Jessie Teska is a medical examiner called to the scene of what appears to be a construction accident. Besides being very good at her job, she tends to go above and beyond in finding out whodunnit and why. The police are ready to move on from this 'accident', but Jessie's autopsy proves it was murder.
As she is conducting the autopsy, the gruesome reality of this job takes center stage, but somehow, some dark humor comes through too. This particular incident occurs early in Aftershock, and this is when the story first really grabbed my attention. The air conditioning isn't working and the HVAC technician who arrives( in the middle of the autopsy) to fix it, let me know that this was going to be both a dark and a light read( if that makes sense).
This isn't going to be an open and shut case, however, as a natural disaster, an injury to Jessie, quite a few potential suspects, and more than one red herring got in the way. Jesse is a great character and even though I didn't think I could find humor in a medical examiner's job, I managed to laugh more than a few times.
I didn't realize Aftershock was the second book in the series, but I had no problem reading this as a stand-alone. If you like police procedurals with a twist, a smart and tenacious main character, and an engaging mystery, this might be a book you would enjoy.

This was the second book in this series but the first one I have ever read by this author. I am looking forward to reading many more books by this author. I do not believe that you have to read the first book in the series to enjoy this one but if it is as good as this one I think you will want to read it. I love Jessie and the people she works with. This story had some thrills and I enjoy medical novels also. I received a copy of this book from Harlequin for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Aftershock was my introduction to the writing duo of Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell. I accepted this book for two reasons:

It was a mystery

It featured a medical examiner.

This is the second book in Dr. Jesse Teska series. I did not read the first book, however I had zero issues with following this installment. The story began with the discovery of a body of a famous architect on a construction site. On the surface it appears it appears to be an accident, however the evidence tells a different and very complex story. In the middle of the investigation an earthquake struck, delaying the investigation. The story featured many suspects, and I spent most of the story trying to figure out the identity of the murderer and the motive for the murder. The As the story progressed, I had a feeling as to the villain’s identity, but what I wasn’t sure was why and how. I went into the story expecting a fast-paced read, instead I received a slow burn mystery. Despite this, I had a good time with the story. It had me eagerly turning the pages.

The narrative provided an inside look into the complex, and intricate procedures involved in undertaking an autopsy. The reader also had the chance to see how the contamination evidence can lead to an outcome that has the potential to destroy lives.

The story provided an inside look into Jesse’s personal life. Strong, determined and smart, her job played a major role in her life. She would risk life and limb for it to the dismay of her significant other. I was not a big fan of his. He made it seem as if his job was more important. His actions near the end wreaked of cowardliness and it revealed his dishonesty. Jesse was no saint, though. She too made her share of mistakes in the relationship.

Overall, an interesting story which fans of medical mysteries/thriller would enjoy.

The story of Medical Examiner Jessie Teska was highly entertaining as well as somewhat educational as far as autopsies go. Jessie is not your run-of-the-mill ME since she gets very involved with following clues and trying to discover the truth about homicide cases on her own. I was thoroughly entertained and hooked when I read the scene about the medical examiners working in sweltering heat with all of their PPE on. I almost cheered aloud when the HVAC guy named Denis actually got the air conditioning working again. That’s how invested I was in the story. The characters were realistic and the plot was believable and just twisted enough that I was not able to guess who the bad guy was. Lots of red herrings in this story who were built into the natural progression of the story very well. Although I did not read the first book in this series, I was able to follow along with the action and characterization well, especially enjoying cultural issues like Jessie celebrating Diwali with Anup’s family. With plenty of action, a plethora of clues and twists and realistic details with humor built in, this book was totally enjoyable. I highly recommend it for those who enjoy books about forensic science, police procedurals and good old-fashioned suspense and mystery. I will definitely look for the next book in the series!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Jessie Teska is back, and to be honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to continue with this series or not. The first book was a bit more detailed in the morgue than I cared for, and I was leaning toward this just not being the series for me. I finally decided that I liked the character enough to give it another shot. This one follows in the same suit as the first, but I was ready for it this time, so it didn't bother me as much. It's still safe to say that this is not a book to read while having a snack, but it is an interesting procedural. Jessie is a likable character, and it's easy to get caught up in her investigation. The story is a slow build with a steadily rising tension, and it's easy to see just how talented these authors are. The flow and pacing work well for the story and while it may be more graphic than I prefer, it's still a book I'd recommend.

