F. H. Batacan
Autor von Smaller and Smaller Circles
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It's 1997 and the body of a young man is found buried in a dump heap in Payatas. He was not just killed but also eviscerated and had his facial skin removed. Another body in similar condition was found in February. The Director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) appeals to Father Gus Saenz, a forensic anthropologist, for assistance in tracking down the person doing thi.. In turn, he appeals to his former student, Father Jerome Lucero, a psychologist. However, the Director's decision to bring in outside help does not sit well with some other members of the NBI and Saenz and Lucero don't get all the assistance they could use. Two months later they are no closer to solving this series of crimes and another body appears every month. They finally determine that the killings take place on the first Saturday of every month so they go looking for clues in the Payatas region. Payatas is extremely poor and many young boys make money by picking through the rubbish for items to sell or even food that is not too badly decomposed. Saenz and Lucero learn that the parish church hands out free food on the first Saturday of every month so they wonder if that is how the killer is meeting his victims. Another possibility is the mobile health and dental clinic that is present every Saturday. At the very least the dental records could help identify the bodies since most of the boys had some kind of dental work done. Painstaking review of the clinic's dental records don't provide any matches but then a clerk realizes that some of the records may still be in the hands of the dentist who volunteers with the mobile clinic. And that allows the team to identify most of the victims which brings some relief to families who have been wondering what happened to their young boys. Just when it looks like the team might be getting close politics in the NBI almost derails the case. The Director has had a serious heart attack and his temporary replacement wants to get credit for solving the case so when a suspect is detained and confesses to the killings he goes public. Unfortunately for him, another killing takes place while his suspect is incarcerated and he ends up with egg on his face. So, it's back to Saenz and Lucero to solve the case as quickly as they can.
Batacan doesn't hesitate to condemn the Catholic church for covering up for abusive priests but, at the same time, she shows how hard other Catholic clergy work to make life better for the people in their care. I found that heartening.… (mehr)