Rating: 
Summary: A New Begining
Review: This one was slow starting but beginings often are. It was very introspective. I believe that Kay is going to embark on a new life. I just wish she would have left us with a little more to go on a lot of lose ends in this one. It took me a little longer to read it than it normally would. I always enjoy a Cornwell novel just not one of her better ones.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing next seller...
Review: One of the reasons I have enjoyed the Kay Scarpetta books is that, along the way, a cast of characters has been developed that weaves a thread of continuity from book-to-book. Over the course of several books, my mental picture of each has continued to develop and I enjoy the reactions from this "supporting cast". The storyline itself was a continuation of Black Notice, but I felt there was a lot of wasted reading time in the seemingly endless psychiatric sessions. I really do not want to know the psychological make up of Kay and often felt it was an unnessesary tactic to fill pages. I'm ready for the next book and hope it returns to the level I'm come to anticipate from this author. Therein lies the challenge for an author - maintaining a level of excellence!
Rating: 
Summary: Another nail biter
Review: I've read and absolutely loved all of the Scarpetta novels. This last piece reveals Dr. Scarpetta's vulnerable side. I turned each page wondering if the "werewolf" killer would be her undoing. The frenzied pace of discovery and interjection of past characters makes this a little harder to read. True to Cornwell's style, the characters are well defined. She doesn't spend as much time in her "lab" this time around, so the mystery portion revolves around the characters more than the crime itself. As always, I try to read her books leisurely, so I can stretch the enjoyment out longer, but again, I couldn't put the book down until the last page. So . . . waiting for the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Contrived
Review: Poor Kay Scarpetta, she is viciously attacked in her home by a homicidal werewolf, and somehow she gets blamed for the death of another victim Diane Bray, the lesbian top cop who had crusaded to get Kay. This book might be better titled Black Notice Part 2.The plot is convoluted and contrived. Its actual resolution turns on the assumption that you can become an ATF agent, without undergoing a background check, and that Lucy wears body armor. Other meaningless plot devices include a large breasted New York special prosecutor who has Kay recreate the Bray murder all the while she is engaged to bring Kay before a special grand jury. Kay's friend Anna, the psychiatrist is revealed to have not one but two secret pasts-her father hosted SS troops in their Austrian castle within site of a death camp, but her entire family were really Jewish! Of course it all comes out well in the end, justice prevails and the bad guys are on the run - all the better for Black Notice Part III
Rating:
Summary: The Last Precinct
Review: This was a great book, which restored my faith in Kay. For the last two or three books, I had the impression that Kay was superwoman: she dived, she cooked from scratch, she prevented a small pox epidemic, she solved international mysteries and so on. This book reveals Kay's very personal side and the heartache she faced. We learn how she betrayed she felt by Benton when he died and how she coped w/ that tragedy. We are privy to her friends and their devotion to her, especially Anna. We discover--along w/ Kay & Lucy--that there may be life after a civil service career and that possibly, good things await Kay (don't we hope!) I liked the ending which I believe lays the ground work for Part 3, which would be a good thing! FYI: Kay's favorite recipes are available in Scarpetta's Winter Table, a wonderful--but hard to get--cookbook!
Rating:
Summary: The end of one story,beginning of another
Review: At last! Resolution to Black Notice. For that I was grateful. This is another dark chapt. in Kay's life. Unlike many other reviewers, I enjoyed the introspection. I believe that it foreshadows great changes in Kay's life. If you care about this character, you'll care about this story. If you're a mystery/thriller purist, you may find it wanting. The end comes so quickly! (Too quickly.)
Rating:
Summary: How about a new plot?
Review: Patricia Cornwell is one of my favorite writers, and even her less sterling works make for a darned good read. The Last Precinct, however, was disappointing. Instead of a new, compelling situation, Scarpetta is still muddling about in an old one. Not only are the characters largely the same, but the current text makes the reader feel that the writer has reneged on the closure of Black Notice. At the end of The Last Precinct, one is left with the impression that the next book will simply be Black Notice, 3rd edition. Kay Scarpetta is a fascinating character, in an ideal occupation to solve the puzzle and identify the bad guy/gal, and the technical detail Cornwell provides the reader adds immesurably to the reader's enjoyment. However, I believe Cornwell does a disservice to her readers when the protagonist does more than a modicum of wallowing in the past--both the personal issues and plot development rely entirely too much on back story; the reader is left uninterested and confused by all the backtracking and the rehash of old news. Cornwell is superior at her craft, but readers look for new situations in new books, and The Last Precinct fails to provide a new mystery that readers care about. In the final analysis it is readers who care about what happens to a character who will buy future books.
Rating: 
Summary: Masterful and compeling....
Review: The Last Precinct is an intricate mosaic that slowly forms a compeling picture as Cornwell masterfully reveals the vulnerability and humanity of our friend Kay Scarpetta as she struggles with the ultimate challenge of her career. Cornwell's work is richly layered as she treats us to a much greater understanding of not only Scarpetta, but her former lover Benton and Dr. Anna Zenner, a psychiatrist that has befriended Kay and provides her much needed counsel during this tumultuous time. New York District Attorney, Jaime Berger plays a prominent and often elusive role in The Last Precinct, driving the book to its ultimate conclusion. I certainly hope we'll see more of Kay and Jaime and Anna in future books. They shower us with intellect, compassion, insight and intrigue.
Rating:
Summary: Another disappointment
Review: Patricia Cornwell's early books are loaded with gripping plots and unforgettable characters. Not so in her last 2 books with Last Precinct even less satisfying than Black Notice. Dr. Kay Scarpetta has become a whiny character with no dimension other than her job. I figured out the plot of this book at the end of Black Notice. She should have combined the two books into one. Borrow it don't buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: BORING, TRITE & UNFULFILLING-AND THESE ARE THE GOOD POINTS!
Review: I have read every Patricia Cornwell/Kay Scarpetta novel and each one has gotten increasingly worse. Last Precinct never got better from start to finish. There is little plot or character development. Disappointment in Ms. Cornwell's efforts is only surpassed by a feeling of disappointment that this author's work has so deteriorated that she does not feel the need to give her readers a fair return for their dollar. Shame on you Ms. Cornwell. This will be the last book of yours that I purchase. You are cerainly resting on your laurels and they have run out!
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