AFTERSHOCK (Dr. Jessie Teska Mystery Book #2) by Judy Melinek & T.J. Mitchell is a thrilling second book in this mystery series. I love that the intelligent and persistent Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jessie Teska can never stop questioning with just the autopsy. Even though this is the second book in the series it can easily be read as a standalone.

Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jessie Teska gets an early morning call for a dead body that appears to be the result of a terrible construction accident. The deceased is a famous architect who appears daily on the construction site and causes problems with the workers. On further inspection at the construction site and at autopsy, Dr. Jessie Teska discovers the accident is a cover-up for a murder.

As Jessie investigates, an earthquake rocks San Francisco and derails her investigation. When she is able to look into the murder once again, an innocent man is being framed. Will Jessie be able to unearth the truth before she becomes another construction site casualty?

I love this series and protagonist! The authors bring you into medical examiners autopsy rooms and lives with writing that brings them to life on the page. Jessie is an intelligent, determined and dogged seeker of truth with a messy personal life that I love to follow and cheer on. The plot of this book throws plenty of twists and red herrings at the reader which keeps the pages turning. While I suspected the guilty individual, it was the “How” that kept me guessing. This is an excellent addition to this mystery series and I am looking forward to many more.

I highly recommend this mystery, protagonist and authors!

It took me a little longer than I thought to get into this book but once I did, I was very intrigued by the mystery. Even though I wanted things to move a bit faster, I really enjoyed this book.

Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell are back for the second novel in the Dr. Jessi Teska Mystery series – Aftershock.

Dr. Jessi Teska is no stranger to mysteries. It's all part of the job for her. But when an earthquake hits part of San Francisco, even she isn't fully prepared for what she will see. Or the mysteries that will rise up with the event.

Unsurprisingly, a body has been discovered. At a glance, this would appear to have been an accident. After all, construction sites plus earthquakes usually don't spell out good things. Yet any professional could quickly see how very wrong this initial assessment is.

“Where's all the blood from that crush injury? There's drag marks and damage to the clothing to match.”

Aftershock was a tense and thrilling read – exactly what the description promised it would be! Jessi's investigation is the sort that immediately pulls the reader into the mystery, and doesn't leave them disappointed by the conclusion.

Confession time: I actually didn't read First Cut before diving into this read. Still, I had no trouble following along, proving that this is a highly approachable sequel in this series. Personally, I love it when mystery series do that. Now new fans can be found at any point along the way.

Dr. Jessi Teska is a forensic pathologist – which I actually adore. She makes for a great and fairly unique perspective on the whole procedural crime circuit. Honestly, I almost want to say that we need more like this!

Anyway, moving on. Jessi makes for a perfect protagonist. She's smart (obviously), driven, determined, and no afraid to chase after what she considers to be important. Such as solving a series of murders.

If you like slow-burning mysteries with strong crime procedural elements, then this is the book for you. Aftershock has all of that, and more.

When I was given an option to review an arc of Aftershock by Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell I read the synopsis and was quite excited for it. I think in the future I need to pay more attention because if I knew this was a procedural mystery I might have passed.

Unfortunately there was more about this book that I disliked than I enjoyed. While it was well written and the story read smoothly, the most interesting parts to me where the times spent in the actual morgue. That's all I have for you in the positive column.

I don't know if it's because I didn't read the first book, therefore I had no former attachment to Dr. Jessie Teska but she was a very disappointing lead. She was completely work focused and when it came to her personal life I found her selfish and unlikable. Something happens around the 60% mark that made me want to smack her. She handles her romantic relationship immaturely and makes excuses for her own behavior. Whether or not her personal relationship partner was a good match or not didn't excuse her actions.

Onto the main plot line of the story, the mystery aspect. I guess I never fully understood why, as the medical examiner, she was so involved in the investigation process. Besides that I found the mystery of 'who dunnit' underwhelming. When Jessie figures it all out, my reaction was an eye roll.

In the end, Aftershock just was not the book for me.

