Rating: 
Summary: Too predictable, unstimulating.
Review: I was glad to see the return of the Kay Scarpetta character, but the story never really grabbed me at all and I knew the guy was at the door way before she did. I stuck it out to the end hoping there would be some twist, but nothing. I have read all of her books and sorry to say, I am ready to move on. I felt like Patricia Cornwell wrote the story without her heart and soul.
Rating: 
Summary: Cornwell coasts in this installment of Scarpetta series
Review: Patricia Cornwell can spin a story that keeps you reading andhas built up a regular readership with her Kay Scarpetta series.However, the latest installment, Black Notice, depends on that fact -- only regular readers will know the background regarding Carrie Grethen, the death of Kay's lover Benton, and the tortuous family relationship Kay has with her sister and her lesbian niece, Lucy. That background brings a richness to the plot that isn't there for the first-time reader. The medical mystery is also disappointing. Solving it requires more luck and coincidence than sleuthing, and readers know that the bad guy is going to turn up on Kay's doorstep -- not because he has to, but because the bad guy always does! And once again, Kay's personal life is a shambles. You have to wonder, with so many people out to get her, maybe it's not them -- it's her! She brings a little cloud of misery with her everywhere she goes. Prozac, a nice vacation, and a real romance without all the angst is my prescription for Kay!
Rating:
Summary: I was very disappointed in this latest book.
Review: This book was a disappointment after reading all the other books written by Ms. Cornwell. It was gloom and doom from start to finish. It was extremely depressing.
Rating: 
Summary: Loved it until the very end
Review: As a native of Richmond I have always loved reading the tales of Dr. Scarpetta. This one was the best in terms of really getting into her character. I hope Patricia Cornwell can give us more on Lucy and Marino too. But the ending of this book was really disappointing. The Scarpetta we have come to know and love would never open that door and you know it. Don't give up at the end like that next time and I'll keep on reading.
Rating:
Summary: Yeesh...character development... PLEASE!
Review: I have read all of the Kay Scarpetta mysteries. She and the rest of the gang started off as creative, interesting characters. They have "evolved" into just the opposite. What first intrigued me were the clinical details AND the characters. The settings and details are still of interest, but the characters have turned into one-dimensional static charicatures (Marino as overweight blue collar rough cop, Lucy as angry brainiac, etc.) There is no passion or life left in any of them. Alas...I fear I must bid farewell to Kay and Ms. Cornwell.
Rating:
Summary: A solid addition to the Scarpetta saga
Review: As I read through the other reviews I detect a definite split between what the readers want. Some long for Scarpetta to return to her old self, while others wish she would begin a new take on life.Cornwell has certainly demonstrated Scarpetta's evolution as a character throughout all ten books. Following this, she (Scarpetta) appears to have become much more embittered as her career goes on. I suppose some evidence of this, other than her tattered life, could be her increasing use of foul language. As for Talley, I was surprised at Scarpetta's affair with him, but wondered if her actions were an example of just how deeply Benton's death affected her? I can't see Scarpetta doing this sort of thing 4 books ago and we repeatedly witness the extreme impact his death had on her throughout the book. Regardless, I found the story a good, well-plotted, entertaining read. I'm especially interested in seeing how Cornwell (hopefully)pulls all this together in the next novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A worthy attempt, but not the best
Review: I have really enjoyed the Scarpetta series, but with BLACK NOTICE, the author continues a downhill trend. Although it was very responsible of Cornwell to deal with Scarpetta's grief in this latest novel, she seems to overextend the extent of the heroine's feelings for Benton Wesley. In addition, it is not plausible that Lucy and Marino are as devastated by Wesley's death as they are. In previous novels, Lucy and Marino were never depicted to be that close to Wesley. The plot of BLACK NOTICE is interesting. The werewolf idea works, but it does lack development. The new love interest, Jay Talley, just does not strike me as someone who would attract someone as intelligent and mature as Scarpetta. After what she has been through, it would seem to take more than a pretty face to draw her to love. Finally, Cornwell continues a trend of rushed and neat endings. During the last few novels, it appears the author is in a race to the finish. I hope Ms. Cornwell takes the time to provide more believable and developed endings in future novels.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Black Notice hints at the talent that Patricia Cornwell once displayed so effortlessly. The loup garou and Bray story lines promised greatness;rivals to Kay's throne from two different angles. I was looking forward to how Kay was going to solve the crime and deal with the professional challenge. Unfortunately, Cornwell revealed a startling lack of depth, and opted for the easy outs. She fell back to her old obsessions with Lucy and Marino; each becoming an increasingly disagreeable caricature of her/himself. And where did this sudden passion for Benton come from? That relationship always lacked warmth and compassion, nevermind passion. His death was just another convenient ending for her last Scarpetta book. This might be a good time for Cornwell to consider collaborating with another author who is a strong closer. She's petering out at third base and is unable to bring it home.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, but I think that I have read this before
Review: Patricia Cornwell is a wonderful writer and I always enjoy her writing, but a novel about a nearly demonic villian with an unusual physical condition, troubled niece, issues with the tragic loss of a murdered lover, a scheming superior who tries to remove our heroine from her position - this is not new. Additionally, I begin to wonder about myself and my own outlook. Why am I so drawn to this dark, anti-female, world of doomed attachments? What does this mean about us?
Rating: 
Summary: Cornwall is back!
Review: Having been majorly disappointed with Hornet's Nest, it was refreshing to find that Ms. Cornwall is at her peak with this installment of the Kay Scarpetta series. I started it the day I got it and couldn't put it down. It's dark and complex and wonderful!
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