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Kay Scarpetta #15
Book of the Dead
Soon after relocating to Charleston, S.C., to launch a private forensics lab, Scarpetta is asked to consult on the murder of U.S. tennis star Drew Martin, whose mutilated body was found in Rome. Contradictory evidence leaves Scarpetta, the Italian carabinieri and Scarpetta's lover, forensic psychologist Benton Wesley, stumped.
But when she discovers unsettling connections between Martin's murder, the body of an unidentified South Carolina boy and her old nemesis, the maniacal psychiatrist Dr. Marilyn Self, Scarpetta encounters a killer as deadly as any she's ever faced.
But when she discovers unsettling connections between Martin's murder, the body of an unidentified South Carolina boy and her old nemesis, the maniacal psychiatrist Dr. Marilyn Self, Scarpetta encounters a killer as deadly as any she's ever faced.
511 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
2000 people are currently reading
13729 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Cornwell
187 books19.5k followersPatricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, in 1990 while working as a computer analyst at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. Postmortem, was the first bona fide forensic thriller. It paved the way for an explosion of entertainment featuring in all things forensic across film, television and literature.
Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored twenty-nine New York Times bestsellers.
Patricia’s novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta along with her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino. Celebrating 25 years, these characters have grown into an international phenomenon, winning Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.
Fox 2000 bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta. Working with producer Liz Friedman, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and fellow Marvel EP and Twilight Saga scribe Melissa Rosenberg to develop the film and find Scarpetta a home on the big screen.
After earning her degree in English from Davidson College in 1979, she began working at the Charlotte Observer.
Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte. From the Charlotte Observer, Cornwell moved to a job with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia – a post she would later bestow upon the fictional Kay Scarpetta.
When not writing from her Boston home, Patricia tirelessly researches cutting-edge forensic technologies to include in her work. Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. She appears as a forensic consultant on CNN and serves as a member of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she advocates for psychiatric research. She’s helped fund the ICU at Cornell’s Animal Hospital, the scientific study of a Confederate submarine, the archaeological excavation of Jamestown, and a variety of law enforcement charities. Patricia is also committed to
funding scholarships and literacy programs. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.”
Social and Digital Outlets
http://www.patriciacornwell.com
https://www.facebook.com/patricia.cor...
https://twitter.com/1pcornwell
https://instagram.com/1pcornwell/
Other areas of expertise & interests
Forensics | Forensic Technologies | Ballistics | Weapons | Explosives | Pathology & Autopsies | Crime | Historical and Unsolved Criminal Cases | Jack The Ripper | Helicopter Piloting | Suba Diving | Archaeological Excavation Experience |
Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored twenty-nine New York Times bestsellers.
Patricia’s novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta along with her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino. Celebrating 25 years, these characters have grown into an international phenomenon, winning Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.
Fox 2000 bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta. Working with producer Liz Friedman, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and fellow Marvel EP and Twilight Saga scribe Melissa Rosenberg to develop the film and find Scarpetta a home on the big screen.
After earning her degree in English from Davidson College in 1979, she began working at the Charlotte Observer.
Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte. From the Charlotte Observer, Cornwell moved to a job with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia – a post she would later bestow upon the fictional Kay Scarpetta.
When not writing from her Boston home, Patricia tirelessly researches cutting-edge forensic technologies to include in her work. Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. She appears as a forensic consultant on CNN and serves as a member of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she advocates for psychiatric research. She’s helped fund the ICU at Cornell’s Animal Hospital, the scientific study of a Confederate submarine, the archaeological excavation of Jamestown, and a variety of law enforcement charities. Patricia is also committed to
funding scholarships and literacy programs. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.”
Social and Digital Outlets
http://www.patriciacornwell.com
https://www.facebook.com/patricia.cor...
https://twitter.com/1pcornwell
https://instagram.com/1pcornwell/
Other areas of expertise & interests
Forensics | Forensic Technologies | Ballistics | Weapons | Explosives | Pathology & Autopsies | Crime | Historical and Unsolved Criminal Cases | Jack The Ripper | Helicopter Piloting | Suba Diving | Archaeological Excavation Experience |
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,877 reviews
April 29, 2023
Book Review
3+ of 5 stars for Book of the Dead, the 15th book in the "Kay Scarpetta" thriller series, written in 2007 by Patricia Cornwell. When I saw the title and read the description, I had very high expectations of this book. I really enjoy the series and hoped it would explore a bit of the occult side, perhaps venturing a little into historical Egyptian themes like the movie "The Mummy," which I love. I won't spoil anything, but it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. Still a decent book in the series, and worth a read for a fan of Scarpetta, it was not without issues. Another psycho from Kay's past pops up. Another weird murder with ties to a victim in Rome and a small boy in Charleston, South Carolina. Too many coincidences for me. That said, the detail is great. The investigation is strong. The mystery is OK. But it was too formulaic for me. Characters are always memorable, and Cornwell does a great job at showing the crazed personalities of these serial killers. Trying to come up with new material is not easy and I do give her credit. Has the usual cast of characters... not sure what I think of Benton anymore. I kinda want him to be written out... again... since he came back from the dead at one point. Sensing a theme? :O
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
3+ of 5 stars for Book of the Dead, the 15th book in the "Kay Scarpetta" thriller series, written in 2007 by Patricia Cornwell. When I saw the title and read the description, I had very high expectations of this book. I really enjoy the series and hoped it would explore a bit of the occult side, perhaps venturing a little into historical Egyptian themes like the movie "The Mummy," which I love. I won't spoil anything, but it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. Still a decent book in the series, and worth a read for a fan of Scarpetta, it was not without issues. Another psycho from Kay's past pops up. Another weird murder with ties to a victim in Rome and a small boy in Charleston, South Carolina. Too many coincidences for me. That said, the detail is great. The investigation is strong. The mystery is OK. But it was too formulaic for me. Characters are always memorable, and Cornwell does a great job at showing the crazed personalities of these serial killers. Trying to come up with new material is not easy and I do give her credit. Has the usual cast of characters... not sure what I think of Benton anymore. I kinda want him to be written out... again... since he came back from the dead at one point. Sensing a theme? :O
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
February 17, 2022
This book was terrible! What a waste of time! Last winter I got turned onto Cornwell and I read all of her books in order. The first few were SO incredibly riveting and I really enjoyed them. This book however showed a complete melt down of all the characters. Kay has been completely shrunk down and doesn't seem like the same person she was in the beginning. The switch to present tense was a terrible move. The switch to third person is also a strange change. I liked it better when it was just the body and the evidence and they had to go from there. None of this incorporating chapters from the killers point of view. I don't enjoy reading about torture and the actual killing. I'd rather start with the body. Maybe I am too sensitive but not my taste. I doubt I will ever read her again. So sad what she made Marino. And she seems to want to kill everyone off. I stopped at page 200, skimmed to the end to see what happened and then returned it to library in disgust. Glad I didn't buy it!
Kathy REICHS IS MUCH BETTER! And so scientific, its awesome! You will learn something.
Kathy REICHS IS MUCH BETTER! And so scientific, its awesome! You will learn something.
March 20, 2008
Ugh.
Why is it that when an author becomes as famous as Patricia C. that suddenly the editors are afraid to say when something is awful???
Even if they didn't love the book and thought the plot was ridiculous and the characters unbelievable, you'd think at LEAST they'd make the author eliminate some of the repetitive comments (if all the repetition in this book were eliminated, it would be cut by at least a third. A third. I mean, a third.)
And WHY is everyone so angry all the time? I know their jobs kind of suck but still, you'd figure they get SOME satisfaction from it or they'd find another line of work. (Maybe the same could be said of Patricia herself?).
This group of people takes the fun right out of dysfunction. Beginning to remind me of VI Warshawski and her band of not-so-merry friends.
When did Marino morph from a fifty-something pot-bellied detective into (a dozen books later) a fifty-something muscle-bound biker dude? I liked him better when he sat in his cheap recliner, drinking brewskis and admiring his Christmas lights.
And leaving the book with Marino MIA is a cheap trick.
Oh, and did I say it was repetitive? Repetitive. In the dark. At night.
Why is it that when an author becomes as famous as Patricia C. that suddenly the editors are afraid to say when something is awful???
Even if they didn't love the book and thought the plot was ridiculous and the characters unbelievable, you'd think at LEAST they'd make the author eliminate some of the repetitive comments (if all the repetition in this book were eliminated, it would be cut by at least a third. A third. I mean, a third.)
And WHY is everyone so angry all the time? I know their jobs kind of suck but still, you'd figure they get SOME satisfaction from it or they'd find another line of work. (Maybe the same could be said of Patricia herself?).
This group of people takes the fun right out of dysfunction. Beginning to remind me of VI Warshawski and her band of not-so-merry friends.
When did Marino morph from a fifty-something pot-bellied detective into (a dozen books later) a fifty-something muscle-bound biker dude? I liked him better when he sat in his cheap recliner, drinking brewskis and admiring his Christmas lights.
And leaving the book with Marino MIA is a cheap trick.
Oh, and did I say it was repetitive? Repetitive. In the dark. At night.
April 8, 2024
Re Read April 2024
story 4 stars**
audio 4 stars**
Narrator Kate Reading
story 4 stars**
audio 4 stars**
Narrator Kate Reading
Read
December 5, 2007Dissapointed. PC had the perfect chance with this book, this storyline to bring the characters full circle. The team of Scarpetta, Marino, Lucy and Wesley is coming apart at the seams. Using Dr Self and the animous she has for Kay (kept waiting for that to blow...never happened), and manipulating Marino.....Rose being so prominent. What's with Scarpetta crying for the bird that flys into the window but lets her longtime friend and partner sink. Then he goes over the edge damn near to the point of rape??????? This was the time for BENTON WESLEY uber shrink to step up. He must have been on a different planet. Damn I sure wish she'd go back to the 1st person narrative and bring the characters back from the dark side.
December 22, 2007
So, technically I didn't finish it. But I read 200 pages of it, so I feel somewhat qualified to say that this book fails in many ways.
