Rating: 
Summary: Serviceable Enough but Flawed and Unspectacular
Review: A young girl is murdered rather nastily in a small North Carolina town. Suspicion hangs over Temple Gault, the still at large serial killer who did the bad stuff in "Cruel and Unusual". Then one of the investigating cops is also found dead, apparently from autostrangulation in a solitary erotic misadventure. Kay Scarpetta aided by her friend FBI bigshot Benton Wesley and her old associate Captain Pete Marino are soon on the case. Both these gents have a serious thing for her and working relationships soon complicate. As does her relationship with Lucy, her computing genius niece, who is also working for the Feds but who has got into some dubious company and is overdoing the drink. I rather liked "Cruel and Unusual" the first of this series I read so followed it up by reading this. It was OK. But if Cornwell belongs, as some evidently suppose, in the first division of crime writers it's not because of this book. It drags a little. And there are episodes in it that leave the reader rather dissatisfied, unwilling seriously to believe that THAT character would ever be likely to behave THAT way. It's well enough done - and seems impressively well researched - and would make an decent enough diversion if you're looking for something to read on the 'plane. But it didn't strike me as one of those crime novels that lovers of the genre should positively reproach themselves for omitting to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible...
Review: After hearing the hype about Cornwell and then reading Death's Acre, I was excited to try out my first Cornwell book. I found the story line long, drawn out and boring and SO boring in fact, I could not even finish the book. If this story is any indication of Ms. Cornwell's other works, I am not interested in the least.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible...
Review: After hearing the hype about Cornwell and then reading Death's Acre, I was excited to try out my first Cornwell book. I found the story line long, drawn out and boring and SO boring in fact, I could not even finish the book. If this story is any indication of Ms. Cornwell's other works, I am not interested in the least.
Rating: 
Summary: *Excellent*
Review: Although "Postmortem" and "Body of Evidence" are among the best Cornwell books I have read, I must say that "The Body Farm" may rival them for my favorite in the Kay Scarpetta series. This book contained all of the thrilling ingredients I have come to expect as a Cornwell fan. Unlike one of my contemporary reviewers who guessed the murderer early on, I was in shock when the actual perpetrator was revealed. I love how Cornwell lead the reader in a direction that was completely opposite of what happened. Inadvertently, I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the personal lives of Marino, Benton Wesley, and Dr. Kay herself. These characters already seem so realistic, and reading about them only reinforced the images of them that I had from other books. It seemed like Cornwell was trying to make Dr. Kay more three-dimensional through this book, showing that beyond her work ethic and tough, quick thinking exterior, she is a genuine human being who thinks, loves, and makes decisions for herself, and encounters the same problems faced by people outside of the fictional world. Conclusively, this was a great book. Bravo, Cornwell!
Rating:
Summary: Speedy, slick, scary crime thriller.
Review: Dr Kay Scarpetta, Cornwell's recurring character in almost ten books, investigates the kidnap, rape, torture and murder of a little girl in North Carolina. Assisted by Pete Marino, homicide detective and Benton Wesley, criminal profiler with the FBI, she must find the killer before he/she strikes again. Her investigation seems to be getting nowhere, until she visits a strange science laboratory nicknamed The Body Farm. Look out for gruesome descriptive detail, a fast moving, exciting plot and a totally unexpected ending. This book is a great read, as are all of ornwell's books.
Rating:
Summary: Body buddy
Review: I absolutely loved this book. Never before have I read a novel that was so interesting and so knowledgable. Patricia Cornwell did an awesome job with description and explaining procedures. Everyone should read this book. It is full of every genre of writing and is perfect for even those who don't like to read!
Rating:
Summary: Another brilliant book with twists and turns on every page!
Review: I am reading all of the Scarpetta novels in order and this is my favorite so far. I love having a heroine/main character who is not perfect but tries to be. She is what we all want to be in so many ways. I highly recommend this book but you need to read Cruel and Unusual in order to understand the plot of this one. Read this book if you love true crime or adventure!
Rating: 
Summary: 1st Kay Scarpetta book I read, got me hooked!
Review: I picked up this book after reading about it in Dr Bass's book "Death's Acre" (he's the one who started the real "Body Farm"). I haven't read fiction in awhile, and have never read anything of this genre, but I loved this book. In fact after reading through this one, I promptly went to the store to by the first book in the series, "Postmortem", and I'm now on my fourth "Kay Scarpetta" book. I definitely recommend these books to anyone interested in forensics, they are quite realistic as Cornwell puts a lot of research into her works of fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Only Paid a Buck for the Book
Review: If you can find this book used and need kindling to start a fire, then I could recommend this book. I was lucky enough to only invest a buck in this book. Authors who write in the first person shouldn't; those whose protagonists use or otherwise have to interface with computers ought to spend a little more time understanding the terminology.
I realize that this book was published in the middle 90s, but the author's command of computers and the incipient internet seemed as though she had spent an evening with one of her friends doing her research over cocktails. No clue..
..it was at that point that this book became kindling.
Rating:
Summary: One of my Favorite Patricia Cornwell Books
Review: It is exciting, fast moving, thrilling and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I love the depth in which Patricia Cornwell delves into her characters - we've seen Benton and Marino up close and personal, at their best and at their worst, now it's our turn to see Lucy. As is her usual approach, the characters are colorful and dramatic (can you see Pete Marino in any other light?). With this title, I wasn't sure what I was picking up to read -- it gave me the mental image of a Frankenstein type book. The Body Farm is actually a research facility in Tennessee where Scarpetta discovers gruesome experiments that may lead to answering her questions and to finding Gault. So my original assessment from just the title wasn't too far off base. With Cornwell writing it, you can be assured of a wild and exciting ride. Definitely a recommended addition to your Kay Scarpetta library!
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