Aftershock (A Dr. Jessie Teska Mystery)

by Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Aftershock in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks