In 1206 Eastern China, Cí Song lives a humble and dreary
existence with his family working his brother's farm. It is
quite different from life in the bustling city of Lin'an,
where Cí had been pursuing his dream of a university
education in law. All that changed when his grandfather
died and tradition forces the family to return to their old
village. Then a series of even more tragic events has Cí
fleeing the village with his last surviving family member,
a very young and unwell sister. Wondering what he did to
anger the gods, Cí is overwhelmed by their unknown future.
Fate is continually cruel to Cí, but eventually leads him
to a place where he can apply his knowledge of discerning
causes of death. Previous forensic experience has taught Cí
the different ways a corpse can reveal its secrets, thus he
is given the moniker of Corpse Reader. At every turn, Cí is
driven to do things he knows are wrong, as well as passing
up better opportunities, for the sake of protecting his
sister and eluding the sheriff from his village.
Fate again intervenes following his sister's death with a
chance meeting with Professor Ming, director of Ming
Academy in Lin'an. From a young age, Cí has always dreamed
of a place in the judiciary. Constantly feeling the
loneliness of no family, Cí is grateful for Ming's
attention and his confidence in Cí's intellectual
abilities. But Cí's life path is never easy and continually
altered by fate at the most inopportune times. His aptitude
in innovative forensic techniques eventually draws the
Emperor's attention. Cí is summoned to the Imperial Court
to investigate a series of disturbing mutilations and
deaths that are baffling the judges. There he meets his
earlier mentor, Feng, who seems delighted to reconnect with
his gifted protégé. Cí is intrepid in his quest for truth
and justice, but court intrigues threaten to be his
undoing. Then past experiences come full circle for Cí with
shocking revelations and consequences.
THE CORPSE READER by Antonio Garrido is a dynamic,
thought-provoking historical suspense with a diverse plot
and stunning characterization. Inspired by the man held to
be the originator of forensic science, Song Cí, this
fictional accounting is both innovative and educational. I
was engaged in the story from the first page and could not
put it down. THE CORPSE READER was a different reading
experience for me and one I enjoyed immensely.
After his grandfather dies, avid scholar and budding
forensic investigator Ci Song begrudgingly gives up his
studies to help his family. But when another tragedy
strikes, he’s forced to run and also deemed a fugitive.
Dishonored, he has no choice but to accept work as a lowly
gravedigger, a position that allows him to sharpen his
corpse-reading skills. Soon, he can deduce whether a person
killed himself or was murdered.
His prowess earns him notoriety, and Ci receives orders to
unearth the perpetrator of a horrific series of mutilations
and deaths at the Imperial Court. Ci’s gruesome
investigation quickly grows complicated thanks to old
loyalties and the presence of an alluring, enigmatic woman.
But he remains driven by his passion for truth, especially
once the killings threaten to take down the Emperor
himself.
Inspired by Song Ci, considered to be the founding father
of CSI-style forensic science, this harrowing novel set
during the thirteenth-century Tsong Dynasty draws readers
into a multilayered, ingenious plot as disturbing as it is
fascinating.
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