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Book of the Dead: A Kay Scarpetta Novel (Kay Scarpetta Mysteries)by Patricia Cornwell
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:From America's # 1 bestselling crime writer comes the extraordinary new Dr. Kay Scarpetta novel.
The "book of the dead" is the morgue log, a ledger in which all cases are entered by hand. For Kay Scarpetta, however, it is about to take on a new meaning. Fresh from her bruising battle with a psychopath in Florida, Scarpetta decides it's time for a change of pace, not only personally and professionally but geographically. Moving to the historic city of Charleston, South Carolina, she opens a unique private forensic pathology practice, one in which she and her colleagues — including Pete Marino and her niece, Lucy — offer expert crime-scene investigation and autopsy services to communities lacking local access to modern, competent death investigation technology. It seems like an ideal situation, until the new battles start — with local politicians, with entrenched interests, with someone whose covert attempts at sabotage are clearly meant to run Scarpetta out of town. And that's before the murders and other violent deaths even begin. A young man from a well-known family jumps off a water tower. A woman is found ritualistically murdered in her multimillion-dollar beach home. The body of an abused young boy is discovered dumped in a desolate marsh. Meanwhile, in distant New England, problems with a prominent patient at a Harvard-affiliated psychiatric hospital begin to hint at interconnections that are as hard to imagine as they are horrible. Kay Scarpetta has dealt with many brutal and unusual crimes before, but never a string of them as baffling, or as terrifying, as the ones confronting her now. Before she is through, that book of the dead will contain many names — and the pen may be poised to write in her own. The first name in forensics. The last name in suspense. Once again, Patricia Cornwell proves her exceptional ability to entertain and enthrall. Review:"Bestseller Cornwell's 15th novel to feature Dr. Kay Scarpetta (after 2005's Predator) delivers her trademark grisly crime scenes, but lacks the coherence and emotional resonance of earlier books. Soon after relocating to Charleston, S.C., to launch a private forensics lab, Scarpetta is asked to consult on the murder of U.S. tennis star Drew Martin, whose mutilated body was found in Rome. Contradictory evidence leaves Scarpetta, the Italian carabinieri and Scarpetta's lover, forensic psychologist Benton Wesley, stumped. But when she discovers unsettling connections between Martin's murder, the body of an unidentified South Carolina boy and her old nemesis, the maniacal psychiatrist Dr. Marilyn Self, Scarpetta encounters a killer as deadly as any she's ever faced. With her recent switch from first- to third-person narration, Cornwell loses what once made her series so compelling: a window into the mind of a strong, intelligent woman holding her own in a profession dominated by men. Here, the abrupt shifts in point of view slow the momentum, and the reader flounders in excessive forensic minutiae. (Oct.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"The frosty forensic pathologist and her entourage remain as annoyingly self-absored and screwed up as ever, and their emotional baggage once again gets in the way of the story....Only for diehard Cornwell fans, of whom there are still many, despite the author's continued slump." Booklist Review:"Cornwell's trademark forensics have long since been matched by Karin Slaughter and CSI. What's most distinctive about this venerable franchise is the kitchen-sink plotting; the soap-opera melodrama that prevents any given volume from coming to a satisfying end; and the emphasis on titanic battles between Scarpetta and a series of Antichrists. Proceed at your own risk." Kirkus Reviews Review:"Cornwell's instincts are dead-on, as the series truly needs a reboot; it has grown increasingly bizarre and forced, has jumped the shark more than once." Chicago Sun-Times Review:"Cornwell still has that ability to catch your imagination and drive you through the book." Rocky Mountain News Review:"Cornwell likely doesn't mind annoying some readers, as long as they are intrigued and want to read on." Dallas-Ft. Worth Star Telegram Synopsis:Kay Scarpetta faces a string of the most baffling and terrifying crimes of her career in the extraordinary new novel from America's #1 bestselling crime writer. The "book of the dead" is the morgue log in which all cases are entered by hand. For Scarpetta, however, it is about to have a new meaning. About the AuthorPatricia Cornwell is the Director of Applied Forensic Science at the National Forensic Academy. Her most recent bestsellers include At Risk, Predator, and Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper — Case Closed. Her earlier works include Postmortem — the only novel to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards and the French Prix du Roman d'Aventure in a single year — and Cruel and Unusual, which won Britain's prestigious Gold Dagger Award for the best crime novel of 1993. Dr. Kay Scarpetta herself won the 1999 Sherlock Award for the best detective created by an American author. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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