Rating: 
Summary: Abridged Scarpetta
Review: This is the 7th in the Kay Scarpetta series, and has the usual elements (difficult relations with her niece, Lucy, internal plots hatched to ruin Scarpetta's credibility, and Pete Marino continuing to survive his diet). This is my second favorite of the three I have read (after Cruel and Unusual, but better than Black Notice). This version is abridged audio. I always try to find unabridged, but the abridgements seem to work well here. I wonder if the full details would compliment the story, or drag it down.The story starts with some SCUBA diving to recover the body of a reporter found in a decommissioned navy yard. While investigating his death, links are found to a cult with delusions of ruling the world. Scarpetta's confrontation of the cult (including dealing with the ignominious death of their leader) is at times humorous, but always suspenseful. A very interesting read overall. The plot does not twist as much as other novels, but the ending is powerful, if a little abrupt. The Scarpetta saga is far from over.
Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: Amazon predicted I would rate this book 3.5 stars. Well, I would, but they won't let me. This is the first Patricia Cornwell book I have read, and I am sure it won't be my last. Cornwell tells the story of Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the Virgina Chief Medical Examiner who investigated the murder of Beryl Madison, a young author who was recently brutally murdered. Scarpetta quickly becomes entangled in a web of murder and intrigue. What I like most about Cornwell, is that she seems most knowledgeable on the subject matter at hand. She has definitely worked as a police officer and at the Medical Examiners office before, and her familiarity with those fields clearly shine through in the book. Additionally, her decription of various places seem very accurate, especially Key West. From her depiction of events/places in the Keys I know she has been there before and it took me back in my mind to an island i absolutely love. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did !
Rating: 
Summary: I hope her later books are better than this one
Review: If Patricia Daniels Cornwell were one of only a few mystery writers around, I would tell prospective readers sure, go ahead and read *Body of Evidence*, as it's basically a decent read. However, it's sufficiently flawed and uneven that it leads me toward recommending that people bypass this book in favor of others that are more worthy of attention. The protagonist Dr. Kay Scarpetta is interesting enough and the insights into the work of a forensic pathologist are morbidly intriguing (yes, I used to watch "Quincy" on TV, too). But what makes or breaks a mystery novel is the way that the plot is structured and the characters relate to one another. In a first-rate mystery, there are slight *possible* clues offered early on that later turn out to be pivotal to how the case is resolved. Here, however, Cornwell commits one of the cardinal sins of mystery writing: she creates a virtually unrelated character as the primary villain, one who isn't even introduced until halfway through the book. This results in an almost deus-ex-machina feel to the resolution of the crime(s). She also presents an unbelievably hokey identity twist that serves to bring some rather banally presented romantic interest into the story. I can say no more here, lest I act as a "spoiler," boo, hiss. Let me add, however, that her descriptions of places are not a strong point. Having spent time in Key West, I didn't particularly feel that the island "came alive" through her depiction of it. Overall, this book seems to reveal a still inexperienced writer who simply is still feeling her way along within the difficult but also overcrowded mystery genre. I am hopeful that some of Cornwall's later books are more sophisticated and well thought-out in terms of their structure; this one is simply not a first-rate work. For people looking for really well-done mysteries, I would recommend the work of the following authors: Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Harlan Coben (usually good, but not always), and Sue Grafton. I'm sure there are many, MANY more, but I hardly would claim to have digested them all.
Rating:
Summary: A good read ... but
Review: Despite a few flaws (first person language and the stilted prose of first authors) this book is a good read. Cornwell finds her feet and dashes out a good story, one that is evidently well thought-out. This and her next are very readable. Take a chance on her third (a silly, shallow plot) and pass on all the rest. The later books magnify the faults in this to the point of overwhelming all else -- evident narcissism and confused sexuality (have you read her true-life escapades? more interesting than her fiction, but I digress) and a fascination with the seamier side of life that becomes distressingly morbid and dank to the point of nihilism. I stopped buying her books and borrowed them only from a library, unwilling to finance her vanity, hoping all the while that Cornwell might have regained her feet. She hasn't yet. Somewhere in all of this some good characters slipped through the cracks. A pity.
Rating:
Summary: Nice to remember why I became a Cornwell fan
Review: The last few Patricia Cornwell books have left me unsatisfied. They weren't awful but they just didn't resonate with me. So, I pulled Body of Evidence, the second in the Kay Scarpetta series, off the shelf. I was reminded why I became a Cornwell fan. The plot is interesting with some great twists and turns. The characters are growing more complex. Mostly it's a tidy book with a clear beginning and ending. So many of the most recent Scarpetta's seems to leave things unresolved. This isn't an awesome book but a good solid read, particularly for readers who are new to the genre and would be more comforable with a known author.
Rating:
Summary: Body of Evidence
Review: Audio Book Review - I found the Author to be unnecessarily wordy, with characters and events over discribed. The basis of the plot was good and very intreiging, but unlike other reviewers, I felt the book fell short at the end. The wrap up was just to perfect for a really first rate mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Slow starter but a great ending
Review: This is my first Patricia Cornwell novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt that it had a slow start and found it a bit difficult to engage myself in the characters. But after the first few chapters, I could not put the book down. The story line drew you into the characters and kept you guessing up until the very end.
Rating:
Summary: Slow beginning, great conclusion!
Review: Although I was duly impressed with Body of Evidence, I have to say that it, contrary to many of the opinions of my contemporary reviewers, does not measure up to Cornwell's previous novel, Postmortem. The first one hundred pages or so moved very slowly and were hard to get through, and for the most part, the plot moved a lot slower than the aforementioned book. I have to say, though, that the ending was ingenious. I really liked the way that everything came together, and how you could go back and see how well everything fit into the story. My only other criticism is that although I am glad that Dr. Kay has finally found romance with Mark James, I could have lived without the soap opera-like dialogue between the two of them at the beginning of the book. Those conversations (as well as Dr. Kay's excessive use of the "B word") really detracted from what was happening. Overall, Body of Evidence is another genius work by Cornwell, and a satisfactory follow-up to Postmortem.
Rating:
Summary: The pages turn quickly
Review: Even though I don't feel Cornwell is an intellectual genuis, and she never puts psychology into her thrillers, her books remain addicting and lightly satisfying to me. I suggest reading it as you would do a puzzle; just to get the thing solved. In this aspect, I found the who-dunnit very entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: A page turner of a novel. Intriguing, suspenseful, chilling, and holds your interest non-stop. One of Cornwell's best.
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