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Summary: Black Notice - Patricia Cornwell
Review: For some reason, I stopped reading Cornwell novels several years ago. After "Black Notice," I want to go back and catch up on the ones I have missed, and even the ones I have read before! Yes, it is that good.
Kay Scarpetta grows and develops as Cornwell moves forward in her series about the Doctor-Lawyer-Chief Medical Officer. Based in Richmond, VA, Scarpetta lives in a niche port -- one that is not international and rarely has its cargo opened and checked. However, the stench of death and decay in an off-loaded container drags Kay to murder most vicious.
Covering the corpse is the residue of downy fine human hair; it was in his clothes and clung to the body as it traveled across the Atlantic Ocean. Scratched on one of the boxes is a clue about a werewolf. The first issue is to find the identity of John Doe, and since the ship was foreign and the clue written in French, this leads to Interpol.
Interpol requests Scarpetta and her detective partner Pete Marino to fly to France. It is significant that their flight is on the Concord, and that they stay in one of the most expensive hotels in Paris.
Cornwell is masterful in her use of words. The character?s dialogues fit their education; I once had a teacher who called words not in every day usage "ten dollar college words." That Kay Scarpetta is both an attorney and a doctor makes her extensive vocabulary help a reader suspend disbelief.
Cornwell?s writing is rich with details and descriptions, and I wish I could read this book for the first time. The story is complete, and it is not until I started "The Last Precinct" that I realized it needed a sequel.
This is an excellent suspense thriller with a great mystery. I savor words and phrases, so I do not read as fast as though who get the gist and go on; I could not put it down and I anxiously await the next installment. This is five star read.
Victoria Tarrani
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Summary: Return of old friends
Review: I can understand how some people might find this latest Scarpetta read a bit predictable; but that's what endears the reader to a character--it's that predictability and familiarity to a character that keeps fans returning novel after novel. Granted, Marino is still grumpy, Lucy is still bull-headed, and Scarpetta wants to run the show. But that's the way people are in real life; they follow a pattern--they're not ever-changing. Just like that morning cup of coffee we take for granted or the evening in front of the tube with the family, Cornwell's characters have routines and it would be out of character for them to continually change. In this way, Cornwell has hit upon a very human trait. Some among us don't like this in a continued character in a book because it makes them appear stale, but alas, that is the way most of us are. Perhaps that is why some are disappointed--it hits too close to home and they don't want to admit that they, the reader, may be predictable as well. Cornwell remains true to her characters with attention to details that other writers would overlook. I've read all her books and look forward to Scarpetta's home as if it were my own; I know the kitchen, the office, the bedroom; her office and its various other rooms are etched in my memory. Marino's truck and slovenly abode reflects the gruff man who wants to be the caretaker yet longs to be taken care of. And Lucy is the wreckless child yearning for love and attention. To change any of these characters would be a disappointment. They are who they are, like them or leave them. As for the story itself, I found the details fascinating as usual and anxiously look forward to the next Scarpetta story. Thanks, Patricia, for an enjoyable read with old friends.
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Summary: Renewed Hope: Some People Can Still Write
Review: I must say, this book captured my attention. I finished Black Notice only a few minutes ago and remembered Patricia Cornell's newer books were being slandered. I must say, I find each Scarpetta novel get better and better. Her old works are interesting, especially because Benton is still alive (personally, I thought no one would be able to replace Mark's character.) Though, as the storys progress, Kay's life begin to work in a downward spiral, and people can't stand seeing their heros in such a form. Though there is not much joy in Kay's life anymore, after Benton has died, Lucy is still fighting to become better then her Aunt, and others are trying to ruin her job, it gives the reader more of a 'real' sense. That Kay doesn't have the perfect life we all wish for, it gives us something to relate to. If you've never read a Scarpetta book, I suggest you pick one up, but as far as this one goes, its the best since the three books on Gaunt.
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Summary: It's Not a stand alone book.
Review: It's easy to see why Patricia Cornwell is such a popular author. She's a master of characterization and detail and suspense. I
really enjoy her work--and the characters of Scarpetta and Marino. They seem like real people with real feelings and flaws. But what's with all the cussing in this book? A few well-placed words are enough to get across dialogue and personality. The cussing progressed as the book did; her two previous books weren't like this. It detracted from a good story, and took away my interest in reading any more of her books.
