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Skullspeaker #1

Servant of the Skull

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How Much Can You Really Know About the Dead?


Gianna Pontiac’s job, and her destiny, is to uncover the truth about the dead. As a forensic anthropologist Gianna is always handling the bones of the deceased and working to recreate a likeness of what they once looked like. Her work is remarkably accurate because Gianna has a secret.


The moment she touches the bones of the dead she has flashes of visions, impressions, of the last moments in the lives of the skull’s owner. Often, the last moments are peaceful. But, sometimes the last moments are marred with terror and violence. Gianna relives these last moments with the slightest touch of her fingers to the bones.


When Gianna is dispatched to Greece for a routine assignment to reconstruct the skulls of three victims from an airplane crash, she has no idea what dangers await her. Someone will do anything to keep those victims from being identified and to keep the ancient secret those identities threaten to expose. Will Gianna’s hidden talents be enough to keep her safe and to solve the ancient mystery or will the forces of secrecy succeed in silencing her?

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First published September 3, 2015

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Edita A. Petrick

46 books107 followers

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5 stars
36 (48%)
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27 (36%)
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8 (10%)
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3 (4%)
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1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
3 reviews
December 1, 2015
With the first book of Skull Speaker series, Edita Petrick manages to bring something new and fresh to the thrilling word of forensics. I was left intrigued and surprised by how the main character, Gianna Pontiac, is developed. She has a natural gift to look into people's last days of living by touching their corpses skull. Although this might seem like a useful skill at first, we get to find out just how much of a burden it becomes in her life, after a routine asignment to Greece, Peloponessos. Here is where the plot thickness and she gets to find out what dangerous paths her gift may bring her.

A really suspenseful novel, with action-packed scenarios and plenty of twists that will keep you wondering and glued to the book. I am looking forward to the next book of the series
13 reviews
December 18, 2015
Servant of the Skull

I really enjoyed this book. Well written and a great plot line. It kept me riveted. Will definitely read more by this author.!
Profile Image for Cath.
950 reviews17 followers
January 26, 2019
This is the first book in the Skullspeaker series and will hopefully be as intriguing and as exciting read as the author’s Peacetaker series. The main character is Gianna (Gia) who works as a forensic anthropologist (think of Brennan in Bones) and has a horrible boss. He refers to her ‘speciality’ as pottery! He sends her off to do important reconstructions of skulls and pockets all of any bonus for himself. Gia has some conflict in her past that has led her to take this job, after one of her reconstructions upset a very important person back home.

She has worked on recent murder cases, through requests from her FBI boyfriend, but tries to only work on very old skulls as she finds it far too painful to work on skulls of those who have been murdered, often quite horrifically. This is because as soon as her hands come close to a skull and she touches it, she can see the face of the person she needs to reconstruct and also details of their life and death. This is often painful for her and can even knock her for six.

She is finishing a job that her boss will get a bonus for, where she is building busts, not just the original skulls as requested, of heirs to a family whose property has been bought up and the cemetery has to be removed. One of the skulls she reads as not being the same as the others and has to fight against what her hands want her to produce as a likeness, to satisfy the family. A lesson she learned the hard way on the case she lost her previous job on.

Just as she finishes this task, her boss tells her she has to fly to Greece to reconstruct three skulls of people who died in a plane crash just three years before, in order for their identities to be confirmed. An initial study was already produced, but the final identity wasn’t confirmed, so they have called for her expertise. There are very strict rules to be followed on this case and she will have no outside communications and no photographs of the deceased to check her results against.

It seems there are two sides of a family in dispute, with the death of a multi-millionaire. His first wife and children need to have him confirmed as dead to save their business and his second wife wants to sell the cliff top monastery she has had to live in as soon as possible and also his Greek shipping line. Without a formal identification, then they will all have to wait another four years. But there are some who want to stop her from ever producing a likeness of the billionaire in question. The reasons for that will be revealed in the story.

When she gets to the remote island and is given a bodyguard, who will sit outside of her workroom all day, she sets out the three skulls, only to find they are not what she was expecting. They are definitely not the skulls of the plane crash victims and she can tell that at a glance and just a touch! Someone is already playing games and soon a dead body is found at the bottom of the cliffs.

