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Dr. Alexandra Blake #2
The Silent Assassin
When a John Doe with a bayonet wound in his chest is discovered in a Washington, D.C. alley, geneticist Dr. Alexandra Blake of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology is pulled away from her bioterrorism work to aid in the investigation. Just a little digging reveals a corpse that's not at all that of the homeless robbery victim it was set up to resemble---and Alex and her colleagues find themselves wrapped up in a complicated mystery of high-stakes international financial intrigue.
The homicide investigation is just heating up when a political firestorm erupts over the AFIP's possession of human skulls brought back from Vietnam thirty years earlier by American servicemen. Alex is handed the delicate task of managing the restoration and return of these grisly souvenirs. Even the President of the United States has become involved, with the actual exchange scheduled to take place at a White House ceremony. Alex knows it's an important job---her father was a soldier killed in Vietnam, so she of all people is sensitive to the issues surrounding the war---but to her it still seems like an outsized uproar over something that happened long ago. But the skulls take on much more urgent significance when she uncovers evidence of a much bigger crime, and suddenly Alex discovers she's a target and the White House itself is under fire.
The Silent Assassin is a tour-de-force thriller combining the intricate details of forensic science with the dark side of Washington politics and one of the freshest and most original characters in crime fiction today.
The homicide investigation is just heating up when a political firestorm erupts over the AFIP's possession of human skulls brought back from Vietnam thirty years earlier by American servicemen. Alex is handed the delicate task of managing the restoration and return of these grisly souvenirs. Even the President of the United States has become involved, with the actual exchange scheduled to take place at a White House ceremony. Alex knows it's an important job---her father was a soldier killed in Vietnam, so she of all people is sensitive to the issues surrounding the war---but to her it still seems like an outsized uproar over something that happened long ago. But the skulls take on much more urgent significance when she uncovers evidence of a much bigger crime, and suddenly Alex discovers she's a target and the White House itself is under fire.
The Silent Assassin is a tour-de-force thriller combining the intricate details of forensic science with the dark side of Washington politics and one of the freshest and most original characters in crime fiction today.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2007
4 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Lori Andrews
33 books23 followersLori Andrews is a law professor, a public interest lawyer and mystery novelist. She’s taught at Princeton, written for a television legal drama, and advised governments around the world about emerging technologies. Her mystery IMMUNITY (released as an ebook April 28, 2020) involves a pandemic during a presidential election. www.immunityanovel.com
Lori started her consumer activism when she was seven and her Ken doll went bald. Her letter to Mattel got action. She’s been fighting for people’s rights ever since.
A professor of law at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Lori frequently appears on television, including on Oprah, 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, and Nightline. The American Bar Association Journal calls her “a lawyer with a literary bent who has the scientific chops to rival any CSI investigator.”
Lori started her consumer activism when she was seven and her Ken doll went bald. Her letter to Mattel got action. She’s been fighting for people’s rights ever since.
A professor of law at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Lori frequently appears on television, including on Oprah, 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, and Nightline. The American Bar Association Journal calls her “a lawyer with a literary bent who has the scientific chops to rival any CSI investigator.”
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 29, 2021
I enjoyed the audio of the book and had a female lead which showed good strength and intelligence and also her side of "love". I enjoyed it and may read another since this was out of my normal reading material.
July 23, 2012
In general books in this series are easy, interesting reads. The main character, Alexandra Blake, is an MD-PhD geneticist who works at Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP). This means there's a fair amount of science involved in each mystery, and generally some history as well.
This particular story revolves around "Trophy Skulls" that American soldiers brought back from Vietnam. For the first time we get some backstory about Alex's father who served in Vietnam.
This particular story revolves around "Trophy Skulls" that American soldiers brought back from Vietnam. For the first time we get some backstory about Alex's father who served in Vietnam.
May 4, 2021
Het boek geschreven met kennis van zaken. De schrijfster is hoogleraar rechten en genetica.
Het verhaal gaat over de nasleep van de Vietnam oorlog.
Een dode in een afvalcontainer in Washington D.C. met een bajonetwond zal Dr. Alexandra Blake onderzoeken en trachten de moordenaar te vinden.