I love old-school Patricia Cornwell. I have read The Body Farm numerous times. I love From Potter's Field, All that Remains, etc. She's what got me hooked on Forensic Files, American Justice, and later CSI:. She writes wonderfully, her stories were vivid and terrifying - or at least they used to be.
Her last few books, beginning with the book Blow Fly have been dreadful. With her switch from first-person narrative to third-person omniscient narrative, Cornwell totally lost my interest in the books. We no longer have that integral connection to the main character. The murders are still interesting, but the characters have become boring and repetitive. In Book of the Dead, we see Cornwell's characters reciting the same old lines and engaging in the same old behaviors from books from years past - few of the characters seem to have grown in any positive or redemptive way at all. My interest is gone - I'll read Kathy Reichs instead.
I love old-school Patricia Cornwell. I have read The Body Farm numerous times. I love From Potter's Field, All that Remains, etc. She's what got me hooked on Forensic Files, American Justice, and later CSI:. She writes wonderfully, her stories were vivid and terrifying - or at least they used to be.
Her last few books, beginning with the book Blow Fly have been dreadful. With her switch from first-person narrative to third-person omniscient narrative, Cornwell totally lost my interest in the books. We no longer have that integral connection to the main character. The murders are still interesting, but the characters have become boring and repetitive. In Book of the Dead, we see Cornwell's characters reciting the same old lines and engaging in the same old behaviors from books from years past - few of the characters seem to have grown in any positive or redemptive way at all. My interest is gone - I'll read Kathy Reichs instead.
August 20, 2020
Read: November 2007
Rating: 4/5 stars
Re-read 1: June 2018
Rating: DNF
Re-read 2: August-September 2019
Rating: 3/5 stars
Wow it was a real struggle to get through this book! Book of the Dead actually starts off really well; detailing the horrific murder of a young American tennis player that takes place in Rome, Italy. However from there the book becomes tedious with lots of long, unnecessary conversations that take pages to get to the point. I remember reading it quite quickly the first time around but it was during one of those pointless detail-filled conversations that I DNF'd it the second time.
There is a good story in here, if you have the patience to find it. I still like Kay's character and her relationship with Benton, Marino and Lucy, and it is those strong characters, along with inventive, interesting murder mysteries, that made me give the book another chance - and this time I was able to finish it.
In terms of rating this book, to me it is not quite the weakest book in the series (The Last Precinct was worse in my opinion) but it certainly doesn't represent how good Cornwell can be when she's writing at her best.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Re-read 1: June 2018
Rating: DNF
Re-read 2: August-September 2019
Rating: 3/5 stars
Wow it was a real struggle to get through this book! Book of the Dead actually starts off really well; detailing the horrific murder of a young American tennis player that takes place in Rome, Italy. However from there the book becomes tedious with lots of long, unnecessary conversations that take pages to get to the point. I remember reading it quite quickly the first time around but it was during one of those pointless detail-filled conversations that I DNF'd it the second time.
There is a good story in here, if you have the patience to find it. I still like Kay's character and her relationship with Benton, Marino and Lucy, and it is those strong characters, along with inventive, interesting murder mysteries, that made me give the book another chance - and this time I was able to finish it.
In terms of rating this book, to me it is not quite the weakest book in the series (The Last Precinct was worse in my opinion) but it certainly doesn't represent how good Cornwell can be when she's writing at her best.
July 23, 2008
Ugh. What is WRONG with Patricia Cornwell? This book stinks. And in the spirit of throwing myself on a grenade (reading it so you don't have to) I will review this one.
First of all, Cornwell continues her de-evolution of her characters that started somewhere about "The Body Farm." She totally jumps the shark when she resurrected Benton several books back and “The Book of the Dead” continues her new tradition of incomprehensible plot, incomprehensible character motivation, dialogue that lies flat as road kill, and a world populated exclusively by misogynists, racists, bigots, psychopaths, sociopaths, homicidal maniacs, thugs, morons, and, in general, all-around misanthropes. I read this (and, sadly, I DID read the whole thing) and I kept saying to myself: What? Who? What??? This makes NO SENSE! Even the title is a throw-away. Book of the Dead? Huh? What?
SPOILERS (if you care) -- Scarpetta is as pedantic and self-righteous as usual, Rose is dying of cancer AND having an affair with Scarpetta's competition (??), Benton is jealous of some idiotic Italian cop for NO APPARENT REASON, Dr. Self is back, and is manic-depressive (I know, big surprise), and is foul as ever. But the worst is Marino. Poor guy. Patricia hates him, apparently. He used to be just slovenly but a good investigator, and loyal, and a "good guy." Now he's a motorcycling nutjob -- whacked out on steroids and has a seriously psychopathic nutjob girlfriend who constantly whispers poison in his ear. He's also turned into a complete moron. He talks about the "Hinelick" maneuver, and the "Dewey Decibel" system. When was Marino ever dumb? Now he has the IQ of lettuce. Oh, and the worst? While drunk one night, he attempts to rape Scarpetta. What? WHAT??? Argh!
