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kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
Eighteenth in the Kay Scarpetta forensic mystery series revolving around a highly skilled and highly intelligent forensic pathologist.
My Take
There is a very staccato pace to the writing in Port Mortuary.
This was a fairly irritating book to read as her so-called friends and family don't warn Kay of anything that is going wrong, but when they do suddenly descend upon her, they're cryptic to the point of making me paranoid. What makes everything worse is a flashback that keeps recurring from the start of Kay's career when, as Kay puts it, she was young and naive and participated in an illegal cover-up for the government, specifically for General Briggs. Kay is terrified that Briggs is setting her up again to take a fall, and it seems that her friends and family are participating.
When we finally get to Chapters 19 and 20, I feel like I've entered the Twilight Zone—I just know I've missed a huge chunk of the story as what is happening now is making no sense. Yes, I went back and carefully re-read earlier chapters to see where I MUST have skipped pages. Didn't help.
From the way things are going, I was expecting Kay to kick Benton out, but it suddenly got all cute and cozy and Benton appears to be staying. Yes, I'm glad Benton is staying. No, I'm not happy with the jerky writing and the sudden erasure of the personal issues. I don't understand why Kay didn't call Benton, Lucy, or Marino on their abrupt and incomplete help.
I own just about the entire Kay Scarpetta series; I'll add this one to my collection if someone gives it to me for free.
The Story
Kay is doing an extended (and extended) stint at a military autopsy facility using cutting edge technology to determine cause of death for our soldiers—and using it to improve our own weapons delivery systems while negating the enemies.
Unfortunately, major issues are going wrong back at the Cambridge Forensic Center which Kay was asked to head, just before she was pulled into the military training fellowship. And everyone—Benton, Lucy, Marino, and her second-in-command—have all kept her ignorant of what's happening.
The Title
The title is the facility, the military Port Mortuary.
My Take
There is a very staccato pace to the writing in Port Mortuary.
This was a fairly irritating book to read as her so-called friends and family don't warn Kay of anything that is going wrong, but when they do suddenly descend upon her, they're cryptic to the point of making me paranoid. What makes everything worse is a flashback that keeps recurring from the start of Kay's career when, as Kay puts it, she was young and naive and participated in an illegal cover-up for the government, specifically for General Briggs. Kay is terrified that Briggs is setting her up again to take a fall, and it seems that her friends and family are participating.
When we finally get to Chapters 19 and 20, I feel like I've entered the Twilight Zone—I just know I've missed a huge chunk of the story as what is happening now is making no sense. Yes, I went back and carefully re-read earlier chapters to see where I MUST have skipped pages. Didn't help.
From the way things are going, I was expecting Kay to kick Benton out, but it suddenly got all cute and cozy and Benton appears to be staying. Yes, I'm glad Benton is staying. No, I'm not happy with the jerky writing and the sudden erasure of the personal issues. I don't understand why Kay didn't call Benton, Lucy, or Marino on their abrupt and incomplete help.
I own just about the entire Kay Scarpetta series; I'll add this one to my collection if someone gives it to me for free.
The Story
Kay is doing an extended (and extended) stint at a military autopsy facility using cutting edge technology to determine cause of death for our soldiers—and using it to improve our own weapons delivery systems while negating the enemies.
Unfortunately, major issues are going wrong back at the Cambridge Forensic Center which Kay was asked to head, just before she was pulled into the military training fellowship. And everyone—Benton, Lucy, Marino, and her second-in-command—have all kept her ignorant of what's happening.
The Title
The title is the facility, the military Port Mortuary.
applegnreads's review against another edition
3.0
angst? yes
action? no
dialogue? I don't know, does it count if no one is listening to the words coming out of your mouth and therefore doesn't seem to respond to anything you say?
story line? yeah
length? nothing a good editor couldn't have fixed.
ah well, i still went through it really quickly.
action? no
dialogue? I don't know, does it count if no one is listening to the words coming out of your mouth and therefore doesn't seem to respond to anything you say?
story line? yeah
length? nothing a good editor couldn't have fixed.
ah well, i still went through it really quickly.
alykat_reads's review against another edition
1.0
This series is a car wreck I can't look away from. There's still 9 more books after this.. how ?!?! What level of absurdity will we dive into in those? At this point, I feel like I'm reading them just to be able to write a scathing review. It's become a core memory.
Well, nothing has changed as far as Kay believing she is the center of the entire universe. Everything is simultaneously her fault but yet she is powerless to change anything or do anything about it. Fielding's life sucks because Kay influenced him to work in a job he truly didn't like and then was 'forced' to stay in it for 30 years, or whatever span of time this series has evolved over. Like BFFR Kay. If he hated the job THAT much, he could have left. Stop making it, and everything else, about you. Also, you're telling me that she's bragged about being a certified scuba diver, a lawyer, and every single other little accomplishment she's ever made in every single book, but just now after 20 years we are learning that she actually also spent 6+ months in the military and did some super secret, dangerous, haunting mission in South Africa that still has a major effect on her but she's never once mentioned her military training or this South Africa mission until now? Stop throwing in random stuff to make your lack of plot 'work'.
