Causa Di Morte Patricia Cornwell Pdf
Book Review is the 7th book in the 'Kay Scarpetta' thriller and mystery series by award-winning author. I've read about 2/3 of the series and now returning to write reviews on everything I've read in the hopes it'll push me to pick up the series again in the coming weeks. For those new to the series, Scarpetta is a Virginia-based medical examiner, but eventually she moves around a bit over the course of the 20+ book series. She's sharp, witty and tough. She's h Book Review is the 7th book in the 'Kay Scarpetta' thriller and mystery series by award-winning author. I've read about 2/3 of the series and now returning to write reviews on everything I've read in the hopes it'll push me to pick up the series again in the coming weeks.
For those new to the series, Scarpetta is a Virginia-based medical examiner, but eventually she moves around a bit over the course of the 20+ book series. She's sharp, witty and tough.
She's had strong ties with the police and the FBI, as well as been on the outs with them over her career. She's been the targeted victim by a few of the serial killers she's helped to trap and capture. She's not married for most of the books, but has a boyfriend for a while. Her niece Lucy helps her solve crimes on occasion. And her cop friend Pete Marino was in love with her at one point. Some of this may have changed after book 13/14 when I temporarily stopped.
I stopped because I felt like I needed a new character to focus on, a different set of stories in a different place, but they are still all generally good books. Cause of Death was one of the average books.
Scarpetta's involved in more intrigue than usual, with international situations, and she's also filling in for a fellow ME on New Year's Eve when she is summoned to look at a dead body. The funny thing. She knows about it before the police do. Now who is after her?
There are multiple story angles in this one, and Cornwell got too technical for me. I love to learn when I read, but I also don't want to have to look stuff up in an encyclopedia or online. By today's standards, some of this is more common knowledge, but over a decade ago, she was ahead of the curve. While still a good story, it's not my favorite and I wouldn't recommend this one to start with if you're interested in the series. About Me For those new to me or my reviews. Here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT.
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Many thanks to their original creators. polldaddy poll=9729544 polldaddy poll=9719251. So much for the books getting better, I guess I spoke too soon! In this book Dr. KS is filling in for an out of town medical examiner. Then she's scuba diving (because she's certified because Dr. K can do anything), then her niece is crying and drinking and crying and what?
And then the Libyan’s kill Doc Brown to steal his plutonium so Marty McFly takes off with the time machine thanks to the flux capacitor. Well, it was something like that. It was like she took everything that was s So much for the books getting better, I guess I spoke too soon! In this book Dr. KS is filling in for an out of town medical examiner.
Then she's scuba diving (because she's certified because Dr. K can do anything), then her niece is crying and drinking and crying and what?
And then the Libyan’s kill Doc Brown to steal his plutonium so Marty McFly takes off with the time machine thanks to the flux capacitor. Well, it was something like that. It was like she took everything that was sort of timely at the moment she was writing- middle east, nuclear weapons and David Koresh and tossed it all in a blender and tried to make a plot out of it. The plot needed a ton of explaining and at the end it was like she realized that so she just stopped writing to save herself the trouble. Because there is no other reason for that abrupt ending.
The characters are going downhill fast. Seriously- Lucy is a mess and there is no way she passed any sort of psych eval to get into the FBI. I mean I've been saying it for a while, she is a little crazy-cakes. Why would the government let her carry a gun?
Kay is the most unsympathetic character ever. I'm over her affair and I'm really over Benton. The best character the series has is Marino, and that doesn't say much. He has a mystery son, and a heartbreaking love for Kay (that she shits on whenever possible) and he is trying to kill himself with food and cigarettes to get out of this series.
I can't say I blame him. Cornwell continues the Scarpetta series with another great mystery that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat. When Scarpetta receives an odd phone call on New Year's Eve about a body, she is left to wonder what to do, as little information is provided to her.
Only later do authorities call her to seek help and they deny anyone would have contacted Scarpetta before. As she is covering for one of her regional medical examiners, she is faced with a new cast of characters while on the scen Cornwell continues the Scarpetta series with another great mystery that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat.
When Scarpetta receives an odd phone call on New Year's Eve about a body, she is left to wonder what to do, as little information is provided to her. Only later do authorities call her to seek help and they deny anyone would have contacted Scarpetta before. As she is covering for one of her regional medical examiners, she is faced with a new cast of characters while on the scene. What looks like a diving accident gone wrong soon unravels into a larger mystery with deeper implications.