So here's my theory and I have two possible scenarios, each of which are equally likely, I think. 1) Patricia has gone insane. Or perhaps is simply off her meds (Wikipedia says she is bi-polar, which explains a bit.) Or 2) Paticia is dead and her books are being written by committee by her publisher who recognizes a cash cow when he sees one. Either way, I am done with her and her incomprehensible books. If you haven’t read any of Cornwell’s novels, start with the first one, and STOP at about the fourth or fifth. Blah.
First of all, Cornwell continues her de-evolution of her characters that started somewhere about "The Body Farm." She totally jumps the shark when she resurrected Benton several books back and “The Book of the Dead” continues her new tradition of incomprehensible plot, incomprehensible character motivation, dialogue that lies flat as road kill, and a world populated exclusively by misogynists, racists, bigots, psychopaths, sociopaths, homicidal maniacs, thugs, morons, and, in general, all-around misanthropes. I read this (and, sadly, I DID read the whole thing) and I kept saying to myself: What? Who? What??? This makes NO SENSE! Even the title is a throw-away. Book of the Dead? Huh? What?
SPOILERS (if you care) -- Scarpetta is as pedantic and self-righteous as usual, Rose is dying of cancer AND having an affair with Scarpetta's competition (??), Benton is jealous of some idiotic Italian cop for NO APPARENT REASON, Dr. Self is back, and is manic-depressive (I know, big surprise), and is foul as ever. But the worst is Marino. Poor guy. Patricia hates him, apparently. He used to be just slovenly but a good investigator, and loyal, and a "good guy." Now he's a motorcycling nutjob -- whacked out on steroids and has a seriously psychopathic nutjob girlfriend who constantly whispers poison in his ear. He's also turned into a complete moron. He talks about the "Hinelick" maneuver, and the "Dewey Decibel" system. When was Marino ever dumb? Now he has the IQ of lettuce. Oh, and the worst? While drunk one night, he attempts to rape Scarpetta. What? WHAT??? Argh!
So here's my theory and I have two possible scenarios, each of which are equally likely, I think. 1) Patricia has gone insane. Or perhaps is simply off her meds (Wikipedia says she is bi-polar, which explains a bit.) Or 2) Paticia is dead and her books are being written by committee by her publisher who recognizes a cash cow when he sees one. Either way, I am done with her and her incomprehensible books. If you haven’t read any of Cornwell’s novels, start with the first one, and STOP at about the fourth or fifth. Blah.
February 14, 2009
This is one of the worst books I've ever suffered through. Rich finally asked me why I was still reading it after i exclaimed aloud for the umpteenth time about how awful it was, and all I could do to explain was talk about how much I enjoyed the early books she wrote and how I couldn't believe how it kept getting worse and I had to see how it panned out. Awful. The early ones really were fun, technically interesting, interesting characters, decently written (never anything amazing), thrilling and generally pleasant little reads. The last one of hers that I read about 4-5 years ago was not up to the standard of the others I'd remembered (and bizarrely had changed from first person in the first dozen or so books to the third person), but when I found this one on a free book pile I thought I'd give it another chance. What a mistake - the characters didn't make any sense, most of them displayed bizarre behavior, dialogs were choppy, nonsensical and at times pathological. As I read I kept thinking about how many cardinal signs of mental illness were present in different elements of the book - rampant paranoia by some characters, weird fixations, hypersexualization, hugely disordered thinking. It was so bad it was almost fascinating to keep reading it. A little research on the author reveals that she does indeed have some mental health issues of her own which makes things make a little more sense. How could her publisher have let this go to press without substantial editing? I'm glad I didn't spend any money on this book or I would have felt cheated, as it is the few hours of time I spent reading it were a sad loss.
January 1, 2008
I read this book because I've read the whole Kay Scarpetta series, but I'm a little dismayed. I dunno if Cornwell is tired of these characters or is having a hard time in her own life, but she's turned these characters into such bitter, screwed up freaks that the books are getting depressing. If I hadn't invested myself in these people several books ago, there's no way I would've bothered to finish this, I think. The murder mystery part of it was interesting, but it wasn't enough to distract from the empty and painful lives Cornwell's visited upon all her main charcters.
October 30, 2020
El peor libro de investigación policial que he leído en toda mi vida.
400 páginas de relaciones entre personajes y 56 de novela detectivesca.
¿De qué va la novela? De esto:
El tumor de la sobrina, el cáncer de su ayudante, la relación con su prometido, la relación con Marino, la relación de Marino con su novia, la relación de su sobrina con Marino, la relación con el poli italiano, la relación del asesino con su madre, con su padre, con las víctimas.
Hay un poco de avance policial cada 40 páginas. Nada un párrafo pequeño (a veces son dos).
Eso sí, no hay un solo policía. Al asesino en serie solo lo busca una forense privada de 50 años. Lo más lógico del mundo.
Y para analizar la arena encontrada en el escenario de los crímenes... pues no hay otra forma que ir a la NASA, que está justo al lado, y usar el microscopio más potente jamás creado. Que supongo que está para esas cosas, para mostrar granos de arena con el tamaño de un todoterreno.
El último que leo de esta autora, cada novela es más inverosímil y se aleja más de lo que importa: la resolución del crimen.
