Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable for the Latecomer to Series
Review: I received Last Precinct as a Book on Tape for Christmas, never having read any of the prior books. As previous reviewers have noted, it is indeed introspective. But it is not so self-referential that a novice cannot pick up the details of the characters and their complex interrelationship.My only qualms were what seemed like a deus-ex-machina at the end which saved one character from otherwise certain death. Figuring out the plot twist about the cause of Kay's woes a tape and a half from the end. A nagging urge to want to strangle some of the more evasive characters who Kay muses are hiding things from her but from whom she does not demand clear answers. The forensic and investigative details had a good feel of verisimilitude. As a criminal defense attorney, my only caution to readers is that this kind of careful detective and forensic work is not often seen in routine cases. The castigated James City County detective is closer to the norm that our heroine and her inner circle.
Rating: 
Summary: A huge disappointment
Review: Although I am not a literary critic, I felt compelled to enter some thoughts after reading The Last Precinct. I too have read, with relish, every Kay Scarpetta novel Patricia Cornwell has written, and usually long for the next to appear. I could have waited longer for another version. My first distraction was that the novel was written in first person, present tense. It was very uncomfortable reading and I actually had to pull out all her other books to see if I had lost my perspective, but no, this appears to be her first attempt at that writing style. I hated it. Secondly, Cornwell is toying a bit too much for my comfort and enjoyment with the lesbianism theme. I just don't get it and did not like one of my favorite characters wrestling with her sexuality, albeit briefly. Then it just hung there. Finally, I just couldn't buy the entire plot. Come on - that anyone would suspect Kay Scarpetta of such a gruesome murder is ridiculous. The one point I should mention is that at least I did enjoy Marino, as usual, but a little more so in this novel. A last note. I'm just not sure I would read another Kay Scarpetta. I don't want to ruin her character in my own mind. For what it's worth.
Rating: 
Summary: Not her best or her worst
Review: Ok I read some reviews when the book first came out and I wasn't sure if I was going to buy this book based on what people were saying, so I decided to ask for it for christmas and let someone else pay for it. I must say I found myself wandering for the first half of the book, but I could not put it down. Like most people once I start a book I have to finish it, you never know it might get better. Although I found myself lost a few times with the references to the Black Notice and sometimes wonder if I should stop and reread it, I was able to finish. This is not one of Cromwells best, with all the repeating and confusion, I am excited for the next book to find where Kay ends up, where Jay and Bev will show up next (because you know they will), and where Marino goes now that Kay has left her job. I have read every Cromwell book and will await her next, I only hope everything starts fresh and new so there is not a lot of backtracking.
Rating:
Summary: Long winded and disappointing
Review: Since this is my first Patricia Cornwell, I feel that I need to go back and read books 1-3 before I make a full assesment of her writing. I found this book sometimes overly detailed and longwinded, almost like she was trying to fill a certain page number. I found some of the subplots of the characters unbelieveable if not underdeveloped. Although I did like Marino, who reminds me of NYPD Blue's Andy Sipowitz, his color came across in this work. I finished this book partially because i was on a long plane ride and partially because I thought something was going to happen. I would definately give this author another chance but I cannot recommend this book, especially if you are new to the author, you might not want to start with one of the first novels of Kay Scarpetta.
Rating:
Summary: Author coming up from the bottom!
Review: Patricia Cornwell provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind of her famous character, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, and, having considered "Black Notice" well below the author's incredible storytelling gifts, I am happy to say that she appears to be returning to form. I will refrain from summarizing the plot, as that has already been done both in the editorial reviews and in the individual reviews which have preceeded mine. I enjoyed Kay's interior musings here, which suggest a ripening character on the brink of great change, and also provide Scarpetta with a dimension of vulnerability which encourages greater identification with her on the part of the reader. By the novel's end, Kay's future is uncertain and I hope that Cornwell seizes this opportunity to take her character somewhere she's never been before. The danger of recycling the same characters throughout a series of novels is that they will become stale or, in the case of the last few Cornwell novels, bogged down in their own situations or miseries. New characters add a breath of fresh air to the usual suspects (no pun intended) and often bring forth new dimensions of familiar characters. Such is the case here with Anna Zenner, who is interesting in her own right and who provides Kay with something she hasn't really had in any of the previous novels: a friend. It would be good to see more of Anna - or others - in future works, so that Kay's world never again becomes as constricted as it was by the end of "Black Notice". Cornwell still has some work to do. There are holes in her plot line. For example, Chandonne's character unexplainedly drops off halfway through the story except when he's referred to by other characters, and the relationship between Jay Talley and Bev Kiffin seems a bit too coincidental - or perhaps this will be explained in the next book. It makes no sense why these two should ever have hooked up and Cornwell offers no explanations. She should exercise caution in taking a simplistic, obvious or predictable route out of a corner she may have written herself into just to provide her readers with a neat ending, which is what happened in "Black Notice". Complexity is fine as long as it is believable. Taken as a whole, "The Last Precinct" is a highly encouraging sign that Cornwell is back and one hopes she will continue to improve Kay Scarpetta's path well into the future.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Needed to be Written!!
