Rating: Summary: One of my favorite Cornwell novels Review: I have read a few novels in the Scarpetta Series but this one has been my favorite so far. The characters really develop in The Body Farm. The reader gathers new insight into familiar characters that they thought they knew but may find out they don't. Read this book over a long weekend because you won't be able to put it down. It keeps building momentum until the unpredictable end. I encourage reading Cruel and Unusual before The Body Farm because some of the things that happened in Cruel and Unusual are also mentioned in The Body Farm. To better follow along it's best if you read Cruel and Unusual first.
Rating: Summary: My favorite Review: I must say that this is my favorite PC novel yet. I loved the story line and the twist and turns. I like how PC uses real locations and terms in her work. I also like the story twist to Marino, cos love can make you do strang things. Cant wait to read the next one.
Rating: Summary: A horrible read !!! Review: I bought this paperback at an airport in Eastern Europe anticipating a long flight back to the States. Pat Cornwell's book made the flight seem like an eternity. One wonders who loads these airport book shelves anyways ? The bad writers society of America !!! What an odd export to new and emerging countries. Every once in a while reading a really bad book is an exorcism for the soul; this plot is implausible and rushed, the characters wafer thin, the heroine a snotty, conflicted, self-absorbed, manhating know-it-all who is traveling here and there booking those frequent flyer miles on the government payroll. Cornwell has no sense of story flow, her sentences are deadweight. Lastly, she simply can't write.
Rating: Summary: warm but not hot Review: This was my first Cornwell novel, and I do not think it will be my last. However, it will definitely not be my favorite, either. Although I enjoyed the momentum and action of The Body Farm, I found the characters, Kay Scarpetta above all, to be stilted and unrealistic. Evenhanded Scarpetta, with her daily jogging, gourmet cooking, and tepid affair engaging, doesn't seem to have real feelings or to act like a real person--and on the other end of the spectrum, Marino's allegedly jealous rage and disdain for healthy habits is cartoonish, a substitution of quantity for quality maybe. Thumbs up on the action, but the characterizations need some serious resuscitation.
Rating: Summary: What am I missing? Review: This book is b-a-d. I bought a copy because I read an article about the real "body farm" which is at the University of Tennessee. The book spends so little time on that topic though.The Scarpetta character is annoying: constantly whining about her cohorts bad habits affecting their coronary health, getting sassy with a defense lawyer on the witness stand because she has a medical AND law degree. The dialogue is so contrived and the character development is confused and incomplete. I'll never read another Particia Cromwell novel. If you want a good murder mystery book, pick up one by Lawrence Sanders.
Rating: Summary: Nail Bighting (S.T.3) Review: Out of all the Patricia Cornwell books I have read, I like this one especially well!!! Throughout the book she keeps you on the edge of your seat and dying to read more. One of the things I like most is she gives you soo many people to consider to be a suspect. For example: A few of the many suspects are Creed Lindsey, Carrie Grethen, and Temple Gault. I thought for sure Creed was the murderer of little Emily, I would have never guessed the killer to be Mrs. Steiner! Another thing I like about this book and other Patricia Cornwell books, is that she doesn't just focus on one case, there are many different things going on at the same time. During the murder investigation of Emily Steiner, Detective Kate Scarpetta also was looking into her neices hit and run. The down fall of this book is the end. We never find out what happened to Carrie Grethen, Temple Gault, or Marino. I think the ending could've been much better, but all in all I give this book two thumbs up!!!
Rating: Summary: Black Mountain is synonymous with violent death Review: If you enjoy medical thrillers, you will enjoy this book. It is evident that Cornwell does her research on her subject & you gain useful information as you read. I would like to suggest another author, Echo Heron, & her medical thriller books such as Pulse, Panic, Paradox, Mercy, & Fatal Diagnosis. Just as Cornwell has Dr Kay Scarpetta, Heron pens the Adele Monsarrat series.
Rating: Summary: I'm hooked! Review: This was my first Patricia Cornwell novel and I know it won't be the last. The story was written as if Kay Scarpetta was in the room telling me the story herself. I enjoyed it and I can hardly wait to read the next one...probably Post Mortem
Rating: Summary: ~Great Book~ Review: This was a well-written book. At the beginning you are horrified to find that an eleven-year-old girl, Emily Steiner is killed. On the first day of October she walked to Church and never came home. Who did it? Was it Temple Gault, an old serial killer, or somebody new? That is for Dr. Scarpetta to find out. There is never a dull moment in this book. It will keep you at the edge of your bed reading from dusk till dawn. This book is a definite recommendation.
Rating: Summary: Enjoyable but not impressive Review: This was the first Patricia Cornwell I've read, and although it was reasonably engrossing I can't share the enthusiasm of her fans. Her narrative is good and the dialogue is sharp, but her descriptive passages are frequently awkward (just what do "shadowy deer" look like?). Overall, I found the characters more interesting than the plot, although you certainly won't guess the identity of the killer. I didn't care for the occasional snide potshots at liberals, as if only people who share Cornwell's conservative views are capable of sharing her moral outrage at the brutal murder of a child. These asides contribute nothing to the plot and are distracting; however, judging from the other reviews posted here, Cornwell's readers are a pretty conservative bunch anyway. I'd recommend this book as a light read for those with a special interest in forensic pathology (Cornwell's research is quite good). As a crime novel, it's hardly in the top rank, but you won't be bored.
|