Seven novels in which murder victims "speak" for themselves

Hilary Davidson is the bestselling author of seven crime novels, including One Small Sacrifice, Blood Always Tells, and The Damage Done.

[The Page 69 Test: The Damage Done; The Page 69 Test: Blood Always Tells; The Page 69 Test: One Small Sacrifice; The Page 69 Test: Don't Look Down]

Davidson's fiction has won two Anthony Awards and a Derringer Award, and her short stories have appeared in Thuglit, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, and Beat to a Pulp.

Her latest novel is Her Last Breath.

At CrimeReads Davidson tagged seven novels she loves "for the way they allow the murder victim to 'speak' for themselves and to affect the course of the investigation of their own murder." One title on the list:

A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell

When reporter Hannah Vogel finds her brother’s photograph in Berlin’s Hall of the Unnamed Dead, she’s reluctant to make a formal identification. It’s not that she doesn’t love her brother, but it’s 1931 and Ernst had a controversial career as a cross-dressing performer in a glittering cabaret. As Hannah quietly investigates, messages from Ernst surface in some unlikely places, including her own jewelry box, where her brother had hidden a priceless ring. Turns out, Ernst was having an affair with a high-ranking Nazi officer, so he took certain precautions, including mailing Hannah a packet of their love letters—giving her information and ammunition.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Page 69 Test: A Trace of Smoke.

My Book, The Movie: A Trace of Smoke.

--Marshal Zeringue