Review: Yes, it's true. It's not her best. It drags a bit. It's self-indulgent. It's a bit long. It retreads familiar territory. But, you know what, it needed to be written. We finally get inside Kay Scarpetta's head and maybe discover it's not necessarily a fun place to be. Many loose ends are dealt with in this novel , some as far back as Body of Evidence (Cornwell's second Scarpetta novel). My hope is that new life is breathed into the next book in the series. For fans of Virgina's Chief Medical Examiner, it's a book that cannot be missed. If you're not a fan, start with the first one, Postmortem, and make your way through the list (I did in a couple of months). You will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Forget about it.
Review: Ugh. The self-pity that consumed the first part of this book was agonizing to read. In fact, I found myself skipping pages and pages just to get away from the puling. We Know Someone Was Killed At Your Doorstep! Get on with the story! I usually make myself finish all books I start. I got to about page 125 of this one and couldn't take it anymore. My best advice is to forget this one and hope the future is brighter for Kay and Cornwell.
Rating:
Summary: WOW - Thought it would be so-so; A+++
Review: When I first picked this book up two weeks ago (having just completed reading Black Notice), I put it back on the shelf and opted James Patterson's Roses are Red. I have felt that both protagonists, Patterson's Alex Cross and Cornwell's Scarpetta were so bogged down in personal relationship crises that I'd gotten to the point that I didn't care about them as much as I did in years passed. Having finished Roses are Red several days ago, still feel the same about Cross - enough already. However, I just finished The Last Precinct and ripped through 250 pages tonight to complete it - which came as a shock to me, since I rolled my eyes when I heard that she would be possibly put on trial in this book. My expectations were not high, even though I liked Black Notice more than I thought I would. I liked the fact that The Last Precinct picked up exactly were the previous book left off. So much came together in this book (although a bit too much of the past rehashed, again and again)many/most of the lingering questions were answered from previous storylines - that I had forgotten were left open! I look forward to the next book with eagerness - much to my surprise!
Rating: 
Summary: Finally!
Review: Unlike most of the Amazon reviews I've read about Cornwell's recent installment of the Scarpetta saga, I argue that it is perhaps the best installment yet, and returns Kay to the glory that she evinced in the first half-dozen of Cornwell's novels. The Last Precinct provides a more honest and introspective dossier on Kay Scarpetta, her attitudes, and choices. The reader finally learns WHY Kay acts the way she does, and why she's cloistered her personal life, and the betrayment she experiences when she shrugs off her professional identity for a roll in the hay with a sexy, sneaky younger man. Personally, I've never seen Kay as paranoid. I think any woman who has firmly established herself in two predominantly patriarchal fields -- forensic pathology and government service -- is likely to be met with wariness, frustration, and jealousy. This novel shows a more grown-up Kay who no longer hides behind her degrees or station, and shows us a frightened, emotionally confused and wrung-out woman desperate to take back control of her life on every level. As usual, the pathology scenes are first rate, but there doesn't seem to be a total subjugation to gore as with some of the previous novels. Marino is more tender-hearted, Lucy is FINALLY grown-up, and the always-interesting but aloof character of Anna is gleaned. Even the style of the book fits more with its themes. Many of the sentences are short and to the point, instead of running-off on the page for paragraphs. As usual, the story is narrated by Kay, but what's unique here is that Cornwell continuously puts Kay in first person; "I think...," "I feel...," etc. I feel more connected to Kay and her psyche in this book than ever before, and it's a thrilling and emotionally satisfying ride.
Rating:
Summary: Kay, Kay, Kay, ad infinitum
Review: The writing is good....no question about Ms Cornwell's gift for words, but her main character is so self-indulgent. so full of rage, do prideful of her "space",so absorbed in her power that the reader becomes super-saturated with Kay! The last few Scarpetta books have leaned this way so I wonder if Ms Cornwell has written herself into the story. If so, I dislike her as well as her main character. I would suggest that she toss out Bently, Lucy, and especially, Marino, in any future stories. How about some just plain likeable characters?
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