The truth will come out! This is an exciting read with an unusual skill set for a main character. The two Roman soldiers and the waves they make throughout the story are also an added twist, not something I want to explain as I don’t want to give away a large part of the plot. As this is listed as part of a series, I would be interested in finding out when the next book will be available. I have already read quite a few books by this author and they are all epic reads for one to enjoy. Filled with amazing characters and twists for you to uncover. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Profile Image for Space Cowgirl.
4,133 reviews143 followers
January 19, 2019
Do You Wanna Live Forever?💔

Two soldiers👹🔪 from the time of Alexander the Great, begin a life of murder and rebirth, over and over. They kill their way through the ages until present time.

Present time. At 60 years old, It's time for one of them to transit into a younger body. It's the body of a wealthy Spaniard, a nineteen year old son of Carlos Mora, who unwittingly drinks some of the soldier's blood in a coke.
At the same time, Gianna💃, a young woman who is a 💀skull💀 reconstruction expert, a forensic anthropologist scientist, finds out she has an unwanted physic gift. When she handles a human skull💀, she learns all about that person and what happened to them.
She tries to stay with ancient skulls💀 but her boyfriend, an FBI agent talks her into going to Sarajevo to reconstruct faces from four skulls💀 found in a ravine. They are from recent years, and she is deeply traumatized by their hideous deaths.
One of the ancient soldiers👹🔪 has rigged his current death in an airplane accident off the coast of greece. He transfers his body into that of the 19 year old son of wealthy Spaniard, Carlos Mora.
His other family, the Greek family, asks Gianna💃 to come to their Greek estate to reconstruct the 💀skulls from the crash, to be certain of his death for his heirs. This man has murdered a lot of people over the years. In order to shift into another body, he has to take the life of another person. A Life for A Life.

ARC Received from Hidden gene Gems.
I also got the book on Amazon for $.99.

This is a unique and very interesting book! It's a real suspenseful page turner! Gianna💃 has done some fibbing in her recent works because she needs money really bad and the descendants dont want to know that their relative is not the person they thought he was. But Gianna💃 knows the truth!
This book is part of a series. I suppose you can label it a cliffhanger, since we don't know what is going to happen between Gianna💃 and young Mr. Mora👹.
Profile Image for Donadee's Corner.
2,642 reviews63 followers
December 21, 2017
Servant of the Skull Skullspeaker Bk 1 by Edita Petrick Review
Touching the skull and living the last moments, how can this be?

As a forensic anthropologist, it’s Gianna Pontiac’s job to handle ancient bones. What makes her job of reconstructing the likeness easier is the fact that at a mere touch of the bone, impressions of the skull’s owner start flashing behind her lids. Most of the time person’s last living moments are peaceful but then there are skulls that belong to victims of unspeakable crimes. And upon the slightest brush of her fingers across the bone, Gianna re-lives everything the victim felt in his last living moments. She goes to Greece to reconstruct three skulls of victims of a plane crash. But someone does not want the victims’ identity confirmed and will stop at nothing to preserve a centuries-old secret.

What did I like? I have read several other books that have included this occupation and it has always fascinated me. I loved the touch that Edita put on the fact that when she touched them that the ending life transferred to Gianna.

What will you like? The incredible action that has so many twists and turns that will keep you hopping from page to page. The descriptions are truly incredible and make you feel that you are right in the room or wherever with her and everything that she feels you can almost feel yourself. The characters are amazing and their growth with the story is astounding. Some of the twists are just jaw-dropping and I know that I never saw that coming. I thought the ending was flabbergasting yet just right. I received this from the author for an honest review with no other compensation.



597 reviews6 followers
February 10, 2017
Very good, excellent plot lines.

The quibbles I have with this book are tiny, after years of experience as a mortician, there are some cultural intricacies that were left out. The storyline was rather predictable, but well told and great fun. I would have liked to have the jackpot, gotcha moment spelled out in the end, but absolutely know why the author chose not to go there. Some of the detective work was too much of a stretch for a forensic anthropologist, and the character was a bit quick to trust strangers.

I will happily buy more stories with this main character, and explore more books by this author.
Profile Image for Susan Foulkes.
995 reviews3 followers
September 30, 2017
I loved this very different look at the world of forensics.

