Black Notice

Rating:
Summary: Scarpetta's sorry life makes for a sorry novel
Review: Get a life, Dr. Scarpetta! This book takes place a good year after the death of her lover and significant other and she is still moaping around feeling sorry for herself. The story is bad. The plot is poor. The ending not soon enough. Don't waste your time.

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT - HER BEST YET! FAST READ!
Review: I thought this book was excellent and one of her best yet! The usual foul language of the Scarpetta series was cut to a more reasonable level. I hope she does more on this series. It's like the old show Quincy with lots of suspense. Ended great too.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to get into from the start
Review: Black Notice was very hard to get into from the start but it began to turn around a little. I don't think that this novel was nearly as good as some of her previous ones. For instance The Body Farm I read in an afternoon - that kept my interest but this one took me almost a month to really start. I was so excited when I found out that there was a new Scarpetta novel but almost a little disappointed after reading it.

Rating:
Summary: Ms. Cornwell tried but it doesn't work.
Review: Scarpetta was a truly fascinating character in the first book, but in "Black Notice", I believe she has become a self-absorbed excuse for a medical examiner-detective. And poor Marino! We knew he had problems and he was a sloppy dresser, etc., but Ms. Cornwell has completely stripped him of any likable traits. Lucy is a niece from Hell. And the storyline - unbelievable! If you don't know what to do with a character, kill her off! Please, Patricia, fire Scarpetta and end it!

Rating:
Summary: Why did she write it and why did I read it?
Review: Sadly, Cornwell continues the careless writing of what was once an absorbing series with good characters. In this book, Scarpetta has enemies at work ... again. A killer appears in her house ... again. Marino eats too much, smokes too much and is jealous ... again. Lucy is the world's unhappiest lesbian ... again. Kaye has almost the same fight with her sister as she did two or three books ago. This book has finally allowed me to break the habit of reading every book in a series and every book to the end.

Rating:
Summary: Not worth the time it takes to read nor the money spent
Review: I urge Cornwell to take a break from writing and come back to us w/ a new, fresh story line. Unfortunately, this novel continues the downhill slide of Cornwell's characters. Convince us Cornwell that you still have a story to tell.

Rating:
Summary: a nice ride with a couple of bumps
Review: Really enjoyed this one after having read all the other Scarpetta books. Storyline was good, it was nice to have less emphasis placed on Lucy and her issues, but . . . there were a few false notes. I was completely taken aback by Scarpetta's unprecedented leap into bed with a near stranger. I also think that if I lived in a gated community where killers routinely wind up in my home, I'd move. Finally, Cornwell copped out when, after introducing a clear antagonist in Diane Bray, she kills the character off. This storyline could have been extended to increase tension and create a better backdrop for Scarpetta to actually stay at home for her next book.

Rating:
Summary: Kept reading and waiting..reading and waiting..
Review: I remember hearing that Patricia was not going to continue the Scarpetta series....I was soooooo disappointed. Then, out comes Black Notice! I bought this book and anxiously poured into it....but never found that Cornwell "heart" that was so prevelant in the other Scarpetta works. I feel that Patricia's heart just was not into writing this novel. I was so disappointed! NO gripping suspense: she lost me after the tiny blond hairs that suggested a werewolf only to find a medical condition that allowed for normalcy in comprehension. This story would have been better off if there had actually been a real werewolf...with mysteries surrounding its existence. I only hope, Patricia, that your heart is back "into" the Scarpetta series as you compile your next work! If it truly is not ....then begin another fascinating series! Don't beat a dead horse. I give only one star in this review, because your talents were not evident in this book...as they have most certainly been in your other works.

Rating:
Summary: A good story but had unnecessary foul language.
Review: The story line itself was very good, but some of the language was anything but good. Is it really necessary to include "F" this and "F" that everywhere? I wouldn't want my children to hear this tape as I was listening to it.

Rating:
Summary: Top-rated author has competition! Leah Ruth Robinson!!!
Review: If you liked this book by Patricia Cornwell, a brilliant author and a magnificent wordsmith, then you'll like Leah Ruth Robinson as well. You've probably read all there is to read by Cornwell. If so, then give Robinson a try. A chiller of a thriller, she's just as right-on, sharp, and gutsy. Cornwell had better watch out. Robinson is right behind her! Whenever a book by either one of these top-notch authors comes out, I'm up all night reading! You should be too. Give Robinson a shot. You won't regret it.