Body Language by A.K. Turner
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Respect the newly dead, and they will share their stories. That’s the philosophy of twenty-five year old Cassie Raven, whose secret super-power is ‘hearing’ messages from those who have recently passed away. Her job as a mortuary technician gives full rein to her natural affinity with death, which is also expressed through her fascination with dead animals and her enrolment in an online course in taxidermy. As the plot of Body Language unfolds, Cassie is revealed as an empathic listener, equally open to the living and to those transitioning to the next world.
However, being a committed Camden Goth, Cassie makes an exception for the constabulary. When DS Phyllida Flyte arrives at the mortuary to investigate the theft of the body of an elderly man who died of natural causes, communication problems soon develop. Having recently transferred to one of the most edgy districts in London from an idyllic small town, Flyte finds Cassie’s dyed black hair, eyebrow bolt and lip ring alienating. The mortuary technician is equally repelled by the detective’s colour co-ordinated pale pink finger nails. It looks as if there is no future for this collaboration, but when their bosses attempt to play down incidents related to the death of Cassie’s mentor, the two young women are united by concern and find a way to work together.
The death of Cassie’s old science teacher catapults her into the world of police investigations. Mrs. E. tracked Cassie down when she was living rough and selling the Big Issue, and persuaded her to attend the classes she taught at the Community College. Because of this, Cassie completed her education and is now a senior technician, responsible for carrying out post-mortems and supervising the activities of junior staff. When fifty-one year old Mrs E dies suddenly and her body is brought to the mortuary, Cassie proceeds with the post-mortem in spite of feeling devastated. Few people would be capable of doing this for someone they knew, but to Cassie, it is a sign of respect and a final act of gratitude. But, why hasn’t her valued friend sent her a message from beyond the grave?
Cassie is a ‘face’ in Camden’s nightlife, but most of the time, she’d rather be at home, stuffing one of the squirrel carcases she keeps in her kitchen fridge. Because she lost both her parents when she was very young, and has unanswered questions about them, Cassie finds it difficult to lower her emotional defences, and her romantic relationships have been short. Her bisexuality offers a wide range of possibilities for future choices, but her approach to prospective lovers is cautious.
There’s a lively cast of supporting characters. From annoying new pathologist Archie Cuff, ‘glib as a cabinet minister’, to chirpy rough sleeper Kieran (‘It’s the dog’s, isn’t it?’), whom Cassie knows from her time living in squats, they add humour and narrative texture to a dark tale. Cassie’s relationship with her Polish grandmother shows the warm side of her character, which her alternative lifestyle might otherwise conceal from the reader. Descriptions of Cassie’s colleagues, and the day-to-day details of their work in the mortuary, are convincing to a lay reader, without being overwhelming.
Although, at first sight, the two protagonists could hardly be more different, they are united by a shared vulnerability to make a very relatable team. I became quite fond of Cassie and Phyllida while reading Body Language, so I hope there are more Raven and Flyte novels in the pipeline. A.K. Turner has already had success with the Kiszka and Kershaw novels, written under the pen name Anya Lipska, and the masterly plot planning in Body Language displays a finely honed writing technique.
