Thief of Hearts by Christopher Golden

Thief of Hearts by Christopher Golden broke my heart the first time I read it. And the second. And the third. Why? Oh, I can't tell you why. That would spoil it for you, and I want you to read this book. Or maybe I can tell you something: Christopher Golden knows how to create characters that readers will care about, and he isn't afraid to make them a little tattered and torn. What happens to Jenna Blake in this novel changes her. Forever. This is the second book in my favorite series of contemporary medical thrillers. Known collectively as Body of Evidence, these fast-paced medical mysteries are detailed and delightful, inventive and intelligent. The stories of the murder victims are handled with care, and autopsy scenes are intriguing, not gruesome. Plot twists may shock you, but this isn't a gore fest with nameless people being picked off simply for shock value. Life is valued, and Jenna's quest to seek justice for the victims is commendable. ...and now it's available as an e-Book! Get Thief of Hearts from Amazon.com Get Thief of Hearts from Amazon.co.uk

As I wrote in an earlier post, I highly recommend this series. Both adults and teenagers will discover plenty to relate to and enjoy in this line. Readers will find Jenna visiting crime scenes and autopsy rooms nearly as often as she's in her dorm. Her relatives, friends, and studies factor into the books just as much as serial killers and detectives. There's just as much here for a fifty-year-old as for a fifteen-year-old. Throughout the series, Christopher Golden - and, later, collaborator Rick Hautala - created characters who are believable but anything but cookie-cutter. They are all adults, though some are younger than others. Some are parents, some are students, some are detectives, some are doctors, but all are vital to the progress of the stories and of each other. Instead of being full of teen angst or taking on the obvious issue of the week/episode/book, the younger characters are simply dealing with life and getting through things both one day at a time and one leap at a time.

The quality of the first book, Body Bags, is above and beyond most suspense novels - and it continues throughout the series, versus other series which lose the momentum after a few books, or series in which the books become carbon copies. If you enjoy medical thrillers with great characters, especially if you watch(ed) television series such as CSI or Profiler, or read or watch Rizzoli & Isles, then you need to read these books right now. You won't be sorry.

Get all of the Body of Evidence books available for Kindle:

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Here's the official book flap summary:

"Why would anyone want to tear out someone's heart..."

That's the very real question facing college freshman Jenna Blake, and it has nothing to do with romance and heartbreak. A second grisly murder-mystery is unfolding at Somerset University, and her job as a pathology assistant at the local hospital brings Jenna too close to the haunting crimes.

Everyone has a theory on the nature of the killings, including Jenna's older half-brother, Pierce Logan, who's new in town and has some odd ideas about why someone would want to steal a human heart.

Meanwhile, Jenna is working on her own heart, and starting to realize she's not as "guy-blind" as she thought, when she meets a fascinating older man.

But there's little time for dating when the Thief of Hearts declares Somerset the perfect hunting ground -- and someone very close to Jenna is the prey.

Read an except of Thief of Hearts by Christopher Golden. (Scroll down!)

Related posts at Bildungsroman:
Body Bags by Christopher Golden
Radar Recommendations: The Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden and Rick Hautala
Where to Start: Reading Christopher Golden
Soul Survivor by Christopher Golden