400 páginas de relaciones entre personajes y 56 de novela detectivesca.
¿De qué va la novela? De esto:
El tumor de la sobrina, el cáncer de su ayudante, la relación con su prometido, la relación con Marino, la relación de Marino con su novia, la relación de su sobrina con Marino, la relación con el poli italiano, la relación del asesino con su madre, con su padre, con las víctimas.
Hay un poco de avance policial cada 40 páginas. Nada un párrafo pequeño (a veces son dos).
Eso sí, no hay un solo policía. Al asesino en serie solo lo busca una forense privada de 50 años. Lo más lógico del mundo.
Y para analizar la arena encontrada en el escenario de los crímenes... pues no hay otra forma que ir a la NASA, que está justo al lado, y usar el microscopio más potente jamás creado. Que supongo que está para esas cosas, para mostrar granos de arena con el tamaño de un todoterreno.
El último que leo de esta autora, cada novela es más inverosímil y se aleja más de lo que importa: la resolución del crimen.
May 25, 2025
This is an entertaining, well-written, fast paced, crime thriller. It has a strong and capable female protagonist, murder, mystery, drama, twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion. This series should be read in order for continuity. I listened to the audio version of this novel, and the narrator, Ms. Kate Reading, does an excellent job voicing the characters.
February 10, 2014
I gave up reading the Scarpetta series 20 pages into this book when I realized I didn't give a you-know-what about the fate of the characters--didn't care if they lived or died. I gave it 1 star just to give it a rating, but in my opinion, it doesn't even deserve that.
January 3, 2019
just boring. i read few of cornwell before which were ok. but this one so boring. forced writing. i just could not swallow it and left it unfinished
June 24, 2025
The worse Cornwell I read was Blowfly and happily this is an improvement. Kay has moved to Charleston and brought Lucy, Rose and Marino with her. The new baddie is Dr Self a narcissistic mad woman who is the Dr Phil of television. I have not read the previous two in the series so don’t know her backstory. Suffice to say she hates Kay.
The murder of a female tennis player in Rome has links back to Charleston. Benton proposes to Kay and she accepts although their jobs keep them separate. Marino has hooked up with Shandy and is losing his mind and over Kay marrying Benton. Shandy manipulates Marino in egging him on and encouraging his anger with Kay. Bull S Ulysses Grant a possible new character is introduced.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The madman murdering people turns out to be Dr Self’s son who she abandoned when he was a baby. He went mad in Iraq and was protected by his father an Italian psychiatrist in Rome who hid behind confidentiality. Will Rambo, yes a crazy name is captured trying to kill Kay. Dr Self is not penalized yet and Marino after spiraling completely out of control has disappeared. Rose is slowly dying of cancer and Lucy has at the moment a benign tumor in her brain. A lot to unpack and entertaining in a soap crime opera sort of way.
The murder of a female tennis player in Rome has links back to Charleston. Benton proposes to Kay and she accepts although their jobs keep them separate. Marino has hooked up with Shandy and is losing his mind and over Kay marrying Benton. Shandy manipulates Marino in egging him on and encouraging his anger with Kay. Bull S Ulysses Grant a possible new character is introduced.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The madman murdering people turns out to be Dr Self’s son who she abandoned when he was a baby. He went mad in Iraq and was protected by his father an Italian psychiatrist in Rome who hid behind confidentiality. Will Rambo, yes a crazy name is captured trying to kill Kay. Dr Self is not penalized yet and Marino after spiraling completely out of control has disappeared. Rose is slowly dying of cancer and Lucy has at the moment a benign tumor in her brain. A lot to unpack and entertaining in a soap crime opera sort of way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2009
I fear even an autopsy would struggle to uncover anything new here.
October 3, 2011
oh dear. I gave up on Ms Scarpetta's adventures a while ago because I found Kathy Reichs to be more readable, the female character flawed but gutsy. Then I came across this one in a charity shop. Thought it wouldn't hurt to give her another go. Unfortunately, I should have stayed with my original decision that Ms Scarpetta is one of the most miserable, wretched and passionless women I have ever read about.
Considering she is described as an intelligent, beautiful, highly respected woman working in a tough profession, she lacks any personality apart from the practice of emotional denial and avoidance. Everyone is always miserable; the long, soooo long conversations where the characters are talking about entirely different topics; the stereo typing of Ms Rose, the secretary, and Bull, the handyman; after the first chapter, I felt Ms Scarpetta and her team didnt really care, so why should I? The focus was on science, one upmanship and computer toys, not the victims.
It may be that Ms Cornwall also came to the same conclusion; one moment I thought I was reading the climax of the whole story, when no! the climax appears to be abandoned and the final chapter crawls on describing the dire, miserable relationship between Benton and Scarpetta.
Personally, I think Ms Scarpetta (or perhaps Ms Cornwall?) should read some good ol' bodice rippers and get some life in the woman!
Not sure I will be trying another Scarpetta book any time soon...
