“Phosphate Rocks: A Death in Ten Objects” by Fiona Erskine

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Rating: 3/5 Stars

An interesting book that is equal parts fiction and non-fiction about a mystery discovered during the demolition of an old chemical factory. When a basement is uncovered, a body covered in phosphate is discovered, along with ten objects. A police detective enlists the help of a former supervisor at that factory to help discover whose body it is and the significance of the objects.

As the former supervisor, John Gibson, examines each object, it causes him to recollect events and the people at the factory that involve each object. For readers to understand why the chemical factory does certain things in certain ways, it is necessary for the writer to introduce the chemistry (and some history behind the chemistry) separately beforehand.

The result is a book that part mystery, part chemistry, part plant engineering and part relationships between people, as the ups and downs of the factory involving the workers and the people in the nearby town are shown.

In the end, if the reader pays careful attention, the identity of the body may be discovered and is shown to be part of the history of the factory and its eventual closure as times change. But along the way, you will be entertained by a story about chemistry and the people who help make some of the chemicals that help run the world today.

Book read from 2021/12/09 to 2021/12/16