How does a local Zionist movement tie into all of this and what can Scarpetta do to solve this before the bodies begin to pile up? Cornwell treats the reader to another great installment of the Scarpetta series sure to keep her fans happy and add more to the list.
Cornwell's ability to think up new scenarios surely keeps the character fresh and ever-evolving. She has a way of adding layers rather than piling on to already known facts, which surely keeps the avid reader liking the always-expanding character of Dr. Kay Scarpetta. With dry wit and excellent dialogue, the reader will laugh, gasp, and perhaps even cry as they join Scarpetta on this and other mysteries.
Kudos Madam Cornwell on this excellent piece of work! I'm usually such a fan of the Scarpetta series but this one just fell short for me. The beginning started well and there were promises of darkness and disturbing characters but then it seemed to lose its way. Starting like a Horror it developed into a James Bond. While Cornwell's writing is excellent as always, the action wasn't consistent, most secondary characters came and left without explanation and the darkness that often surrounds the Scarpetta investigations was minimal. I'm not sure if Corn I'm usually such a fan of the Scarpetta series but this one just fell short for me. The beginning started well and there were promises of darkness and disturbing characters but then it seemed to lose its way.
Starting like a Horror it developed into a James Bond. While Cornwell's writing is excellent as always, the action wasn't consistent, most secondary characters came and left without explanation and the darkness that often surrounds the Scarpetta investigations was minimal. I'm not sure if Cornwell is moving in a new direction with this one (will see in the next book), but I found myself having to persevere during some points because it strayed quite a bit from our expectations of Scarpetta. 6.5/10 (3 Stars). Avoid at all costs! I would love to never have to read another page of conversation between Lucy and Kay.
It drove me crazy and was endlessly irritating. I also have a hard time believing in a main character who committed affairs with married men. How am i ever supposed to believe what she says after that?
Marino was cool and funny too. He is the only character worth anything in the story. The first half of the book was great and built up nicely. But the second half of the book was horrible and Avoid at all costs! I would love to never have to read another page of conversation between Lucy and Kay. It drove me crazy and was endlessly irritating. I also have a hard time believing in a main character who committed affairs with married men.
How am i ever supposed to believe what she says after that? Marino was cool and funny too. He is the only character worth anything in the story.
The first half of the book was great and built up nicely. But the second half of the book was horrible and it has one of the worst endings in the history of books. It left me laughing it was so bad. 2/4 - This took me more nights to finish than I expected, I thought I'd get it done in two nights of reading, unfortunately sleep decided to kidnap me a few nights in a row and I just couldn't manage as many pages as I was expecting to. I'm starting to find the 'kill Scarpetta's staff' theme a little tedious, working for her is becoming a dangerous occupation. I remembered the fact that among all of Scarpetta's other accomplishments she's also a certified scuba diver and I remembere SPOILERS!!!
2/4 - This took me more nights to finish than I expected, I thought I'd get it done in two nights of reading, unfortunately sleep decided to kidnap me a few nights in a row and I just couldn't manage as many pages as I was expecting to. I'm starting to find the 'kill Scarpetta's staff' theme a little tedious, working for her is becoming a dangerous occupation. I remembered the fact that among all of Scarpetta's other accomplishments she's also a certified scuba diver and I remembered that Lucy and her robot dog saved the day, what I didn't remember was the uranium-stealing terrorist angle of the story. That's possibly because it was only mentioned near the end of the book and that end felt rushed. I felt like this could have been 50 pages longer in order so that the climax didn't end up feeling like an anticlimactic after-thought, rather than the big reveal it should have been. This is the last book in my mini Scarpetta marathon, for the moment at least.
If I want to complete my challenges for the year (POPSUGAR and the one I set to read as many of the books I already own as possible) I have other books I need to get on with, I can't spend the rest of the year just reading Scarpetta. Well, I probably could but I don't think it's recommended with Cornwell as you begin to notice the flaws too easily if you read her books one after another till the end, plus I wouldn't feel like I've accomplished something I've set out to do the way I will if I finish this year's POPSUGAR list. She reached the stage where it's so bad you laugh - it might not be a happy laugh, not even a very amused one, but you'll have to by the time it needs the state coroner to say 'he ain't dead' instead of a more convincing actress.
