Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing read
Review: I've loved all the previous Scarpetta books, as well as Portrait of a Killer, but I was very disappointed by this book. It read like a first draft. The story was all over the board. I put my bookmark in the wrong place at one point and inadvertently skipped about a hundred pages. I had no idea until I tried to go back to recheck something from earlier in the story - the plot line is so murky and the book jumps around so much that I couldn't even tell that I wasn't at the correct chapter that I'd left off at earlier in the day. The book has lots of extraneous detail, too many plot lines that really go nowhere (Scarpetta could have gotten to Baton Rouge much more easily than a serial-killer-plus-cold-case combination) and characters that serve no purpose (Eric, anyone? As far as I can tell, his only purpose was just to act as a mouthpiece about what a hot bod Scarpetta has). The book also assumes that you recall a lot of detail from the last Scarpetta book, unrealistic considering that book was published in 2000. Given the title of the book, and a couple of references to blow flies in the book, it seems like there should be some kind of theme related to blow flies or that they'd be a key element in the story, but neither is true. At one point the book implies something is going on between Lucy and another female cop - I assume the point was that they were attracted to each other, knowing Lucy's history, but the reference is so vague you can't really tell, especially since nothing is said about it other than a couple of sentences, there isn't really a context for it, and it's not related to anything else in the book. The ending was a major let down - I tried to keep track of various threads of the story throughout the book and understand how they fit together, but everything is either wrapped up in about two sentences in a pat and too-clean way, or not sufficiently cleared up. When Scarpetta gets "the surprise of her life" not a whole lot happens and the details surrounding it are generic and nonexplanatory. With some good editing this could have been an excellent story (although I must admit I'm really sick of this particular werewolf character), but its potential is unrecognized. This is the first time I've written a review on Amazon, but I was so bothered by this sloppy effort that I wanted to share my opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: The Biggest Shock Of Her Life!
Review: Kay Scarpetta faces the toughest case of her career and the biggest sock of her life in BLOW FLY" by compelling writer Patricia Cornwell. One exciting page-turner to be sure! (A definite addition for your home library!) Highly Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Blow by this book!
Review: This is the worst Patricia Cornwell book I've ever read! It jumps from one thing to the next and is very hard to follow. I think Ms Cornwell has spend too much time running after Jack the Ripper and trying to find out who killed Princess Diana, and NOT enough time on this book.
Rating:
Summary: surprise
Review: oh my god i love this book it is surprising and suspense and thrilling i read it in one and an half day i couldn't put it down. i love how she brought back benton westley. thank you patricia cornwell these books you wrote scream for a movie deal you are my favorite author thank you marcia ps i bein waiting all summer for this book so again thank you
Rating: 
Summary: Good book but not the best
Review: I gave this book 4 stars only because I am a huge fan of Kay Scarpetta and have read all the previous 11 books at least once. Therefore I knew all the characters and their history and it kept me interested throughout the whole book to see what would happen. However if I hadn't read the previous books I think I would have given this book 2 or 3 stars because there are so many characters to keep track of, and I wouldn't have felt as much empathy for the main characters. The third-person narrative contributes to this. Definitely this book is not one of Cornwell's best works. Also, the ending of the book was anticlimactic. There were still so many loose ends to tie up; the plot seemed contrived and after waiting so long to see what would happen between Kay and another character (whom I won't mention so as not to give away the plot), we get pretty much one page of dialogue, and that's it! Left me feeling pretty much as if I had been waiting in line all day at the amusement park for a roller coaster that turns out to be a merry go round. So to summarize, I would only recommend this for die-hard fans of Kay Scarpetta. If not, try reading some other books, or Patricia Cornwell's older books.
Rating:
Summary: Okay writing, horrible plotting
Review: Cornwell is still a technically fine writer, but the plot, character development, and pacing are just plain awful. As I got close to the ending, I kept glancing at the few pages left, wondering how PC was going to tie this all together in just a few pages. She doesn't. In fact, there was more ink devoted to explaining blood spatter than to delivering a plausible ending. Too bad. This book was a real disapointment. In fact, I'm going to hunt up my receipt and return the darn thing. PC doesn't deserve to earn royalties on this turkey!
Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as these reviews make it seem
Review: It's lonely down here, being what often seems like the only Cornwell left among the sea of the enlightened. I can shout as loud as I like, but no one will ever hear me... It's been a long time since the last Scarpetta novel, the powerful "The Last precinct", and Blow Fly begins a couple of years after it. The waters are, on the surface at least, calm again. Kay has retreated to Florida where she is now a Private Forensic Consultant. She abides a quiet and lonely existence despite the fact that Jay Talley is still on the loose. Lucy remains in New York, running her undercover agency, and Marino's life - still lived in Richmond - has steadily fallen apart, while his wayward son Rocco continues to minister to the legal (more correctly, illegal!) needs of the Chandonne family. But things are slowly changing....Kay is called in by a Louisiana coroner. Many women have disappeared over recent years, and there is one curious murder case in particular that he wants her to take a look at. Then, she gets a letter from Jean-Baptiste Chandonne, who is waiting quietly on Death Row in Texas. He will tell all he knows about the criminal activities of his family in exchange for two things: One, he will tell them only to Scarpetta, and two, she wants her to be the one who administers the fatal injection. But Blow Fly neither begins nor ends there... I don't quite know how to begin, and I'm rather frustrated that I have so little space in which to say so much. Blow Fly, the latest instalment in the continuing Scarpetta saga, is a must for Scarpetta fans. There will be two outcomes: further disappointment, or great enjoyment. Either way, you won't know unless you try, and you should really read it to follow the series. Personally, I loved it for the most part - although I can understand why some might hate it. It's got all the usual terrific forensic detail (she never fails there,) it's stuffed full of marvellous plot, absolutely crammed full of interesting story, twists, turns, shocks (there is one in particular) and has some excellent new characters, such as Nic Robilliard, the single-mom Baton Rouge policewoman. However, Cornwell does also seem to forget some of the characters from previous books (For example, what on earth happened to Lucy's business partner Teun McGovern?) Scarpetta, Marino, and Lucy are excellent once again, even though this book is less focused on the good doctor herself. This is due in part to the switch to third-person narration. This allows Cornwell to let this book take a step back, to inspect her other characters more closely rather than solely through the prism of Scarpetta's mind. I found it a very interesting and rewarding change, but also, at times, the reader may feel rather adrift without Scarpetta to give them a solid anchor. This new style of hers is at first incredibly compelling. Her eccentric and vivid, almost hallucinogenic present-tense prose is very powerful, but by the end it does seem a little jerky and got a little exhausting to read. But that was also because there is such a lot of luscious plot to hold in your mind. Some readers may despise the new style, and others may love it. I found it pleasingly refreshing. I get a little annoyed sometimes when everyone criticises Cornwell for deviating from her norms. If she had stuck with the same old formula for 12 straight books, this series would have gone stale long ago. Instead, she has experimented with plot and character and style, and in my view the series has grown and expanded for it. Scarpetta has grown, too. Some again criticise this, say she's grown too bleak, but if she were anything else, that would be entirely unbelievable, considering all that's happened to her. Scarpetta has altered and grown with her experiences, and she is rounded and endearing because of it. Some people will dislike Blow Fly for the fact that it is - in part - about Chandonne again, but there's not a lot to be done about that (or the fact that it's end signals yet another Chandonne episode.) You can either complain, or wait patiently until Cornwell decides it's time to move on to something else. Certainly, if she just dropped the whole storyline, you can be sure people would moan even more. Let it carry through, and accept that it must, is all I can say. In the end, you will either love of hate Blow Fly. You will either love the new style of hate it, either love the plot or hate it, either love the characters or hate them, either love the end or hate it. Me, I really liked it, despite its flaws. If you have reservations, get it from the library, but still give it a chance. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad. It just means it's different. I hope I don't have such a long wait for the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I wish I had read the reviews before I bought the book. I have loved her earlier books, but this is the first time that I had to make myself finish a book of hers. I skimmed the last half. I don't want to ruin the surprise developments in the book for anyone so I won't discuss the plot. But, I don't think Cornwell knows where she's going with these characters and she wrote too much about Kay's personal life. The plot goes in all directions and is hard to keep up with. You also need to go back and re read the previous two Scarpetta novels for this one to make any sense. I don't know about you, but I don't remember minute plot details after several years and this book is written as a continuance of the last two. WHat I have loved most about her books in the past is the well written mystery and the science. There is too little of both in this book. She needs to spin Lucy off in a series of her own. Cornwell has more interest in Lucy than she does Kay. Don't buy this book! Borrow it from the library.
Rating:
Summary: Blow Fly
Review: This book is going in so many directions it will give you a headache! When the Kay Scarpetta books first come out I could not get enough of them. But Blow Fly was the worst Patricia Cornwell ever written and it died a slow painful death.
Rating:
Summary: Give the book a chance!
Review: I read the book before I got around to reading any of the reviews so that I would have an open mind. And I am really glad that I did.
I think the book is great. I was glad that Benton was back. And I loved the part that was in Louisiana. I am from that area and she made it sound pretty much like it is (beautiful landscape, complicated politics).
So go in expecting an entertaining read and I think that's what you'll find.
|
