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Summary: serial - next installment
Review: Little did I know that I should have re-read Cornwell's last book before starting this one. It is not only a continuation but she takes the attitude that you MUST have read her last book so you need little or no grounding in the plot and characters.Very disappointing in her resolution and darn if she hasn't set us up for the next volume. It is also getting tiresome to have Scarpetta in such a slump. It is not unusual for characters to have some painful episodes but Cornwell seems to enjoy torturing her main character now.
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Summary: A prequel or a sequel?
Review: This book is totally absorbing...depending more on character analysis rather than plot advancing incidents. However, I was disappointed at the slap dash ending. After wading through 400 plus pages, I discovered we were really just being set up for the sequel. It's time for closure and for Kay to move on to a new case.
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Summary: Plots Intertwine
Review: With the abrupt and unsatisfying ending to Black Notice, I was worried that Cornwell was just plain getting tired of Kay Scarpetta. The Last Precinct, thankfully, fills in many of the gaps that seemed to linger and adds much dimension to the intertwining plots. Scarpetta is in such deep doo-doo that there are no easy outs--friends and enemies become harder and harder to distinguish,she is frazzled physically and mentally, and she is on the verge of seeing her reputation and career completely destroyed. While thrillseeking readers may find Scarpetta's instrospection a bit tiresome, I have enjoyed the character development and the very real elements of paranoia and self-doubt that have tinted Scarpetta's edges. For me, she remains a great character and I hope Cornwell takes her well into middle age as a strong survivor.
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Summary: Kay Scarpetta, where are you?
Review: From the first chapter on, I felt cheated. I kept saying (out loud to whoever would listen), "This is not the Kay Scarpetta we know and love!" The book comes off as a very bad sequel, and the ending is an obvious lead-in to the next sequel. I didn't like the book at all, and really only finished it in the hopes that sooner or later it'd get better. It didn't!
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Summary: One Star If You've Never Read a Cornwell Book
Review: I always look forward to when the next Cornwell book is going to be out, but based on her last effort Black Notice I was worried that Cornwell's best days were well behind her. This work is a significant improvement over Black Notice but still not on par with her earlier work. I have read complaints in previous reviews that Kay Scarpetta dwells on things too much or is overly paranoid throughout the work. What I think many readers have a problem with is that Cornwell has switched her last couple of books from being in the third person to the first person. As a result, we have found that Kay Scarpetta is significantly more fragile than once thought, but tries to cover it up with a hard exterior. Readers who have never read a Cornwell book will not appreciate The Last Precinct as the details would be difficult to follow if not having at least read Black Notice before TLP. Cornwell weaves a story with plenty of plot twists, but a couple are so out there that it's amazing that she believes her reader will accept them. In the end she ties the story together fairly well and sets up several intriguing possibilities for her next work. I recommend this to any one who has read Black Notice but to those who haven't I recommend reading Cornwell's earlier work when she didn't have to worry about deadlines. Here's hoping that her next work returns to that level of excellence.
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Summary: A Transitional Work Best Left Unread...
Review: THE LAST PRECINCT is Patricia Cornwell's most disappointing outing to date. Badly shaken by her near fatal run-in with the Loup-Garou, the freakish werewolf-like Parisian serial killer from BLACK NOTICE, Dr. Kay Scarpetta's strong-will is beginning to show signs of stress fracture. Kay doubts her abilities, her job, her judgement, and wonders if she's still cut out or even wants to remain Virginia's chief medical examiner. The doubts seems to reside more in the author's mind than in the main character. Cornwell seems to be cracking under the pressure of this wildly popular (read lucrative) franchise. If you're new to the series, do yourself a favor, skip this one in favor of an earlier volume or wait for what develops in the series after this one. Clearly a transitional work that doesn't really begin to kick into gear until after the first third of the book and then only in fits and starts.
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Summary: I never expected the outcome to be what it was...
Review: Quite truthfully, after reading all the reviews here at Amazon.com I was expecting a horrible book. But, maybe it is because I just discovered Patricia Cornwell within the last year, so I had nothing to compare this book too. I had read Black Notice, and was very happy to see that The Last Precinct continued where it left off. What I was not expecting, however, was the twists and turns in the story line that I got with this book. On more than once occasion I thought I had solved the case, only to find my theories were complete hogwash. I was not disappointed in this book, and look forward to reading more of Ms Cornwell's novels.
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Summary: thought it was her best....
Review: I thought it was her best. I can't wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Cornwell returns to bestselling form
Review: "The Last Precinct" is a return to form of the Kay Scarpetta that her fans know and love. This is definitely Patricia Cornwell's best book since "Cruel and Unusual", my favorite in the Kay Scarpetta series. The only thing that prevents a five star rating is that the first third of the book is bogged down in Kay's introspection. Granted, Kay was nearly murdered by a serial killer, and is having trouble coming to grips with the fact that she is a victim herself instead of tending to them, but a depressed and paranoid Kay is not a pleasant one to read about. Judging from the other reviews of Cornwell's books, other readers have shared my frustration as Cornwell has strayed from the series' strengths, tight plotting, spooky atmosphere, unbelievable suspense, and concentrated on Kay's and Lucy's personal lives instead. The beginning of the book starts out that way, with Kay staying at Anna's, her psychiatrist friend's, house and reflecting on her past. The action gets bogged down as Anna questions Kay about her relationship with Benton, her feelings about sex, and her inability to deal truthfully with her emotions. Once the reader gets past all of that, she is rewarded with an unparalleled suspense tale whose chilling effects will linger long after the book is finished. Many questions are satisfyingly resolved in "The Last Precinct." Many loose ends regarding Benton and Diane Bray are explained. Unlike some of her other recent books that were a chore to finish, this one keeps the reader hooked right up until the very end. This book may be a frustrating one for a first time reader, but followers of the series should be immensely pleased. The best part of the book was Kay was caught in a house of mirrors, and had no idea who to trust, not even her longtime sidekick Marino. There are some lingering questions at the end of the book, the usual way that Cornwell segues into the sequel. Hopefully, the next Scarpetta book will be as entertaining as "The Last Precinct" was. This is definitely the kind of writing that made Cornwell a best selling author in the first place.
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Summary: Her best yet
Review: I would never miss a book of this series, but after being disappointed by the last few I wasn't eagerly awaiting this new addition. What a suprise! I thoroughly enjoyed this book --couldn't put it down. Cornwell is back to her best form, better than her best in my opinion. Previous reviewers have already amply described this book, but let me add that the new depth Cornwell gives to the characters of Kay, Marino and Lucy is a real enjoyment. I am eagerly awaiting the next in the series.
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