Molten mud murder

In Johnson's promising, if flawed, debut, American Alexa Glock, who specializes in odontology, has just finished a fellowship at Auckland University --"teeth were what had brought her to New Zealand''--and wants to stay in the country she now loves. When a body is found half submerged in a thermal mud pool where temperatures can reach above 200 °C, Alexa hopes to help the police. She instinctively knows that teeth will be the best way to identify the remains and gains a spot on the team led by Det. Insp. Bruce Horne, who eventually realizes Alexa's knowledge is invaluable. The dead man turns out to be Paul Koppel, a realtor and councilman whose policies and development plans were at odds with the Maori, for whom "boiling the head of an enemy is the ultimate revenge." Koppel may also have trespassed on their sacred land. Johnson provides a fascinating view of New Zealand and insights into the Maori culture, but her characters, especially the underdeveloped Alexa, are still a work in progress. That said, armchair travelers will have fun. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary. (Sept.)

American Alexa Glock is a forensics expert who finished a job in Auckland, New Zealand, and hopes to find a temporary job to extend her work permit. When she learns about an unidentified man whose body was found in the mud pits in Rotorua, she offers to help the local police force. Alexa is trained in odontology, the study of teeth, which might help since the man's head was boiled in the mud. As the police investigate the victim, it's clear he violated the sacred lands of the Maori, a large population on the island. Many think he deserved to die for stepping on a sacred island without permission. Forewarned, Alexa is sent to the island to investigate. When her lab assistant is attacked and a Maori man is murdered, she and the investigating team try to determine whether the Maori are responsible or someone is trying to frame them. VERDICT There's a strong sense of place, history, and Maori culture in this compelling debut novel. The mystery combines forensic investigation with the rich details of a fascinating culture. Fans of Kathy Reichs's mysteries will appreciate the forensics, while Jane Harper's readers will enjoy the rich culture.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Cultures collide as a headstrong forensic odontologist from North Carolina investigates dental remains hidden on Maori land in New Zealand.Even though she's only visiting the little town of Rotorua to pay her respects at the funeral of a friend, Alexa Glock ("like the gun") can't help but stop by the Waiariki Thermal Land of Enchantment to check out the body she hears was found in the mud there. Venturing behind the police line doesn't endear her to the small-town investigators on the scene, but Alexa knows she brings something special to the case. Her field is forensic odontology, and her expertise in teeth may enable her to identify the remainsat least, that's the case she makes to the initially standoffish DI Bruce Horne. Reluctant to hire a stranger who's essentially assigned herself to the case, Bruce agrees to let Alexa join the investigation already underway in his small department because he has no other good options. But Alexa isn't satisfied with taking orders. Not only does she constantly direct suspicion and critique toward her new colleagues; she does whatever she feels might help, whether or not she runs it by the brass first. In a town like Rotorua, whose largely Maori population shares a culture a tad different from hers, Alexa's headstrong tactics are more successful in endangering the team than in getting answers. When lab tech Jenny, the team member most sympathetic to Alexa's strategies, is attacked in the police station, Alexa feels even more justified in poking around among the Maori people and their artifacts, to the consternation of Bruce, who'd evidently hoped he could develop at least a friendship with Alexa, and maybe more.Johnson's debut heroine is as hard as the bones she investigates to get a sense of. Her unsatisfying backstory, coupled with a potential romance that fades in and out, makes her hard to root for. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

American Alexa Glock is a forensics expert who finished a job in Auckland, New Zealand, and hopes to find a temporary job to extend her work permit. When she learns about an unidentified man whose body was found in the mud pits in Rotorua, she offers to help the local police force. Alexa is trained in odontology, the study of teeth, which might help since the man's head was boiled in the mud. As the police investigate the victim, it's clear he violated the sacred lands of the Maori, a large population on the island. Many think he deserved to die for stepping on a sacred island without permission. Forewarned, Alexa is sent to the island to investigate. When her lab assistant is attacked and a Maori man is murdered, she and the investigating team try to determine whether the Maori are responsible or someone is trying to frame them. VERDICT There's a strong sense of place, history, and Maori culture in this compelling debut novel. The mystery combines forensic investigation with the rich details of a fascinating culture. Fans of Kathy Reichs's mysteries will appreciate the forensics, while Jane Harper's readers will enjoy the rich culture.—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

In Johnson's promising, if flawed, debut, American Alexa Glock, who specializes in odontology, has just finished a fellowship at Auckland University —"teeth were what had brought her to New Zealand''—and wants to stay in the country she now loves. When a body is found half submerged in a thermal mud pool where temperatures can reach above 200 °C, Alexa hopes to help the police. She instinctively knows that teeth will be the best way to identify the remains and gains a spot on the team led by Det. Insp. Bruce Horne, who eventually realizes Alexa's knowledge is invaluable. The dead man turns out to be Paul Koppel, a realtor and councilman whose policies and development plans were at odds with the Maori, for whom "boiling the head of an enemy is the ultimate revenge." Koppel may also have trespassed on their sacred land. Johnson provides a fascinating view of New Zealand and insights into the Maori culture, but her characters, especially the underdeveloped Alexa, are still a work in progress. That said, armchair travelers will have fun. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary. (Sept.)