Rating: 
Summary: Sad excuse for writing
Review: My husband and I really agreed that it is one of the worst books we have ever read. He did not even finish it it was so porrly written. The last 40 pages or so, she just gave up and wrote a pathetic ending. So much was a stretch and made no sense. I would not recommend this to anyone, no matter how desperate you are for something to read.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice follow-on to the Wolfman saga
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it tied all of the characters together. I am glad that I didn't let the negative reviews keep me from reading it. It's not heavy into the forensics as the past novels were but I didn't really miss it because I got wrapped up in the human aspect of the characters. Do yourself a favor and read it. I am looking forward to reading the next Scapetta novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Now its offical
Review: Friends of mine have been saying for a bit now that the Scarpeta serise is done. I didn't want to belive them than I read Blowfly. Patrica Cornwell has fallen victim to "established Author Syndrom". I didn't think it could ever happen to her but I shouldn't be surprised considering how often it has happenned to others. Just to name a few Tom Clancy, Ann Rice, Stepen king and Robert Jordon. It is indeed a sad day. Overall-Not bad, just the same old same old forulmatic and predictable.
Rating:
Summary: Blow, blew, BLOWN
Review: Ugly, ugly, UGLY! A sorry apology for the cracking good writer Ms Cornwell used to be. Graphic descriptions of low butchery, shot'em-all-on-the-spot show downs and improbable resurrections are not the stuff I like to find in a good thriller. Besides, I feel I'm quite fed up with serial killers. Why do they kill? Because they're mad, of course. Wow! Shocking! I'd rather have your old fashioned butler any time... And what the hell happened to spunky, self assured, self reliant, rational Doctor Kay Scarpetta? Who is this pathetic looser stumbling around with no rational purpose, this pale wraith of her former robust self?
And why on earth should a brilliant, beautiful, smart girl like Lucy waste her life away ad a dumb gunwoman? And what is this fascination with self made judgement and execution on the spot?
Get yourself together, Ms Cornwall. I used to love your novels, but now I feel very disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Cornwell gets paid for this?????
Review: This is my first Cornwell book, and so, as an unbiased observer, I can honestly say that this is one of the worst books I have ever read. I don't know if the other books are written in the present tense or not, but the effect was incredibly affected and annoying. The characters are thin, unbelievable, and totally unworthy of a reader's interest. It is easy to say that a character is tough or smart or whatever, but when the characters do nothing but piss and moan about how hurt and damaged they are, the story gets old pretty quick. To say the plot was sloppy would be generous. As for the use of Louisiana as a setting, this author seems incapable of capturing any of the depth of the place not able to be found with a google search or an atlas. She used a couple of accurate place names, but just completely missed the atmosphere and feel of Louisiana in general and Baton Rouge in particular. Also, was Jean-Baptiste blind or not? Sometimes he is described as blind (the event of his blinding is, in fact, described in some detail), and other times he is described as seeing things (cars in the prison parking lot, another prisoner doing push-ups, etc.). Another example of Cornwell's sloppiness and narrative laziness. This was simply awful, from start to finish. It amazes me that an author whose other work is fairly well reviewed, here and elsewhere, could have laid such an egg.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed - Again
Review: I have been a big Scarpetta fan since the very first book and always looked forward eagerly to each installment. Unfortunately the inconsistencies in this book when comparing back to earlier works are mind boggling! How can she have not explained away Scarpetta seeing Bentons face in the freezer after he was killed? If you are going to bring a character back to life you really do need to tie up all the loose ends! It was insulting, as though she didn't expect readers to remember what had gone before! The ending was just plain annoying, I actually turned the page, only to find that there was no more! To just tell us that Jay Talley had died, without any other information, no description of the chase etc, was plain pathetic. It was as though Ms Cornwell was bored with the story and decided to wrap it up as quickly as possible. Not to mention the total implausability of a child happily confiding his reasons for self mutilating to a total stranger! I still believe that Isle of Dogs was the worst book ever, but this is running a very close second. I am glad someone gave this to me as a gift and I have therefore wasted no money on it. I'd join with others in recommending paperback or garage sales, leave the hardcover on the shelf!
