Molten Mud Murder

by Sara E. Johnson

Overview

First book in the Alexa Glock Mystery series! For a normal tourist, finding a body in a geothermal pool in New Zealand might ruin a vacation. Forensic specialist Alexa Glock, however, sees a chance to help local law enforcement with a baffling case. But as she finds herself embroiled in the tense investigation, she can't help but wonder: is the past better left undisturbed, or unearthed?

These thrilling New Zealand mysteries are:

• Perfect for fans of Kathy Reichs and Nevada Barr
• For readers of international mysteries and forensic investigation mysteries

When a body is found half-submerged in a molten mud pot in one of Rotorua's famous geothermal wonderlands, forensics expert Alexa Glock spots a way to prolong her stay in New Zealand, which she has been visiting for work. Teeth are her expertise, and the investigation needs her help, as other ways of identifying the body may have... melted away.

Joining Detective Inspector Bruce Horne and his team, Alexa finds herself sleuthing out more than teeth. She soon discovers that the murder victim, a city councilman, had trespassed on an island sacred to the Maori. The ancient punishment for such a transgression is disaster, demonic possession, or death… and when she visits the island to investigate, the same outcome is promised for her. Alexa is fascinated by New Zealand culture but doesn't quite believe in ancient spirits returning to exact revenge, so when another victim turns up dead, she begins to wonder whether the real threat is something—or someone—much closer to home.

A fast-paced forensic mystery set in New Zealand, Molten Mud Murder introduces Alexa Glock, an investigator with a knack for gleaning the truth from bones and teeth. Full of enough forensics and action for fans of Kathy Reichs or the tv series Bones, Sara E. Johnson presents a page-turning story about facing the past and cracking the door open to an unexpected future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781464211249
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	04/02/2024
Series:	Alexa Glock Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	210,577
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Sara E. Johnson lives in Durham, North Carolina. She worked as a middle school reading specialist and local newspaper contributor before her husband lured her to New Zealand for a year. Her first novel, Molten Mud Murder, is the result, followed by The Bones Remember and The Bone Track.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/01/2019

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

Library Journal

07/29/2019

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.)

Publishers Weekly

"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." — Library Journal, STARRED review

"Molten Mud Murder is an absolutely delightful murder mystery set in New Zealand, starring Alexa Glock, an expert on the forensics of teeth. And teeth are the only way to identify a hideously burned body found in a boiling "mud pot." The novel is a page turner par excellence, with vivid characters and a enthralling plot, all wrapped up in a most charming evocation of New Zealand’s landscapes, people, and local politics. I highly recommend this debut novel!" — Douglas Preston, #1 bestselling co-author of the Pendergast series

"Move over Kay Scarpetta and Temperance Brennan. There's a new forensics expert in town, even though "town" is 8500 miles away. Alexa Glock is a forensic odontologist and qualified crime-scene investigator who debuts in Sara E. Johnson's engrossing first novel, set in New Zealand. Fleeing a relationship gone bad in North Carolina, and fresh from a visiting professorship in Auckland, Alexa impulsively offers her services to a police department at the tip of North Island where an unidentified body has been pulled from a pool of molten mud. Johnson gives us a compelling picture of modern New Zealand overlaid by Maori culture with its strict taboos and amazing artifacts. Alexa hopes to stay in New Zealand and if this leads to a full series, my fingers are crossed that she gets her wish." — Margaret Maron, New York Times bestselling author

"Sara Johnson writes evocatively about the geothermal mud pits (similar to those in Yellowstone National Park) and the protected Maori tribal island. " — Reviewing the Evidence

"Johnson provides a fascinating view of New Zealand and insights into the Maori culture...armchair travelers will have fun." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher