Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I regret reading this book (not to mention buying it), as it makes a mockery of all I once admired about the author and her characters. While Patricia Cornwell once dished up satisfying, well written stories, this latest book has plot devices worthy of a soap opera (another reviewer mentioned Dallas - I agree!). I was bored while reading the book, and found myself saying aloud "Oh, come off it!" at some of the revelations that I won't mention for fear of spoiling it for those who wish to read it despite my review. Scarpetta was such a brilliant character, and it is such a shame that Patricia Cornwell has ruined her. I urge all fans of the series to stick with her earlier books and pretend this one doesn't exist as it adds nothing to the continuing story of Kay Scarpetta.I'll close by saying that I've approached each book fearing that she was going to kill off Marino, thinking that was the worst thing she could possible do. In the end, it turns out that something that was almost the complete opposite was the worst thing that she could ever do, and she did it in Blow Fly. It's cold comfort that Marino is still alive at the end.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have - should have been better!!!
Review: I have to agree with previous reviewers. Although, I did need the refresher from the "Last Precinct" - it has been years and many books in between that I almost totally forgot what happened in that book. So I did not mind the synopsis going on in this book. I did however, mind the short plot - after reviewing the last book there really wasn't much happening in "Blowfly". I felt there were characters introduced in this book that didn't need to be or were there for another motive (like Nic Robillard - is she worthy of an independent book of her own?) Basically, PC wrote this to reintroduce Benton back to the Scarpetta books (I missed him).
The book is what it is - borrow it from the library!!
Rating: 
Summary: Gibson
Review: I used to be a fan of the Patricia Cornwell, but her last few books have been very disappointing. This book is the WORST. I did not even bother to finish it.. I only gave it one star since that is as low as you can go. If I had the option, I would give if NEGATIVE stars. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. I was glad she was getting back to the Scarpetta novel series, but this was a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. I am a fan no longer.
Rating:
Summary: Would have been better not to write this book
Review: I used to be a fan of Key Scarpetta, but this time...To make it short - Patricia Cornwell is running out of ideas, and this book is a sad prove of the fact. Do not even bother reading the book.
Rating:
Summary: Forget it!
Review: By far her worst effort. The plot comes across as a poor takeoff from the Dallas TV series of the 70's. Like the TV series it lacks creativity and imagination. Most unfortunately her main characters Scarpetta, Lucy and Marino seem as shallow images in this novel. They never seem to come to life, nor does 'Blow Fly'. The idea that Benton is still alive, and that Lucy, Marino and Senator Lord know, but that Kay is kept in the dark seems so far fetched. Much like Bobby coming back to life on Dallas, and everything in between some sort of dream. Skip this book. I enjoyed her earlier novels but the last four have definitely been duds, and this one is at the bottom.
Rating:
Summary: THE WORST BOOK OF THE DECADE
Review: BELIEVE THE REVIEWS!!!! So bad, words can't even begin to describe it. WARNING: IF YOU'RE GOING TO READ THIS, THEN BORROW FROM THE LIBRARY. DON'T WASTE A DIME ON THIS. I was a HUGE Cornwell fan, but this book is, without a doubt, one of the top five WORST books I've read not only this year BUT THE PAST DECADE. PATRICIA, DON'T YOU TAKE ANY PRIDE IN YOUR WORK? The only reason they let you publish this is because of who you are. BAD!!! BAD!!!! BAD!!!
Rating:
Summary: Terrible!
Review: A major disappointment from a talented writer. An avid reader of Ms. Cornwell, I was looking forward to "Blow Fly", the latest in her Kay Scarpetta series. This book was a complete disappointment. Forensic skills, a hallmark of this series, are completely overlooked in this novel. Another hallmark, the sense of "family" created by Cornwell for Scarpetta and her associates is sadly lacking. Only in the last few chapters of this book do her characters meet as a unit.
I feel taken advantage of by the continued, never-ending, saga of Jean Baptiste-Chandonne. This character has long since outlasted any interest a reader may hold. Cornwell seems to be on "auto-pilot".
This book meanders between reliance on long-standing characters and an attempt to introduce international espionage (shades of Robert Ludlum). Dozens of pages are spent on developing storylines that are abruptly and unrealistically resolved. I did not recognize who these long-standing characters had become. They have all become self-absorbed and unlikable. A waste of paper, money and this reader's time.
Get back to basics, Patricia!
Rating:
Summary: Not up to her usual standard
Review: Cornwell shifts point of view here, from protagonist Kay Scarpetta's first person vulnerable (which made the earlier books so interesting) to third person boring. She devotes endless pages to minutiae that have no bearing on the plot, and describes the characters in one-dimensional terms (Scarpetta is "lonely," "brave," and adored by all who know her, while the rather pathetic Chandonne is invariably presented as loathsome because of his congenital abnormalities). Strangest of all, it seems that around page 440 Cornwell realized that she had to start wrapping things up, so within 10 pages or so she whips her characters into line with almost no emotional satisfaction for the reader. One particularly frustrating outcome is that of the three nasty villains, one is disposed of offhand, another dies offstage (as we are later told), and the third escapes (also not shown), no doubt to induce us to buy the next Scarpetta book. Ms. Cornwell, get back to where you were before!
Rating:
Summary: So I am not the only one?
Review: I was beginning to think I was the only one that did not enjoy Blow Fly. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!! I was waiting for months for the next Kay Scarpetta only to be let down. This novel is extremely hard to follow, it jumps around too much and the characters are so pathetic...what happened to Kay Scarpetta??...a woman so on the ball, so sure of herself. I should have read the reviews before I bought this one. Hopefully Patricia Cornwell will get back on track.
Rating:
Summary: Truly Sad...
Review: I, too, should have waited for the reviews instead of pre-ordering this stinker. I have admired the work that it takes to write the intricate novels that have been the forte of Ms. Cornwell and wait patiently b/c it must take considerable time and effort to write her better 'reads'. I, too, kept waiting to find the details of what I had imagined Kay's next move to be after her dismissal from Richmond. Alas, and woe is me, us, them, her... Here is to hoping that Ms. Cornwell does not go the route of 'Bobby in the shower' of Dallas fame in her next Scarpetta endeavor. Ms. Cornwell, please do the next one justice even if it is to be the end of the line for this series.
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