And you've had four crime scenes with body counts that follow that sequence.' He leaned back. 'The beginning numbers are 0, 1, 1, 2, 3. 'Yes.' Professor Masucci leaned forward, relaxing a little, eager to explain more. The Fibonacci sequence can even be found in fingerprints.' Sunflowers, shells, leaves, dragonfly wings. 'It's the sequence of ever-increasing numbers found in nature. 'I'm not that great at math.'ĭespite the distance, had managed to listen in, and he now rolled his chair closer. 'The killer is using the Fibonacci sequence.' He went on to talk about spirals and harmonics and asymmetry and something called Benford's law. 'We think the killings are somewhat opportunistic,' she told him, without going into the planning that must have been involved in the latest event.

'It's all about numbers.' He blinked several times, as if trying to hide behind his eyelids. 'I've solved your case.' The sentence was spoken with assurance. Why exactly are you here, Professor Masucci?'

He had light brown hair, thin on top, hand-smoothed to one side, the strands having a suspicious shine that added to the overall impression of unwashed and lack of awareness. But then,Ī stereotypical math professor character shows up with a strange theory: There is no obvious connection to math in the first 59 pages of the book where we learn about the brutal murder of three strangers in a movie theater who had their throats cut during a film. These things are known from the start as they are the basis for the award-winning The Body Reader to which this is the sequel. (She often can tell when people are lying to her, and at one point 'pulls a Sherlock' by figuring out where her neighbor came from based on the smell of his breath and his shirt and the small leaf in his hair.) She is also known to everyone in the Twin Cities where this book takes place as the victim who was tortured for years before killing her kidnapper. A list compiled by Alex Kasman ( College of Charleston)ĭetective Jude Fontaine must stop a pathological killer whose murder sprees are dictated by the Fibonacci sequence.įontaine is known for her ability to read people.

The Body Reader by Anne Frasier