The Scent of Death

Book excerpt: ‘Masterful storytelling and macabre forensic details make his novels utterly chilling reads’ TESS GERRITSEN Once a busy hospital, St Jude’s now stands derelict, awaiting demolition. When a partially mummified corpse is found in the building’s cavernous loft, forensics expert Dr David Hunter is called in to take a look. He can’t say how long the body’s been there, but he is certain it’s that of a young woman. And that she was pregnant. Then part of the attic floor collapses, revealing another of the hospital’s secrets: a bricked-up chamber with beds inside. And some of them are still occupied. For Hunter, what began as a straightforward case is about to become a twisted nightmare. And it soon becomes clear that St Jude’s hasn’t claimed its last victim . . . Chilling, visceral and masterfully paced, Simon Beckett’s new crime thriller will leave you gasping.