I regret that my reviews for the last four books run into each other, mostly because I wish I'd been able to make detailed notes (esp. Since I'll have to get rid of these pretty volumes). This is the worst so far - it ends with IloveLucy and her aunt saving the world (a She reached the stage where it's so bad you laugh - it might not be a happy laugh, not even a very amused one, but you'll have to by the time it needs the state coroner to say 'he ain't dead' instead of a more convincing actress. I regret that my reviews for the last four books run into each other, mostly because I wish I'd been able to make detailed notes (esp. Since I'll have to get rid of these pretty volumes).
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This is the worst so far - it ends with IloveLucy and her aunt saving the world (aka USA) with a toy robot and some bad stoic acting. Even the only man that was interesting then caves in. Maybe he'll die between this book and the next? Seriously, terrorists and religious fanatics and all they are used for is for Lucy to move her hand and her aunt to visit a few laboratories she had not found a good excuse to describe so far. She does not even try to give excuses why generally considered crap Marino is involved anymore. I obviously already forgot if there was any plot, apart from the usual taking taxis and airplanes back and forth - but the little pointless showdown at the atomic reactor was the stupidest low point so far.
Don't remind me of others - see, the worst bit is that apart from four more KS I also have one more of the less beloved series that I found so interesting - and now it seems I was wrong, what seemed a refreshing and sharp meta text was perhaps really her utter inability to write stories and evolving human beings.sob.must stop typing. the end. Audio version: 3 to 3.5 stars - #7 in Dr. Kay Scarpetta series I started off really liking this series, but the more I've read (esp. Several back-to-back in a short time), I've become more frustrated or disappointed in several of them, including this one. The audio might have magnified it some.
I'm not sure if KS was written a little harsher in this one or if some of that was the audio's narrator. I've read most of the others prior to this & the one audio had a different narrator, which was a Audio version: 3 to 3.5 stars - #7 in Dr. Kay Scarpetta series I started off really liking this series, but the more I've read (esp. Several back-to-back in a short time), I've become more frustrated or disappointed in several of them, including this one. The audio might have magnified it some.
I'm not sure if KS was written a little harsher in this one or if some of that was the audio's narrator. I've read most of the others prior to this & the one audio had a different narrator, which was a much better KS.
I started off liking this one just b/c setting was a little different and finally not about Gault/Grethen as the 3 previously installments were, and for me it was getting old. However, not only did I begin to lose interest in the plot, but the sub-plot was so repetitive of several previous installments-KS still worrying about Lucy & complaining to anyone, including bosses, who would listen; someone else in law enforcement being crooked but turning it around & either making her look bad or outright accusing her; one of her staff being killed; all four main characters, despite different careers/orgs, miraculously all being assigned or working on same case, investigation or operation. Then it abruptly ended w/little to no wrap-up which is pretty unusual for this author/series so maybe was trying something different or she was as ready as I was for it to be over.
There are still some positives esp. Considering when they were written & published.
I hope some of the newer installments are better and fresher. There are some garish tidbits in this crime novel - a homicide victim whose urethra empties on the underside of his penis rather than the tip - but the whole thing is semi-interesting at best, and I truly became bored when domestic terrorists, inspired by a David Koresh-type leader and attempting to sell decomissioned submarines to Libya, took over a nuclear power plant. It was as if Tom Clancy had taken over writing duties, but a Tom Clancy obsessed with sullen lesbian FBI agents. (Ladies: why There are some garish tidbits in this crime novel - a homicide victim whose urethra empties on the underside of his penis rather than the tip - but the whole thing is semi-interesting at best, and I truly became bored when domestic terrorists, inspired by a David Koresh-type leader and attempting to sell decomissioned submarines to Libya, took over a nuclear power plant. It was as if Tom Clancy had taken over writing duties, but a Tom Clancy obsessed with sullen lesbian FBI agents.
(Ladies: why so hostile?) Cornwell's characters have too many failed marriages, family issues, adulterous liaisons, and erectile dysfunction to sustain my empathy. Also, how is it that main character Kay Scarpetta, a medical examiner, seems to be directing the whole police investigation? Another bone to pick: the cover photo is of a diver in crystal clear blue water, but the only diving that goes on in the book is in brown murky water where Scarpetta can't see her hand in front of her face. She also quotes Luke 23:22 at the front of the book, because, conveniently, she found a bible verse that matches her title: 'And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done?
