The Corpse Reader

1206 in eastern China and Ci is under the thumb of his elder brother Lu.  While out working in a paddy Ci discovers a head and later the body of the father of the girl he has been seeing.  A judge that Ci has been training with determines that the killer is Lu.  Ci hopes to get his sentence reduced.  However, Ci’s efforts only land him into trouble.  He needs to escape from the town.

Ci has numerous adventures as he runs away.  He soon learns that there is a sheriff on his trail.  Will he be able to get to safety?  In Lin’an Ci discovers that his father had been embezzling funds, so it would be difficult for him to get accreditation.  What was he to do now?

Since he has his ailing sister with him, Ci is desperate.  He finds work with a man who works in the cemetery.  He is able to use his knowledge about how people died to earn extra money for them.  At the same time. Ci is learning more about the causes of death while examining corpses.  When his sister dies, Ci is finally able to enter the Ming Academy to study forensics.  He also has the opportunity to reorganise medical books.

A particular case that Ci solves catches the interest of the emperor.  The emperor takes Ci into his service, but there Ci runs into an old rival from the academy.  The emperor has assigned Ci a very perplexing case, and Ci’s rival is tasked with helping him.

There would be many trials and tribulations for Ci as he did his investigation.  It would also include conspiracy and double crossing by people he thought he could trust.

When I started reading this historical novel by Antonio Garrido, I wasn’t sure I would like it.  However, I was quickly drawn into the story and found the book hard to put down.  A very good read.