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Summary: My least favorite Scarpetta
Review: Of all the books in this series, this is my least favorite. The story was a bit too unbelievable, but it is more Kay Scarpetta for lovers of this series. At least I did finish the book so I'll say it's an okay read!
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Summary: I think people are being a little too hard on this book
Review: OK, so the book isn't perfect, but I was engaged and entertained for the duration of the book. I got the book from the library as a book on tape, so I haven't had the luxury to read the Scarpetta series in order. This was my second novel in the series (the first one being "Cause of Death"). One criticism is Cornwell's overly pessimistic view of humankind (people are evil and serial killers run rampant, etc). Also, I agree that she may have gone a little over-the-top in making Marino a caricature of himself, though, I thought a lot of his actions were understandable, given his personality and what he was put through in this book. Also, the relationship among the three main protagonists (Kay, Lucy and Marino) wasn't too sappy or glossed over... though Cornwell may have gone a little too far in seeing that they weren't. Also, the fate of Diane Bray was a little hard to swallow. But overall, the story was engrossing. Cornwell's prose creates a dark and gritty aura through much of the book; I thought the grieving bit was realistic, and, as always, the forensic details are well-researched and realistic as well. Not the best book I've read (listened to) but definitely worthwhile if you like dark, gritty mysteries with a lot of human drama.
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Summary: Great story, weak characterization
Review: Patricia Cornwell still tells a great story, but her characters are shrinking -- their dimensions are becoming too narrow and unmotivated. Scarpetta is depressed and cranky, Lucy is "acting" strange and stranger and Pete is eating too much, smoking too much and kvetching too much. It's time for some motivated development for these folks. And Talley, whom Kay meets and beds and rejects in a 24 hour (?) period, is too shallow to convince the reader that Kay is getting it all together again by letting him into her life. The book also has a villain who's distinguishing personality feature is his unusually long hair. Hirsute is not compelling and in fact it's not believable. I hope Cornwell can bring her characters to life again, but she needs to discard the paranoia and the depression themes (and we've also read enough about bad folks manipulating the e-mail at the morgue). In the beginning, Scarpetta was a bright, resilient, indefatigable woman who shed her problems and solved the crime; we need to see her in that role again. Send Kay back to the bar at Louies Backyard and let her find herself again.
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Summary: The Best of all the Scarpetta Books
Review: The discovery of a decomposed body in a locked container on a cargo ship is going to set Dr. Kay Scarpetta against the most dangerous killer she has ever faced. The container came from France and the killer calls himself le loup-garou which is French for werewolf. Now he's on the loose in Virginia and Kay winds up on the case and the killer winds up putting Kay in his sights. Like the best of Cornwell's books we get insight into the characters we've come to care so much about. Kay is still numb from the lose of Benton Wesley. Someone is trying to ruin her reputation by sending e-mails from her address and she has to deal with that. Marino has been suspended and niece Lucy is doing undercover work that Kay believes is dangerous. Events set these friends against each other even as the killer closes in on Kay. In my opinion this is the best Scarpetta novel to date. Excellent characterization, vivid description and plenty of action. Five stars all the way. Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne
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Summary: Too Many Coincidences is almost the undoing of this book.
Review: There are a number of very glaring coincidences in this book and I think that this is the biggest problem with the book. For example, how could a case that Kay's Lucy is working for AFTA in Miami have anything to do with a homicidal maniac in Kay's town of Richmond? But in spite of this glaring inconsistency, I still enjoyed the book. We see Kay at her most vulnerable here and to those of us who have followed her story from the beginning, it is understandable. This book takes place a year after Kay's lover, Benton was killed in the line of duty, and in typical Kay fashion, she has really not dealt with her feelings about that. She has been burying herself in her work as usual. The killer that is stalking Kay's city forces her to deal with some "unlaid-to-rest" issues surrounding Benton's death. This is quite a dark book, but an edge-of-your-seat thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the end. We also see some real character development in some of the main characters; particularly Marino and Kay herself. It is so important that this series be read in order, and unless it is I don't think readers get the true scope of the series, and they certainly can't see the character development that occurs in each subsequent book.
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Summary: Another Good Book
Review: This book was an overall good book. There were a few "harsh" moments. I don't think this outweighed the good of the book. The investigation of the murder was exciting and suspenseful. I do think that reading these books in order will better help with understanding the characters and their actions. I would definitely recommend reading the series of books, Point of Origin being the one written before this.
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