Considering she is described as an intelligent, beautiful, highly respected woman working in a tough profession, she lacks any personality apart from the practice of emotional denial and avoidance. Everyone is always miserable; the long, soooo long conversations where the characters are talking about entirely different topics; the stereo typing of Ms Rose, the secretary, and Bull, the handyman; after the first chapter, I felt Ms Scarpetta and her team didnt really care, so why should I? The focus was on science, one upmanship and computer toys, not the victims.
It may be that Ms Cornwall also came to the same conclusion; one moment I thought I was reading the climax of the whole story, when no! the climax appears to be abandoned and the final chapter crawls on describing the dire, miserable relationship between Benton and Scarpetta.
Personally, I think Ms Scarpetta (or perhaps Ms Cornwall?) should read some good ol' bodice rippers and get some life in the woman!
Not sure I will be trying another Scarpetta book any time soon...
Read
January 3, 2008 I do think Cornwell has lost her touch - or more probably, doesn't care enough anymore. Nonetheless, the book was an enjoyable read, although I thought the ending was disappointing. There was no explanation of the various weird things the killer did; it seemed like they'd just been added to spice things up and then forgotten about. Similarly, I didn't understand why Lucious was killed too, although I may just have missed that. The plot was, in a way, too incestuous - everyone and everything mentioned was linked in too many ways. And the cliffhanger left by Marino's disappearance seems to be just setting up for the next book.
I saw the same thing as in Sara Paretsky's latest: lots of political "up to the moment" detail that's going to really date the books and just seems cumbersome. And the gratuitous technical descriptions, whether of computers or chemicals, just amuse me in a way they probably shouldn't. There's no need to spell out a "two-hundred-and-fifty-six megabyte" thumb drive. Why does it matter? You know that's a standard size? Bully for you. And you spelt out all the numbers in case we didn't understand what 256 meant.
I'll probably still read her next book, because I know they're diverting enough for me to find interesting, but it's with much less enjoyment and much less suspense than was true for her earlier books. It's a shame.
I saw the same thing as in Sara Paretsky's latest: lots of political "up to the moment" detail that's going to really date the books and just seems cumbersome. And the gratuitous technical descriptions, whether of computers or chemicals, just amuse me in a way they probably shouldn't. There's no need to spell out a "two-hundred-and-fifty-six megabyte" thumb drive. Why does it matter? You know that's a standard size? Bully for you. And you spelt out all the numbers in case we didn't understand what 256 meant.
I'll probably still read her next book, because I know they're diverting enough for me to find interesting, but it's with much less enjoyment and much less suspense than was true for her earlier books. It's a shame.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2020
Kay Scarpetta #15: Scarpetta launches a private forensics lab in Charleston, South Carolina, where she investigates the murder of a tennis star, whose messed up corpse was found in Rome. The evidence and details leave everyone stumped! Someone's playing with them? More compellingly dark serial killer machinations. 6 out of 12.
July 2, 2018
Το ότι από 430κάτι σελίδες με ιντρίγκαρε μόνο η τύχη του Μαρίνο στο τέλος, λέει από μόνο του πολλά. Ίσως η χειρότερη απογοήτευση όλων, γιατί από τον τίτλο του περίμενα πολλά. Κρίμα, πραγματικά.
August 22, 2025
I'm sure this is a better book than my rating indicates. For anyone following this series I'm sure it was more interesting and entertaining. Since this (#15) was the first in the series that I read I would have benefitted from following the back stories that followers of the series would benefit from. Therefore, my rating is based mostly on trying to fill in the gaps and understand the relationships and how we got to this point. This kind of effort detracts from the story - which by itself I found required a suspension of disbelief to a far greater extent that I'm comfortable with.
July 9, 2016
Rose puts it all in perspective when she makes this comment to Kay.."You don't confront people about their feelings and all it does is make things..."
This was by far one of the worst books of the Scarpetta series ever. I was so disappointed in this. Scarpetta has a private practice in Charleston. Kay and Benton are in Italy at the beginning investigating a brutal murder of a famous tennis star. When Scarpetta goes back to Charleston, she receives the body of a young boy who has no identity. Everything is some how related but the way things are tied together is murky. The reader has no idea what the setting is at times and that left me very frustrated. One reviewer labled the mystery as convoluted and I agree. It seemed to be a hodge podge of information thrown on a wall and whatever stuck is what the author went with. I couldn’t wait to finish this because I grew tired of it. Another reviewer commented on the characters and asked “Why do the characters have to be angry all the time?” I second that. These characters are NEVER happy. Not one, not ever. Marino has turned into a sad, lonely, but violent version of himself in this one and I didn’t like this path of his character. Benton and Scarpetta are together but their relationship is distant, but that’s nothing new. And Lucy is still the smart, haunted and miserable girl she has always been. I appreciate the fact the author has changed this series to keep things interesting, but I honestly think she choose the wrong path.
