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NYPD detective Terri Russo has some problems with her boss, a man she once made the mistake of sleeping with. So her reputation in the department is truly on the line when she calls in sketch artist Nate Rodriguez, and connects one particular murder to several others. Nate, of course, has problems of his own. He feels tremendous guilt over the death of his father, a cop killed in a drug bust gone bad. Nate keeps replaying possible scenarios in his head, none of which do anything to resolve his guilt. The interior of Nate's head is an interesting place. He has an unusual ability to take the verbal descriptions of victims and turn them into amazingly accurate visual portrayals of the "perp." He uses this ability to make his grandmother's visions concrete. His grandmother is a practitioner of Santeria, the religion popular in Cuba and with roots in West Africa. Nate is almost an agnostic in terms of his belief in her religion. Almost, but not quite. Nate's abilities are contrasted with the artistic abilities of the killer, who leaves a detailed sketch with each victim. The artist in Nate recognizes the skills of the killer, and sees that the killer is just as aware of Nate's talents. The killer is not nearly as aware of Nate's skills as a police officer, which enables Nate to find more clues in the drawings than perhaps the artist intended. The reader is given the chance to make the same deductions, as all the sketches are included in the book. Santlofer plots well, although it may not be possible for the reader to solve the puzzle with the cluesprovided; the police department has the staffing to track down all the clues and the reader just doesn't have that available. Other than that minor quibble, ANATOMY OF FEAR is a well-written thriller. It does not require the same knowledge of art history that Santlofer's THE KILLING ART made use of, but it is no less compelling. ANATOMY OF FEAR is the first in a new series; keep an eye out for the next entry. Santlofer drags the reader into his world, and it's worth the trip.
Reviewed by P.J. Coldren, July 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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