When strange bones surface on a U.S. senator's property, the FBI enlists forensic entomologist Nick Polchak to investigate the forgotten graveyard. Polchak's orders are simple: figure out the mess. But Polchak, known as the "Bug Man" because of his knowledge of insects and their interaction with the dead, senses darker secrets buried beneath the soil--secrets that could derail the senator's presidential bid; secrets buried in the history of a quaint Virginia town; secrets someone is willing to kill to protect. With the help of a mysterious local woman named Alena and her uncanny cadaver dogs, Polchak sets out to dig up the truth. But with a desperate killer hot on his trail, he'll be lucky to wind up anything less than dead.
Pages:
352 Format:
Paperback EAN/ISBN:
9781595543073/1595543074 Publisher:
Thomas Nelson Publishers
First The Dead: A Review| Posted September 02, 2008
by C.E. Moore
Forensic entomologist Nick Polchak is back in yet another bug-addled murder mystery. Fresh off his last hair-raising adventure chronicled in First The Dead, which found Nick solving murders in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, in Less Than Dead we now find Nick solving a peculiar case in the mountains, foothills, and backwoods of Endor, Virginia.
As the earth is being excavated to make room for a new mega-shopping center in Virginia, a long-forgotten graveyard is unearthed. The problem is, some of the graves contain more than one body—a casket with an extra body buried on top. Further complicating matters is the fact that the land upon which this mall is being built is owned by front-running presidential candidate, Senator John Henry Braden. This precipitates the FBI becoming involved and fans of Downs’ previous efforts will be glad to know that Plaguemaker’s Special Agent Nathan Donovan is spearheading the investigation, giving readers more of a sense that Downs’ world is all interconnected.
As the story progresses, Nick, ever the idiosyncratic outcast, finds a kindred spirit in “The Witch of Endor,” an outcast in her own right who has retreated to the mountains of Endor, Virgina, where she seems to have mythical powers over dogs. Of course, Nick isn’t one to believe in myths and unravels the mystery of this fellow outcast while unraveling the mystery of the double graves that are increasing in number. Both individuals have quirky personalities that are fleshed out rather well.
Downs has a peculiar knack for making everything so realistic—from the characters to the unfolding situation. There was never a moment in the story where I thought, “That could never happen.” He keeps his stories firmly entrenched in reality and Less Than Dead is no exception to that rule. In fact, his portrayal of Senator Braden and his wife, Victoria, were so real that I had to remember that its Obama and McCain that are currently running for president, not Braden.
Tim Downs continues to impress in his Bug Man novels. With each tale he takes us further and further into the quirky psyche of a man who continues to find himself in crazy, mixed-up situations. Polchak comes across as a fully-realized character, complete with strengths, weaknesses, quirks, and a sarcastic disposition. Full of twists and turns where nothing is as it seems and everyone has something to hide, Less Than Dead is Tim Downs’ best book to date.
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from The Christian Manifesto. Click here to visit TheChristianManifesto.com today!
