The Last Autopsy

by Norbert Zaenglein

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0970217609
• ISBN13: 9780970217608
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Night Howl Productions
• Length: 143 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.3" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

H.P. Lovecraft meets middle class American values

Norbert Zaenglein presents his first novel for the mystery reader's delight, in what promises on the cover notes to be "original, defiant, preternatural..."The Last Autopsy conjures up a bizarre string of events in the life of retired coroner Bill Henley. Known for his daring and resolve in solving a murder mystery while in medical school, Dr. Henley has had a fulfilling and illustrious career. Until he is called upon to do an autopsy on the body of Heather Sinclair. Heather's body had been found in a ditch, and her apparent death increased the fears of the already skittish residents of Glen Hollow, where a number of unexplained deaths had people on edge. Fueled by the nervousness, Dr. Henley hastens to do an autopsy on Heather, only to discover halfway through the autopsy that she might not be dead after all:"Henley moved to the end of the autopsy table. His fingers parted Heather's red hair. He was about to make an incision from one ear to the other. Before he did, he picked up the Stryker saw for a test. That's when something startled him. He reached down and grasped the large flap of flesh by Heather's belly. The flesh had the weight, thickness and consistency of a warm corned beef brisket. In an instant, a cold rush of terror ripped through Henley's veins. His face turned pale, his extremities numbed, his heart pounded like a jackhammer."The Last Autopsy isn't really a murder mystery, as such. It is more of a dark Stephen King type novel disguised as a murder mystery. Zaenglein has created a new path for himself with this story. He is probably less concerned with probability and logic than he is with entertaining and startling the reader. If one is interested in the macabre murder and an accompanying maelstrom of events that spiral out of control, then The Last Autopsy is for you. Zaenglein isn't afraid to take on moral complexities and brutish human nature in his storytelling. The reader needs a strong stomach for this story, but the questions involved can be interesting. The Last Autopsy is sort of an H.P. Lovecraft meets middle class American values, and Zaenglein seems to enjoy the clash. It makes for a bizarre story where the murder line is almost secondary. Shelley GlodowskiReviewer