Rating: 
Summary: Cornwall can do better.
Review: Patricia Cornwall writes a standard novel where the usual murder occurs. It's the type of novel that says muder-comes-someone-finds-out-with-twist. The main problem with Cornwall's style is not the muder or evidence or list of suspects with the final twist, but the main character herself. Kay Scarpetta seema to be a smart forsenics scientist who has a hard a burdenful life. AS you read, her character doesn't really appeal to you. She seems to love her job but hate her life. This is my first Cornwall novle and I have to say I am not impressed. I felt that Scarpetta needed some medication to enlighten her depressing aura. I felt so tired of her problems and langorous lifef that I wasn't even able to finish the entire novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Strong Entry In Cornwell's Scarpetta Series
Review: The eighth novel in Patricia Cornwell's series of books centered around the world of Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta finds the good doctor up to her elbows again in a case that draws heavily on the past. Someone is dumping dimembered torsos into landfills, and it's a thread that dates back to a similar case ten years prior in Europe. The question is whether this is the same killer or perhaps a copycat. Along the way, Scarpetta gets exposed to a deadly pox virus--the same one found on the last discovered torso and one that is spreading through a local crabbing town located off the mainland. While in quarantine, Scarpetta manages to lure the killer--screen name deadoc--into a chat room on the internet in an attempt to ferret out his location. As with most of her previous novels, Cornwell's greatest strength beyond her own personal knowledge of forensics is the relationships she's established throughout the run of the series. Scarpetta's relationship with police detective Pete Marino remains the most honest and fascinating of the bunch, while her on/off relationship with profiler Benton Wesley remains nothing more than a boring and uninteresting sidenote. In the end, though, this is another solid entry in Cornwell's already considerable catalog.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing!
Review: This was the first Dr. Scarpetta book I have read and I was completely entranced! With the constant twists in the plot I didn't know up from down, and unlike normally I had no clue as to who the killer was until the very end. It was so good I was almost reluctant to finish it!I was so into the book that one night after reading the part where she discovers she might be dealing with smallpox I had to convince myself that I wasn't the one who had been exposed to Smallpox, before I could sleep. Although somewhat disturbing and graphic in certain parts this was an excellent book and if you love deliciously scary fiction, I highly reccomend this. I can't wait to read more Dr. Scarpetta novels!
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Summary: ANOTHER KAY SCARPETTA MYSTERY...
Review: This is a somewhat interesting, Dr. Kay Scarpetta mystery, replete with its usual attention to forensic detail, as well as a myriad of subplots. Though not her best novel, it still manages to entertain the reader. Once again, Dr. Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner, finds herself on the hunt for a serial killer, when the body of an elderly, dismembered woman is discovered in a Virginia landfill. Moreover, a mutated, high tech, variant small pox virus appears to be on the loose, and Dr. Scarpetta finds herself receiving taunting emails from the alleged killer, signing as "deadoc". Couple all this with an overly ambitious and unscrupulous law enforcement agent named Percy Ring who arrests an obviously innocent man for the elderly woman's death, and the reader has an intriguing mystery to unravel. Homicide Detective Pete Marino is pivotol to the success of this book. His relationship and repartee with Dr. Scarpetta contribute to many of the book's highlights, and it is he who gives dimension to the book, as he is simply a wonderful, down to earth character. Dr. Scarpetta's relationship with FBI Agent Wesley Benton is less memorable, as he is on the periphery of the story, for the most part, though in the end he provides closure for the torch Dr. Scarpetta was carrying for her ex-lover, Mark. The only real fly in the ointment, however, is the continued appearance of Dr. Scarpetta's niece, Lucy, who is an obnoxious character. In the real world, Lucy would not be allowed to hold the position of responsibility that she does in the book, due to her compete immaturity. She is a loose cannon waitng to misfire at any moment. It flies in the face of her professionalism that Dr. Scarpetta seems unable to fathom this, but blood is thicker than water. The ending is somewhat surprising, though in retrospect, the clues are, in fact, there for the reader to discern the identity of the killer. The problem is that the resolution occurs almost too abruptly, as if the author had only a limited number of pages in which to wrap it all up. While the book moves somewhat slowly for the most part, the last few chapters move at lightening speed. A better editing job may have helped make this book into a more cohesive, better written mystery. Still, Kay Scarpetta fans will find something to enjoy in this offering.
Rating:
Summary: Not Bad
Review: This is not one of Patricia Cornwell's best. It lacks the suspense and quality of some of her other novels. There are boring sections and too many subplots. Though somewhat of a disappointment, I did enjoy reading it. As mysteries go, I didn't solve the who done it, which makes it worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: carry on, patricia
Review: this was the first Kay Scarpetta book i ever read. It is what got me hooked. Since then, i have read better ones, and worse ones. But none of them have been bad. This is another great one. The plot is nicely original, fast paced, and punchy. The writing is the same. (I love her writing) Kay is back, and her usual superwoman self. Lucy too is back, but here seems far more human and likeable than in some of the other books. (but hey, i still like ger a great deal. i dont know what most people's problem is with her.) Theres some more good forensic detail (although often she needs to explain things just a tad more) which adds dimension to the book, and even more interest. really, theres not a lot i can say about this book, apart from repeating things that i have said about all her others, which i cant really be bothered to do. Rest assured, though, that here again Patricia Cornwell has produced another excellent forensic thriller that is easy to read, with a superb writing style. Highly reccomended. (As are all her books.)
Rating:
Summary: Good stuff
Review: I am not really sure why these books appeal to me, but they do. The subject matter here is unusual and not appealing to everyone, but, I have not read one of Ms. Cornwell's books that I did not like. In fact, I bought one of her newer books at a book fair and was so taken with the characters and story that I have gone back to her first books to catch up on the side-stories. Kay Scarpetts is a woman in a man's world and she doesn't let anyone get over on her. She fights hard for her place and yet, she doesn't seem to make it the focus of her life. Her confidence in her own abilities allows her to focus on the victims of crime rather than being taken seriously in a male-dominated field. Kay is tenacious and head-strong and she is a bit of a hero as are most people who fight crime. Even though she is not a law-enforcement officer per se, she lends a great deal to the solving of crimes. In my naivete, that could very will be part and parcel of what a forensic pathologist does. Ms. Cornwell is totally in control in an area where most people know little or nothing as far as processes and procedures. Ms. Cornwell lets us know from the start that she knows a lot about her subject. Her detailed descriptions of autopsies and crime scenes should make me queasy, but I find that, in the context of the story, these descriptions fit in so well that they only make me a bit uncomfortable, which, I believe, is what she wants. I find her characters from Kay to Moreno to Wesley to be well-rounded and appealing. I also find that, from the first book, Post Mortem, to the last, Ms. Cornwell's writing grows and learns. She has no problem bringing more and more to her characters and stories as she learns and grows in her craft. This book and her others are great reading and worth the time.
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Summary: Good mystery, bad philosophy
Review: I listened to Cornwell's earlier Cause of Death and Unnatural Exposure on tape and Unnatural Exposure is better. ... Cornwell has created a first class nail biter that is flawed because of artificially created tensions, some poor characterizations and inconsistent philosophy. The mystery/thriller works pretty well on that level. The plot follows Cornwell's heroine Kay Scarpetta initially through a serial killer's dismemberings to a possibly contagious disease outbreak. There are twists and turns although the ultimate outcome is no great shock. Unnatural Exposure follows a standard path although most stories of this ilk have a premature solution that turns out to be false. I.e. the wrong person is arrested or found dead. In this one an innocent person is arrested but the reader knows it's a false arrest from the word go. There is also someone found dead but it's pretty obviously not the guilty party. Along the way we get graphic and gory forensic details of autopsies making the novel unsuitable for reading around mealtime. There are several problems with the novel aside from the mystery. Cornwell's agenda gets in the way sometimes and she has fillers that detract from the story. Earlier in the story Scarpetta receives pictures via email that are described as gif files. All the pictures I receive are jpgs. Maybe this is an indication that the novel is becoming dated. I had a problem with some of the artificially created tensions. In particular, I found it offensive that airport security people would be portrayed as boobs for doing their jobs. Scarpetta shows up at the airport with body parts and hazardous materials and the security people and flight attendants are made to look like fools for questioning her the way they do. It seemed to me that she was the one who deserved the criticism for not notifying them in advance. Scarpetta also keeps quiet long enough to create confrontations instead of diffusing them and she's supposed to be the heroine. The characters are generally poor. Benton Wesley, her sometime lover, is non-descript. Merino, her friend and sometime foil, has some character. However, her niece Lucy is really obnoxious. Cornwell portrays Lucy as being the victim of discrimination because she's a lesbian. Actually someone this obnoxious is unlikable regardless of sexual orientation. However, the real holes are in the philosophy that Cornwell puts in. Essentially, she has a new age non-judgmental philosophy which is fine if it's consistent. For instance, she refuses to accept that there might be legitimate principled opposition to some of the views that she holds dear. People with opposing views in Unnatural Exposure are invariably jerks if not crooks. How judgmental is that to portray those with contrary views in a very judgmental light? Another problem that I had is Cornwell's dismissal of Scarpetta's affair with the previously married Wesley. The reader is told that Wesley's colleagues blame her for his marriage's failure when in fact it was Wesley's ex-wife who ran off with another man. Cornwell ignores a number of things. First, whether or not Wesley's ex-wife ran off in no way makes their adulterous affair acceptable. Second, perhaps if Wesley hadn't been fooling around with Scarpetta and had spent more time with his wife then maybe he would have been able to save his marriage. Third, Wesley should have disabused his colleagues about the cause of his failed marriage. Allowing Scarpetta to be viewed as a Jezebel seems inappropriate and inconsiderate given Cornwell's non-judgmental tone. Yet another problem is the penchant for male characters in the novel to approach tears or come to tears under duress. In particular, why does she portray the gay men in this way? If as is obvious in the novel she is trying to portray gay people in a positive light and argue that they are just the same as straight people, why don't the gay men "take it like men?" I really found these logical inconsistencies got in the way of the story. Cornwell would have a better story if she wasn't trying to preach or if she needs to preach then she should be consistent. Overall it's a good mystery but the non-mystery problems take it down a notch.
Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: i am a fan of all Patricia Cornwells books. i found this one very interesting and it passed the time by very fast. i couldn't put it down. i must agree that Kay isn't the most open with the people she loves but that is her character. i find it easy to slip into her world where men used to rule and now she is stepping on toes. i'm very interested in the forensic part and the actual autopsy she illustrates. i also like how she links actual events into her stories. for example the oklahoma city bombing, waco texas,and the unabomber. it gives it a more real feeling. i love these books and i slip into the complicated and fast paced world of Kay Scarpetta as often as possable.
Rating:
Summary: Scarpetta vs terrorist
Review: This book started off looking like a serial killer mystery, with a modus operandi of sawing off the limbs and leaving the trunk of the victims for the police to discover. As Dr Scarpetta quickly discovers, though, what's really happening with the latest event is a copycat version of the past nine crimes. Why is a copycat? To hide what the killer was really doing. You'll be amused by the timely plotline, with the medical details that appear authentic and chilling. The exposure of the real killer at the end was a surprise, but I was not impressed with the killer's motive. Overall, this book reads better than most Cornwell books, and the pages fly by.
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