Zeer, zeer spannend maar enkel spijtig dat het einde wat zwak is.
Mooi gezegd:
Het opsporen van een moordenaar was een soort psychoanalyse op afstand, het leggen van de puzzel van iemands persoonlijkheid terwijl de meeste stukjes ontbreken.
Een tekst die veel voorkomt in een mortuaria:
het is de plek waar de dood vreugde beleeft aan het onderrichten van hen die leven.
Het verhaal gaat over de nasleep van de Vietnam oorlog.
Een dode in een afvalcontainer in Washington D.C. met een bajonetwond zal Dr. Alexandra Blake onderzoeken en trachten de moordenaar te vinden.
Zeer, zeer spannend maar enkel spijtig dat het einde wat zwak is.
Mooi gezegd:
Het opsporen van een moordenaar was een soort psychoanalyse op afstand, het leggen van de puzzel van iemands persoonlijkheid terwijl de meeste stukjes ontbreken.
Een tekst die veel voorkomt in een mortuaria:
het is de plek waar de dood vreugde beleeft aan het onderrichten van hen die leven.
March 28, 2024
A good fiction read! I didn’t realize until I started reading it that it was the second in a series, but you don’t really need to read the first to understand the second. My only real qualm with this book is how the author used the word “prone” incorrectly at least 5 times. I think she meant supine (on your back) because prone is on your stomach… it was just annoying because supposedly the main character was supposed to be a doctor and the author didn’t bother to check if she used the right word? Idk. Annoying, but not a big deal!
July 26, 2022
A good vacation read...I saw some of the signs toward figuring out the mystery but did not get them all put together. I do want to read more. I'd also recommend reading the first "Dr. Alexandra Blake" book before reading this one. When I started reading this, I did not realize there was one before this; this book definitely referred to the previous one.
April 9, 2023
Super great read, it's amazing how many things where so new to the world when this was written and are available to everyone now. Suspenseful, intriguing true to the subject matter. With characters who are as complicated as people we love and hate! It's a mystery filled with worldwide intrigue!
May 27, 2019
This was an entertaining listen with a couple of plot twists to keep it interesting. Heroine was a little too cliché - so doubt I will do another.
January 6, 2021
I wouldn’t mind reading another in the series.
March 21, 2025
Espionage & power grab in the Nation’s Capitol - likeable characters. The science and history were interesting. I especially liked that the lead character was a smart, educated woman.
March 5, 2017
How any particular book finds its way onto my shelves is often a mystery. This 2007 offering came from Seattle Mystery Books, and I have noted it was part of a "promo." What that means I have no idea. Still, SMB is one my favorite stores and I have benefited from many of their recommendations over the years. I consider this one of those benefits.
Andrews, according to her bio blurb, is a super over-achiever and in a few ways the model for her heroine, which is fine. Dr. Alexandra Blake, "call me Alex," does gene sequencing/DNA analysis work in Washington, D.C., giving her access to police, military and Federal investigative business---her boundaries are rather fluid. Socially a serially monogamous, high energy, jean wearing, slightly sloven but brilliant trouble seeker and generally good hearted person, adventure finds her and while some of the descriptions are a bit wrought she does manage to fight through. Better than a cozy although written with the touch of a cozy writer, a few hours here are enjoyable, the science good but never overdone, and the story gets better as the pages flip.
Andrews is a well turned out 64 who has written more non-fiction than mysteries, the present volume being her second and apparently last for now. I think if I can find a signed first of her first novel, I'll get it, thereby giving me a complete collection of her fiction, something difficult to do do, with, say, Loren Estleman. Maybe I'll scoop up one of her non-fiction efforts, too. They certainly look interesting and I know she can write strong sentences. Meantime, "The Silent Assassin" is Recommended.
Andrews, according to her bio blurb, is a super over-achiever and in a few ways the model for her heroine, which is fine. Dr. Alexandra Blake, "call me Alex," does gene sequencing/DNA analysis work in Washington, D.C., giving her access to police, military and Federal investigative business---her boundaries are rather fluid. Socially a serially monogamous, high energy, jean wearing, slightly sloven but brilliant trouble seeker and generally good hearted person, adventure finds her and while some of the descriptions are a bit wrought she does manage to fight through. Better than a cozy although written with the touch of a cozy writer, a few hours here are enjoyable, the science good but never overdone, and the story gets better as the pages flip.
