Rating: 
Summary: difficult to stay the course
Review: While I am not an avid Dr. Scarpetta fan I have enjoyed some of her books. I found this to be a difficult read. I had read the prior story so was familiar with the protagonist. The time spent delving into Dr. Scarpetta's psyche was way too long. The energy spent in self analysis and paranoia was way too much for my taste.
Rating: 
Summary: Black Notice Part II
Review: This book could have easily been included in Black Notice simply by adding a few more chapters. You get the feeling that Cornwell killed off Benton but is not quite ready to let the character go. I get the feeling that she wishes she could somehow bring him back to life. It's time for Lucy to stop hopping from one woman to another and for Marino to get over his crush on Kay or do something about it.
Rating:
Summary: The agony of Scarpetta's life continues without much relief
Review: Finishing one of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta novels is never a cathartic experience and this last book certainly holds true to form. "The Last Precinct" is unusual because it picks up within 24 hours of where the previous Scarpetta novel, "Black Notice," left off (usually much more time has passed with things happening like people getting blown up by bombs or something equally significant). Scarpetta is still reeling from the attempt by Jean-Baptiste Chandonne, a.k.a. Le Loup-Garou or The Werewolf." It is insufficient to say that you if you have not read "Black Notice" you will have trouble following the events in this novel, because "The Last Precinct" does some major revisionist history on virtually every major person and event in Scarpetta's life, particularly Benton. The main narrative thread in this novel is that, in a grotesque turn of events, Scarpetta is implicated in the brutal murder of Diane Bray, Chandonne's previous victim and one of Scarpetta's many nemises. It seems Scarpetta is not going to get away from being victimized from this most recent deranged killer to cross her path. As always, the forensic details in Crowmell's novels are fascinating. Most crime fiction glosses over such things and even in Scarpetta's world rather obvious scientific facts have to be hammered home to the idiots in power over and over again. But these novels are always much more are Scarpetta's relationships with the people around here than the demented killers she is helping to track down. I always look forward to finding out what is up with Lucy in each novel: having given up on the FBI and now ATF, Lucy is ready to enter the private sector (it seems she's been doing some interesting things in her spare time). The novel's title refers to a newly formed investigative unit run by Lucy's old ATF boss, Teun McGovern. But the name takes on darken significance as more of this immense and convoluted plot are revealed. Like Scarpetta, we are asked to reconsider some of the major events in these novels in light of new and most revealing information. In "The Last Precinct" the pivotal characters are a pair of women the professional equals of Scarpetta and the best parts of the book are her interactions with them. The first is a familiar face, Dr. Anna Zenner, who becomes Scarpetta's de facto counselor, a move that could end up hurting our heroine as much as it helps. The second is Jaime Berger, a first-rate prosecutor from New York who will apparently be handling much more than the Chandonne case, which is being moved to NYC for the worst of political reasons. This also a shadowy behind the scenes figure who has a big impact: Pete Marino's estranged son Rocky, a New York lawyer with mob connections who will be defending Chandonne, just to make things really interesting. When you finish reading "The Last Precinct" you will certainly not feel a sense of cleansing relief. It is not because of the violent deaths and the detailed autopsies, but rather because with Cornwell it is never really over. At best Scarpetta has a chance to catch her breath before the next round of horrors for which she is the inevitable focal point begins again. Maybe this is just the middle part of an epic trilogy that will finally get us to the point where we can believe justice has been served, but I really have to doubt it given every other book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: The Last Precinct by Patricia Cornwell G.P. Putnam's Sons NY 2000 Dr. Kay Scarpetta is at the end of her tether. At the end of the previous book she had barely survived the murderous attack of "la loup garrou" (werewolf), Jean Batiste Chandonne, and now she has to move out of her house and stay with her good friend, psychiatrist Dr. Anna Zenner. Under Anna's care, Kay begins to come to grips with the death of her former lover, Benton Wesley, the previous year, and the tumult of her life as Chief Medical Examiner. She then is brought before a Grand Jury on suspicion of murder of the former Chief of Police (one of the werewolf's victims). Jay Talley , Kay's friend and lover from Paris, working on the werewolf cases in France, shows up on her doorstep when it is found that a New York murder two years previously was also a victim of the werewolf. The story gets even more complicated when two other murders and the strangling of a young boy cloud the investigative waters. Kay eventually comes out the other side of this tangled mess but not before she discovers who the real instigator of Benton's death was and finds out who her real friends are. This book starts immediately after the end of the last book "Black Notice" ends and needs to be read before starting this one. This is not one of Cornwell's better books. It serves to tie up a number of loose ends in Kay's life but the story line is weak and cluttered with too many dead bodies whose presence only minimally contributes to the story. I am glad that Cornwell got this out of her system and hope that Kay Scarpetta can find a new and exciting life as she is recreated.
