I heard this was a good series and happened upon this book at a book sale, where I bought it for $0.50. Having never read anything from the series before, I was a little worried I'd be lost. However, she weaved in a lot of back story so that wasn't a problem. Overall I liked her writing and pacing, but I felt too much of the plot was told to Kay rather than her be a part of it. She was a bit whiny and I kept wondering when she was going to take charge.... it never happened. I also wasn't totally convinced of the motives behind the killers spree. It was a bit confusing. And I hated the interaction with the husband. I might go back to an earlier one to see if those are better.

I liked this book. Granted I listened to it but I thought it was a return to the old Scarpetta...she seemed more like the first books rather than the last if you get what I'm saying.

3.75 étoiles

I used to be a huge fan of Cornwell and the Scarpetta series. Not sure what happened, but the series jumped the shark a few books back. I agree with the other reviewer who said all the characters seem unhappy. It's unfortunate because this WAS an interesting group of characters that I really enjoyed following.

I really didn't understand what was going on in this book. The behavior of characters we've come to know through all these books didn't make any sense. Would Marino really just tell everything to Briggs without speaking with Scarpetta first?He's always been an idiot but not incompetent. And why this sudden grudge towards Jaime Berger?!Oh! not to mention the way she dealt with Benton in this book, it was completely preposterous.
And all that talk about her past and what she did in South Africa and it had nothing to do with the main plot. Which was interesting enough in the beginning but soon became ridiculous.I mean all the connections were too forced.By the end all the characters were annoying me so much that I didn't even care.
If Scarpetta is going to continue to be as whiny as she was in this book, then Cornwell may as well go back to writing in the 3rd person.

I generally enjoy a Scarpetta mystery but this one really wore on me. Mostly because I felt in this one that Scarpetta wasn't being Scarpetta. She was needy, whiny, jealous, and lacked confidence. Where did that Kay Scarpetta come from? I didn't recognize her at all. And without her strong female lead, the rest of the characters also fell. We barely saw Lucy, Benton was being overprotective and jealous himself, and Marino was just being an ass. Well, yes, Marino has been an ass through most of the last few books - but even more so - even with his limited page time - than usual.

Also, sadly, I felt like someone was paying for product placement in this book. There were several products that were mentioned by name MANY MANY MANY times. Once or twice gives the book realism - once or twice a page makes me wonder what was up!

I used to read the Scarpetta books as they came out (the audiobooks for commutes) and I realized I had taken a several year break, so I started up again with this one. What a disappointment! The narrative is confusing, all of the action happens off stage, Scarpetta sounds like she's on drugs. It's so frustrating to have Scarpetta and Benton talk at and over each other. The audiobook is especially confusing because half the time I don't know if she's speaking to Benton or thinking to herself. The series had been well established on the relationships she had with Benton, Lucy, and Marino. Every one of those relationships come across now as dishonest, tense, and unsatisfying. I have bought the next two audiobooks, I don't know whether to waste my time or not.

Hated this book. The way the Kay Scarpetta is portrayed and the way the characters respond to her is inconsistent with previous books. She comes across weak, incompetent, aloof... Benton is "dumber" than usual, making unsupported generalizations and failing to investigate deeply- not his usual traits. So much time was spent just in Scarpetta's head. And she's attacked by the suspect AGAIN! Only this time, there is no rational connection to the suspect. I hated it!

Reading this one, I began to feel a bit of nostalgia for the Scarpetta from the earlier novels. The characters are beginning to be almost unlikeable, but the story still intrigues.