Gianna was a complex, yet believable and likable character, who had a talent that was a gift, but also a burden.

The plot was well written and paced, the settings were beautifully described, and they added to the tense atmosphere that was built up as the story progressed.

The other characters were well developed, and all played their part in the story.

The background with its curse on those who touched the sword of Alexander the Great, was fascinating, if a little chilling.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book via Hidden Gems.
Profile Image for Melissa Basnight.
678 reviews19 followers
November 22, 2017
This book is about a forensic anthropologist that can see how a person dies by touching a skull so she can reconstruct the facial features. The premise is interesting, but the story fell short for me there really could have been more to the story. I felt like it meandered around and the story was never completed. The background story about trying to reconstruct a skull of a man that supposedly died so the family can settle the will is a little strange. The reader knows the background story, but the characters in the book never seem to figure out the mystery. I voluntarily reviewed this book.
Profile Image for Roger.
5,563 reviews28 followers
January 31, 2019
My fifth read from author Edita Petrick, very different than the Stella Hunter series I’d previously read, reminiscent of Iris Johansen’s Eve Duncan in its forensic sculpting. I'm a character reader, I get into the characters, their story, who/what they are. The author does a good job of painting the primary character quickly & thoroughly. No spoilers from me though I can see more about this character in the future and look forward to the next book! (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
Profile Image for Julian Coleman.
Author 8 books27 followers
September 30, 2018
The plot was very compelling and the main character, Gianna, has the necessary moxie to handle her "supernatural" gift. I loved the exotic locale and backstory on Zephyros...in Greece! The reader is fully aware of the mystery. It is Gianna who suffers, and stumbles to the improbable, but accurate, conclusion. At times her psychic ability and detailed work on the skulls slows down the energy of the plot, but overall this is a good, entertaining and of course, educational thriller.
164 reviews
February 27, 2019
I very much enjoyed this story. The protagonist is an archeologist with a specialty in pottery. She has become one of the world's most renowned skull reconstructor. She has been hired by an unamed party to reconstruct three (3) skulls for identification purposes. A great deal is on the line. One of the skull, is supposed to belong to a Greek billionaire. The confirmation or denial of the identity will permit the reading of his will. Several people stand to benefit greatly.
Profile Image for Gerry.
1,962 reviews4 followers
October 3, 2017
Voluntary review of an ARC. Difficult book to review. I liked the characters well enough but would have liked more interaction between them and more background information. A whole lot of technical information about forensic science and skull reconstruction which could have been boring but was handled well and was quite interesting. I'd like to read the next installment.
19 reviews
September 26, 2019
New author for me

The 4 star overall rating for story was very interesting and different - a bit technical at times for my understanding. Really pulled me into the story though . Will read more of this author. Hopefully this series.
384 reviews2 followers
May 30, 2020
Excellent. Read

I truly enjoyed this book. Imagine placing your hands on a shill for reconstruction and see what the person saw as they died. I would have liked the ending tied up better but it was still an excellent read. I would recommend this book.
Profile Image for Carolyn Sackett.
66 reviews
November 24, 2020
Pay attention

This book was a little confusing to follow at first. However, it is important to remember those details to understand the outcome. The craft of skull modeling is fascinating, this story takes it a step further. Good read!
35 reviews1 follower
June 30, 2021
Severance of the skull

Intertwining of a character from past to present, was interesting. The skill of the main characters sculpting to identify a person from a skull, was insightful.
28 reviews1 follower
June 20, 2023
Servant of the skull

