Rating: 
Summary: Good, entertaining, but...
Review: I, too, questioned if this was really Cornwell's book. Written in third person, and focusing more on the "supporting cast" rather than Scarpetta herself... it just did not seem to be by the same author. However, it could be Cornwell's desire to explore different writing styles. Perhaps Cornwell has visions of a character series that will spin off from the Scarpetta novels. Regardless, I enjoyed this book immensely, and am already anticipating her next piece of work.
Rating: 
Summary: The ending runied the book
Review: The ending of this book seems rushed, as if Cornwell finished it quickly to get the book out on the stands. It leaves you not just hanging (which would be ok) but checking to make sure you picked-up a complete copy of the book! I seriously thought there was a chapter missing from my book. Don't bother reading this until the next book is out to complete the story.
Rating:
Summary: The last Cornwell book I will ever buy
Review: I use to really like Patricia Cornwell's books, and I would always look forward to the next one. Then came Hornet's Nest. I think I would rate that the worst book I have ever read. After that book I only bought the Scarpetta books. I thought the quality deteriorated somewhat, but they were still worth reading. Then came Blow Fly. In my mind this book is almost as bad as Hornet's Nest. The characters in Blow Fly are totally unbelievable and (with the possible exception of Nic Robillard, a minor character) completely unsympathetic. The story did not flow well. Resurrecting previously killed off characters made the book even more absurd. I felt compelled to finish the book only because I had bought it. If I had taken it from a library I would have returned it unfinished.
Rating: 
Summary: Cornwell jumps the shark
Review: Very disappointing work. Her book on Jack the Ripper obviously didn't do well enough, so she rushed out this stinker. The only cliche she left out was the evil twin,...wait there are two evil twins in this. ;-)She is much too talented to produce this stuff. Blame also goes to Putnam for putting this out. Should have gone directly to paperback or maybe under a pseudonym.
Rating:
Summary: Scapetta has Lost Her Way
Review: Kay Scarpetta's life has been turned upside down- she has lost her job, her man, her home and in reality her identity. Her last case as a forensic pathologist working for the State of Virginia turned her life topsy turvy. The Governor was ready to fire her, so Dr Scapetta quit. She moved to Florida and set up a private business as a consulting forensic pathologist. She gave up her luxurious home that she had built to her specifications, for a rental home that appeared to be falling down around her. She was able to bring her trusted secretary with her. In this enviornment of life falling apart, Scapetta is asked to train new detectives in forensics to assist in their work.. She falls into a search for eleven abducted women, all missing. No one, it appears can put this case together. Marino, a cop from Virginia, a long time friend of Scapetta's, receives mysterious messages from a prison in Texas about an unsolved murder from years ago-he goes to Boston in search of Scapetta's "dead" lover. Scapetta's niece, Lucy has a new business and a new love and is not portrayed in this novel as the character that we have grown fond of. This story all becomes quite convoluted and confusing- bringing up a dead lover that falsified his death is really reaching. Recalling characters from previous novels without resolution of the problems leaves me with a dread that these characters will recur. These are not characters that I want to read about again- they are dark and ugly. Patricia Cornwell seems to be searching for a storyline. Too many new characters and a storyline that at times is interesting but loses its way.
Patricia Cornwell is a brilliant writer, but this is not her best work. prisrob
Rating:
Summary: Another Page Turner
Review: Sure, the 3rd person point of view really threw me off at first and the constant reference to Kay as "Scarpetta" seemed cold, but this was another good page turner by Patricia Cornwell. It's great to get to know the other characters who are so important to these stories. The references to the past were necessary. Sure, people may not want to read about it all the time, but the past is what shapes us and, realistically, people do dwell a lot. It's amazing how everything intertwines and you're left feeling 'oh wow!' rather than 'duh, saw that coming 2 books ago'. I can't wait for the next installment. I hope it's soon!
Rating:
Summary: This Never Happened Before
Review: I rented this book on CD and was about halfway through when I drove by the rental outlet. Since nothing seemed to be going on plotwise for some time I just returned the darn thing and got something worthwhile (the new James Lee Burke, if you must know). I've read/heard every Scarpetta book, and once thought Cornwell was the absolute best. But as she seems to lose interest, so do I. This book refers to past adventures, which were a lot more interesting. It might be a better course to pick up "Last Precinct" or "Black Notice," where she found a real rhythm. But this one leaves me cold.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than The Last Precinct but..... (Spoiler!!)
Review: There were some story lines which should have been developed further. First, Benton's return was expected, but he jumped from not caring what happened to all the sudden being in the thick of things. The author did not make his change of mindset very apparent. Additionally, the bad woman who took all the abuse from Jay was not very developed. Her actions and reasoning made zero sense. Because of these things, the anticipation and suspense fell flat. I really believe that the magic of Kay S. is gone just to be another paper mill book series printed as quickly as possible.
Rating:
Summary: What?
Review: Ok I am totally confused by the whole Benton thing, it's worse than a soap opera! It being written in the 3rd person was bizarre since none of the other Scarpetta's are. She has set it up for the next book but poorly done. I am a die hard Patricia Cornwell fan but this book had no passion to it... reminiscent of Un-Natural Exposure. I am very disappointed and see I am not the only one! Better book next time?
Rating:
Summary: What happened?
Review: I loved all of Cornwell's Scarpetta novels and was excited to see a new one arrive. After reading it, I regret spending money on it. What happened? The change from her usual first person narrative to third-person present alone drove me nuts. And at the end, things just suddenly seemed to be wrapped up - like a tv show that has to fit everything in during the last five minutes. I agree with another reviewer -- it was hard to believe she actually wrote this. Truly disappointing.
|