Rating: 
Summary: After thoughts
Review: Most of this book consists of explanations that should have been in the previous book. First 100 pages: Zzzzzz. The balance not much better. Scarpetta needs to get some more interesting people in her life besides a ... niece and a cop friend (?) that even she detests most of the time. One star and four yawns.
Rating:
Summary: Save your money!!!!
Review: Follow my advice! This book is a waste of time and money. Not only do you have to trudge through 100 pages before anything remotely interesting happens, it never goes anywhere. You're constantly thinking, "OK Patricia, I got the fact that Kay Scarpetta is smart. I got that fact that she is in emotional distress. Can we move on?" I've read several of her mystery novels and have gotten the notion that Kay is the fictional ideal that women readers find interesting and admirable because she is extremely intelligent and beautiful. However, on the other side, enough with the "Men can't handle strong women" tangent in the story line! It was played to death in Black Notice and The Last Precinct. Do yourself a favor and skip this one. Unless you read the previous two novels you won't understand any of what she's griping about anyway. A very poor effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Patricia is truly the Mistress of Misandry! At last men are shown as they really are: evil, fat, corrupt, lazy and incompetent. The women, however are multi-talented and super-fit. Long may Patricia reign! Ava Giro.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Precinct
Review: I am a great Patricia Cromwell fan. After reading this book, I think Kay needs a new job and maybe "a life". It looks like the author thinks so too since Kay is mulling over the need for a change. Kay needs some dimension, she's gone flat. How about a new permanet relationship, preferably with a man - and a little fun in her life!
Rating:
Summary: Not up to par
Review: I always grab Cornwell's books as soon as they are out....should not have invested in this one..just didn't hold my attention.
Rating:
Summary: Lukewarm Stew
Review: Okay, gather around for the latest convention of all the usual suspects. Kay, Lucy, Marino, Anna the psychiatrist, and Jean-Baptiste Chandonne the Werewolf. In spirit, Benton Wesley, Carrie Grethen and Diane Bray make appearances. However, the rich population yields a thin and almost paltry plot. Kay is in trouble with the law. She is being framed for the murder of her nemesis the psychologically unstable Diane Bray but it is obvious to all her friends that she is uninvolved and Kay is even able to cozy up to her prosecutor long before they enter the courtroom. That is to say, I never felt that Kay was in any sort of real trouble. Furthermore, the real bad guy is obvious due to the fact that everyone feels "sort of funny" about him. His genetic relationship to another criminal makes the whole thing ludicrous. Let's think this through. How could a man even get a job in law enforcement if he could not verify his educational records? He claims he went to Harvard but there's no record of him. He claims to be a certain person but that name matches nobody of his age according to Social Security records. If he's so powerfully mobbed up then why can't he cover his tracks a little better. Besides, don't these folks know anything about leaving DNA at the scene of the crime. If you are indeed a werewolf-like individual then you might want to be careful about those pesky shedding hairs. If you are the brother of such an individual and you are having sex with women and then brutally killing them, you may want to consider the use of a condom. Maybe it's just me, but I have read much better books and a few of them were written by Patricia Cornwell. Better luck next time.
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