Excellent book, loads of history facts, that made the story believable.She was true to her talent with the skulls leading her to the truth.
255 reviews2 followers
January 17, 2017
Servant of the Skull is a story of supernatural proportions. Dr. Gianna Pontiac is a forensic anthropologist who has a secret that gives her an edge in her work. She is involved in many assignments and has left a few controversies in her wake. Her current assignment in Greece shows that she is not the only one with secrets. It is enjoyable to read the book. I followed it more as the development of the story with great detail rather than the development of character. I like reading about forensic anthropology and the reconstruction of skulls. I also like the historical background the author incorporates into the story. From curses and ancient tales, this book is well written and full of questions and mysterious turns. This is the first book in a series and I am curious as to where it goes next. Until then I see she has a number of other titles to her name.
Profile Image for Erin Walford.
7 reviews
December 6, 2015
With a good story-line, great settings and characters, Servant of the Skull is an intriguing and captivating read. It is loaded with mystery and suspense and you never know which way its going to turn. That’s what made it so exciting for me.The author keeps us on edge as Gianna’s everyday life and her skull remaking assignments are transformed into a rivoting and spine-chilling mystery. The scenes move seamlessly from one point to the other and Gianna is confronted with the reality that while some people wanted her alive - others wanted her dead. And would go to great lengths to eliminate her. It’s really a fantastic suspense novel and at the end you must agree with Gianna that “No money can compensate for what I’m going through on this assignment.”
31 reviews
January 14, 2017
A dangerous commission for a forensic anthropologist
Forensic anthropologist, Gianna Pontiac, is known to be among the best in her field and is consequently in high demand. Her particular skill lies in the construction of faces from skulls. In this story, Gianna, is sent to Greece to reconstruct three skulls belonging to victims of a plane crash. There is a lot of money at stake, as relatives of one of the deceased are keen to get their inheritance.
As Gianna gets to work, she uses her extra special skills - flashes of sensitivity when she can actually feel and see what the dead person felt as they died. She discovers there is much more to one of the skulls than meets the eye and this puts her life in danger.
191 reviews2 followers
January 2, 2017

I am absolutely fascinated by the work of forensic anthropologists so this book is right up my street as the heroine, Gianna Pontiac, is a forensic anthropologist. However, if this work doesn’t particularly interest you, you will still enjoy a good thriller, fast-paced and well written. Gianna differs from others in her field because whenever she touches a bone, she re-lives everything the person felt in their last living moments. This is particularly disturbing to her senses when the person was the victim of a violent crime. There is more than a touch of the supernatural in this book and I very much enjoyed the historical aspects of the plot.
245 reviews
March 28, 2017
An age old curse and a woman with an ability to see into the last minutes of a person’s life come together in a story filled with intrigue and drama. I loved Gianna and her inner struggle with integrity but was a little disappointed, as many questions remained unanswered. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series though. Maybe my questions will be answered then.
Profile Image for Mary De Montfort.
38 reviews3 followers
March 30, 2017
This is one of the best forensic thrillers I have read!

I will not write a resume of the book because there are plenty of it in the description of the book and in other comments. So I only want to tell you the way I feel just now, as soon as I have finished this book. It has been sent to me as a gift and I gladly and voluntarily write this review to comment why I enjoyed so much the reading.

From the title, Servant of the Skull, the reader has already the feeling that it involves some supernatural content. Of course it does! But it is managed in such a way that characters and story become very very realistic.

The story is well knitted and the history background is nicely incorporated. It has plenty of suspense and mystery so the reading is very agile and enjoyable

Edita A. Petrick says: "I write to get the characters' voices out of my head...and into somebody elses' head." In this case she got it! I wanted to read the book in one sitting. Of course I could not because I have a life, and each time I opened it I was so glad I hadn't finished it. It is one of those books we want to finish at once but at the same time we want to spare something for later in order to continue reading it later.

I highly recommend it!
Profile Image for Pete.
895 reviews7 followers
April 12, 2017
A very clever and enjoyable combination of forensic and supernatural, in one book. The plot was ingenious, the characters very well defined and believable and the descriptions of the location were truly evocative.
The two basic premises of the book, that the main character, Gianna is a forensic facial reconstruction artist, but who is able to 'see' the owner of the skulls she works on and experience the moments of their death and also a man who is immortal, but in a series of bodies, are both well thought out and combine nicely to provide a very satisfying story line.
I do have a couple of reservations about the book though, firstly, and I may be mistaken on this, I don't think that reconstructions are carried out on actual skulls, but rather on plaster casts of the skulls, and secondly I found the ending a bit vague, especially what happened to Mr. Mora, and why/how it happened. These minor niggles apart though I really enjoyed the book.
I received a complimentary copy of the author, and have voluntarily written this review which reflects my honest opinion.
Profile Image for Sherri Shade.
114 reviews
April 19, 2017
Kind of an interesting story, I did expect alittle more action though. I would read more books in this series or by this author.
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