About this item
Intern forensic pathologist Dr. Riley McKay has noticed irregularities in autopsies at the Allegheny County Coroner's lab. Suspecting foul play, she seeks help from Dr. Nick Polchak, the "bug man" renowned for his ability to solve murders by analyzing the insects on victim's bodies. Nick and Riley uncover a sinister link between the lab's director and PharmaGen, a start-up drug company specializing in genetic research. They also discover that PharmaGen fronts an underground system to procure transplant organs for wealthy clients by finding and murdering matching donors. But PharmaGen learns of their security breach and orders the couple destroyed. While staying a step ahead of PharmaGen assassins, romantic attraction develops between Nick and Riley.
About the Author
Tim Downs is an author, speaker, and communication consultant who co-hosts the popular weekly podcast, The Communication Guys. After graduating from college in 1976 he created a daily comic strip, Downstown, which was syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate (Doonesbury, Calvin & Hobbes, The Far Side) from 1980 to 1986. His cartooning has appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide. Tim has written nine novels in the mystery/suspense genre, beginning with Shoofly Pie (2003) , followed by Chop Shop (2004) , PlagueMaker (2006) , Head Game (2007) , First the Dead (2008) , Less than Dead (2008) , Ends of the Earth (2009) , Wonders Never Cease (2010) , and Nick of Time (2011) . His most recent work is a memoir, Where the Wind Leads (April 2014) . Tim lives in Cary, North Carolina, with his wife Joy.
