One Drop of Blood

Dr. Tom had me from the first few pages. It was thrilling, comical, intense and moving. With me not wanting to put it down, and when it was over, I was sad that there was not another chapter. Dr. Holland is a wonderful story teller, you can feel his thoughts and see the story just by reading the book. I read it in record time, 2 days. He gave each character a true twist. The title of the book was hit on the head, one drop of blood. Lets hope that is where Dr. Tom picks up. I for one have become a true fan of Thomas Holland. As he knows , I wait and can only hope that his next book will soon be out. Keep writing Dr. Tom. But don't stop doing your day job either, we still need our MIA's to come home.

Not usually interested in forensic storylines, but this book captivated me. I was on a beautiful tropical vacation, but couldn't put it down. Even the acknowledgements was worth reading. The author's knowledge in the field and sense of humor added to the enjoyment of the book. I'm looking forward to a sequel.

Tom Holland says he began writing this book while stranded in an airport. If that's what it takes, let's hope he misses some more planes. ONE DROP OF BLOOD is a wonderful first novel. It is peopled by memorable characters, the pace is brisk, and as a bonus it is a clear-eyed primer on the exacting foresnsic work for which Holland is known throughout the scientific community. He brings the bones to life.

I should preface this review by noting that, as a forensic scientist myself, I tend to be fairly picky about how we are portrayed in books and other media. That being said, this is a superb debut novel. The author, Dr. Thomas Holland, is an internationally known scientist, yet he is able to convey the reality - and complexity - of his work in an excellent piece of fiction that is readily readable but makes no attempt to dumb down the science for its audience. Holland deftly spans the disparate worlds of the 1960s and today, and readily moves between the war-torn fields of Vietnam and the farm fields of rural Arkansas. Regarding Vietnam - the open pages of the book are so gripping and so realistic, it's hard to recall anything in recently memory that so quickly grabs the reader's attention. The lead character, Dr. Kel McKelvey, is an endearing, overworked forensic anthropologist who is a fascinating combination of cutting-edge scientist and homespun Southern charm - with the most excellent addition of a biting wit that never fails to surface at just the right time. The criticism has been made that Dr. McKelvey needs more "rounding." Well, I eagerly await Holland's next novel so we can get to know this character even better! In the rapidly expanding realm of forensic-scientist-turned-author, Holland has already placed himself in the upper echelon with his opening work. One can only hope that another McKelvey novel is coming soon.

Clearly, this is one of the best written forensic novels I have read in some time (and I have read a lot of them). Very entertaining story. I would recommend this book to all but especially those interested in forensics. A bonus is that the reader will learn about DNA, forensic anthropology and the complexities of identifying the dead without even realizing it. Hope there is another book real soon!