Black Notice

Rating:
Summary: Patricia Cornwell at her best!
Review: I loved every thrilling moment of this book. Absolutely delicious escapism. Love the gritty forensics, Marino, Lucy, and all the returning characters. Enjoyed the office politics, it happens often in real life, although not in as exciting a fashion as with Kay Scarpeta. Especially enjoyed the pure evil of her antagonist, Bray. I had no problem with the grief kay was feeling or with the fact that she fell into the arms of another in the midst of it all. That happens in real life too. How many of us have sucumbed to help alleviate the pain of a broken heart. Human nature. I feel Cornwell has obviously suffered the pain of romance herself to be able to portray a totally irrational attraction so easily. Loved the excitement and look forward to tying up the loose ends in a new Kay Scarpetta novel. Bravo Patricia Cornwell!

Rating:
Summary: Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta back with a vengeance!
Review: Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta is back with a vengeance. I was delighted with this book. It kept me interested from the first page through to the last page. After Cornwell's last two or three disappointments, it was wonderful to pick up this exciting book. Lots of forensics, political infighting, character relations, and certainly mystery and edge of the seat scares. This becomes my favorite Cornwell (Kay Scarpetta) novel hands down. Really glad to see Cornwell back to her old self again.

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Summary: An excellent murder mystery full of suprise and suspense!!
Review: This latest novel by Patricia Cornwell is indeed one of her best. We see the vulnerable and mourning side of Dr. Scarpetta as she struggles to deal with the death of Benton Wesley. All sides of Kay's mourning are revealed - sadness, anger, frustration and passion. The reader also gets a rare look at the softer side of Marino as he tries to deal with Benton's death, his demotion, and his feelings for Kay. The mystery of the loup-garou is fascinating. I found that I could not put this book down! Along with the suspense surrounding the mysterious murder of the unknown victim, there is an excellent tale of deceit from within the office of the medical examiner which eventually leads to the new police chief, a powerful and cunning woman named Patricia Bray. If you like a good murder mystery, with undertones of politics and a love lost, this is a great book for you. If you haven't read any of Patricia Cornwell's other books about Kay Scarpetta, you can still follow what has happened. If you are an avid fan of Dr. Scarpetta, this is one of the best!

Rating:
Summary: Spine Tingling
Review: Black Notice is yet another outstanding book.Patricia Cornwell is back on track with this one. Bring back her main charchters was the best thing she could have done. I sat on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. Hope she has another book in the works.

Rating:
Summary: Kay Scarpetta back to her good ole' self!
Review: Wonderful book. Nice to see Cornwell and Scarpetta back together again. I missed that dynamite duo! Marino will never change! His sarcasm, knows everything, got to be right attitude is fantastic! How Scarpetta can put up with him is beyond me. Good job on the novel Patricia. I expected a little more up close and personal suspense, but you kept my interest from front to back. No, I couldn't put it down! I recommend to everyone who has enjoyed Dr. Scarpetta and Marino! GET IT! NOW!!!!

Rating:
Summary: If you must read this, get it from the library.
Review: Isn't there supposed to be at least one likeable character in a book? Every character in this book was depressing, with no redeeming qualities. Scarpetta spent the entire book feeling sorry for herself. Marino is a drunken bum. Lucy is a walking time bomb. I don't remember Benton being such a great guy. Why has his death destroyed so many lives?

Rating:
Summary: The jacket blurb seduced me, but the novel betrayed me.
Review: Teh jacket's description of the plot sounded as if this novel was going to be more of a murder mystery than the last few books about Scarpetta have been. If I wanted to read about characters' emotional problems, I would go read a work of general fiction. When I buy a mystery, I expect that the main point of the story is solving the mystery -- not having to wade through characters' angst and personal problems. Now, yes, those can be written so as to be key to the plot. But they weren't in this novel. I WON'T be sucked in again by a misleading jacket description. And I won't be buying any more books by Patricia Cornwell!

Rating:
Summary: Good but depressing
Review: I've always been a big Scarpetta fan BUT her cold materialistic nature is getting old. Neice Lucy needs some serious therapy and fighting the battle against predjudice is getting old too. There is not as much new forensic detail as there has been in the past. Over all a good book but Kay better get happy and stop the know it all attitude or I may stop reading the books.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed!
Review: The book started off strong. I was really getting into to it, I didn't want to put the book down, until the end. What a disappointing ending, it's as if Patricia Cornwell didn't know where she was going with the story so she decided to quickly throw an ending together. It didn't do the book justice!

Rating:
Summary: Not her best... but better than lately!
Review: Patricia Cornwell's Black Notice is a fast-paced thriller for all but the last two chapters... then she ends the book very much like her last two books -- very neatly and VERY quickly. I don't understand what the rush is to have the book conclude so quickly and what about some imagination in the ending, please! Other than the last two chapters, this is vintage Scarpetta -- lots of forensic medicine that makes you feel like you're in the autopsy suite with her, lots of scares and of course, lots of lip from Marino! This book is much stronger than her last one, Point of Origin, which made Scarpetta into a WonderWoman(is there anything that she CAN'T do?!?!) One other criticism is that Lucy is becoming a wacko and in some serious need of psychotherapy before she shoots everyone!