Good for a long airplane ride The book did manage to keep my attention during a trip from Dallas to Honolulu. It is my first Kay Scarpetta book and probably my last. The ending was a little too neat and the characters were two dimensional. I don't know where she dug up the niece and Dr. Self but they are horrible one dimensional things.
Book of the Dead I just checked this out from my library a few days ago, but I haven't read through the whole book. I only made it half way through and I've decided it's now time to quit. The writing was just so choppy and the characters unlikeable! I felt the writing was scattered throughout, which made it maddening to continue. I was confused with it after the first few chapters! Wordy I have read most of Cornwell's books, and I used to enjoy them a great deal more. As I read "Book of the Dead," I wondered two things: why such disgusting murders, and why so many pointless words? I wondered if she were getting paid by the word. I kept skimming senseless sections to get back to the plot. This story line was depressing and convoluted, not as good as her earlier work.
I hope her future efforts are more interesting. I have given up on James Patterson, and I am hoping I can stay with Patricia.Disappointing This was the first book I read from the author.
I was sincerely disappointed by the book - it reads itself like a soap opera with a serial killer side line added as an afterthought.
I admit that the first chapter's description of the murder in Rome actually caught my attention. But from there, the book went downhill fast. Part of the problem I believe is due to the abridgement; plot was choppy and certain parts did not flow well. Often I wondered if I had missed something only to realize that I hadn't - it just wasn't there.
I've never read any of the Kay Scarpetta books before and I felt that some more backstory would have helped in understanding the relationships between the characters.
The plot is typical cheap fiction - predictable characters, cliche characters, and contrived plot. Some parts are downright laughable (lying to police to protect a dog?). And what's the deal with the totally irrelevant title?
The only positive I can take away from listening to this abridged version is that I only wasted 6 hours and not 10 or whatever the full version would have been.