My thoughts
Rating: 4
Series:Dr. Jessie Teska Mystery #2
Would I recommend it? Yes
Would I read more of this series? Yes, in fact I've already read both books 1 and this one.
Would I read more by these authors? Yes
First off I want to say huge thank you to the publisher Hanover Square Press-HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada), the authors Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell , and to NetGalley for inviting me to join the blog tour for this book as well as letting me read and review it.And now on to what I thought of it , I was so happy when I saw the invite to not only join the blog tour but to read and review that I had to say yes because I read the first book First Cut and loved it and I know that I was ether going to love this one or just enjoy it and it didn't let me don't , right from the start I was hooked and just like the first book one I got lost in the story. It had me smiling and laughing at times, and had me setting on the edge of my set,

Aftershock by Judy Melinek and TJ Mitchell is the 2nd book in their Jessie Teska series. I did not read the first book in this series, but it did read well as a standalone. Aftershock begins with Medical Examiner Jessie Teska, our heroine, called in the middle of the night to investigate a dead body at a construction site. The body lies under pipes that had dropped from a collapsed beam. Everyone assumes it was an accident, but Jessie notices signs of the body having been dragged, no blood on site, and other small things which dictated that this was staged. The police give her a hard time, as they prefer this being an accident, but Jessie is determined to prove this was murder.

There is also a romantic element to the story, as Jessie is in a relationship with someone, who resents all the time she spends trying to solve every case. I really didn’t care too much for her boyfriend, especially since he refused her to meet his family. This is part of the overall story, but in the background to the true storyline.
When an earthquake, hits Jessie suffers a head injury, but she pushes to get released, as she needs to examine the victim, as well as the other normal deaths that come in during the earthquake. Jessie is a workaholic and when the detectives arrest one of men at the construction site, Jessie keeps investigating, as she feels this person is being framed. Along the way, she does alienate some people, as per her discoveries that causes the police to be negative, as well as her boyfriend walking out. But Jessie proves herself to be a great medical examiner, as well as her own detective work.

What follows is an exciting story, though I will note that I thought Jessie’s continual determination to prove who was the real culprit put her life in danger a few times, especially with her injuries. It did not feel realistic. The ending was a wild climax, holding my breath if Jessie would survive. It was sort of a surprise as to who, how and why?

Aftershock was a good mystery, and Jessie Teska was very good as the heroine, though I thought some things she continued to do border lined on believability. The story had covered a lot of areas, earthquake, murder, dysfunctional family, police/DA issues and intense situations. Overall, Aftershock was well written by Judy Melinek and TJ Mitchell

Aftershock is a suspenseful new novel in the Jessie Teska mystery series by Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell.

The novel's suspense is developed so brilliantly that I couldn't put the book down even when I had other things I needed to do. It kept me gripped in its pages, waiting to see what would happen next. The story's earthquake was fitting for the setting and added another level of intrigue and suspense that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Jessie Teska is an independent, driven woman who grapples with the many scars' consequences from her childhood. She doesn't care if other people like her, only that she gives her job her all. Unfortunately, that attitude, along with her abruptness and disregard for her choices' possible consequences, made her a character that I found unsympathetic and unable to connect to on any level. She is well-developed on a technical level, but I could not find a connection that I could hold on to that would make me enjoy following her from one mystery to another.

The mystery of who murdered a famous architect comes to an expected conclusion, which surprised me since I wasn't even trying to figure out who did it. There are red herrings and misdirections, but there was just something about the murderer that was like a neon arrow pointing to that character. This did not detract from the suspense, however, so it did not impact my reading experience.

What did impact my reading experience is the social issue presented as a significant theme in the novel. (I think explaining what the theme is could be seen as a spoiler so that I won't name it.) Many aspects of the theme worked well with the story from all angles presented, but the ending stretched my suspended disbelief to where it snapped, and reality came crashing its way into the story. Unfortunately, this reaction made my enjoyment of the story not as great as I expected going into it.

Would I try another book in the series? I would because there are many great qualities to this mystery, but this particular story didn't hold me past the book's closing.

The second in a series and while each book had a mystery contained there was major character development from book to book, so I suggest going back to book one and starting there!

Jessie Teska is a deputy chief medical examiner in San Francisco and she is on a construction site where a dead body may not be what it may seem - still dead, just maybe not a construction accident. While she is just the medical examiner, Teska doesn't have much faith in the detectives to do the real digging, so she goes and does her own and then an earthquake happens!

I loved this book and am hoping for many more in this series. I find it so unique to see an investigation through the ME's perspective because of the clues she receives from reviewing the dead body and although she isn't really supposed to be investigating, she also feels like a naive investigator who shouldn't be pursuing the truth.

The final outcome of this book was satisfying, but I am really hoping for more books from Teska's point of view!

I’m always looking for a new procedural series to start and I love the idea of the MC being a forensic pathologist.

I really liked Jessie. She’s smart and headstrong and devoted to finding the story for each body. I will say that at times, her inner monologue was really dry, but I chalked that up to her line of work. There are several other characters here, but this is firmly Jessie’s narrative.

