing rather than medical way would have made the plot come alive. Nonetheless, the doc in me rejoiced at reading this.

When a book has a certain formula that captures my attention, I get a little giddy; and this one fits the bill. It has a flawed, but relatable, main character, love interests to the left and right of her, several mysteries to solve with villains in abundance, and diverse characters that keep the plot moving along at a rapid, engaging pace.
I am so satisfied that First Cut is one of my first blog reads for 2020. I mean, I could have really picked a dud to start out the year, but instead, I happen upon this gem of a mystery/thriller!

Medical Examiner Dr. Jessie Teska has moved to San Francisco for a new beginning. She takes on a homicide case and finds that it starts connecting to other murders that are coming to the morgue. The more the evidence builds up, Jessie starts suspecting people close to her are involved. Who can she trust?
I loved all the medical information in the book as it did give the reader a close up of what goes on in a medical examiner’s office. It made the story realistic not romantic in the way it portrayed the police and the law as well. I liked that the story didn’t always go the way you thought it would. The characters were well written and I did like how the authors wove them in such a way to keep you glued to the story. I found myself trying to figure how it would all connect in the end. In all, the book was brilliantly written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you to Harlequin, the authors and to NetGalley for an advanced copy to read and review.

After ten months, thirty-one-year-old Dr. Czeslawa (Jessie) Teska leaves her position as a forensic pathologist in Los Angeles and is hired as an assistant medical examiner in San Francisco. Unlike her state-of-the-art workplace in L. A., with its "stainless-steel surgical stations," Jessie's current office is understaffed and poorly equipped. Dr. Judy Melinek's "First Cut," written with her husband, T. J. Mitchell, takes us into the morgue with Jessie and her colleagues. There, Jessie and her fellow experts examine corpses, some of which are grotesquely decomposed, to determine the cause and manner of death. Melinek's expertise as a Board Certified Forensic Pathologist is readily apparent. The author goes into great detail describing how Jessie conducts postmortems and meticulously records the results. In addition, Dr. Teska works hand-in-hand with prosecutors who may, in the future, ask her to testify in court.

Jessie is a highly-qualified professional with a conscience. Her desire to tell it like it is instead of pleasing Chief Medical Examiner Dr. James Howe, brings her into conflict not just with the big boss, but also with her immediate supervisor, Dr. Michael Stone. Among the matters that Jessie looks into are the shooting of a laptop thief; a drug overdose that killed a young woman who had no history of addiction; a teenager who was eviscerated in a hotel room; and a floater whose body was mutilated in an effort to disguise his identity. Melinek and Mitchell touch on corruption in the judicial system; financial malfeasance in the corporate world; and Jessie's complicated and disturbing past. There is even a dollop of romance to spice things up a bit. It turns out that relocating to San Francisco might not have been Jessie's smartest move. She lands in deep trouble when her passion for the truth places her career and her life in jeopardy.

"First Cut" is a serviceable debut that is most interesting when Melinek focuses on the details of analyzing a crime scene and connecting her findings at autopsy to the larger picture of how and why someone died. Jessie's curiosity and refusal to follow orders lead her to surprising discoveries. Can Jessie convince important and influential people to fess up to their misdeeds? Jessie is a smart, tough, and spunky heroine (some fun facts: she lives in a converted cable car and, along with her tech genius brother, Tomasz, is fluent in Polish), but the novel is weakened by its far-fetched, clichéd, and chaotic plot. When Jessie launches her one-woman crusade to punish the guilty and vindicate the innocent, she becomes a human punching bag, both physically and emotionally. Yet, she bounces back quickly and keeps up her crusade to see that justice is done. The writing, although adequate, lacks the depth, nuance, and coherence that might have made "First Cut" a more memorable, plausible, and engrossing thriller.

Jessie is starting a new job in a new city. She is also running from her past. She is hoping this change of scenery helps. But, this too backfires as she finds herself in the middle of murders, drug dealers and other elaborate schemes.

Jessie is doing an autopsy on a young woman. There is just something not right. She can’t quite figure it out. The further she investigates the more hinky (yes that is a word) this death becomes. And boy, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!