Rating:
Summary: Time's up...you have 2 pages to end the book
Review: I have read every one of Cornwell's novels and like many, have looked forward to Kay's cleverness and medical sleuthing. Although I did enjoy the twists and turns as the novel progressed, the ending was so amateurish, clipped, and unsatisfying that one has to wonder whether there was a reason for the shabby and uncreative way the author ties up all the loose ends. Did the publisher give her an ultimatum for a deadline and she had to somehow finish the book in a few days? How can the author deny the reader that inevitable confrontation between the good and evil forces? Extremely poor job done writing the climax. Viagra anyone?
Rating: 
Summary: Tragically Everafter ...
Review: Well, what to say. I guess there's hope for the Scarpetta series, but I've forgotten why I ever liked her. She'd be a major downer to know. And Benton, there's a bore. At first, I was sorry Ms. Cornwell killed him off, but now I'd rather see a more appealing character than him written in, one who doesn't need a fire built under him, than have Benton back to do little more than contribute to Scarpetta's already gloom-ridden persona. I'm sick to death of Wolfman Chandonne too. There could be some interesting new character spin-offs, however, with regard to the Chandonne grandson, who is now parentless and grandmotherless. No doubt the remaining Chandonne family in France will want to raise him, which should keep Scarpetta awake at night. I don't see though that the character of Jean-Baptiste can offer anything more. Now here's a thought! Scarpetta personally kills Wolfman (and soon), she adopts the little boy, then lives tragically ever after, depressed and wondering if the weird kid is a chip off the old block, i.e., Jay Talley. Gee, I can hardly wait. Then we'd get to read more about cruelty to animals, dogs in particular. What's with Cornwell and dogs anyway? Old ones get thrown into swimming pools with bricks tied to their feet. Puppies are used as alligator bait. I get the picture, Patricia. Enough. Actually, I think Ms. Cornwell writes beautifully, handles plots and dialogue very well, the forensics are fascinating, and the character Kay Scarpetta has a ton of potential. But she's become such a sad sack. Put some life back into her, Patricia. Find her a new love interest. Something! Whatever happened to the man who owned the horses in Point of Origin? I liked him. His would be an intriguing re-appearance .
Rating:
Summary: What Series are we in here?
Review: After the first couple of chapters, the reader will be checking to see that this is "A Scarpetta novel" The flashing in and out of scenes is reminiscent of the Andy Brazil series, not the smooth narratives we expect from Kay Scarpetta's world.
Also, this volume is not exactly consistent with what has come before. Questions left open include: How did "The Last Precinct" turn into a viable enterprise? What happened to Teun McGovern? and most importantly, how in the world did Lucy and Marino manage to slip a frozen copy of Benton Wesley's face into a locked and chained refrigerator in Newton Joyce's garage
when Wesley was actually alive. To say that this strains credibility is to understate the obvious.
Saying all that, however, it was a joy to find Kay Scarpetta slowly recovering into her old self. Without her insights about human nature, I would have tossed this book aside quickly.
Still, the ending isn't one and I long for the days when monsters like Jean-Baptiste Chardonne are dispatched by the final page. This book is worth reading if you have come to care for Scarpetta, Lucy and Marino. However, you will leave it feeling sad for what has happened to your old friends.
Rating:
Summary: JUST PLAIN AWFUL
Review: This book can only be described as "just plain awful" After reading so many well written and interesting novels by Patricia Cornwell, she must have written this book while asleep. The plot is very poorly conceived and written and jumps around. I found it impossible to believe that Lucy and Marino could have kept their secret for all those years while watching Scarpetto suffer from her loss. The end of the book is hastily pulled together with a less than satisfactory ending. Since there is one more Chardonne on the loose, their will probably be one more novel involving them. Kay Scarpetto was almost nonexistant in this book and comes across as a despirited broken woman who has no direction. This is not the character I've come to know. Her case solving abilities are one of the main reasons I read Cornwell's books. In this book Patricia Cornwell has made Lucy and Marino the main characters but has radically changed their personalities. Why did Patricia Cornwell feel compelled to suddenly throw in a live-in for Marino and their break-up and his packing his truck and walking away from his house. What relevance did this have to the book? All it did was fill a few blank pages of paper. If you have to read it, get it from the library or pick it up at a garage sale where I'm sure there will be a lot of them. Again, this book is "just plain awful"!
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