This was by far one of the worst books of the Scarpetta series ever. I was so disappointed in this. Scarpetta has a private practice in Charleston. Kay and Benton are in Italy at the beginning investigating a brutal murder of a famous tennis star. When Scarpetta goes back to Charleston, she receives the body of a young boy who has no identity. Everything is some how related but the way things are tied together is murky. The reader has no idea what the setting is at times and that left me very frustrated. One reviewer labled the mystery as convoluted and I agree. It seemed to be a hodge podge of information thrown on a wall and whatever stuck is what the author went with. I couldn’t wait to finish this because I grew tired of it. Another reviewer commented on the characters and asked “Why do the characters have to be angry all the time?” I second that. These characters are NEVER happy. Not one, not ever. Marino has turned into a sad, lonely, but violent version of himself in this one and I didn’t like this path of his character. Benton and Scarpetta are together but their relationship is distant, but that’s nothing new. And Lucy is still the smart, haunted and miserable girl she has always been. I appreciate the fact the author has changed this series to keep things interesting, but I honestly think she choose the wrong path.
October 22, 2010
Not my favourite among the Scarpetta books. Definitely not. On the other hand, they seem to grow worse with every book now. I, for one, am getting tired of the stories being so centrated to miss Scarpetta herself, the murders and mysteries always involving her somehow. And I thought that in this book pretty much all of the characters were annoying. I find books about murdering psychopaths interesting, I admit that, but in this case it felt like the murder story was hidden way too far behind the crappy behaviour of the main characters and that the story definitely did not get to the bottom with the actual "mystery" of the book.
I read this book in English
Svensk titel
DE DÖDAS BOK
Absolut inte min favorit bland böckerna om Scarpetta. Tvärtom! Det känns som att de bara blir sämre och sämre, och jag är så less på att allting centreras kring Scarpetta. Att det alltid tycks finnas någon slags komplott mot henne eller någon mördare på jakt efter att förstöra hennes liv. Jag brukade tycka om huvudkaraktärerna. De var kanske inte hundraprocentigt sympatiska alla gånger, men de var i grunden bra ... Nu känns de mest irriterande allihop. Själva mordhistorien och berättelsen om psykopaten som dödar och lemlästar hamnar alltför långt i bakgrunden. Det är psykologin bakom illdåden som brukar göra att jag gillar den här sortens historier, men det känns verkligen inte som att Cornwell går till botten med brottet i den här boken ...
I read this book in English
Svensk titel
DE DÖDAS BOK
Absolut inte min favorit bland böckerna om Scarpetta. Tvärtom! Det känns som att de bara blir sämre och sämre, och jag är så less på att allting centreras kring Scarpetta. Att det alltid tycks finnas någon slags komplott mot henne eller någon mördare på jakt efter att förstöra hennes liv. Jag brukade tycka om huvudkaraktärerna. De var kanske inte hundraprocentigt sympatiska alla gånger, men de var i grunden bra ... Nu känns de mest irriterande allihop. Själva mordhistorien och berättelsen om psykopaten som dödar och lemlästar hamnar alltför långt i bakgrunden. Det är psykologin bakom illdåden som brukar göra att jag gillar den här sortens historier, men det känns verkligen inte som att Cornwell går till botten med brottet i den här boken ...
December 3, 2007
I have loved the Kay Scarpetta series since its inception but have been disappointed in the last three and this one I am adding to that list. Her change in narrative style that began at that point in 'Blow Fly' seems to have been the down-turning point.
Despite a strong start, tracking down the murderer seemed to take a back seat to the constant misery of the main characters. I never warmed to the brattish Lucy who is now even more insufferable given her extreme wealth. Pete Marino has been badly served by his creator and even Kay these days just seems difficult, much of her former light suppressed by anger and neurosis.
The ending was something of a damp squib and it isn't the first time I have felt this from Cornwell's recent Scarpetta novels. I still hope for a return to form but from now on I shall wait and not buy in the first flush of excitment about the arrival of a new Scarpetta novel unless highly reviewed.
Cornwell's campaign to get her ratings on Amazon and Barnes & Noble higher haven't impressed me either.
Despite a strong start, tracking down the murderer seemed to take a back seat to the constant misery of the main characters. I never warmed to the brattish Lucy who is now even more insufferable given her extreme wealth. Pete Marino has been badly served by his creator and even Kay these days just seems difficult, much of her former light suppressed by anger and neurosis.
The ending was something of a damp squib and it isn't the first time I have felt this from Cornwell's recent Scarpetta novels. I still hope for a return to form but from now on I shall wait and not buy in the first flush of excitment about the arrival of a new Scarpetta novel unless highly reviewed.
Cornwell's campaign to get her ratings on Amazon and Barnes & Noble higher haven't impressed me either.
December 11, 2007
Patricia Cornwell's newest book opens with a graphic chapter on a woman who is being tortured. It's spine-chilling and disturbing. It does, however, open the door to an interesting track to find out who the killer is. It almost seemed obligatory to add aspects of the Iraq war into the story, but I realize that the war had/is having an effect on our soldiers who are on the front lines. No one can do what they do and remain who they were when they left.
I was a little annoyed with the miscommunication that Scarpeta and Benton have - all the time. Throughout the book, they were spatting. I didn't also buy the transformation of Pete Marino into a drunken bully and almost rapist. Pete has gone through a lot of things, but this last iteration of his "love" for Scarpeta is a little over the top.
