Doctor Death: A Madeleine Karno Mystery: 1 - Hardcover

"Ready to be discovered by an American audience." * Publishers Marketplace * "A debut that's a model of finely tuned suspense." * Kirkus Reviews * "Stieg Larsson fans will find a lot to like in The Boy in the Suitcase." * Publishers Weekly * "[The] uniquely Scandinavian style sure to draw comparisons with a certain blockbuster trilogy (this is better)." * Associated Press * "Once you start reading, you can't stop." * The Washington Post * "A wild ride." * New York Post * Praise for The Boy in the Suitcase "It packs an almighty punch." -- The New York Times Book Review * Notable Crime Book of 2011 * "The author has given us once more a strong main character that is both intelligent and willing to get her hands dirty." * Readful Things Blog * "Right away I was drawn in by Danish author Lene Kaaberbol's descriptive prose." * BookBrowse.com * "Nail-biting Gothic Historical Thriller." * Popcorn Reads Blog * "A one-sit read [...] made me a confirmed, and impatient, fan of what I hope will be a long-running series." * Book Reporter.com * "Madeleine's inquisitive mind and candid voice are enough to keep us reading." * New York Times * "If you're looking for a great historical, gothic-based mystery then this is the book you should grab." * Live to Read, Blog Review * "Madeline and the way that she handled the murkier parts of humanity mesmerized me." * Booksn' WhatNot Blog * "Readers can only hope this is the first of many Madeleine installments." * MysteryCenter.com * "Eloquently written and with powerful insight into human and animal nature." * BookReporter.com * "This beautifully crafted story had me riveted from start to finish!... I will definitely be looking for more of Lene Kaaberbol's books to add to my reading list." * A Line From a Book, Blog Review * "A convincing thriller taking place in 19th century France, Doctor Death is a unique tale." * RT Book Reviews * "An utterly fresh, insightful, and enthralling thriller." * Aftenposten (Denmark) * "Excellent . . . The author sucks the reader into a fascinating universe from page one." * Jyllands-Posten (Denmark) * "Engrossing... Sure to please fans of historical mysteries." * Library Journal * "Hair-raisingly well done . . . an incredibly successful novel." * Weekendavisen (Denmark) * "Madeleine Karno is a sleuth both true to the period and rooted in strength of will, gumption, and ambition." -- -Sarah Weinman, editor of Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives "Deftly exploring such themes as the struggles between mind and body, science and spirit-without detracting from a gripping plot-the novel transcends its period to contemplate the eternal." * -Publishers Weekly (starred review) *

Strong-minded and ambitious, Madeleine Karno is eager to shatter the constraints of her provincial French upbringing. She wants to become a pathologist like her father, whose assistant she is, but this is 1894, and autopsies are considered unseemly and ungodly, even when performed by a man-hence his odious nickname, Doctor Death. That a young woman should wish to spend her time dissecting corpses is too scandalous for words. Thus, when seventeen-year-old Cecile Montaine is found dead in the snowy streets of Varbourg, her family will not permit a full post-mortem autopsy, and Madeleine and her father are left with a single mysterious clue: in the dead girl's nostrils they find a type of parasite normally seen only in dogs. Soon after, the priest who held vigil by the dead girl's corpse is brutally murdered. The thread that connects these two events is a tangled one, and as the death toll mounts, Madeleine must seek knowledge in odd places: behind convent walls, in secret diaries, and in the yellow stare of an aging wolf. Eloquently written and with powerful insight into human and animal nature, Doctor Death is at once a gripping mystery and a poignant coming-of-age story.