THE BODY READER

The first book in the Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries.

Winner of the 2017 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Paperback Original Novel

For three years Detective Jude Fontaine was kept from the outside world. Held in an underground cell, her only contact was with her sadistic captor, and reading his face was her entire existence. Learning his every line, every movement, and every flicker of thought is what kept her alive.

After her experience with isolation and torture, she is left with a fierce desire for justice—and a heightened ability to interpret the body language of both the living and the dead. Despite colleagues’ doubts about her mental state, she resumes her role at Homicide. Her new partner, Detective Uriah Ashby, doesn’t trust her sanity, and he has a story of his own he’d rather keep hidden. But a killer is on the loose, murdering young women, so the detectives have no choice: they must work together to catch the madman before he strikes again. And no one knows madmen like Jude Fontaine.

 
 
 

PRAISE FOR THE BODY READER

“Absorbing!

—Publishers Weekly

“This is an interesting and unexpectedly complex story, and the author’s character development of the two troubled main protagonists is excellent. Most of all, the author brings a sensitivity to her work that is so perceptive you feel the pain and sadness of her characters keenly. She deftly manages to overcome the “normalization” of horror that sometimes accompanies its glib inclusion in crime thrillers, by giving it a recognizable shape, a personal impact, and an avenue by which to reach emotional engagement.”

—Rhapsody in Books


“All in all, I had great (dark) time reading The Body Reader, and I do declare I want more of Jude! I recommend it to lovers of twisted tales of family life involving rich/officials, of crime mysteries involving serial killers, and those interested in a non-romanticized view on Stockholm Syndrome and its aftermath. Great read!

—Butterfly-o-Meter Books

 “Oh my goodness! I have not read a good thriller & suspense novel like this for a long time. This book keeps you guessing until the very end. I loved it.”

—Tiger-whispers

“Frasier is exceptional at weaving together the character trauma and the central plot. What the characters experience isn’t brushed aside, but their demons are faced head on and developed to add layers to the story. The result is a satisfying resolution with some hope readers may see the characters return in a future offering.”

—Examiner

  “The plot is dark and mind blowingly wicked.”

—Bitch Can Write a Book

 “The Body Reader was a disturbing but excellent twisty listen!”

—The Geeky Blogger’s Book Blog

“The story is totally engaging and Anne Frasier has her way with words that keeps you hooked non-stop.”

—Mystery Sequels

“The Body Reader is a superb novel full of suspenseful exploits… The storyline itself is intriguing, with the past meshing with the present in unexpected ways. This is an electrifying murder mystery — one of the best of the year.”

—Mysterious Reviews

 “[The Body Reader] is an interesting and unexpectedly complex story, and the author’s character development of the two troubled main protagonists is excellent.”

—Rhapsody in Books Weblog 

“I see the name Anne Frasier on a book and I know I am in for a treat…I thought it was a very unique premise and coupled with the good characters, made for an almost non-stop read for me. I highly recommend this.”

—Pure Textuality 

“The Body Reader is an excellent example of a character-driven book, and while the crime was shocking and the following investigation suspenseful, the real focus was on the development of Jude and Uriah into a team. Highly recommended!”

—Lovely Books 

“Anne Frasier writes a compelling and thought-provoking psychological thriller that examines the stability of a police detective who was kidnapped and tortured for three years. Frasier does a fantastic job of giving our heroine a voice.”

—Smexy Books 

“Frasier delivers a fantastic new book.”

—The Word Nerds 

  “I can’t believe my luck when it comes to mystery and suspense novels. I seem to always be picking the good ones. And Anne Frasier’s The Body Reader was definitely one of the good ones. Good story, engaging plot, solid characters and a whole lot of intensity.”

—Lady Muslin Myst’s Mysterious Hodgepodge 

  “I love it, I love it, I love it…Anne Frasier is the queen, I bow down to her.”

—Punkrockgirlpa 

 “The Body Reader earned its five stars, a rarity for me, even for books I like. Kudos to Anne Frasier.

—The Wyrdd and the Bazaar

  “Frasier doesn’t give Jude’s escape from her kidnapper as background. Oh no, you are put right into the midst of her torture and escape. And, I loved it. I was instantly pulled in and it didn’t take long for me to be a quarter done.”

—60 Seconds or More

 “Read this book in one day–quite a page turner…An author I’d not read before is now on my list of authors to explore.”

—Daydreamer 

 “This type of book may have you up all night reading straight through because the story is gripping and riveting… A must read for mystery suspense fans.”

—Babbling About Books

 “The writing in The Body Reader is engaging and of good quality, and I particularly enjoyed the switches of perspective that let us see into the mind of one of the victims and how her perspective on her captor changed over time. It was both creepy and fascinating to read.”

—Your Reality is an Illusion

  “Simply put, my definition of a great book is one that I cannot put down until I have read it from cover to cover. This book fits that definition and then some. I’ve long been a fan of Anne Frasier, but this book elevates her work to a whole new level, in my mind.”

—Tale of a Shooting Star

 “Anne Frasier has a scary way with words, and this book will certainly frighten you when you think about it. And you will think about it after you read it. Because it describes, with crisp precision, how it must feel to lose your mind.”

—It’s About the Book

“This is a great story that felt very different to things that I’ve read recently…Once you pick it up you will struggle to let go until you get to the end.”

—My Chestnut Reading Tree 

“This was pretty damn hard to put down.”

—An Introvert in Borneo

 “I believe The Body Reader proves that a victim may survive the crime – but they are forever changed by it…and sometimes that in itself is the major crime.”

—Keeper Book Shelf

 “Brilliance…There are times when you will guess the ending and hope like hell you are wrong. The great thing is some of those guesses will be right and some will be way off base. Either way this is one wild ride!”

—Geeky Bloggers Book Blog

“Frasier is exceptional at weaving together the character trauma and the central plot. What the characters experience isn’t brushed aside, but their demons are faced head on and developed to add layers to the story. The result is a satisfying resolution with some hope readers may see the characters return in a future offering.”

—Beach Reads 

“It is no doubt a page turner and a type of book you don’t want to put down unless you reach the last page!…the book is a must read!”

—Retrospecting Books 

“The characters were so likable. Magnificent! Excellent!”

—Snow’s Book Hollow