I have found no cause of death in him.' She leaves out this part: 'I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.' But of course what Pilate is saying there is that he hasn't found good reason to condemn Jesus to death, not that he's examined Jesus's dead body and can't determine what killed him. Beyond stupid. I picked up about 50 books on a sale a couple of weeks ago and this was the first book I chose to read and it proved to be a bad start. I simply don't care about Kay Scarpetta, her colleagues, the murderers or the victims. The book is full of technical stuff, sometimes purposely inserted.
Does the ordinary public even care about the make of guns or what the occipital bone is or how exactly a naval boat operates? I found myself skipping these parts and soon enough got hopelessly lost b I give up!
I picked up about 50 books on a sale a couple of weeks ago and this was the first book I chose to read and it proved to be a bad start. I simply don't care about Kay Scarpetta, her colleagues, the murderers or the victims. The book is full of technical stuff, sometimes purposely inserted.
Does the ordinary public even care about the make of guns or what the occipital bone is or how exactly a naval boat operates? I found myself skipping these parts and soon enough got hopelessly lost because among the endless technical jargon was some minor plot development. There is zero character development and I came away with the feeling that they were all zombies in the pay of the American government, hired to solve crimes. I think the author is so taken with trying to impress readers with her research that she forgot to show her writing skills.
I would not recommend this book to anyone unless this kind of stuff interests you: 'Land impressions are point oh-seven-four. Groove impressions are point one-five-three. I'm going to enter that into the GRC. Now let's determine the calibre.' And then a long discussion on the calibre follows. If you are a fan of this series you may like this. This book appears to be an episode in a continuing story arc for the main characters, none of whose issues really engaged me.
The main character, Va. Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, wonders why other characters from other agencies are hostile and uncooperative. I suspected it was because of Scarpetta's own arrogance and unprofessional behavior as she intrudes on investigations that are out of her jurisdiction and job description.
This i If you are a fan of this series you may like this. This book appears to be an episode in a continuing story arc for the main characters, none of whose issues really engaged me. The main character, Va. Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, wonders why other characters from other agencies are hostile and uncooperative.
Causa Di Morte Patricia Cornwell Pdf
I suspected it was because of Scarpetta's own arrogance and unprofessional behavior as she intrudes on investigations that are out of her jurisdiction and job description. This is especially true when she tries to shield her niece, an FBI agent, from possible danger instead of letting her do her job. (Spoiler alert.) However, after jetting on the Concorde to London with her (married) boss to interview a suspect (and have a quickie) Kay belatedly discovers the uncooperative officers are linked to the bad guys. Belatedly because by this time the cult's terrorists have taken over a nuclear power plant and threaten to irradiate half of Virginia unless, guess who, Kay can save the day.
The book ends with a bang leaving enough loose ends to manufacture a mop. This was my first Patricia Cornwell novel, and having worked in forensics for a few years, I was excited to finally delve into one of her novels. Apparently, I chose the wrong book. I found the plot moderately interesting, but the writing style habitually annoyed me. And I didn’t particularly love the main character.
Maybe if it was written in the third person, I would have liked her better. But instead I found her a little arrogant.
While I enjoy a strong female lead, KS’s self-confidence came o This was my first Patricia Cornwell novel, and having worked in forensics for a few years, I was excited to finally delve into one of her novels. Apparently, I chose the wrong book.
I found the plot moderately interesting, but the writing style habitually annoyed me. And I didn’t particularly love the main character.
Maybe if it was written in the third person, I would have liked her better. But instead I found her a little arrogant. While I enjoy a strong female lead, KS’s self-confidence came off as too much to me. Finally, I found the ending anti-climactic and abrupt. I may try again with an earlier KS novel, because millions of readers can’t possibly be all wrong.
I have never imagined a Medical Examiner as a heroic partner with James Bond! So, Patricia Cornwell has filled in this startling gap of literary imagination by writing 'Cause of Death!' , using her most famous and beloved female character as a mentor to us fans! 'Cause of Death' is a well-written spy mystery (what a shock!) and I thought it a little strange for Dr.
Kay Scarpetta, Virginia ME, normally a superb murder-mystery maven, to be involved in a possible international case of terrorism. She I have never imagined a Medical Examiner as a heroic partner with James Bond! So, Patricia Cornwell has filled in this startling gap of literary imagination by writing 'Cause of Death!'
, using her most famous and beloved female character as a mentor to us fans! 'Cause of Death' is a well-written spy mystery (what a shock!) and I thought it a little strange for Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Virginia ME, normally a superb murder-mystery maven, to be involved in a possible international case of terrorism.
