Cassie Raven is a rare character in a crime book. She is a mortuary technician who is not only judged by others for her job but also her goth looks. Cassie hears her patients even though they can no longer speak she knows their final words. She cares about their final moments and will fight if she feels there has been an injustice. This is rather detailed in the disecting bodies area but skip these paragraphs if you're squimish as the story is worth reading. Police officer Phyllida Flyte is a stickler for doing the job properly treading on many toes along the way including Cassie's causing her to not be very popular. This has everything a good book should have. It has characters who have depth and emotion. I hope there are more books following Raven and Flyte. They may be polar opposites but that is why it works. A great crime book worth reading.