Rating: 
Summary: A Dog?
Review: I have read all of Patricia Cornwell's novels and like her writing for several reasons. First, her strong female lead characters are refreshing. I've always had a particular fascination for the Kay Scarpetta character. Second, Cornwell is a master of the English language and uses her skills to capture the depth of her characters. In this manner, the reader acquires the feeling that "I'm not reading a novel." There is an uncanny vividness in the way Cornwell crafts her stories. Third, Cornwell typically presents a technical dimension to her stories that demonstrate that she completed substantial research prior to writing the novel. ISLE OF DOGS is different from her other novels. The main character is not female. For me, that was sad. Many of the characters lack depth seen in her past work. The central character in ISLE OF DOGS has no depth. However, the governor's daughter adds an interesting flavor to the plot. On the brighter side, Cornwell retains her vividness and mastery of the written word. I didn't particularly like the story line, but I appreciate Cornwell's mastery of the English language. In addition, Cornwell shows off her impressive knowledge of helicopters. She did her research. So what does this mean? If you read ISLE OF DOGS because you like novels of about strong women figures, you will not be satisfied with this book. Here you will find a well-written humorous story where the ending is predictable but the process of getting to the end of this tale is not predictable.
Rating: 
Summary: What the heck is going on?
Review: I have been a big fan of Ms. Cornwell since "Body Farm". What was she doing when she wrote "Isle of Dogs"? I gave up one quarter of the way through. She hops back and forth from a suspensful serial killer to a circus (with many clowns) running the police department and the state. I can't get past the character names such as "Trooper Truth" and "Trish Thrash" aka "T.T". Please give up the comedic effort.
Rating:
Summary: what a disappointment
Review: I've been a Patricia Cornwell fan for years, and have rated all her other books with 4 & 5 stars. I also have a personal rule that I give every book 10% of its pages to hook me. Being a Cornwell fan, I struggled through this book for more than 20% of its page total, but final gave up at the end of page 96. Nothing hangs together, the prose and action is totally contrived, and as a fan, I'm feeling ripped off. If you're a dedicated Cornwell fan, wait for the paperback or buy used, or trust me and skip this one altogether. Here's hoping she gets back on track with the next offering.
Rating:
Summary: So it's not what you're used to...
Review: I first started reading the Hammer/Brazil series out of desperation while waiting for the newest in the Scarpetta series. Upon reading Hornets Nest, I was first disappointed because it was NOTHING like what I had been used to from Patricia Cornwell. After distancing myself from the book for about a week, I realized that the book was actually quite fascinating when you aren't holding it up for comparison to the Scarpetta novels. I then rushed out to purchase Southern Cross and enjoyed it immensely.
I received Isle of Dogs for Christmas (coincidentally, as well as the Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook referenced within). I could not put it down. Is the story believable? No. The reader is constantly reminded that this is great fiction. Is it humorous? Absolutely. Anyone who's ever had
one of those days where absolutely nothing seems to go right can sympathize with the characters. Ever wonder what animals are thinking? This must be a favorite pastime of Cornwell, as she seems to have perfected it!
It is possible that had Cornwell written this novel under a "ghost name" her faithful Scarpetta readers would have enjoyed it more, approaching it with no preconceptions.
Regretfully, I was only introduced to Patricia Cornwell's writing a little over a year ago. What took her more than a decade to publish I had consumed in mere months. I now impatiently await each new Cornwell novel - Hammer/Brazil or Scarpetta. It's almost like having two favorite authors
rolled into one.
Rating: 
Summary: Come On - Give It a Chance
Review: I truly enjoyed this new kind of book from Patricia Cornwell. Those of you who hated it need to open your minds a little. It's a farce, a cartoon-ish kind of story (the animals talk!). I'll admit that I like the Kay Scarpetta novels best, but this one is MUCH better than Southern Cross. I laughed and laughed at the funny/strange names and events. I listened to it on tape (unabridged) so maybe that helped.
Rating:
Summary: Cornwell Needs to Stick to Kay Scarpetta
Review: I have read everything Patricia Cornwell has written and I have thoroughly enjoyed each one, even though the Hammer books are not my favorites. Isle of Dogs was a dog, in my opinion. It's only purpose was to poke fun at people and had no story line that I could determine other than speaking of the bowels of the Governor at every oportunity. I will continue to read Cornwell only if she returns to the forensic theme.
Rating:
Summary: This is a rip-off
Review: I ,like others here,have read all her novels which up until now remained entertaining and valuable even when one gets past her fascination/preoccupation with making lesbianism mainstream. This book is a bad imitation of Carl Hiaasen's worst works(anything after the first two). The jokes aren't funny, the characters aren't compelling the coincidences are too fantastic to make it possible to suspend disbelief. This will be one of only about 5 books I ever stopped reading after 150 pages.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Bow-Wow
Review: Sorry, Ms. Cornwell. Loved all your other books with Scarpetta and Hammer, but this one belongs in the linen closet along with the trivets. Pretty grim.
Rating:
Summary: This book deserves NO stars!
Review: I have read ALL Patricia Cornwell books before this one. I liked the author enough to get on the list for hard covers at my bookstore. I only do that with one other author. I will be hard pressed to pay the price for another Cornwell before reading the reviews. And then I will wait for the paperback from now on. This book deserves only two letters....PU! Yes, I too prefer Kay but Judy Hammer was OK until now. If I was the Gov. of Virginia, I would sue! Perhaps "Popeye" wrote the book while he was being held hostage. One thing for sure though,is that he does not write well. If someone will pay the postage I will give them the book.
Rating:
Summary: Where's your sense of humor?
Review: Since I have never read any Cornwell, I wasn't expecting anything specific and I loved this book. It made me laugh out loud and I got that it was a satire and some fantasy. The problem is that Cornwell fans want one thing only - Scarpetti books. It's a shame that they are unable to shift gears and enjoy something different and fun and yes, silly. Many admitted that they read 40 or 50 pages and gave up because it wasn't what they expected. So it wasn't that the book was bad, just not what they wanted. I would like to see another like this but doubt that Cornwell's one track fans will allow it.
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