Blood Memory

De: Greg Iles

Narrado por: Joyce Bean

Catherine "Cat" Ferry is a forensic odontologist, a specialist in bite marks and the clues they provide. But while Cat's colleagues know her as a world-class scientist, she secretly attempts to manage her fragile psyche with alcohol, delving into the minds of rapists and murderers yet never allowing her own frightening past to creep into the foreground.

Cat's latest case involves a disturbing murder in New Orleans. Banishing her personal demons, she focuses on the potential killer, until one morning she's paralyzed by a panic attack at a grisly murder scene. Praying the attack is a onetime event, she continues her job as a consultant to the New Orleans Police Department, but when another victim dies in the same shocking way - raising fears that a serial killer is at large - Cat blacks out over the victim's mutilated corpse.

Suspended from the FBI task force, plagued by nightmares, and at odds with her married lover - a homicide detective - Cat finally reaches her breaking point. In a desperate effort to regain control over a life spiraling out of control, Cat retreats to her hometown of Natchez, Mississippi. But her family's secluded antebellum estate provides no sanctuary.

When some of Cat's forensic chemicals are spilled in her childhood bedroom, two bloody footprints are revealed. This sight shocks her more than any corpse she has seen in her career. Cat's father was murdered when she was eight years old, but she always believed the crime occurred in the garden outside their home. The bloody footprints suggest otherwise.

Driven by this fragment of her past, Cat attempts a forensic reconstruction of the decades-old crime, even as developments with the New Orleans task force pull her back into the case she left behind.

©2005 Greg Iles (P)2005 Brilliance Audio

So enthralled in story I left my car running!

I got so involved in listening to this book I got out of my car while listening and went off and left it running! I loved this book. Cat is a flawed woman who many of us will relate to. Though she lives with issues that could be crippling to some (alcoholic and bi-polar) she has incredible strength to live her life intelligently and with courage. Though the story line is a nail-biter the real lesson for me was that if we can honestly evaluate our own condition and fully understand how it affects our emotional responses and our situational reactions we can function in a positive and at times heroic way. One of the previous reviewers was critical of the reader, and I couldn't disagree more. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the reading of it.

Wonderful story!

Narrator's accent was HORRIBLE at times, and even worse when she was reading as the black characters. The story was so good, though, I ignored it and kept listening. There were times when I was literally wide eyed or cringing from what these characters were up to... I think one time I actually yelped a bit...lol great story.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

The presentation was great... The Storyline was believable! Kept me interested through to the end!

Wow!

The narrator brought this story to life! She was awesome. Great story and very well thought out.

Story somewhat predictable, but still a good listen

If you've read anything involving child abuse, some of the plot will be predictable, but the story is good and the reader is excellent.

Mostly about child abuse

If child abuse and rape is a sensitive subject for you, then skip this book. The story line was interesting enough (I like murder mysteries). But the child abuse is talked about quite extensively and really turned my stomach.

Difficult subject matter

Applaud Iles for tackling this subject but was hard to like any of the characters
The over the top southern accent of the reader was also annoying

Suspenseful

Most of the book can't be wondering who did it. Tomorrow would see and you could figure out who was the guilty party. Very well read You interested in listening

Down home southern entertainment

If you could sum up Blood Memory in three words, what would they be?

Lies, all lies.

What did you like best about this story?

The ending

Which character – as performed by Joyce Bean – was your favorite?

The maid

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

no clue

Any additional comments?

I had forgotten that I read this long ago, but it had a different life with the narration having a southern accent

Griping

This was performed wonderfully. Difficult subject matter however very important matter. Along with being suspenseful it was tastefully done.