Rating: 
Summary: Oh Dear ! ! !
Review: I have been a Patricia Cornwall fan since I read her first book Post-mortem, which I borrowed of my Aunt at the age of 13. I have waited in anticipation for each of the new Scarpetta novels, this was no exception. I asked for the book as a Christmas present, and as I had just given birth to my first child, I was saving it to read once I had gotten used to my new job of motherhood. I was so disappointed, I struggled to read the book, I thought that motherhood had muddled my mind, so I read it again. It's worse the second time round. I must admit that I will buy the next Scarpetta novel Trace when it is released... But only because I am intrigued to know if could really be that bad again.. I guess it could have been worse Benton could have come back in the shower ...
Rating: 
Summary: Pathetic...what's wrong with you, Patricia Cornwell...?!
Review: This was perhaps the worst of the Kay Scarpetta books, and I consider myself a loyal fan of Patricia Cornwell's. The characters are disjointed and the plot lurches from one improbable scenario to the next. The introduction of the character Nic(olette) Robillard is purposeless, as her development is so stunted I felt no sympathy whatsoever even though this woman is seeking justice for her mother's murder while simultaneously trying to raise a small son on her own since her husband abandoned them. While it was indeed fun to revisit the horrific brothers Chandonne and the palpably nasty Bev Kiffin, the last 10 pages of this novel are clearly a hastily, poorly thought-out, thrown-together attempt at bringing closure to the entire mess. It's so hurriedly concluded I literally felt betrayed by the time I got to the last page. I'm not bothering to read any further Scarpetta tales after this debacle.
Rating:
Summary: almost better
Review: cornwells past few scarpetta novels have been lackluster, mundane, in short boring....with blow fly we see the return of some of the pacing and characterization that made her early books so successful..
...on the negative side the ending leaves alot ALOT to be desired
and far too many dangling plot threads...
...for the next scarpetta novel let's see the tale of one of her first cases, because it's starting to feel like i'm reading about my grandmother
Rating:
Summary: Disappointment Reigns
Review: Patricia Cornwell used to write terrific books about Kay Scarpetta, filled with action, suspense and science. Her latest effort, Blow Fly, is terribly disappointing. For two thirds of the book the main characters stumble and bumble their way through the plot, lost in self-pity and paralyzed by neurotic worries. They have become pathetic caricatures, and fill the pages with anxiety and meaningless dialogue. Dr. Scarpetta half-heartedly investigates a brutal murder that turns out to be irrelevant to the flow of the narrative. The book comes to an unsatisfying, sudden ending, as if the author remembered that she had another engagement and had to abruptly end her writing.
Rating:
Summary: benton is a stiff dead or alive & enough animal torture
Review: i have just finished blow fly.....in the audio version....it seemed as though it was a cast of characters looking for a story....i guess everyone is going to relocate...but is that enough for a novel?...benton is the most self absorbed,pompous cold fish i have ever heard of....i almost rejoiced when his face was in the jar in that fridge......and to ms cornwell...please enough with the animal torture...cute dogs drowned in pools...helpless horses burned to death....poor pound dogs used as alligator bait...good grief...a mystery is supposed to be a thrill ride not a depressing dose of reality....i am a pet owner and have owned rescue dogs....the mention of the caged dogs at the end of blow fly was distracting...i was hoping that i would not be treated to a discription of more animal horrors......i still am a fan....hope the next one is back on track..
Rating: 
Summary: Did We All Read the Same Book?
Review: I read the reader reviews before I read Blow Fly, and I have just re-read them. I wonder what the majority of the readers are talking about? The main departure from the usual Cornwell entry in the Scarpetta series is the shift in point of view. Rather than use Scarpetta's first-person narrative style, the author gives us many points of view: Lucy's, Marino's, Benton Wesley's. etc. While it may have been disconcerting to long-time fans, a change in point of view does not make for bad writing. The plot unfolds unlike Cornwell's previous ones, also. Again, many points of view show readers many "spins" on the same goings-on. Readers see Scarpetta not as a proactive figure acting on information she has gathered, but as an individual acted upon by factors she does not control. Again, a shift in the treatment of the main character does not make for bad writing. Bad writing is characterized by plot contrivances, stilted dialogue, stereotyped characters, and formulae. I see few, if any, of these pitfalls in Blow Fly. What I did get was a bit confused as I tried to tie plot threads together. I expect this from a mystery novel. I also notice that Cornwell is exposing sides of her characters' personalities that we have not seen before,as we have always seen through Scarpetta's eyes. I have the distinct impression that the novel is introductory, that the next installments of Kay Scarpetta's life may shift back to first person. I am excited and curious as to how Ms. Cornwell will handle her character's future.
Rating:
Summary: Anything is better than Isle of the Dogs
Review: I bought this book even after reading all the terrible reviews it got from everyone else. After reading it, I can see where most people got their ideas from. This book wasn't the worse book I have ever read. It was definately not the best. Not even P.C.'s best. Not her worse either. Isle of the Dogs gets that reward. My problems with this book were that I never really cared about any of the characters, the characters did things completely against their character, too many things seemed to be going on at once that never really came together, and the reader seemed to be heading towards a great big BANG of a conclusion only to have everthing happen out of our view and then the book to just end. It was such a let down at the end, I am not even sure I am glad at all that I read this book. Her books were such a great read, the kind you can't put down till it is over. Now, I am not sure what the writers motivation is for even writing the books. I feel like I am reguirgitating the same stuff over and over again, something that is no longer satisfying. I have to say I am considering never reading another P.C. book again. A book that is a chore to read is not entertaining to me. My suggestion would be......if you really consider yourself a P.C. fan, get this book from the public library or buy it used.
Rating:
Summary: lackluster and confusing
Review: I had not read any reviews before I got this book, but after I struggled through the first 1/3 of the book and was totally confused, I came back to Amazon and read reviews. I wish I had done that first, I would have saved time and money. Long a fan of PC, I thought I missed something--like a book or too. I didn't like the way she hopped back and forth in the story between characters--I couldn't stay focused. I hope that her next story is better.
Rating:
Summary: Reluctantly agree
Review: I read a lot of these reviews before I read the book itself (thanks for the spoilers, folks P~), but was astonished at the preponderance of negative feedback. Now that I've read the book, I can only agree. To begin with, for a while, I was convinced I'd skipped a book in the series. The rest of the book was so contrived, and it did indeed wrap up myriad ties in a moment, it seemed. I am very disappointed and I hope Cornwell shuts it down at this point, since she simply phoned this one in, anyway.
Rating:
Summary: Big Disappointment
Review: I had read the reviews on this site before getting the book mistakenly thinking that the book couldn't be all that bad. I was wrong. I have read all of PC's books and been a big fan for years however I couldn't stand this book. It was a complete waste of time. If you are reading this thinking, like I did, that such a gifted writer could not have failed on her latest attempt - believe me she did. Although I am starting to think, like others, that Ms. Cornwell couldn't have written such a terrible book. I am very disappointed. Don't buy it, borrow it, give it or check it out at the library. If is a waste of time too precious.
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