She always is an extraordinary superwoman scientific medical doctor, though, and I love this over-the-top series because of that fictionalized exaggeration of her as a character. So, improbable as the direction this #7 in the series seems to be leading Dr. Scarpetta, it is a fun read! I think the reader will enjoy this series better if it is read in order, though. Plus, the mystery genre fan trying this series should have a healthy tolerance for soap opera. Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta novels were something of a guilty pleasure for me during the '90s.
Enjoyable and addictive page-turner crime thrillers with a generous helping of pathology and forensic science detail, which appealed to my otherwise dormant inner science geek. But by this stage in the series - is the 7th Kay Scarpetta novel - Cornwell had well and truly lost the plot, both figuratively and literally. At her best, Cornwell had always written rather plodding, uninventive Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta novels were something of a guilty pleasure for me during the '90s. Enjoyable and addictive page-turner crime thrillers with a generous helping of pathology and forensic science detail, which appealed to my otherwise dormant inner science geek.
But by this stage in the series - is the 7th Kay Scarpetta novel - Cornwell had well and truly lost the plot, both figuratively and literally. At her best, Cornwell had always written rather plodding, uninventive prose, but as the series progressed any pretence at literary merit flew out of the window along with her dictionary. And the plots managed the seemingly impossible feat of becoming both formulaic and at the same time ludicrously outlandish and unbelievable. While it might be true that writing series genre fiction is by its nature inherently formulaic, I'm not sure the formula should be quite so transparent and simplistic as it is here and in the subsequent Scarpetta novels. Paul Sheldon's 'No. 1 fan', Annie Wilkes, might have kidnapped the author in Misery in order to ensure that he didn't kill off his heroine, Misery Chastain, and thus end the series, but I'd be willing to bet that even the most ardent of Cornwell's fans would be more inclined to hold her hostage in order to prevent her from churning out any more of this bilge.
If you're new to reading Cornwell my advice would be to start with her first novel, Postmortem, read the series in chronological order and stop while the going is still reasonably good. And whatever you do, don't touch the Judy Hammer/Andy Brazil books ( Hornet's Nest, Southern Cross etc.) with a ten foot barge pole. Unfortunately for me, a fondness for Scarpetta's unfeasibly sexy FBI/ATF agent lesbian niece, Lucy Farinelli, has kept me plodding doggedly through the novels well after their prime. But now, thanks to a timely intervention in the form of Lucy's rather out of character sexual preference U-turn, even I've been freed from my addiction to this tosh. The thing to remember when reading fiction; latitude is a given.
The more flawed a character is the more threads of a storyline are available. Scarpetta is a thriving type A personality who works in a man's world.
Her impressions are going to be different and thankfully she is emotional. I have said and continue to think she's an extension of what Patricia Cornwell is like and I find that continually compelling. She gets involved in multiple things in this book just like the novels that have The thing to remember when reading fiction; latitude is a given. The more flawed a character is the more threads of a storyline are available. Scarpetta is a thriving type A personality who works in a man's world.
Her impressions are going to be different and thankfully she is emotional. I have said and continue to think she's an extension of what Patricia Cornwell is like and I find that continually compelling. She gets involved in multiple things in this book just like the novels that have preceded it; The introduction of Lucy's personal life and her sexuality is wonderful. Everyone seems to think she would never be allowed to be an FBI agent but I'm not so sure; there are plenty of CIA/FBI agents who have a very messy private life.
Genre fiction is supposed to introduce a pattern and may have a surprise twist at the end. A side note; if you read the introduction Cornwell states how uncomfortable she was with diving and never fully embraced it. Let's give Cornwell some credit in her 7th novel as she uses the gift fiction writers are known for; imagination. I couldn't help but get immersed in this book. Literally, a diver gets killed and the action takes place in Norfolk Va, my old stomping grounds!
It moves around VA. Chesapeake, Richmond, Back Bay and of course the US Navy is involved. I am an old Navy brat! I live on the opposite side of the country, now. So, I have to admit that some of my enjoyment of this book had to do with personal nostalgia.
However,the female medical examiner/detective named Scarpetta was really well portrayed as the pr I couldn't help but get immersed in this book. Literally, a diver gets killed and the action takes place in Norfolk Va, my old stomping grounds!
