Body of Truth

I was really looking forward to reading body of truth by marie cassidy and it certainly did not disappoint .rather fabulous overall full of her many years of experience to draw from i do hope its the first of many .

Dr Terry O'Brien has recently arrived in Ireland from Scotland to take up a position as State Pathologist when a high-profile murder occurs. The victim is Rachel Reece, host of a popular true crime podcast on unsolved murders of Irish women and niece of a prominent politician.

This is Cassidys' first work of fiction and I admit to being completely hooked from the start. Initially I found it hard to separate the character from the author but it doesn't take long for Terry O'Brien to make herself heard. She is what you would expect from a girl from Glasgow, feisty and opinionated with scant regard for boundaries. She is intent on discovering the killer of Rachel Reese, an investigative reporter who in turn was trying to solve an older cold case murder.
Cassidy writes well, her style is confident and precise and for a first novel it is a worthy read. I hope we see more of this character and the ancillary characters who we become familiar with, I can see a great future for Marie Cassidys' fiction career. My thanks go to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of Body of Truth.

This is a well written, authentic thriller, set in Dublin. Dr terry O'Brien is the state pathologist, working on unsolved murders of women. Working with the police, she soon becomes involved in the murder of a social influencer. I loved the characterisation, the pace was fast and there was plenty of tension. The dramatic finale had me on the edge of my seat! It's a compelling, suspenseful read which I highly recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Body Of Truth is an excellent thriller set in Dublin. Featuring forensic pathologist Terry O'Brien, the novel is written by someone who has held that position. The level of scientific detail provided gives the novel authenticity without overwhelming the reader.

Terry arrives in Dublin from Glasgow seeking a new start. She isn't welcomed by the old guard and finds life difficult. And when she begins to believe that a suspect for a series of murders is being railroaded by a senior police officer, she starts her own investigation. Following the evidence takes her to a dark and dangerous place.

Body Of Truth is gripping, with a series of well rounded characters. The politics of law enforcement play a part, while Terry also sees parallels with her own sister's murder, which still haunts her. And the ending to the novel is explosive.

I hops this is the start of a series. Terry O'Brien is a character who could carry more investigations, and I'd hope that further investigation of her sister's death features somewhere in the future.

Marie Cassidy moved from her day job, state pathologist of Ireland, to writing an absolutely great book where the main character is the new state pathologist of Ireland. Her experience(s) added weight to the interactions of the characters. The background community worked as a team effort up to the point where the MC realizes the police are not following the clues as they are presented. The murder victim was a popular podcast moderator who researched cold cases involving missing Irish women. The police feel her murder resulted from one of the cases she was working. Our MC reads the clues in a different manner. With little experience to back her views, she will invesigate this case on her own, placing herself at risk.

Knowing Cassidy's background added quite a bit to my enjoyment of this book. I'm in the United States but could easily follow the story without having to stop and look up some of the procedures and sequences. This was a huge plus for me.

It doesn't get more authentic - or meta! - than Ireland's former state pathologist writing a novel featuring a character who is Ireland's new state pathologist...

Marie Cassidy does a great job delivering a gripping story about Dr Terry O'Brien who moves from to Scotland to Ireland to become the state pathologist, only to find herself swiftly embroiled in a high profile case featuring a social media influencer.

Rachel Reece is a true crime podcaster with a family member who is prominent in politics. She has been exploring the phenomenon of murdered women in Ireland whose cases remain unsolved, including that of Eileen McCarthy. Is one of those cases the cause of Rachel's own murder?

Cooperating with the police, Terry soon begins to reach different conclusions about Rachel's case than the official police lines of inquiry are yielding.

Inconvenient as this is, and though her superiors seem reluctant to let her follow up by following her own instincts, Terry finds herself unable to stop pushing, propelled by the sheer number of cold cases relating to murdered Irish women. The problem is, she may be putting herself in danger by not knowing when to quit...

This is an intelligent and gripping story, delivered by someone who with considerable insider knowledge of how the criminal justice investigation systems work (and don't work).

Terry O'Brien is an interesting character, and one who grows on you. A compelling read, with great attention to accuracy wrt details, this is a story that is hard to put down.

Having read Dr. Marie Cassidy's previous non-fiction work, "Beyond the Tape: The Life and Many Deaths of a State Pathologist", and enjoyed it hugely, I was very curious to read Cassidy's first furore into the world of fiction.
"Body of Truth" tells us of Dr. Terry O'brien, an experienced forensic pathologist from Glasgow who has transferred to Dublin and instantly grabbed the attention of the Irish media - similar to the story of Cassidy herself. Though this is where the similarities between Cassidy and her protoganist end. As O'Brien finds up tearing up the rulebook and commencing her own investigation into a serious of murders.
Naturally, there is a focus on the forensics side, in particular the post-mortem but this is approached in a scientific manner (though with simple language, so non-science people like myself can follow) and not at all gruesome so unlikely to put off readers - think Silent Witness and you will get the idea.
A welcome addition to a crowded genre and I look forward to the next adventure for Dr. Terry O'Brien

A welcome first foray into the world of fiction for Dr. Marie Cassidy, and she does not disappoint. A strong storyline with the appropriate twist towards the end, not too heavy on the technical but just enough to bring the reader on board. Thank you to Netgalley for the advance reader copy, I’m looking forward to the next instalment.