Kay and Benton's relationship is still middle school level. I was kind of rooting for them when they were having their scandalous affair, but ever since Benton's divorce and they've been 'allowed' to be together, they have no trust and fight over the stupidest shit. They get extremely jealous over past lovers and anyone of the opposite sex that works with them. Like I get it, you started your relationship from an affair and 'once a cheater always a cheater' seems to be on their mind constantly. It's getting old, especially now that it's been at least a decade after his divorce AND they spent 6 years apart where she thought he was dead. MOVE ON.
Why Kay has to be bouncing around from place to place and job to job is so annoying. Oh, she started a practice in Florida. Surprise, the start of the next book she has made a move to South Carolina. Surprise, now she's working for the state again. Surprise, now she moved again. But not anywhere Benton is because after 15+ years they can't live together. And Benton may or may not be a fibbie (FBI) again. Idk, bc he's just acting weird and keeping things from Kay bc why wouldn't you inform your wife that you're an FBI agent again.
This one was also terribly slow. It felt like nothing was happening. Lucy, Benton, Kay, Marino.. they've all been portrayed as the best of the best at what they do, yet they're just constantly idiots - they can't seem to make the most basic of conclusions from evidence they find. Just pick a lane, pls.
Well, nothing has changed as far as Kay believing she is the center of the entire universe. Everything is simultaneously her fault but yet she is powerless to change anything or do anything about it. Fielding's life sucks because Kay influenced him to work in a job he truly didn't like and then was 'forced' to stay in it for 30 years, or whatever span of time this series has evolved over. Like BFFR Kay. If he hated the job THAT much, he could have left. Stop making it, and everything else, about you. Also, you're telling me that she's bragged about being a certified scuba diver, a lawyer, and every single other little accomplishment she's ever made in every single book, but just now after 20 years we are learning that she actually also spent 6+ months in the military and did some super secret, dangerous, haunting mission in South Africa that still has a major effect on her but she's never once mentioned her military training or this South Africa mission until now? Stop throwing in random stuff to make your lack of plot 'work'.
Kay and Benton's relationship is still middle school level. I was kind of rooting for them when they were having their scandalous affair, but ever since Benton's divorce and they've been 'allowed' to be together, they have no trust and fight over the stupidest shit. They get extremely jealous over past lovers and anyone of the opposite sex that works with them. Like I get it, you started your relationship from an affair and 'once a cheater always a cheater' seems to be on their mind constantly. It's getting old, especially now that it's been at least a decade after his divorce AND they spent 6 years apart where she thought he was dead. MOVE ON.
Why Kay has to be bouncing around from place to place and job to job is so annoying. Oh, she started a practice in Florida. Surprise, the start of the next book she has made a move to South Carolina. Surprise, now she's working for the state again. Surprise, now she moved again. But not anywhere Benton is because after 15+ years they can't live together. And Benton may or may not be a fibbie (FBI) again. Idk, bc he's just acting weird and keeping things from Kay bc why wouldn't you inform your wife that you're an FBI agent again.
This one was also terribly slow. It felt like nothing was happening. Lucy, Benton, Kay, Marino.. they've all been portrayed as the best of the best at what they do, yet they're just constantly idiots - they can't seem to make the most basic of conclusions from evidence they find. Just pick a lane, pls.
sinimini's review
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
orchid_2023's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
jwoodsum's review against another edition
2.0
This is the first Patricia Cornwell that I've read in several years and now I've remembered why I quit reading the series. Somewhere along the way, Kay Scarpetta became a deeply unlikeable character. While the mystery was pretty interesting, I found Kay's self-pity to be unbearable.
moabgirlie's review against another edition
3.0
not my favorite narrator
The story is a lot more jumbled than what is typical… as if there was a bunch of history Cornwell wanted us to know about Kay so she just threw it out there. I’m listening to the series and am extremely disappointed in person the chosen to narrate. I’m even sadder that she narrates the next as well. Almost enough to stop listening.
The story is a lot more jumbled than what is typical… as if there was a bunch of history Cornwell wanted us to know about Kay so she just threw it out there. I’m listening to the series and am extremely disappointed in person the chosen to narrate. I’m even sadder that she narrates the next as well. Almost enough to stop listening.
linderrbee's review against another edition
3.0
I'm still not sure how I feel about the direction of this series. I'm glad that Cornwell has returned to telling the story through Scarpetta's point of view. But there is something still missing from the last couple of books, including this one, that makes it hard for me to care about what happens to the characters. With that said, I most likely will read the next book in the series just because I keep hoping that I will get back the same feelings I had about the books when they were set in Virginia.
mich3ll31221's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0