Andrews is a well turned out 64 who has written more non-fiction than mysteries, the present volume being her second and apparently last for now. I think if I can find a signed first of her first novel, I'll get it, thereby giving me a complete collection of her fiction, something difficult to do do, with, say, Loren Estleman. Maybe I'll scoop up one of her non-fiction efforts, too. They certainly look interesting and I know she can write strong sentences. Meantime, "The Silent Assassin" is Recommended.
October 17, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
December 17, 2013
When a John Doe with a bayonet wound in his chest is discovered in a Washington, D.C. alley, geneticist Dr. Alexandra Blake of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology is pulled away from her bioterrorism work to aid in the investigation. Just a little digging reveals a corpse that's not at all that of the homeless robbery victim it was set up to resemble---and Alex and her colleagues find themselves wrapped up in a complicated mystery of high-stakes international financial intrigue.
The homicide investigation is just heating up when a political firestorm erupts over the AFIP's possession of human skulls brought back from Vietnam thirty years earlier by American servicemen. Alex is handed the delicate task of managing the restoration and return of these grisly souvenirs. Even the President of the United States has become involved, with the actual exchange scheduled to take place at a White House ceremony. Alex knows it's an important job---her father was a soldier killed in Vietnam, so she of all people is sensitive to the issues surrounding the war---but to her it still seems like an outsized uproar over something that happened long ago. But the skulls take on much more urgent significance when she uncovers evidence of a much bigger crime, and suddenly Alex discovers she's a target and the White House itself is under fire.
Good plot for those who like thriller and realistic fiction based on obvious good research.
The homicide investigation is just heating up when a political firestorm erupts over the AFIP's possession of human skulls brought back from Vietnam thirty years earlier by American servicemen. Alex is handed the delicate task of managing the restoration and return of these grisly souvenirs. Even the President of the United States has become involved, with the actual exchange scheduled to take place at a White House ceremony. Alex knows it's an important job---her father was a soldier killed in Vietnam, so she of all people is sensitive to the issues surrounding the war---but to her it still seems like an outsized uproar over something that happened long ago. But the skulls take on much more urgent significance when she uncovers evidence of a much bigger crime, and suddenly Alex discovers she's a target and the White House itself is under fire.
Good plot for those who like thriller and realistic fiction based on obvious good research.
May 2, 2013
A young doctor, working for the Government is given a new task. Find out who the skulls are. They have been brought back from the Vietnam war as trophies, and they are going to be returned to the Vietnamese Government, in a ceremony at the White House, and also MIA remains will be exchanged at the same time.
Dr. Alex Blake is linked to Vietnam in many ways, she is a Gold Star Child, her young father died there at the age of 25 during the Vietnam War, many people do not know this about Alex. She keeps this information close. Her mother was a free spirit and Alex raised herself, always, clinging on to her wonderful memories of her young father, who loved her. She meets one of his friends, Mike while she is doing research on the skulls. She travels to Vietnam to obtain DNA samples. Several murders ensue before and after her visit there, with herself almost being one of murders.
On the day of the ceremony at the White House, an attempt to assassinate the present President is made. The V.P.'s wife is very much involved in this plot, as are some of the Secret Service Agents. The V.P. is a puppet in his wife's hands. This women is out to kill a lot of people, including Alex.
Well written and interesting story.
Dr. Alex Blake is linked to Vietnam in many ways, she is a Gold Star Child, her young father died there at the age of 25 during the Vietnam War, many people do not know this about Alex. She keeps this information close. Her mother was a free spirit and Alex raised herself, always, clinging on to her wonderful memories of her young father, who loved her. She meets one of his friends, Mike while she is doing research on the skulls. She travels to Vietnam to obtain DNA samples. Several murders ensue before and after her visit there, with herself almost being one of murders.