It moves around VA. Chesapeake, Richmond, Back Bay and of course the US Navy is involved. I am an old Navy brat! I live on the opposite side of the country, now.
So, I have to admit that some of my enjoyment of this book had to do with personal nostalgia. However,the female medical examiner/detective named Scarpetta was really well portrayed as the protagonist that does not give up. This book led me to read another Scarpetta detective novel, 'Predator.'
Equally as good but takes place in Florida. This is the 7th book of Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series.
Things and characters don't seem to change from the previous books. Kay is still messing around with a married Wesley.
Marino is still very needy and Lucy is a gifted messed up young lady. Oh, and Cornwell doesn't know how to end a story. Once again the story starts out strong and by the end we are left shaking our heads.
It goes from a murder of an investigative reporter to hostages being taken at a nuclear facility and Virginia being thr This is the 7th book of Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series. Things and characters don't seem to change from the previous books. Kay is still messing around with a married Wesley.
Marino is still very needy and Lucy is a gifted messed up young lady. Oh, and Cornwell doesn't know how to end a story. Once again the story starts out strong and by the end we are left shaking our heads. It goes from a murder of an investigative reporter to hostages being taken at a nuclear facility and Virginia being threatened with nuclear destruction. All in about 25 pages. There is no really progression to this. All of a sudden the killer of a reporter is a religious nut job and his cult who are selling nuclear material to other countries out to get the US.
Don't take a good story and try to take it to a global level. I so enjoy her tales till she tries to make it climactic with little or no lead up. Just use a twist at the end that leaves the reader saying 'wow' to themselves. It seems churlish to give this a 2 since it opened so well. The first 80 pages were excellent. I have read a lot of mysteries with female protagonists.
I enjoyed reading about their solo independent professional lives. I started reading these when i was about 10-15 years younger than the characters and now i am 10-15 years older. Luckily I feel like i have accomplished some measure of the same in that time!
This one was different in that it gave or showed very little of that lif It seems churlish to give this a 2 since it opened so well. The first 80 pages were excellent. I have read a lot of mysteries with female protagonists. I enjoyed reading about their solo independent professional lives.
I started reading these when i was about 10-15 years younger than the characters and now i am 10-15 years older. Luckily I feel like i have accomplished some measure of the same in that time! This one was different in that it gave or showed very little of that lifestyle/character. This is the first of this character that i have read so perhaps the earlier novels covered that. (Actually i don't think it is the first one. I think i have tossed this series/character before.the name kay scarpetta seems familiar).
Thanks for the lasagna lesson. Using the word lasagne (plural form of lasagna since you use more than one noodle.) just came across as pedantic. And then the novel plunged into ridiculousness. On what planet would Kay be in charge of any deaths caused by a similar attack in another country? All of a sudden things went from a local death to an international incident where she was the expert due to very limited involvement in one death. And the Navy and FBI seemed to already know everything and be on top of everything. Why was she there?
And OMG OMG why would she be onsite at the end and go in with her niece who is junior? The niece controls the robot but no programming skills help you be a good person the ground like that.
Its like the beginning and the ending weren't part of the same novel. The attackers were supposed to be so sophisticated and they turned into total duds. And why would they sell to a foreign power? If they dont like the American govn why would they like giving power to authoritarian North Korea?
It was a weird book in that the ending that was supposed to be a crescendo to climax instead turned into a ridiculous obvious conclusion. Oh and ah poor Kay felt faint.cue curtains. I will try one more but will read reviews first and see how others felt. Here we go again. I bought the whole series for a cheap deal (although it didn't end there since she writes a Scarpetta book per year!) and I intend to finish the series. I really do and I am not comfortable with my stupid ambition, because this is going nowhere. The book itself might worth 2-stars, but in the series it was the weakest one so far.
I like detective stories even though I'm not an eager follower, and I really like the forensic details in this series. Yet the very perfect Scarpetta Here we go again. I bought the whole series for a cheap deal (although it didn't end there since she writes a Scarpetta book per year!) and I intend to finish the series. I really do and I am not comfortable with my stupid ambition, because this is going nowhere. The book itself might worth 2-stars, but in the series it was the weakest one so far.
I like detective stories even though I'm not an eager follower, and I really like the forensic details in this series. Yet the very perfect Scarpetta knows everything, which enhances her unsympathetic character let alone the incredibility of the story. I pictured her different this time and my version of Scarpetta is much better. Personality development is essential in books, but here it goes way too far, covering the action and aim of a detective story. Because of the personal ups and downs of the characters, the drama takes its toll and nothing left for the murders to be solved.
