When a national disaster strikes, “first the living” is the rule.
Unless you’re the Bug Man.
When Hurricane Katrina strikes New Orleans, forensic entomologist Nick Polchak signs up to help with the recovery effort. He is known as the Bug Man for his knowledge of insects and what they can reveal about the dead. The government’s mandate is clear—rescue the living first, recover the dead later.
But something is very wrong in the toxic soup-bowl of post-Katrina New Orleans.
Someone is using the cover of disaster to kill . . . hiding the victims of murder in the same watery grave as the victims of Katrina.
It’s a tale only the dead can tell. But no one besides the Bug Man is listening.
” . . . stands out from the pack of CSI-inspired mysteries with its quirky hero and creative handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.”
—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
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Sexual Content - 1/5
1/5
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Violence - 2/5
2/5
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Language - 0/5
0/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 1/5
1/5
Summary
From: Isaac Scego
Book Title: First the Dead
Book Author: Tim Downs
What do you like about this book:
Summery::
As always, Mr. Downs succeeds in adding just the right amount of charm, suspense, mystery, action and wit to make this third installment to the Bug Man series another one of the bunch. However, First the Dead does take a darker turn on the series, and some chapters are just flat out frightening, but Downs doesn't dwell on them too much. And, in my opinion (however warped it may be), these dark sequences give the story a certain frothiness, making this novel the best in the series thus far.
Sexual Content::
Nick had a past relationship with a woman, which reboots through the story. Nick's coworkers constantly attempt to set him up on blind dates.
Violent Content::
The events of Hurricane Katrina can get perilous, and maybe a bit unsettling for those who have experiences it firsthand. People are trapped in their houses as they quickly flood, some drowning. The killer will strike his victims hard over the head and let them drown in the water. Dead bodies are described in vivid detail, sometimes disturbingly. Of course, it's a Bug Man novel, so the obvious dialogue of multiple medical conditions are described in crisp detail, and some of them can get gruesome. A few people are shot as well.
Language::
Nick considers flipping someone the bird.
Drug/Alcohol Content::
Some of the New Orleans neighborhoods are said to have drug problems.
Recommendation:: 3.5/5
PG-13 - Disturbing descriptions, violence, and some sequences of peril
Your ratings of the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use on a scale of 1-5.
Sex:1
Violence:2
Language:0
Drug/Alcohol use:1