BODY FARM

Rating:
Summary: An average book
Review: Readers of a series of books such as the Kay Scarpetta series may become oblivious to the flaws in the series and they read book after book. The Body Farm is the first book I've read by Cornwell and it has its strengths and many weaknesses.

Since I haven't read any Scarpetta books, its hard to decide where to begin a series. I chose the body farm because of the plot described on Amazon. An 11 year old girl is found murdered in the woods and the FBI is trying to solve the crime. The opening scene with all involved personal discussing the crime is quite interesting.

Then Scarpetta, her married lover Benton Wesley and Captain Marino travel to the town of the crime to try and solve it. Cornwell throws in a character from a past novel Temple Gault as a possible suspect, but that never rings true because he never gets enough development to be a suspect in this book. The fun part of the book was try to sift through the evidence to find out what actually happened to the little girl.

The downside of the book is the niece Lucy, who is a lesbian, and who really cares about her internship. An investigation into Lucy's work at the FBI is stretched to tie into the case of the dead little girl, but most of it is there just to stretch the length of the book.

Cornwell does little to establish the characters in this book, so I have no sympathy or reason to know why Scarpetta is sleeping with a married man or why Wesley is cheating on his wife. He seems like a jerk who is leading Scarpetta along just to get some action on the side.

The actual "Body Farm" has little to do with the novel. The ending and the identity of the actual killer happens to quickly or to easily. The only think we hear about the killer is Scarpetta's fears of how she is scared of this "evil" person. Since we don't learn of the evil first hand, its hard to feel to much about what happens at the end.

Sometimes when you read a series you feel like you have to read all the books in the series because it is so good. The Scarpetta series had its chance and blew it, because the Body Farm isn't that good of a book.

Rating:
Summary: The Body Farm
Review: The Body Farm is a well developed book that I trully recomend. It's characters, setting, and plots are well developed. The Body Farm is an interesting and exicting crime book that once you start reading it it will leave you on suspense, and makes you keep on going to the next chapter. Cornwell's books are truly an inspiracion for those people who have any kind of fear on crimes. It also makes people see crime in a different way. The Body Farm is one of the best books I'v ever read. I gave it 5 stars, because I really think that any reader shouldn't miss this book.


Rating:
Summary: Not her best
Review: This was an entertaining book, but definitely not one of her best. The characters didn't feel real somehow, and although the story line had good possibilities, somehow it never came to much in the end afer all. I expected more somehow.

Rating:
Summary: First Cornwell book
Review: This was the first I have read of Patricia Cornwell, but it will not be the last. I picked it up used and figure it was a bargain. When I started it I was at a Dr's office waiting and couldn't wait to get home to finish it. Actually I couldn't sleep and read all night and did finish it that very night. I can't wait to go back and start the first of the series.