KIA: A Dr. Kel McKelvey Novel

This is the first of Holland's two novels that I've read. I hadn't a clue what was going on until the very end, and then he tossed in a ringer. Great story, just enough of the forensic stuff to show what that's all about, and excellent job of unraveling the puzzle without giving it away too soon. I went immediately to "One Drop of Blood" after I finished this one and found it impossible to put down - haven't read one of those in a long time. Couldn't solve this one either along the way, and, of course, there was a final zinger. I know a couple of FBI agents, and Mike Levine nailed them pretty good. I hope Mr. Holland has more of these stories on the way.

I have one word to share with you about this book - WOW! Thomas Holland sure does have a talent when it comes to writing. An element of Kel's character that I love is his aversion to the telephone. This is represented in both ONE DROP OF BLOOD and K.I.A. I love this characteristic because I share this aversion with him. But the way Holland portrays it is absolutely hilarious. Kel's wittiness is sharp and believable! The plot in this story is absolutely phenomenal. It's tight, concise; no unnecessary fluff. Each character, each event plays an essential part in the overall story. And the plot twists are stellar. I like Holland's effect of ending a chapter leaving the reader knowing that what he/she initially thought was going to happen, isn't really the direction the plot is going after all, and at the same time, the reader doesn't know now what IS going to happen. You find yourself saying, "just one more chapter" so many times because you have to find out just where Holland is taking you next. The last point I want to mention about K.I.A. is Holland's use of language. There aren't a lot of writers that really WOW me with their use of language, but Holland has made that distinguished list. There is often a stereotype associated with Southern dialect and colloquialisms. But Kel uses both of these in his dialogue and you as the reader, still respect Kel as an intelligent, educated, competent professional. Holland beautifully breaks the stereotype and uses those devices to his benefit. There doesn't tend to be an overwhelming amount of anthropological science in Holland's books. These are more plot focused, but I do love the way he works science into the framework, even in places you might not expect it to be. At the same time, the books aren't overwhelmed by only allusions to science. He presents two different viewpoints of the sound of the Vietnamese language. Ed Milligan, a Staff Sergeant investigating possible locations of American soldiers killed in Vietnam, heard "chickens clucking", whereas Caroline Thompson, an anthropologist heard "music." There's a lot of intrigue in those different perceptions. This book was just an absolutely wonderful read; from plot to character to language, it's extremely well written and just fun.

This book, the second Dr. Kel McKelvey forensic mystery, was even better than the first, A Drop of Blood, (loved that one too). Dr. Kel is a forensic anthropologist who gets tangled up in trying to identify a soldier from the Vietnam War and ends up in the midst of several current murder cases. Being a working mom I don't have a lot of time to read, so when I finally devote time to reading I want to be certain that I will not be wasting my time. I enjoyed this book very much. The story is complex but so very intriguing that you will not want to put it down. I'm pretty good at guessing the ending of a book about two-thirds of the way through but this time I was very surprised.

A great read. It is a must for any person that served in the military or who has any interest in forensic science. There is the usual disclaimer that the characters do not resemble living persons. They are the most realistic characters I have found in a work of fiction. The plot has to be based on actual events it is so striking. Leave an adequete amount of time to read this because I went cover to cover, not being able to put it down. The ending is a shocker and superb.

In Hawaii Dr. Robert Dean Keel McKinley knows his work as the director of the Department of the Army's Central Identification Laboratory can prove gruesome and depressing as he works with human remains identifying who he or she was. However, he also realizes how rewarding it is to provide closure for loved ones. Currently, he is frustrated with his ignorant bureaucratic supervisor Colonel Boschet who believes regulations and guides are constitutionally binding so when Kel gets a Vietnamese Era case, he jumps at the opportunity to escape from the imbecile "botch it". Native American Jimmy Lee Tenkiller vanished just before his tour of duty in Vietnam was to end; in 1984 he was declared KIA (Killed in Action); however apparently in 2007 his remains have just been handed over to American authorities by Vietnamese officials looking for further cooperation between the nations. Kel is assigned the task of determining if this is in deed Jimmy and if not who is the dead MIA. However, he soon finds much more than just an identification case as he realizes murderer is involved that he connects to a dishonest gang of former South Vietnamese officials who will kill anyone who threatens to expose their avaricious illegal dealings. KIA, the sequel to ONE DROP OF BLOOD (not read by this reviewer), is an intriguing mystery that focuses on the work of CIL to identify dead soldiers. However the fascination with this fine thriller is the look back at the strange relationship between the Johnson and Nixon administrations and the corrupt South Vietnamese government that echoes in Iraq today. Readers will appreciate Kel's investigation even as the spins into his murder inquiry is a bit over the top, but no one will care as he works one bone at a time. Harriet Klausner