This book starts off with a bang. I had a hard time putting it down. But, as the story unfolded, I figured out most of the mystery….bummer. I hate when a story does that to me. I like to be kept guessing till the end. I still enjoyed this novel. It is intriguing and completely captivating.

This tale also has some pretty graphic scenes. So, it might not be for everyone. However, it has a great setting of San Francisco and I thoroughly enjoyed Jessie. She has some hang ups. But she is not dumb! That is a huge plus in my book.

A wild ride if I do say so myself!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

First a thief is killed after stealing a laptop and the laptop is taken back by the shooter. Then a prostitute is killed for the drugs hidden in her digestive system. But when a nurse with no history of drug use is found dead of an overdose, new medical examiner Jessie Teska becomes suspicious. Are these deaths related? The answer is in First Cut, the first fiction book from the Working Stiff writing team.

With a real medical examiner as one of the authors, this book is brutally authentic. I mean that in a good way. In fact, that is my favorite part of the book. Gory, but realistic, details of what happens to humans when they die are fully immersed in this amateur detective procedural. Who knew that animal scavengers eat their human victim’s eyes and lips first. Other details also seem genuine like thieves using a spark plug to break car windows. Another detail is the fact that Jessie and Tommy, her brother, are both deep into Polish culture and I don’t recall any other thrillers that I have read that address that culture. Jessie does have a love interest, or two.

Overall, if you like medical thrillers, you will love First Cut too. I adored the graphic details. If that is not your taste, I would suggest skipping this book. For me, it is definitely worth 4 stars and I’m looking forward to the next in the series!

Thanks to Hanover Square Press, Harlequin Books, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Perfect for fans of procedurals featuring medical examiners! Dr. Jessie Teska and her dog Bea have just moved to San Francisco where she knows no one but, luckily, her brother Tommy, a tech genius. The medical examiner's office is antiquated and understaffed so she's thrown into things right away. Lumpy is shot multiple times while fleeing with a stolen lap top, Graciela is found cut open in a hotel, and Rebecca is the victim of an accidental overdose- or is she. These three cases wind around themselves, along with some interesting characters who float back and forth. Not everyone is who they seem to be but trust, if no one else, Anup the prosecutor. This has terrific details for those who have an interest in what happens when someone dies (some of it is uh, gross) as well as a delightfully twisty mystery. Jessie's a great character- someone I'd like to read more about. Thanks to the publisher of the ARC. This is a real page turner that will keep you on your toes.

FIRST CUT by Judy Melinek & T.J. Mitchell is a medical thriller/mystery that is the start of a new series featuring San Francisco’s newest medical examiner, Dr. Jessica Teska.

Dr. Jessica Teska is hoping for a new start in San Francisco after leaving Los Angeles wondering if she would ever work as a medical examiner again. She is determined to do her best and prove she is worth this second chance.

When a suspected overdose case of a young woman leaves Jessie feeling as though there is something more sinister involved than a simple overdose, she digs deeper. This case leads to questions that tie it to several other murder cases. Even as more connections and questions arise, Jessie is surprised by her superiors’ pushback to close the case as an accident.

As more bodies land in the morgue, Jessie begins to see a web of connections between drug traffickers, bitcoin, and tech start-ups that may somehow tie into a RICO trial of a major criminal in federal court. But will her digging lead to her own body ending up on a slab?

I am so excited to have found a great new series to follow! I thought I had everything figured out, but I was only partially correct and the authors were able to throw me with an unexpected surprise twist. I love when that happens. I also love books that feature medical examiners or CSIs that get into the nitty-gritty and are knowledgeable enough to teach me new and unique ways to detect a murder. I had trouble putting this book down because of the intrigue of learning new things and because of the intricate mystery that tied everything together in the end. Even as the authors gave Jessie’s past in Los Angeles to me a bit at a time and gave Jessie love interests and new friends it never overpowered the mystery plot.

I highly recommend you read First Cut! I am anxiously awaiting more books in this series!

I had such a good time with First Cut. I loved the medical sections and how detailed the descriptions became. This book was gory! It didn’t shy away from making me uncomfortable and I love it for that. The story starts with lots of questions. Who is the suicide victim? Why does the main character act like that? Those questions are not answered until very far into the novel, instead solving lots of tiny mysteries. If you read my review yesterday of Run Away by Harlan Coben you would find that I didn’t particularly like they way all of the mysteries slowly came together, but First Cut did everything right!

