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Avg. Rating: 4.06
highly recommended
The Kay Scarpetta series is best read in chronological sequence, as each new novel builds on developments from the previous ones, and knowledge of this history is to some degree assumed. Thus, if you're going to read one of the series, this is the one. Some reviewers here criticize the lack of non-stop action. To the contrary, I think the style is highly effective. Cornwell indulges in her well-developed, diverse characters with introspection and dialog. Furthermore, investigations are not a linear progression -- everything isn't always wrapped up in a tidy little package, every piece of evidence isn't used, and every fact isn't explained. But that's life. The series has also been criticized for being a bit "nerdy". But that's appropriate -- it's strength. The use of evidence and the examination of the crime scene reminds me of my favorite crime author, Canon Doyle. The magnifying glass is replaced by a substantially more expensive apparatus, but the attention paid to analytic methods and thinking is quite enjoyable. The combination of rich character development and intellectual analysis makes this a really enjoyable book, and worthwhile series. I really highly recommend it. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is I reserve that for the highest tier of fiction, and I'm not sure this is quite there. But it's certainly some of the best work I've read in a long time.
Slow beginning, great conclusion!
Although I was duly impressed with Body of Evidence, I have to say that it, contrary to many of the opinions of my contemporary reviewers, does not measure up to Cornwell's previous novel, Postmortem. The first one hundred pages or so moved very slowly and were hard to get through, and for the most part, the plot moved a lot slower than the aforementioned book. I have to say, though, that the ending was ingenious. I really liked the way that everything came together, and how you could go back and see how well everything fit into the story. My only other criticism is that although I am glad that Dr. Kay has finally found romance with Mark James, I could have lived without the soap opera-like dialogue between the two of them at the beginning of the book. Those conversations (as well as Dr. Kay's excessive use of the "B word") really detracted from what was happening. Overall, Body of Evidence is another genius work by Cornwell, and a satisfactory follow-up to Postmortem.
Random Murders by a Madman
This is an interesting, if flawed, novel of suspense. A budding writer is found stabbed to death in her home. The 27 cuts were done in a frenzy of hatred, or by a crazed madman. But how did he enter the home of a frightened woman? [Readers of G. K. Chesterton's "The Invisible Man" can guess.] Soon afterwards a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, who had befriended Beryl years earlier, is also found murdered outside his home. His sister, who lived with him, soon died afterwards under questionable circumstances. A strange NY lawyer seeks the missing manuscript of Beryl. Medical Examiner Scarpetta begins to investigate the background of Beryl. This takes up most of the book until the killer is caught.Cornwell describes various scenes within official agencies; she had been a police reporter, employee of the Medical Examiner office, and a volunteer police officer. She uses this experience to provide background facts for her story. My opinion is that Cornwell spent a lot of words describing Dr. Scarpetta. Cornwell describes her heroine as amoral in an amoral world (is she headed for a nervous breakdown?). The motive of the killer seems contrived, almost as an afterthought. It could have happened that way, but it seems like a deus ex machina ending. Would a real ME spend all that time to investigate Beryl's murder? There are many gay characters in this book as background. Is this some sort of message?
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