Reading NowUnnatural DeathDecember 20, 2024 - Patricia Cornwell's re-booted Scarpetta series is back for a third installment. Dr. Kay ventures deep into the woods to retrieve the horribly mutilated bodies of two campers. The victims were wanted by the Feds but why the overkill? Scarpetta is determined to find out. |
Last ReadLividDecember 20, 2024 – Livid (Patricia Cornwell). Virginia's chief medical examiner finds herself at the center of a high-profile murder trial. And, if that's not enough, she's suddenly thrust into a death investigation that not only hits close to home but that could have national security implications. All this while her boss and her secretary work to undermine her every move. The action in Livid mostly takes place over a span of about two or three days. It starts in a courtroom where Annie, the college roommate of Dr. Kay Scarpetta, is presiding over the murder trial of a man named Gilbert Hooke. He's accused of murdering his girlfriend by throwing her over the side of a boat nearly two years prior. The defense calls Scarpetta to testify. She has reviewed the original autopsy and disagrees that the victim was murdered. That conclusion wins her no friends with the prosecutor or among the victim's family and supporters. No time to worry about the repercussions of her testimony, though. Scarpetta is hustled out of the courtroom by her investigator, Pete Marino. He whisks her off to Annie's family home, where Lucy and her federal agent friends have already set up shop. Scarpetta knows right away that something bad has happened there, and that whatever that bad thing was, it killed Annie's sister, Rachael. The investigation leads Scarpetta and company to a nearby market where the long-time owner is found with his throat slit. As Scarpetta puts the pieces together, she finds that they form a picture that someone started framing years ago. She also discovers that some people in high places will do almost anything to sabotage her efforts to find the truth. It took me several months and at least one restart to get through this one, mostly due to me, I think. I finally got some blocks of time to do some reading and was able to finish what I had left fairly quickly. Despite the book's narrow time frame, the ending still managed to feel rushed. Some favorite characters appeared briefly, did a few things, then disappeared until the epilogue. I guess if I want more, I'll have to read the next book – which I just bought. |
Favorite AuthorsFictional CopsAmateur Detectives |
| "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." »» Dorothy Parker | ||
