Author(s): Jefferson Bass

CRIME

Bill Brockton is exhuming a body to obtain a bone sample for a paternity test. A simple enough job until he discovers that the body's limbs have all been removed. Digging deeper, he soon finds himself embroiled in the massive and very illegal market for human body parts. He becomes drawn into the enterprise, selling donated corpses to the postmortem chop shop - in league with the FBI, hoping to bring the organization down. All the while, his friend and Medical Examiner, Eddie Garcia, is struggling with the aftermath of their last case. A massive dose of radiation has left him missing one hand and most of the fingers from the other. He's on the waiting list for a transplant, but with so many parts around, Brockton is sorely tempted to jeopardize the investigation - and his own principles - to help his friend. Will he be able to live with himself if he does? Will he be able to live with himself if he doesn't?