Each man kills the thing he loves... Edward Marsham is admitted to the Royal Infirmary having hung himself in his prison cell. As predicted, he dies. In the wake of several unexpected deaths at the hospital, however, Dr. Claire Woodforde suspects there is a killer amongst the staff. As Detective Chief Inspector Beverley Wharton and her new sergeant Tom Bayes begin to investigate Marsham's death, they too start to wonder if it was natural or whether someone... helped him along. But as they start to make headway on the case, something much more sinister comes to light. A body is found in an empty house. A body without its limbs. And head. Dr. John Eisenmenger is tasked with examining the torso to uncover clues which will lead to its identity and cause of death; a grisly job even for the most hardened of pathologists. But as the investigation unfolds, the team discovers that there is much, much worse to come, and in addition, there is growing suspicion that there is a link between the two cases. This not-for-the-faint-hearted crime thriller shines a light into the darkest recesses of the human soul. Fans of Patricia Cornwell, Tami Hoag and Tess Gerritsen will be hooked on A Kiss Before Killing. Praise for A Kiss Before Killing 'Pacey, well-written medical thriller... the suspense built so that I had to finish it in a sitting' - Andrew Puckett, bestselling author of Sisters of Mercy 'Dark and disturbing. Sharp and deliciously violent. A must read' - Robert White, bestselling author of Breaking Bones Praise for Keith McCarthy 'McCarthy lays on the grisly detail with a practising doctor's detached eye.' - Publishers Weekly 'McCarthy handles his material with real brio.' - Crime Time 'McCarthy excels at capturing his readers and not letting go until the shocking conclusion... Will appeal to fans of John Harvey's crime novels' Library Journal Keith McCarthy was born in Croydon, Surrey. Educated at Dulwich College and then at St George's Hospital Medical School, he began practising pathology in 1985 and has done so ever since. Keith is a Consultant Histopathologist in Gloucestershire where he lives with his wife and three daughters.