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Summary: Cornwell does it again, and again, and again, and again...
Review: ...and with this book, she has done it yet again. The book does not start off too well, with the sherrif Santa bit being a bit confusing for the first couple of pages. I didn't like it. And i thought i might be in for a disappointing Cornwellian offering. My, was i WRONG. This book is yet another stunner. She has definitely veered away from the cunningness and cleverness which inhabited her first three books. But she more than makes up for it with a chilling plot and one of the most cold and clinical serial killers i have eve read of. Essentially, this is a serial killer novel, and as that it not especially original. But it is nonetheless a good one. Marino, Benton, Lucy and of course Kay are back again for another great read. Cornwell's writing is sharp and to the point, and keeps the you turning those pages. I can't really put my finger on a reason why, but from the first time i read a Cornwell book i feel in love with the way she writes. It's simply...wonderful. I can't get enough of it. It's no more literate than the next person's, but for some reason i just relish every sentence she writes. The plot here is sometimes scatty and random (as was Cruel and Unusual) but here, she pulls it off a lot better. I tend not to like books full of random killings, without rhyme or reason (yoo hoo, James Patterson, author of Violets are Blue, i'm talking in particular about you.), but here i really did. The randomness is chilling, and Tenple Gault is a super villain, who curdles the blood. He is just so...hateable. You loathe him absolutely. Especially when you find out how he treats his sister. You just hate him even more. With every part of i wanted him to die, die, die. It is hard to conceieve of anyone so cruel and horrifically terrifying than him. When Scarpetta talks to his parents, it's painful to read, even though it's fiction. It's an extremely moving scene, full of emotion. (As is the entire book.) This book moves along relentlessly to it's absolutely brilliant conclusion. It is the best conclusion she has penned yet, down in the bowels of the New York subway. Dark and frightening, she really brings over the atmosphere. I loved this book, as i have loved almost every single Scarpetta novel so far. The identity of the first victim should come as a real shock.
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Summary: First Cornwell read, entertaining and fast paced
Review: This was my first Cornwell book. I enjoyed the characters in this story and I look forward to reading more about Scarpetta, Marino, Benton and company. The action was fluid and I was never sure where Gault, our killer, was going to turn up next. Cornwell is detailed and this lends credibility to the plot and circumstances. The events are gruesome, but this is a coroner we are reading about, so that is to be expected. Cornwell does not exhaust the reader with gore and that made the subject matter easier to handle. The one criticism I do have is that the story moved so fast that I felt I was sometimes missing something. I think I just have to get used to Cornwell's writing style, and I maybe should have started the series in a chronological order. Nonetheless, a satisfying read, and I would recommend the Cornwell series to others, worthy of 4 stars.
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Summary: From Potter's field, buried with no name
Review: Christmas is always a notoriously bad time for Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia and consulting forensic pathologist for the FBI. When Temple Gault, a cunning serial killer whose killing spree began in Richmond several years earlier, resurfaces in New York with the murder of a female transient left in frozen Central Park, Scarpetta jumps head first into the investigation. The identity of the homeless woman becomes top priority, and when it is discovered who she is, the investigation is spun into a radical new direction. Meanwhile, Gault has set his sights on Scarpetta herself...leading to one final, terrifying encounter in the fetid tunnels below the city.
A fascinating book with wonderful characterization, grisly accuracy and a high-voltage, suspensful ending. The Scarpetta series is the best! When it comes to crime fiction, no one does it better than Cornwell.
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Summary: Are you sure your doors are locked?
Review: From Potter's Field begins with a murder in NYC's Central Park. The victim is a homeless woman who's body was found propped up next to a fountain. Images of previous murder victims propped up in poses flash though Kay Scarpetta's mind and she knows immediately that this murder seems to be the handy work of Temple Gault. The body count doesn't end there though as Gault leaves a trail of violence and death. Gault is getting careless and this might mean he will finally slip up enough to be caught. There are a lot of twist and turns in this book that will leave you flipping to just one more page and then another pausing just long enough to get up and make sure that your doors are locked. I have read too many horror novels to count. I've never been scared by any book except for Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series. I read right before I go to sleep and there have been nights that I slept with one eye open after reading one of her books. I recommend that you read the series in order to fully understand and enjoy the books.
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Summary: A good murder mystery.
Review: Upon finding the dead, unidentified body of a woman in Central Park, Kay Scarpetta immedialtely recognizes the gruesome work of Temple Gault. Temple Gault has been murdering people for many years. He hasn't struck for a while, and everyone, including Kay Scarpetta, dreads the horrid day when he does. Kay Scarpetta is the chief medical examiner of Virginia and consulting forensic pathologist for the FBI. When they find this unidentified body, they know immedidately that it is a Gault killing......for only he murders and them puts the victim in a sitting position. This time Kay and her team are determined to find and kill Gault, no matter what the cost. But this time is different, Gault seems to be chasing Kay and her computer expert niece Lucy. Lucy, however, tries to beat him at his own game. She tries to trap him on the computer long enough so that they can find out where Gault is located. From Potter's Field, by, Patricia Cornwell, starts out pretty slow, but soon reaches the action part and takes off from there. It is a very well written, chilling and suspenseful book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoyed this book not only because it was well written, but because it was a mystery. If you like mysteries and semi-horrifying books, I suggest that you read this book.
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Summary: Good, scary read
Review: This is my favorite Cornwell story and it will leave you a little spooked. This was my first exposure to this author which lead me to many of her other books. Temple Gault is an excellent villan, and Kay Scarpetta a most interesting main character. Well worth reading.
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Summary: Terrific again!! Keep them coming!!
Review: I've read all of the Kay Scarpetta books up to this one and I was so glad the villian was foiled!! I love these books!! I recommend them to anyone enjoying mystery series books!
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Summary: Do we Finally See the End of Temple Gault?
Review: I read a lot of the reveiws, and I don't agree with quite a few of them. I thought this book was pretty good, and exciting. Yes, the plot is a little thinner than previous books, and yes Kay does wear on one after a time, but the forensics are awesome, and the suspense keeps on and on. I do have to admit that I do tire of Lucy somewhat. To me the books would be better without that added character. In this book Kay, Marino and Wesley are on the trail of the infamous Temple Gault (Kay's long time nemesis). The story is set around the week from Christmas Eve to New Year's Eve, but a lot happens in that short time. We see Kay, Marino and Wesley panicking as they try to nail down what seems to be the most notorious serial killer in the country at that time. Pretty good stuff!
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Summary: Mixed Feelings
Review: Like the reviewer from Nova Scotia, this was my first Patricia Cornwell novel. I found myself liking the characters, especially Kay Scarpetta, and the plot's good, as is the writing. But I felt that it was a bit like arriving half way through a party. Everyone seemed to know each other and I had a bit of catching up to do (since it was my first time). It was also quite detailed, and I found myself looking back to pick things up. Perhaps I didn't read it quickly enough. But on the other hand that might have been because it wasn't quite as absorbing as it might have been. I'll try another Cornwell book in a few weeks and see how I feel.
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Summary: Gault is Back
Review: A Christmas Eve murder in New York bears a haunting resemblance to the work of Tempe Gault (The Body Farm) and the NYPD calls in Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Virginia and a consultant to the FBI. Of course, the Xmas Eve murder is just the beginning of Gault's spree and hard as Scarpetta and her associates try, Gault remains just a step ahead of them. Kay, tenacious as she is, does some investigating on her own and naturally finds clues that lead her to Gault. I was on the edge of me seat with this five star thriller. PC just keeps getting better and better. By now I know everybody in Scarpetta's world, but somehow her characters continue to surprise. Reviewed by Vesta Irene
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