On the day of the ceremony at the White House, an attempt to assassinate the present President is made. The V.P.'s wife is very much involved in this plot, as are some of the Secret Service Agents. The V.P. is a puppet in his wife's hands. This women is out to kill a lot of people, including Alex.
Well written and interesting story.
May 6, 2015
The writing in the beginning part of this book put me off, but once I got into it I liked the science and procedural elements in this novel, and the fact that the lead character is female. The author, at least fro her bio in the cover flap, seems like a reasonably good source for information about forensic genetics analysis, and I love the idea of books that make modern science more real and accessible to the general public. The writing is a bit awkward at times, with character biographical trivia stuck into the middle of active conversations, and other similar annoying moves that slow the storytelling enough to prevent this book from being a 5, for me at least, but it was still a fun read. It does escalate awfully quickly, and I felt that the writing needed to be better edited to support this otherwise fantastical story, but I've read enough Clive Cussler thrillers to have an idea what the supporting storytelling might look like. This was only Andrews's second novel, so perhaps once she has firmly settled into her own novelist voice, she'll be on par with Cussler. As is, this book certainly stands up to Cussler's early thrillers, only, of course, with more modern science.
February 18, 2012
When a John Doe with a bayonet wound in his chest is discovered in a Washington, D.C. alley, geneticist Dr. Alexandra Blake of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology is pulled away from her bioterrorism work to aid in the investigation. Just a little digging reveals a corpse that's not at all that of the homeless robbery victim it was set up to resemble---and Alex and her colleagues find themselves wrapped up in a complicated mystery of high-stakes international financial intrigue.
The homicide investigation is just heating up when a political firestorm erupts over the AFIP's possession of human skulls brought back from Vietnam thirty years earlier by American servicemen. Alex is handed the delicate task of managing the restoration and return of these grisly souvenirs.
This the 2nd book in the series, I think. Again, lots of it is far-fetched, but an OK read.
The homicide investigation is just heating up when a political firestorm erupts over the AFIP's possession of human skulls brought back from Vietnam thirty years earlier by American servicemen. Alex is handed the delicate task of managing the restoration and return of these grisly souvenirs.
This the 2nd book in the series, I think. Again, lots of it is far-fetched, but an OK read.
March 9, 2010
Dr. Alexandra Blake is a geneticist specializing in analyzing minute traces of DNA. She is currently on loan to the government from her much loved teaching position. In this story she is asked to try to identify several skulls from Viet Nam that have surfaced in the US. Because she does not do anything halfway, she finds herself "knee deep" in subterfuge, espionage, treachery, and several layers of cover ups.
December 3, 2008
After a sex scene in the very beginning, the book was quite good. I've never read this author before, and I enjoy a good medical thriller. This was from a different vantage point. Seemed like historical fiction too, all the better. Good mystery, lots of plot twists. Took awhile to get who's who straight though.
March 21, 2015
Reasonable story, though I found it implausible that a geneticist would have been included in that way in police investigations. Some of the science was more than a bit of a stretch as well. But it passed the time.
October 8, 2007
I couldn't put it down. literally... I lost sleep over it!
January 22, 2009
This was a cool book. It had a genetic study twist that links everything together. This is probably an author that I would like to read her next book as well.
Read
April 7, 2009Good Suspense
March 24, 2010
I expected this to be an "O.K read", but was delighted to find myself ingulfed in the book. It's a page turner and very suspencial.
May 19, 2011
Realized pretty quickly that I'd read it before.
January 1, 2013
Decent mystery but too much sexy inuendo for my taste. Didn't really need to be there to keep the story interesting or to keep me reading.
February 6, 2014
Ook dit was weer een goed boek van Lori Andrews. Ik wil ook haar nieuwe boek Immuun nog lezen maar eerst even Ripper van Isabel Allende.
August 2, 2015
Good book
February 5, 2017
Great concept for a book based upon the return of trophy skulls taken by soldiers during Nam. Then the Vietnamese use the event to conduct a terrorist act or so it seems.
Want to read
September 9, 2018Synopsis: when a John Doe is discovered in a Washington alley, geneticist Dr. Alexandra Blake is called in.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews