Chain of Custody: A Simone Aldridge Forensic Thriller. Simone Aldridge Forensic Thriller Series, #3

A body never lies. The paperwork does. When County Medical Examiner Dr. Simone Aldridge begins the autopsy of respected property assessor Sheldon Roark, she discovers something impossible. The lividity doesn't match the official report. A mysterious injection site has no medical explanation. Even more disturbing, Roark's death certificate has already been routed through the system-declaring he died of natural causes before his body even reached the morgue.
Someone decided how Sheldon Roark died before the evidence had a chance to speak. As Simone and state police investigator Neil Tolliver dig deeper, they uncover a chilling conspiracy hidden inside the institutions meant to protect the truth. Death certificates are being manipulated. Evidence is disappearing. Autopsy findings are being rewritten. Somewhere within the system, a trusted insider is quietly editing reality-turning murder into paperwork and ensuring that no one asks the questions that matter.
Then Simone makes a discovery that changes everything. The killer isn't covering up deaths after they happen. They're writing the official record before the murders occur. Now every unexplained death becomes a warning, every case file a potential death sentence, and every trusted colleague a possible suspect. Racing against a bureaucracy designed to bury the truth, Simone must expose a killer who has spent decades hiding behind credentials, procedure, and the unquestioned authority of the written record.
But how do you stop someone who can erase a murder with the stroke of a pen?And what happens when the next victim is still alive... but their cause of death has already been written?Chain of Custody is a gripping forensic conspiracy thriller filled with razor-sharp twists, authentic investigative detail, unforgettable characters, and relentless suspense. Perfect for readers who enjoy intelligent crime fiction where science, evidence, and meticulous investigation-not luck-uncover the truth.
If you enjoy the novels of Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Michael Connelly, or Robin Cook, you'll be captivated by this sophisticated thriller that asks one haunting question:What if the official record became more dangerous than the crime itself?