The reveals were amazing and I was completely sure who the murderer was for most of the novel until everything blew up and I was completely shocked. I liked the way that the reveal happened and how the conclusion was handled. It felt like a real criminal investigation in that everything took too long and the infrastructure of the medical examiner’s office often got in the way of their work. This novel was just altogether interesting to read and I loved what it was doing.

The only problem that I had with this novel was how obvious it was becoming that one person committed the murder. The ending did turn it on it’s head, but I can envision someone putting this novel down because they believe they predicted the ending not even 10% in. They were pushing to hard on that one person without making everyone else suspicious.

I can’t believe this is the author’s first foray into fiction and I will definitely be picking up their first memoir as well as any other mysteries that they write. There has already been talk of their next novel, Cross Cut, but there is no release date set. I want to thank the publisher, Hanover Square Press, and the authors for giving me a free advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review. Happy Reading!

4.5 stars

I really like books where I learn something. This book telling the story of a new-to-San Francisco medical examiner had plenty of technical details of autopsies which definitely taught me a few things (that I’ll probably never need to know).

The first autopsy in the book is the precursor to Dr Teska’s move to a new job in San Francisco. While she tries to put her past behind her and prove herself in her new department, one of her first autopsies in the new job reminds her a little too much of the past she left behind. Looking at the case gives her more and more reason to question what led to the death.

Due to the close scrutiny of Dr Teska, some of the deaths that seem to be almost accidental soon appear related. The twists and turns of the plot were unpredictable to me. Only with further research outside of the morgue does Dr Teska start proving more and more relationships between decedents and those accused of causing the deaths. Before long even those close to her new life are under suspicion.

I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars and look forward to seeing more of Dr Jessie Teska and her investigations.

A Medical Examiner Connects a Series of Mysterious Deaths

Dr. Jessie Teska is hoping for a fresh start in the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office. She had to leave her job in LA because of personal problems. However, the new job has some drawbacks. The LA facility was gleaming state-of-the-art. The morgue in San Francisco is dingy and understaffed. Still, it’s a job and Jessie wants to make a good impression.

Jessie’s first case takes her to the Tenderloin with her new boss, Dr. Michael Stone. The body of a man has been shot three times while trying to steal a computer. Jessie finds a piece of the computer’s serial number embedded in the man’s tissue. This is the first mysterious death, and it appears to be tied to the next two. Her boss wants the cases closed, but Jessie needs to find out what’s going on, and steps into a complex criminal conspiracy.

This is a gritty medical mystery told from the point of the medical examiner. I like Jessie’s character. She’s smart and in spite of the difficult working and living conditions she wants to succeed in her new job. The background of San Francisco is perfect for the story. The author did a good job describing the setting. It added significantly to the plot.

I enjoyed this book. The mystery is good and the ending satisfying. However, if you’re squeamish about blood, this may not be your book.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Dr. Jessie Teska, a medical examiner, takes a job in San Francisco’s office to get away from a case/situation that rattled her and then some. This fresh start isn’t as clean as she’d like when she’s discouraged from digging deeper into a couple of cases by upper management. Unable to let things go, Jessie forges ahead when her gut urges her to get justice for her victims, putting her in danger as she tries to uncover the truth.

Jessie tackles these two main mysteries, but there are also other cases that come through that she investigates, little mini mysteries that are solved along the way. There’s also a little bit of romance, Jessie’s personal life overlaps with her work life, and I found the mix a compelling and fascinating combination.

I think fans of Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell would enjoy this story. I feel like the story was maybe a little less dramatic. I’m saying that in a positive way since I found all the dramas with Kay and her posse at bit tiresome at times. I think this is more a happy balance of Dr. G (the real-life medical examiner TV show), and Kay Scarpetta; a more clinical, matter-of-fact approach to autopsy. If you enjoy true crime shows, medical examiner mysteries, with a bit of the Dr’s personal life thrown in, then First Cut is for you. I read the authors are working on another Jessie Teska book, and I’m looking forward to it!

First Cut was a solid read. I like the forensic details but I think the story got bogged down with the cryptocurrency aspect. I would have liked Jessie's past in LA to be explored more, but I did like her as a character.