Not to even mention the 'template' Cornwell is using: same old thing in every book; someone close to Scarpetta gets killed and Scarpetta saves the world again! The book is a page turner, has an easy language, but boring. The end of the book was one of the worst endings I've ever read. I thought some pages were missing because of the abrupt end. I think this New-Zionist stuff was too much in sight in the late 90s, so Cornwell just wanted to use them in her book and she didn't have anyone to talk about her lesbianism, therefore she just wanted to communicate about her personal rights through troubled characters.
I only hope that Lucy and Scarpetta are going to be more lovable so that I can stand the same old template, but after seven books, I feel nothing but dissapointed. PS: The age correlation between Lucy and Kay is giving me a headache. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, I started reading the Kay Scarpetta books ‘cos a friend of mine is addicted to them. I’ve been really patient and read seven of them but can’t fathom what it is she gets out of them. The plot always moves painfully slowly and the reactions of the protagonists never seems real.
The relationships false and strained because nobody will actually talk to each other properly. Any issues is avoided and now says what they really think. And some of the plot twists have been utter garbage.
In this book yo I started reading the Kay Scarpetta books ‘cos a friend of mine is addicted to them. I’ve been really patient and read seven of them but can’t fathom what it is she gets out of them.
The plot always moves painfully slowly and the reactions of the protagonists never seems real. The relationships false and strained because nobody will actually talk to each other properly. Any issues is avoided and now says what they really think. And some of the plot twists have been utter garbage.
In this book you have KS stands in for one of her local colleagues who is out of town and is immediately at odds with various police/military none of whom she ever takes to task despite being this fiercely strong and independent woman. She then goes scuba diving, a skill which I don’t remember ever being pointed out in the first six books and investigating the death of a local reporter she knows. Before she’s even established it was a murder she’s being stalked, had her tires slashed and a local cop hassling her. Where did all this come from? A colleague of her is the murdered and it’s all tied in some how.
As the boredom unravels it all turns out that a local religious cult has got into bed with the Libyan’s to help them get plutonium to build nuclear weapons. Quite why this is wasn’t clearly explained. Anyway, the cult take over a nuclear plant and after their charismatic leader (who you never actually meet) accidently kills himself only KS can enter the plant to save the day. Well, KS and the virtually controlled robot Toto (controlled by KS’s niece Lucy).
And before you can so much as start to expect an explanation and tying up of the myriad of lose ends the whole thing ends. No more Cornwall for me. In Cause of Death, Cornwell immediately dives into her heroine's latest case and mystery.
And, yes, that is a pun, because the first victim is found submerged in a river, and Kay joins the diving team in recovering the body. While everyone wants to rule the death a drowning, the tell-tale scent of arsenic informs Kay that the case is anything but an accident; rather, it's a murder. And that's just the start of a mystery which ends up touching close to home for Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner a In Cause of Death, Cornwell immediately dives into her heroine's latest case and mystery. And, yes, that is a pun, because the first victim is found submerged in a river, and Kay joins the diving team in recovering the body. While everyone wants to rule the death a drowning, the tell-tale scent of arsenic informs Kay that the case is anything but an accident; rather, it's a murder. And that's just the start of a mystery which ends up touching close to home for Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner and then spirals out of control into a national terrorist crisis. This is perhaps Kay's most dangerous case yet.
While Kay's niece Lucy, all her technology jargon, and all of her emotional baggage are still front and center in this novel, Cause of Death does not get bogged down too much in its subplots. The personal is present, but it's blended well into a mystery which starts fast and never lets up. Despite the presence of nuclear science, the clues in this book are accessible for the average reader, for they're more about the people and the psychology involved than anything else. What is not relatable is Kay's insistence upon inserting herself into dangerous situations and getting herself into messes she has no business becoming involved in.
But perhaps this is why these books work so well, why they're so fun to read: while you and I have no business negotiating with terrorists, through Cornwell's Scarpetta, we can live an adrenaline packed existence. At least for a few hours – vicariously, of course.
Okay Cornwell, Patricia An investigative reporter is found dead in Virginia's icy waters. New Year's Eve and the final murder scene of Virginia's bloodiest year takes Scarpetta thirty feet below the Elizabeth River's icy surface. A diver, Ted Eddings, is dead, an investigative reporter who was a favourite at the Medical Examiner's office. Was Eddings probing the frigid depths of the Inactive Shipyard for a story, or simply diving for sunken trinkets?
