The Body Reader (Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries #1)

STORY (mystery suspense) – Jude Fontaine is a broken woman, having spent the past three years of her life as a hostage in a tiny basement. The story begins as she is in her final days of captivity and as she makes her break to freedom. But Jude is never free. She carries her years of torture at the hands of her captor with her as she tries to return to her previous life as a Minneapolis detective. She had become tough as nails in order to endure her captivity, and she gained a heightened sense of awareness of her surroundings and those around her. Smells, body language, facial nuances…all now in her bag of tricks as she and her new partner, Uriah, begin investigating the murders of several young girls. The cover art and name of the book seem to impart almost a paranormal quality to The Body Reader, but that is not the case. The book is actually just your normal police procedural with a sprinkling of Jude\’s newfound ability to notice details. I enjoyed the book a lot. Jude is an interesting main character, and you will root for her as she tries to fight her personal demons and do her investigations. You will hear about her ordeal in the basement — and it\’s horrible — but thankfully it is treated quickly in the beginning of the book and then is just brief flashbacks later on. I found the book to be fast-paced and interesting, with a satisfactory ending. PERFORMANCE – Good job, nothing particularly remarkable however. OVERALL – This book has no actual sex acts, but there is mention of past rape and the F-word occurs a couple times. There are multiple murders, one including mutilation, and the above-mentioned description of Jude\’s torture. I would recommend The Body Reader equally for men and women. I tend to be overly sensitive and don\’t like a lot of violence in my stories, but this book remained within my personal comfort zone.

I usually gobble up stories where the hero/heroine overcomes great odds and catches the bad guys. The premise that the Detective developed this great skill set of being able to read hidden facts in others minute expressions, and minuscule clues on dead bodies was a real draw. So, why didn\’t I love this story? Hmmm, hard to pin it down, but I think I became TOO identified with main character. I was constantly stressed, frightened and upset. Plus I knew who the ultimate bad guy was from early on. I have zero interest in rereading this story. Should there be a sequle or a series I might be tempted as the bad stuff would be being investigated, not relived by the protagonist for the entire work. Not a restful or happy read.

I was unfamiliar with this author, but will be on the lookout for her in the future. Superior use of words to create a textured, detailed story that is both gripping and darkly horrifying. The narrator\’s voice was a perfect compliment to the story and her delivery was smooth and nuanced. I rarely find a book to rave about, so this was an unexpected pleasure.

The Body Reader is a very, very dark story. Audible classifies it as a police procedural, and in a way it is. It also has strong elements of a psychological thriller. It is…interesting if not especially enjoyable. The novel certainly kept me interested until the end. Emily Sutton-Smith does a nice job of narrating a difficult story.

Fantastic audio. The narrator did an excellent job and the story line was one of the best I\’ve listened to. It was creepy and the mystery was surprising. I loved Jude and uriah! I\’m not into \”series\” books, but I must say I hope there is more to come from this duo!!

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