Plot wise it was good. The build up was slow and tangled and I enjoyed reading it unravel, even though I figured it out right away. The tension wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be and the main conflict scene was started and resolved in a couple of pages; however I did want to know how it ended.

Overall, it was an interesting story that kept me entertained and I’ll definitely be looking for other books in this series.

**Huge thanks to Hanover for providing the arc free of charge**

Unique and twisty!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This writing duo has managed to tie up medical mystery and crime in a big fat bow. Because we are given a front-row look at the life of a medical examiner, we get to witness the digging and diving this examiner goes to in order to get her man.

Diving into the mystery of how and why someone died takes a big turn when Jessie is on the case. Instead of working side by side with the detectives, she works on her own, which can cause issues for many especially if she is looking for you.

The authors give us a unique look at the life of a medical examiner with clarity, intrigue, and all of the grit and gore you can think of. They keep nothing back and we are subject to vivid detail of patients that land on Jessie’s table.

The story is a twisty tale that takes us through San Francisco and into construction zones, earthquakes, hospital settings, and even into the personal life of Jessie as she tracks the killer. Jessie is a strong personality and we witness her downfalls and disappointments but celebrate her wins too.

This book offers plenty of ups and downs with just the right amount of suspense and edge of your seat action, especially at the end as we reach the climax.

Entertaining, captivating, and intense choice for those that love medical mystery. Just be aware the realism of the job is on display.

Title: Aftershock
Author: Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5

There’s a body crushed under a load of pipes on a San Francisco construction site, and medical examiner Dr. Jessie Teska is on call. So it’s her job to figure out who it is—and her headache when the autopsy reveals that the death is a homicide staged as an accident.

Jessie is hot on the murderer’s trail, then an earthquake sends her and her whole city reeling. When the dust clears, her case has fallen apart and an innocent man is being framed. Jessie knows she’s the only one who can prove it, and she races to piece together the truth—before it gets buried and brings her down in the rubble.

I enjoyed this second entry into the Dr. Jessie Teska Mystery series, although I have to say, for a smart person, Jessie does some really stupid stuff. Although I don’t understand some of her choices, she’s a vivid character and one I enjoy reading. There are a lot of quirky things that make this series unique and enjoyable, from where Jessie lives to her background and family. This is a solid mystery read.

Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell are New York Times bestselling authors. Aftershock is their newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 1/15.)

This is a very cool series, and this second book was every bit as entertaining as the first. I must confess, I had forgotten some of the details of the interpersonal relationships, but I very quickly fell right back into the rhythm of Jesse Teska's world. She is a delightful protagonist - blunt and curious and committed heart and soul to her beliefs - and if her escapades often require a hearty suspension of disbelief to accept as the choices of an otherwise very smart woman, it's a suspension I willingly make book after book. The action in this one is literally thick on the ground, with an earthquake striking San Francisco in the middle of a mysterious workplace accident cum murder investigation. Overlaid on top of the action and mystery is a series of interpersonal developments that made for very interesting character development. This is a well-written, well-paced, well plotted series that I find deliciously gruesome in it's detailed death investigations and heartily entertaining in everything else!

This is the second book in the Dr. Jessie Teska Mysteries. I didn't read the first but felt the authors did a good job catching me up with pertinent details. A San Francisco medical examiner, Dr. Jessie has her hands full when crime details on her newest case don't match up with the evidence. An earthquake throws a wrench into things and then her latest romantic interest seems to be losing interest in her! I liked this novel but didn't love it. For me, it suffered from pacing and perhaps too many plot directions. Too much for me but I'm not a hardcore procedural reader. Would I give the next book in the series a try? Sure. I enjoyed the offbeat character we have in Dr. Jessie. She has an interesting background and I like her unwillingness to suffer fools. I want to see where it all takes her.

this was a great mystery novel, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the story. I thought it was really well written.

This is one of those stories that splits you down the middle. On the one hand I applaud the effort on the other I shake my head and wonder. While the plot itself is decent the presentation was muddled. She isn't totally unlikeable but what's up with the polish speckled throughout the book?? It really doesn't add to the story unless it's just to muddle it more. While she comes off as dedicated to her work her past and her curt attitude seem to cause her more problems and puts her in bad situations that could be avoided. Did I like it yeah but it could have easily been so much better and smoother. Will I read these authors again yes because when they get it right it will be off the hook. I think the right editor will help these two merge better and therefor create a more cohesive story with a smoother flow.