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Summary: The Manhattan Sanction
Review: This 1996 book starts on a cold and snowy Christmas Eve; Santa Claus is handing out presents on an urban reservation. Suddenly there is a shooting, and a night forever silent for an intruder. ME Scarpetta has another customer for the morgue. Afterwards they learn that a serial killer has struck again in New York. Scarpetta and Captain Marino are then summoned from Richmond to work with the FBI.This book gets up to speed in the first pages, unlike a Hammett or Chandler. The author also tells more of the personal life of the fictional heroine, and her faults. Times have changed. A known serial killer is operating in NYC, and is stalking the police who are searching for him! Quite a change from the usual story. [Is this believable?] The computer used to track killings has a virus in it; this mirrors the real-life serial killer. Scarpetta's niece is involved with this computer system, and is searching for the virus. [Could someone just out of college be hired for this seemingly important job?] The serial killer then plays games in the morgue! Scarpetta locates the serial killer's parents, and learns how they wire money to one location. A trap is set but the serial killer at first eludes it. But in the last pages the killer is found and eliminated. The book moves as fast as an action movie.
Rating:
Summary: Hey! Wait a minute!
Review: I really enjoyed this story and the writing very much -- until I got to the end. The events that bring us to the climax are intriguing and shocking (and grisly, as a warning to anyone not familiar with Cornwell). The interpersonal relationships among the "good guys" -- Kay, Benton, Marino, Janet and Lucy -- added texture and enhanced the suspense. And I enjoyed moving from Virginia to New York to Hilton Head with Kay. BUT this ending! So much action brings us to a very unsatisfying climax. Throughout the book, we hear at least two characters muse as to why the villain behaves as he does. This made me want to hear a definitive answer. And we never get it. The book ends so abruptly, you would think Ms. Cornwell simply ran out of paper.
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Summary: The Life of the Chief Medical Examiner?
Review: I am currently taking a murder mystery class at my college. I have not read many murder mysteries before this class. We have read a variety of novels for this class, with the most number of novels by one author being three. The one Patricia Cornwell novel our class read is "From Potter's Field." I very much enjoyed this novel, though I think it should be considered a thriller instead of a murder mystery. The novel also had some hard to believe aspects about it, which were difficult for the members of my class to look beyond. Why should this novel be labeled a thriller and not a murder mystery? Well, the reader clearly knows who the murder is. Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the Chief Medical Examiner, has the feeling the murderer is her "nemesis," Temple Gault with plenty of reason. The only mysteries are for her to prove Gault is the murder, identify the first body of the girl, "Jane" and of course to find Gault, before he finds her. A thriller is also more appropriate because it had several moments that were extremely suspenseful, the kind that makes the hairs on your neck stand up. There is a section of the novel where there is a murder in Kay's office building and she believes the killer is still in the building. As she walks around the building, you expect Gault to jump out at any moment. There is also another section in which a trap is set for Gault in NYC's subway system. Not knowing whether or not he'll show up had me on the edge of my proverbial seat. As much as I liked this novel, there were several things that irked me about it. A Chief Medical Examiner seems more like an office, administrative position than a really, REALLY hands on job. Kay almost takes on the role of a detective. I could almost believe her occasional tasks of doing autopsies, but to travel to see a suspect's family seems over the top. Cornwell tried to combine too many types of people into just one character. Kay is the Chief Medical Examiner, technician, administrator, loving aunt and family member (sister and daughter), mistress, detective, seemingly EVERYONE'S friend, CIA/FBI associate, and still has time to be the nemesis of a serial killer. How the woman has time to eat is beyond me. Cornwell also did not take the time to really develop Kay as a character. It is far more difficult for a writer to show you what someone is like opposed to telling you information. Cornwell clearly is a teller, hence the really wordy and winded sections of the novel. This writing style is not as affective in writing a believable novel. I did find a unique aspect of the novel for me, personally. I'm from NYC and grew up there. I really could visualize the sections of the novel that described Central Park, the Museum of Natural History and the subway area at the end. It just added a realistic element to the novel that initially bought my interest in it. Overall, the novel's plot flowed for me, even with the occasional extremely unrealistic sections and poor writing. The ending was a big let down for me, but decide for yourself. If you're looking for a thriller with entertaining potential, give this Cornwell novel a try.
