Rating: 
Summary: No-brainer
Review: Written by a functional illiterate for functional illiterates, this babe must have relatives at the publishing house; it's the only explanation for chopping down trees to print this tripe. Boring plot, boring characters and bad, bad writing. Cornwall,"you did a bad, bad thing."
Rating:
Summary: The Last Pat Cornwell novel i'll ever buy
Review: It's really sad when an avid reader and fan of this genre and especiallly Ms. Cornwell's novels has absolutely nothing positive to say about her latest endeavor entitled "The Last Precinct", but certainly this is the case here. This book would have been much better if she never wrote it. For her fans, this book offers no thrills, chills or even exciting prose and for her new readers, well- I'm sure they were totally lost what with all the flashbacks and inferences about other people, places and events. In short, it almost seems like she had to reach a deadline and wrote the first thing that came to her mind; or worse- she couldn't come up with another really great book and so she decided to take us "inside the mind of Kay Scarpetta" to see how it really functions. This book is not only disappointing and a waste of time and money but it goes to illustrate how someone who puts out books with the apparent ease of Cornwell and on a yearly basis can also get "writers block". I will give her one more chance following this dismal read...but after that..she'll have to go inside MY mind to find out what her true mystery fans are once more yearning for. P. Ifshin Syosset, N.Y.
Rating: 
Summary: Forensic Pathologist or Action Figure?
Review: Kay Scarpetta continues to push herself past the edge of what many normal people just cannot accomplish. While a thrilling read, I found myself in certain parts, skimming over the words just to pick back up on the plot. I must admit I find that the Kay Scarpetta series to be much more riveting than Cornwell's other efforts, she must be doing something right since I keep reading her newest works. Keep it up Patricia, just, let Kay get a good night's sleep so she can continue shooting down helicopters with her laser beam eyes.
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Summary: Get off the cross, honey,......
Review: Enough, already! Kay Scarpetta's determination to cram lesbianism and her torture of Dino has become a din. Where is the very excellent forensic work of the earlier books? The very thing that made Kay Scarpetta is buried beneath the flaming torches. The police work, the investigation, the mystrey-solving has been replaced by self-pity of gagging proportions...I was very disappointed....me a die-hard Patty Cornwell groupie! Bring back the earlier story lines. Who cares about how brilliant, rich, her niece is-who she sleeps with, whose butt she kicks (please!) Give me the old Kay anyday!...
Rating: 
Summary: A Solid Addition!
Review: I bought this book the day it came out and was anxious to get reading. Well, the first half of the book was a little slow and it took me about 2 weeks to get through it. The last 150 pages took me a few hours to get through because the pace of the story was so quick. The ending took an unexpected turn and all I can say is that I can't wait to see where the next Scarpetta book will take us. If you can work your way through the first half of the book, you'll find the rest a thoroughly enjoyable read. Ms. Cornwell's research and knowledge in the forensics field is shown to us in numerous occasions throughout this book. If you're looking for a good read, pick this one up!
Rating: 
Summary: Dragged through to the end
Review: I think authors get to the point that cranking out the next book is more important than quality. This book spends too much time covering event history from her previous book, Black Notice, and too many pages on points that should be covered quicker. Did she have to have so much filler? You just wanted to tell her, "get on with the story". And at the end, too many issues were just left hanging. You want to say .... Wait a minute, what happened to whats his name and whats her name? This book is certainly not the disaster of her Hornet's Nest or Southern Cross. However, Ms. Cornwell has done better in other writing efforts. I can only hope she demonstrates more creativity in her next book.
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Summary: Like it
Review: Kay Scarpetta is back and involved in page-turning intrigue. Cornwell makes what can be called the mistake or progress of getting a bit more into character and less into plot. It depends on what mood I'm in when I read a book, and I was in the mood for a bit more of an introspective thriller, as this one was. So I really recommend it. It's probably the best thriller I've read since Craig Furnas' THE SHAPE. I was going to ask for THE LAST PRECINCT for X-mas, but I couldn't wait. I'm glad I spent my own money to get it early!
Rating: 
Summary: Solid Entry in Scarpetta Series
Review: I'll be the first to admit that the tone of this latest novel is different from the others in the series, but it is still faithful to the characters and was more enjoyable than 'Black Notice'. Having read several negative reviews here before I started reading, I was worried I was in for a long, boring haul. Luckily, I disagreed with many of the reviews and found myself happily immersed in Scarpetta's life once again. 'The Last Precinct' picks up immediately where 'Black Notice' ended. Kay Scarpetta has lived through an attack by Jean-Baptiste Chandonne, the "werewolf" from France. But her troubles surrounding the case are just beginning. She finds herself a suspect in the murder of Diane Bray, one of the werewolf's victims. Scarpetta is forced to leave the comforts of her home, distrusts almost everyone she comes in contact with, and has to face some painful truths about the past. Scarpetta is almost a different character here. For the most part, the strong-willed, driven woman we know and love is gone. She is emotionally wrought, exhausted, suspicious, depressed. It seems she is only now coming to accept Benton's death and we get more glimpses of her thoughts and feelings as she talks with her friend (a therapist) Anna Zenner. This introspection and honesty is new for both Scarpetta and for the reader as well. There is not as much action in this novel, but the suspense is high, the pace is set well, and not once did I find myself bored. Of course, Marino and Lucy show up here as always, but this is mainly Scarpetta's book. The forensic science is present, the Italian cooking here and there but taking a back burner (pun intended) for now, and the continuity exceptional. Chandonne, Diane Bray, Benton, Jay Talley, Carrie Grethen, and several other names from the past are weaved throughout the story seamlessly. The ending is the best I've read from Cornwell in awhile; exciting, surprising, and conclusive. We are not left hanging badly. While 'The Last Precinct' is different from what we are used to from Scarpetta, it is worth the time and is a great read.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Precinct
Review: As much as I love the action in Patricia Cornwell's novels, I am glad to see her develop the characters more. I say this even though the additional character development was included at the expense of the usual thrills. I agree with many of the reviewers who have said that Kay Scarpetta needs an anti- depressant. Unfortunately, it seems that this character will never realize that it is her own abrasiveness that causes everyone else to talk about her behind her back. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and found it to be a real page-turner.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Precinct
Review: This book is advertising copy--for those hundreds of products so skillfully named-- disguised as a novel! Boring rhetoric without depth, intrigue, mystery, much less excitement. I struggled to the end still expecting some unexpected twist. What a waste! Another great author has succumbed to mediocrity.
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