Rating: 
Summary: This isn't black humor, it's pathetic
Review: Agree with most of the reviewers who have given this book 1 star only because there isn't a category for no stars. I love Patricia Cornwell & have read all of her other books. Was she stoned out of her mind when she wrote this? I resent the fact that some reviewers have compared this work with Carl Hiaasen, a talented author who really knows how to pull off black humor. Cornwell is not in the same league as Hiaasen when it comes to this style of writing. Isle of Dogs is utterly pointless, a waste of time, and an insult to Cornwell's many loyal fans.
Rating:
Summary: Patricia Cornwell at her very worst
Review: The only reason I gave this one star is because there isn't an option of no stars. Absolutely one of the worst books I've ever read. I normally love Patricia Cornwell and have every book in her Kay Scarpetta series, but here she's humiliated herself beyond words. Her editor and publisher should be ashamed of themselves. I will be attempting to sell my copy of this book. What a waste of money.
Rating:
Summary: Isle of Dogs
Review: This turned out to be a book I wondered why I read other than the fact that I read almost everything Patricia Cornwell has written. I have been a long time fan. This book however did not even come under the radar. The characters were so bizarre they were not only unbelievable they were so bizarre they were not even amusing. I had much difficulty putting the story line together. The initial character that started the book turned out to be a postscript. I kept waiting for this character to have some real substance...did not happen. I kept waiting for a real story line to develop...did not happen. Near the end of the book it sounded more like her writing and then it just ended. I talked a friend who also reads Ms. Cornwell with me to read this one and to stay all they way through. She just called and tried to plead off. The best I can say about this book is that it is a very boring read and I truly hope she does not try this genre again.
Rating:
Summary: Written to Fill a Contract Obligation???
Review: This latest Patricia Cornwell novel must have been written by a ghost writer. I cannot believe that the lady that has given us only excellent novels in the past actually wrote this. If Ms. Cornwell actually wrote this novel, she must have been up against a deadline and hadn't been able to come up with new believable ideas for her characters, so she just wrote a joke. The title should have been "Isle of Dogs: A Farse". Then, the unsuspecting fan might have had an inkling that they were about to spend money and time on something totally different from Ms. Cornwell's normally excellent mystery novels. This novel had the names of some familiar characters, but this story must have been about their distant country cousins, or perhaps people in a parallel universe where everyone are dopes. One star is too much. Don't waste your time or your money on this book.
Rating:
Summary: A painful read
Review: When I purchased this book, I thought it would be another Patricia Cornwell thriller. I really enjoy page-turners similar to the ones she writes. It took me a few chapters to realize this was supposed to be some sort of comedy. Unfortunately, it wasn't funny. When I got to the talking crabs, I couldn't take it any more. The only other book I had to stop reading half way through was Yogi Berra's autobiography "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over," which was totally incomprehensible (just like this one). ...
Rating:
Summary: Could have been a contender...
Review: I bought this audio book because it had Patricia Cornwell's name on the cover. I was disappointed to find that this book used the names of characters I liked from previous books, but those characters do not have the same personalities in this book. This is filled with slapstick characters who are funny mostly because of the misunderstandings created when they all totally destroy the English language. The action takes place in Virginia and the island of Tangier. The 650 citizens of Tangier are simple people who speak "backwards" which means they say one thing and mean another. They are the victims of dental fraud by a dentist named Dr. Faux. The governor, manipulated by his nefarious press secretary, sets off a rebellion when he decides to install arial speedtraps in the island. The kicker is... golf carts are the fastest transportation on the small island. And what do Trooper Truth's essays have to do with anything? The concept of a Trooper Truth is great, but you have to take notes to keep up with the lengthy dissertations (and even then I am not sure I got all that stuff). There are road pirates, a stolen dog who can type, crabs who communicate, a seeing eye horse, a serial killer, Nascar personalities and much more. After listening to nearly 14 hours of story, I was extremely unhappy that the story just stopped. Obviously the bad guys got caught, but what happened to all the other characters? Does that mean a sequel is in the works? If they lived happily ever after I want to know all about it.
Rating:
Summary: A real dog of a book
Review: I have liked or loved Cornwell's previous novels, both those with and without heroine Kay Scarpetta. Here she tries more of a change of style by attempting humor, which is commendable. Unfortunately, I HATED this book and wanted to give it no stars. Cornwell is AWFUL at humor--unless you appreciate sophomoric jokes about bodily functions and heavyset people, her two favorite homor topics in this book. I found the humor both not funny and offensive. I did finish the book, hoping it would get better. It didn't. It's the worst book I've read in years.
Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment
Review: I have been a fan of Patricia Cornwell for longer than I can remember. I love to listen to her on tape during my long commute every morning and night, anxious to solve the mystery that is always presented in such a unique way. What happened? Did another author write this book? This book was so weird and so unbelievably terrible that I can't imagine Patricia Cornwell would want to put her name on it. Don't read it.
Rating: 
Summary: A burned-out author needn't burn us
Review: Cornwell has done brilliant work for years serializing Kay Scarpetta. I've continued to devour her books, even as Cornwell seemed to become more and more fatigued with her main character and the strictures of writing around her. Reading "Isle of Dogs" made me feel more like a sympathetic friend or therapist than a paying customer. "That's right, Pat, spread your wings. Yes, you're very clever. Yes, your publisher thinks the world of you...." And yes, she got this published because she's very successful and Putnam figured they could turn a profit on anything she cranked out. She got to blow off steam, making caricatures of everyone except the viciously believable serial killer and including her revered Dr. Kay. Well, good for her. And too bad for readers who refuse to let her stray from Scarpetta. But I sure am glad I read this book in the library instead of buying it, because Cornwell just doesn't have the chops for comedy. Putnam was willing to bankroll her identity crisis, but I don't have to.
Rating:
Summary: Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
Review: I've been a Patricia Cornwell fan for a long time, but I can't imagine what she was thinking! Intelligent crabs? Cute names for intestinal problems? Completely idiotic characters with annoying accents and long essays on uninteresting subjects that have absolutely nothing to do with anything! All this narrated by someone who sounded embarrassed at the words she was forced to utter (as well she should be). Do not buy this book.
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