I also felt the ending was a little pushed - wrapping everything up in a hurry with not much attention on the murderer. But still, it was a nice read and kept my attention - I got through most of it on my two two-hour plane flights when we went to Florida.
I was a little annoyed with the miscommunication that Scarpeta and Benton have - all the time. Throughout the book, they were spatting. I didn't also buy the transformation of Pete Marino into a drunken bully and almost rapist. Pete has gone through a lot of things, but this last iteration of his "love" for Scarpeta is a little over the top.
I also felt the ending was a little pushed - wrapping everything up in a hurry with not much attention on the murderer. But still, it was a nice read and kept my attention - I got through most of it on my two two-hour plane flights when we went to Florida.
December 1, 2017
This is Cornwell's 15th Kay Scarpetta book. The series has devolved from being about the killer and catching him with the characters in the background to being mostly about the characters. In the latest episode of the soap opera that is the life of Kay and her posse, Kay is in Charleston, South Carolina now. She has moved from VA to FL and now to SC. Lucy has a brain tumor. Benton and Kay are engaged but he lives and works in Boston. Rose is dying. And finally Marino is dating a horny skank who is getting him to rub testosterone gel on his body so he can take care of her needs. Marino steps way over the line with Kay and then disappears.
Oh yeah, the murder....well, the Sandman has killed some women including a young tennis star Drew Martin in Rome. He has also been getting psychiatric help from media star Dr. Marilyn Self as was Drew Martin. Oh yeah...Marino was too. See, Dr. Self hates Dr. Scarpetta based on the book prior to this one.
Hopefully the murder will someday be the focus of Cornwell's books again.
Oh yeah, the murder....well, the Sandman has killed some women including a young tennis star Drew Martin in Rome. He has also been getting psychiatric help from media star Dr. Marilyn Self as was Drew Martin. Oh yeah...Marino was too. See, Dr. Self hates Dr. Scarpetta based on the book prior to this one.
Hopefully the murder will someday be the focus of Cornwell's books again.
August 19, 2012
Anyone relatively close *coughs* Facebook/Tumblr/Twitter friends *coughs* knows how much I am fascinated with murder mystery plots because of my not-so-fleeting interest with criminology, crime psychology and criminal profiling. That is probably why I had a hard time comprehending why I didn't like this book.
The accurate descriptions were there. The serial killer plot was there. The unrelenting search is ever present.
Then I realized, BAM, her characters suck. Not they suck as in they are despicable people that should not have lived. No, they suck as in they are unlovable people and the way they are presented in the book annoys me to no end. They ramble and their issues take too much time away from what's really important --- finding the serial killer.
I guess dealing with any of Cornwell's books is a gamble.
The accurate descriptions were there. The serial killer plot was there. The unrelenting search is ever present.
Then I realized, BAM, her characters suck. Not they suck as in they are despicable people that should not have lived. No, they suck as in they are unlovable people and the way they are presented in the book annoys me to no end. They ramble and their issues take too much time away from what's really important --- finding the serial killer.
I guess dealing with any of Cornwell's books is a gamble.
October 9, 2015
I have been enjoying this series so much - even though all of the main characters irritate the shit out of me for the most part. I fail to understand why Ms Cornwell created the most annoying arsehole of all - Pete Marino. He has always been an incredible ass-hat, and in this book Ms Cornwell has taken it to a new level.I have seen him come from being a middle-aged, overweight,lazy slob to (feels like suddenly) being a fifty something,badass, Harley-riding gym freak.......yeah, I'm not feeling it..... And now the latest drama?He is too much. When will he be killed off,please?
May 19, 2020
I have always loved the Scarpetta series. I've read a couple of them twice. This... This is at such odds with the others. The style is not as expected, after moving from first person, we've now in la-la land. the characters are just so far removed from interest that I couldn't be bothered. Skimmed a lot. Then DNF'd at about 1/3 of the way in. This hard-back is going to charity. Someone might like it.
March 8, 2009
I have read every book in Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series. For the past four or five books, I've been wondering why I keep coming back - they're getting worse. This book is the worst of the lot by a large margin. I found it to be rambling and oftentimes incomprehensible. The conclusion felt rushed - like Cornwell spent so much time trying to add unnecessary detail to the story that she had to wrap everything up quickly and in an unsatisfying fashion.
That said, I'm apparently incapable of learning from my own mistakes because I plan to read the next (and most recent) novel in the series, "Scarpetta". I've heard that the "old Cornwell" is back with the latest novel, so I can only hope for something better than "Book of the Dead". Cornwell certainly set the bar pretty low with this novel, so it's hard to imagine that she can't improve.
Besides, there is one major cliffhanger at the end of "Book of the Dead", and I'm a sucker for a good cliffhanger...
That said, I'm apparently incapable of learning from my own mistakes because I plan to read the next (and most recent) novel in the series, "Scarpetta". I've heard that the "old Cornwell" is back with the latest novel, so I can only hope for something better than "Book of the Dead". Cornwell certainly set the bar pretty low with this novel, so it's hard to imagine that she can't improve.
Besides, there is one major cliffhanger at the end of "Book of the Dead", and I'm a sucker for a good cliffhanger...
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