Product Description

Kay Scarpetta is starting over with a unique private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina. And the death of a sixteen-year-old tennis star will usher in a string of murders more baffling—and terrifying—than any that have come before.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25298 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 528 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780425216255
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Cornwell's 15th novel to feature Dr. Kay Scarpetta (after 2005's Predator) delivers her trademark grisly crime scenes, but lacks the coherence and emotional resonance of earlier books. Soon after relocating to Charleston, S.C., to launch a private forensics lab, Scarpetta is asked to consult on the murder of U.S. tennis star Drew Martin, whose mutilated body was found in Rome. Contradictory evidence leaves Scarpetta, the Italian carabinieri and Scarpetta's lover, forensic psychologist Benton Wesley, stumped. But when she discovers unsettling connections between Martin's murder, the body of an unidentified South Carolina boy and her old nemesis, the maniacal psychiatrist Dr. Marilyn Self, Scarpetta encounters a killer as deadly as any she's ever faced. With her recent switch from first- to third-person narration, Cornwell loses what once made her series so compelling: a window into the mind of a strong, intelligent woman holding her own in a profession dominated by men. Here, the abrupt shifts in point of view slow the momentum, and the reader flounders in excessive forensic minutiae.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Forensic trailblazer Kay Scarpetta faces numerous battles and challenges in this latest entry in the series, which seems to be losing a little steam but still has a large following. Scarpetta and her sidekicks struggle to establish a private practice that provides autopsy services for jurisdictions that lack a local pathologist. Complex and unhealthy relationships grow stranger, and personal issues threaten to overshadow unfolding mysteries. Reading’s highly capable narration is the strength of this production, but it is still hard to overlook the distracting repetitiveness of backstories that explain circumstances and relations to new listeners. Reading’s darker tones are well suited to the many characters, and she offers a wide range of distinctive accents, including Italian and southern U.S., with ease. For fans who find solace in the Scarpetta formula. --Jeanette Larson

Review
“If Michelin rated mysteries, this would get three stars. Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell. Charles Dickens would be impressed with both characters in this book and their names, e.g. Dr, Marilyn Self, a malignantly conniving deranged TV psychiatrist. The tale’s heroine, Kay Scarpetta, is a private forensic pathologist grappling with the murder of a famous teenage American tennis champ in Rome. At the same time she has to deal with the murder of a malnourished and badly beaten child. Scarpetta’s relations with her colleagues, not to mention those with her significant other, are tumultuous and tangled. All these characters have varying levels of unredeeming traits.

What a walloping, riveting mix of mystery, adventure and psychology, author Cornell certainly is skilled at dissecting the not always attractive innards of human nature. “
—Forbes Magazine

Customer Reviews

oh dear, oh dear.
Dear Patricia Cornwell,

I wrote you a letter back in 2005 after you released Trace. I was, quite frankly, worried about the direction that you were taking poor Kay Scarpetta. And I must say that The Book of the Dead has not done anything to set my worries to rest.

I'll start with the things that I liked. I read once that you should always open a critique with things that you like. I liked that you let Scarpetta finally make fun of herself for some of the conspiracies which she imagines are aimed in her direction. It beggared the imagination that absolutely everybody was out to get the poor woman. In this book, many people were *not* out to get her. And that was a refreshing change. And for that I give you an extra star.

But, oh dear, the rest of the book...

First of all, shock schlock is one of the most virulent diseases of modern airplane novels. The world doesn't need another entry in the race to find The Most Sadistic Serial Killer Ever. Just say no. Please work with a nice straightforward killing, and solve it! I realize that this sounds terribly retro. However, I am tired of seeing writers burn their creativity in an effort to imagine a string of ever more icky things to do with eye sockets and bath tubs.

Second, you failed to get my disbelief to suspend. Too many coincidences. Too many links between all the characters and killings. Too much. Way too much. My disbelief actually didn't even levitate, let alone suspend. Honestly, I think that you ought to have a serious chat with your editor on this point. That is the person who should get paid to warn you that you have broken your plot. And you should listen to them if they do make warnings like that.

Last but not least, Dr. Self. Drop her. Drop this thread. Drop this character. I repeat the "oh dear, oh dear" when it comes to Dr. Self. She is not readable. She is not interesting. She is not anything. Let poor Kay settle down in Charleston without any more outside fuss than her already tangled relationships provide.

Actually, that brings me to a suggestion. Once upon a time, detective novels did this quaint thing where the world around them featured as a character in the work. The novelists used the local color and the detective became a vehicle through which the reader could explore the world. You seemed as though you kind of were starting to get at this with Bull. That was good, but then you got distracted. You wandered off and forgot about him. It was sad. Why don't you try that the next time?

I keep reading your books, largely because I still have a strong affection for Kay from back in the day. I also kind of like that you are one of the few mystery writers who allows your character change, and doesn't keep them encased in a plot-like amber. Please don't make me regret liking you for that, okay?

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

the frumious bandersnatch.

THUMBS UP FOR THIS MYSTERY THRILLER
Hale, hale, the gang's all here in this new and fabulous Scarpetta novel; Benton, Lucy, Pete and even an old nemesis, Dr. Self. I got this book from one of my dearest friends for Christmas and I must say that this is the first year I missed the after Christmas sales!! I simply couldn't put this book down...from the first page to the last, Corwell had me hanging by a thread. Kay Scarpetta is put into a several difficult situations which she skillfully handles, while dealing with emotional issues that take her by surprise.
As science advances and forensics procedures become more precise, Patricia Cornwell keeps up with the newest technologies through hard work and research. Combine this with the development of her characters and the unsuspected ending in Book of the Dead, and I am willing to bet I'm not the only fan anxiously awaiting the next installment.

A MUST READ
BOOK OF THE DEAD IS A MUST READ! Cornwell's latest work captivated my attention from the very first page. Don't miss out on this great book.