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The Final Analysis

By: Keith McCarthy
Narrated by: Seán Barrett
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Summary

In the beginning there were five identical murders - bodies eviscerated and organs scattered playfully around. Beverly Wharton pinned the crime on Melkior Pendred, a highly skilled and autistic mortuary assistant. Her colleague, Sergeant Homer, always believed she had caught the wrong man and that Melkior's twin, Martin, was the real killer.

With Melkior dying in prison, a sixth, apparently identical murder gives Homer the perfect chance to prove his case. Martin Pendred is arrested but released on a technicality after the intervention of his solicitor, Helena Flemming. Then Martin disappears and another murder takes place. Former pathologist John Eisenmenger worked on the original murders, and his finely honed skills could make all the difference to this nerve-wracking case.

©2005 Keith McCarthy (P)2006 Isis Publishing Ltd
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Critic reviews

"McCarthy is a working pathologist who can also write exciting, literate prose." ( Publishers Weekly)
"British pathologist with a rattling good whodunit." ( Bookseller)

What listeners say about The Final Analysis

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Final Analysis - Enjoyable read

Final Analysis - Enjoyable read
Always plenty of twists & turns with this series
Narration excellent as always from Sean Barrett

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A gripping listen

This really was a cracking listen! Featuring John Eisenmenger and some other favourites it sort of follows on from The Secret Sleep of the Dying, expanding on the characters, continuing their stories whilst entwining a new plot line. Excellent stuff. Well written and building up to the reveal, this is another excellent book. Once again, expertly read by Sean Barrett who masters the voices wonderfully, giving them a life of their own.
The quality and pace of the recording are perfect and there are no noticeable variations along the way.
Since this is my second book I feel I am really getting the measure of
Eisenmenger and his relationships, particularly Helena and Beverley. I found this book brought more flesh to their bones and I am hoping another is available to download.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Pretentious and Pompous

A reasonable yarn rather ruined be the writers overuse of hyperbole and pomposity
It’s written as if the storyteller were Charles Dickens which spoilt the narration for me at least

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Tried this author because of Sean Barrett

Tried this crime author mainly because of Sean Barrett narrating. This may be personal to me but I like crime fiction as a bit of escapism but this author obviously has professional experience of pathology and is very well versed in tumours of all varieties. I'm afraid I got fed up with it for that reason and didn't finish the book. I felt that the author's extensive knowledge of such things was a distraction from the main story and frankly I found it grim.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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4/5 star review with very mixed thoughts

I don't very much like the writing style - nor do I warm to any of the characters at all (other than lukewarmly John Eisenmenger and Wright the Police underdog). Having said that I think the actual plot is absolutely excellent and the pace ensures you want to keep listening to know whether your hunches are correct (mine were!).

The main female characters in this series continue to annoy me (are they badly drawn or drawn too well?!) and I can only pray that the police force is not as personally and politically motived as shown here.

Sean Barrett does his usual excellent portrayal of all of these characters.

Part of me wants to give this a 2 star only - part of me wants to listen to the next instalment.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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good series

even thought this book is very descriptive its posable to lision to bit at a time
intresting at time makes you laught this books got everything
takeing time to get thought it
i look forward to getting more

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another gripping story

Firstly, I definitely think that these books should be consumed in chronological order otherwise the oblique references to the back-stories of the main characters will be confusing and importance of which to the present narrative lost. The author uses his knowledge as a pathologist to include detailed descriptions of what can be gleaned about a crime during a post-mortem. A bit grisly at times but mainly interesting. Maybe as an antidote to the forensic detail there's rather a lot of long, lascivious descriptions of sexual congress that aren't always pertinent to the story but which suggest what part of the female form turns the author on! I enjoy the witty and sardonic writing style and the imaginative story and am certainly intending to listen to more in this series and follow the lives of John Eisenmenger, Di Beverley Wharton and lawyer Helena Flemming, especially if narrated by the excellent Sean Barrett.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A good read, but...

I guess that I enjoyed listening to this book. But I was constantly expecting it to get going at a faster pace.

It was a perfectly adequate read, but no more than that.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

clever & dry = the perfect guest to tell a story

yes... there's a brilliant whodunit; there's a brilliant pathology thriller; but what stands out for me is the prose: it stops me in my tracks. this author can describe 10 different smiles and I find myself stopping and saying "yes, I get that". so many times he explains things I see everyday with such clarity with the Dryest of wit. we'd.all love to go for dinner with the author and hear his words!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

suspense, gritty and absorbing.

I'm loving this series of books. Sorry that Helena is dying, Beverly no doubt will get her chance. The image of Martin as the villain was quite horrific and the portrayal of him by Sean Barrett a genius! Arrogant and superficial medical scholars depicted with a cutting wit and sarcasm. You never can tell who is bad, mad or quite simply evil.

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