Deception

When a body is discovered on a path near Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, Detective Patrick is called to investigate. His sister forensic pathologist Claire O'Shaunessy is asked to perform the autopsy. Deception by Sue Myers is the first in O'Shaunessy series featuring the pathologist.

If you are squeamish like me, you are best to skim the first few chapters with the autopsy details and jump ahead to the plot. While performing the autopsy, Claire discovers the victim was strangled, but shows no defensive injuries, as if he wasn't feeling any danger before he was killed. There was a second blood type on the male jogger's sock. She thinks this indicates either another victim or the blood of the murderer.

While searching through missing reports for his murder victim, Patrick sees a face he recognizes. It's Sarah Morgan, an friend of Claire's from their old neighborhood. Her body was found partially buried in a cemetery in the western suburbs.

Autopsy results show she died of hemorrhage resulting from a puncture to the iliac artery during a
procedure to harvest her eggs. When her blood is tested against the spot on the other victim's sock, there is a match. Also linking her to the first victim are sisal fibers found on both of them. What led Sarah to sell her eggs and why did she die from a fairly routine procedure?

When Claire discovers that Sarah's gambling habit led her to sell her eggs, she decides she needs to do something to prevent another woman from dying like this. She goes undercover and arranges an appointment with the doctor she thinks might be involved. This leads to a dramatic, tense climax to Deception.

This is the first book in the Claire O'Shaunessy series.