And why did Scarpetta recei - Okay Cornwell, Patricia An investigative reporter is found dead in Virginia's icy waters. New Year's Eve and the final murder scene of Virginia's bloodiest year takes Scarpetta thirty feet below the Elizabeth River's icy surface. A diver, Ted Eddings, is dead, an investigative reporter who was a favourite at the Medical Examiner's office.
Was Eddings probing the frigid depths of the Inactive Shipyard for a story, or simply diving for sunken trinkets? And why did Scarpetta receive a phone call from someone reporting the death before the police were notified? The case envelops Scarpetta, her niece Lucy, and police captain Pete Marino in a world where both cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned detective work are critical offensive weapons. Together they follow the trail of death to a well of violence as dark and forbidding as water that swirled over Ted Eddings. Better than the last two but only okay.
Go to paperback for future books. These books are getting harder and harder to read. My dad was in the FBI at Quantico and a person like Lucy, with all her emotional problems, would never be hired no matter how brilliant she was. I also lived in Richmond, VA for years and found that some of the characterizations of the area to not be well done. All this personal angst is getting in the way of the plot. Corwell's earliest books used to be about the crime and it's solution and were incredibly interesting, but she has gotten to the These books are getting harder and harder to read.
My dad was in the FBI at Quantico and a person like Lucy, with all her emotional problems, would never be hired no matter how brilliant she was. I also lived in Richmond, VA for years and found that some of the characterizations of the area to not be well done. All this personal angst is getting in the way of the plot. Corwell's earliest books used to be about the crime and it's solution and were incredibly interesting, but she has gotten to the point where every returning character has a neurosis and none of them can put aside their personal problems and solve the crime. It was an ok afternoon read, but lacked cohesive style. Her intro discusses her fear of scuba diving, but the one scene in the book about scuba diving was bland and unimpressive.
She goes a little overboard with the descriptions of food and cooking in the first couple of chapters and then abandons the topic. I don’t know how much of the relationship stuff is part of the series so that part may have been fine, but I felt just a touch lost – especially some of the stuff with her niece. I felt the It was an ok afternoon read, but lacked cohesive style. Her intro discusses her fear of scuba diving, but the one scene in the book about scuba diving was bland and unimpressive. She goes a little overboard with the descriptions of food and cooking in the first couple of chapters and then abandons the topic. I don’t know how much of the relationship stuff is part of the series so that part may have been fine, but I felt just a touch lost – especially some of the stuff with her niece. I felt the whole book overall was anti-climatic.
Not enough build up of the suspense at the right times. It made the story less than believable. Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, in 1990 while working as a computer analyst at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. Postmortem, was the first bona fide forensic thriller. It paved the way for an explosion of entertainment featuring in all things forensic across film, television and literature. Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, in 1990 while working as a computer analyst at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. Postmortem, was the first bona fide forensic thriller.
It paved the way for an explosion of entertainment featuring in all things forensic across film, television and literature. Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year.
To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored twenty-nine New York Times bestsellers. Patricia’s novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta along with her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino. Celebrating 25 years, these characters have grown into an international phenomenon, winning Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.
Fox 2000 bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta. Working with producer Liz Friedman, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and fellow Marvel EP and Twilight Saga scribe Melissa Rosenberg to develop the film and find Scarpetta a home on the big screen. After earning her degree in English from Davidson College in 1979, she began working at the Charlotte Observer. Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte.
From the Charlotte Observer, Cornwell moved to a job with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia – a post she would later bestow upon the fictional Kay Scarpetta. When not writing from her Boston home, Patricia tirelessly researches cutting-edge forensic technologies to include in her work. Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. She appears as a forensic consultant on CNN and serves as a member of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she advocates for psychiatric research. She’s helped fund the ICU at Cornell’s Animal Hospital, the scientific study of a Confederate submarine, the archaeological excavation of Jamestown, and a variety of law enforcement charities. Patricia is also committed to funding scholarships and literacy programs.
Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.” Social and Digital Outlets Other areas of expertise & interests Forensics Forensic Technologies Ballistics Weapons Explosives Pathology & Autopsies Crime Historical and Unsolved Criminal Cases Jack The Ripper Helicopter Piloting Suba Diving Archaeological Excavation Experience.