Grounds for Appeal (Richard Pryor Mysteries)
A headless body found buried in a Welsh bog in 1955 draws the attention of an archaeologist, thinking the corpse may be very old. Then forensic pathologist Richard Pryor detects a tattoo of Batman on the corpse’s arm. The investigation provides a valuable chance to shine for Priscilla Chambers, filling in for Pryor’s partner, forensic biologist Angela Bray, who’s attending to her ill mother. As police seek the head and identity of the man, who appears to have been murdered, Pryor and Bray, back at work, gather evidence for the appeal of a woman charged with killing her abusive partner. Aspiring winemaker Pryor also is asked to assist a nearby French vintner with a problem that is tearing his family apart. Surrounded by women at work, Pryor is reluctant to start a relationship within his forensic family, yet he finds himself eyeing both beautiful, extroverted Priscilla and cool, elegant Angela. Retired pathologist Knight combines solid science and culture of the period and an attractive cast of characters in another entertaining entry (after According to the Evidence, 2011) in the Pryor series. --Michele Leber