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!