After his grandfather dies, avid scholar and budding forensic investigator Cí Song begrudgingly gives up his studies to help his family. But when another tragedy strikes, he’s forced to run and also deemed a fugitive. Dishonored, he has no choice but to accept work as a lowly gravedigger, a position that allows him to sharpen his corpse-reading skills. Soon, he can deduce whether a person killed himself—or was murdered. His prowess earns him notoriety, and Cí receives orders to unearth the perpetrator of a horrific series of mutilations and deaths at the Imperial Court. Cí’s gruesome investigation quickly grows complicated thanks to old loyalties and the presence of an alluring, enigmatic woman. But he remains driven by his passion for truth—especially once the killings threaten to take down the Emperor himself. Inspired by Song Cí, considered to be the founding father of CSI-style forensic science, this harrowing novel set during the thirteenth-century Tsong Dynasty draws readers into a multilayered, ingenious plot as disturbing as it is fascinating. The Corpse Reader received the Zaragoza International Prize for best historical novel published in Spain (Premio Internacional de Novela Histórica Ciudad de Zaragoza). Antonio’s previous novel, La Escriba, was published in 2008.
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“An engrossing mystery…this Chinese version of Sherlock Holmes is a captivating figure and the period he lives in is one we know relatively little about. You’ll come away with a much better understanding of Chinese history, plus having read a very entertaining suspense story.” —ILoveaMysteryNewsletter.Com “A refreshing break from the urban-noir fetish that is so common in conventional thrillers and crime books. It’s a great novel to add to a summer reading list.” —ArsTechnica.Com “Antonio Garrido’s The Corpse Reader deserves to be called epic. It also deserves a space on the list of great adventure novels right next to Jerzy Kosinki’s The Painted Bird and Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.“ —HorrorTalk.Com “Garrido has created well-developed and three-dimensional characters amongst the exotic backdrop of medieval China…I enjoyed The Corpse Reader and would recommend it to fans of forensic science dramas.” —Surrounded by Books “A dynamic, thought-provoking historical suspense with a diverse plot and stunning characterization…I was engaged in the story from the first page and could not put it down.” —FreshFiction.Com “This historical thriller is drawing comparisons to The Hangman’s Daughter for its absorbing details of another time and received the Zaragoza International Prize for best historical novel published in Spain in 2012.” —Historical Boys “This novel is exceptional in so many different ways... If you are into forensic sciences, this is a must read... History buffs...Also a must-read for those who enjoy a good forensic science suspense thriller, this will easily fulfill your interests. Highly Recommended!” —Book Reader’s Heaven “If you’d like to know more about what life in China was really like during the Song Dynasty, if you find forensics interesting…then you should check out The Corpse Reader.” —GeekSmash.Com
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781612184364
Publisert
2013-05-28
Utgiver
Vendor
AmazonCrossing
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
494

Forfatter
Oversetter

Om bidragsyterne

A native of Spain, a former educator, and industrial engineer, Antonio Garrido has received acclaim for the darkly compelling storytelling and nuanced historical details that shape his novel The Corpse Reader. This fictionalized account of the early life of Song Cí, the Chinese founding father of forensic science, represents the author’s years of research into cultural, social, legal, and political aspects of life in the Tsong Dynasty, as well as his extensive study of Song Cí’s own five-volume treatise on forensics. In 2012, The Corpse Reader received the Zaragoza International Prize for best historical novel published in Spain (Premio Internacional de Novela Histórica Ciudad de Zaragoza). Antonio’s previous novel, La Escriba, was published in 2008. Garrido currently resides in Valencia, Spain.