Rating: 
Summary: You have GOT to be kidding
Review: This could be the worst novel I have ever read. It is also the first and last Patricia Cornwell novel I will ever read. There are so many problems with this book that they cannot be listed here, so here are but three points: 1) The main character, Kay Scarpetta, is an insufferable, humorless snob. I'd never before read a novel where I hated the main character. Great job, Pat! 2) About 90% of the novel is dialogue. Very bad dialogue. But this is understandable since Cornwell cannot write prose. 3) The story is predictable and boring, and the ending is utterly ridiculous. I'm astonished that this book was ever published, let alone made the bestseller lists.
Rating: 
Summary: Gripping from start to finish
Review: I am currently set to read the next Kay Scarpetta novel, "Cause of Death" and I can't wait. After reading the previous novels and enjoying them, I must say that "From Potter's Field" ranks among three of my favourite Scarpetta novels along with "Body of Evidence" and "The Body Farm". As with every novel in the series, Patricia Cornwell's writing is crisp and entertaining, even if the ending of this book is quite silly. If you want an entertaining, gripping read, try "From Potter's Field" and every novel in the Kay Scarpetta series.
Rating:
Summary: A Pleaser
Review: Cornwell continues to keep me gripped into her novels and this one is no exception...Although the ending is a bit of a shock.
Rating:
Summary: Cornwell's "From Potter's Field"
Review: The first 90% of the story held my interest. In the last 50 pages it seemed that Miss Cornwell ran out of steam. It had a let's-get-this-done anti-climatic aire. I expected a thrilling pursuit through the subways of New York, complete with frustrating near misses and near successes. Instead, we get bad guy just comes straight to the heroine, temporarily captures heroine #2, is thwarted by heroine and disabled, all in 20 or so pages.
Rating:
Summary: a let down
Review: This books just didn't do it for me. I enjoy PC but this book. Seemed too easy. Things just happend, people just called. In fact, I think this books had some bad editing. I felt as though all what was needed was there, and that someone just yanked out the big sections for no reason. I am still a fan, but this one is a skipper. The doc just happens, to see the resturante that the killer was using. The polices offer in charge is left in the subway with two people who are not police. Just does not at add.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best in the Scarpetta Series
Review: Kay Scarpetta seems to be a very unhappy person at times, but she does get involved in some dandy murder mysteries--and this book is one the best in the series! Temple Gault is still on the loose, focusing this time on Kay and her niece, Lucy. Temple likes to kill just for the thrill of it and never leaves any clues. He centers in now on Kay Scarpetta, and it is up to her to stop him in matter what. This book defines "thriller" and I could not put it down - especially the scene late one night in the morgue. What happens? Read and find out. You won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks Patricia Cornwell!
Review: Thanks to Patricia Cornwell! Before reading "From Potter's Field" I was afraid that I couldn't make it as a professional writer. But now I know that if she can sell books, so can I. With the build-up this writer has received, I expected a better read. The first person narration makes Dr. Scarpetta sound like an egotist. A character who is always right like our good doctor needs someone besides herself to narrate her exploits. Sherlock Holmes would be an insufferable boor had his creator not had the sense to tell us of his superiority through the eyes of faithful Dr. Watson. How many times can you use the word "I" in a 412 page book? How about using the third person, Ms. Cornwell? Then we'd know what characters other than Dr. Scarpetta are thinking. Another gripe--too much information. Ms. Cornwell substitutes technical jargon and unneeded facts for solid characterization and plot. And I realize this may seem picayune, but does the writer, her editor or her proofreader use spell check? The hard-cover book has a number of spelling and grammar errors--amazing! If you are a fledgling writer like me and want a little motivation to begin submitting queries for manuscripts, read this book--you'll find encouragement here! If you are a reader in search of quality fiction, you might want to keep looking...
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