Si es tu primer libro de novela policial o es el primer libro que lees de la autora, no te lo recomiendo. Pero si ya has leído algo de la autora (preferentemente en orden cronológico) y no es la primera vez que lees este género, ve por él.

Hay una genialidad detrás de la construcción del caso.
Comienza como una serie de personajes y momentos que parecen en un principio confusos, pero que se van hilando de a poco hacia una gran investigación. Son distintos puntos que van hacia algo fijo, pero que están involucrados los unos con los otros de forma directa o sutil.
En base parece un caso prototipo, es decir la búsqueda de un asesino serial, que finalmente se convierte en algo mucho más complejo, por todo el trasfondo de personajes.

Lo que me lleva a lo excelentes que son los personajes, y los divido en dos grupos, quienes están inversos en la trama de forma más directa: Benton, Self, Maroni, Otto y un poco Lucy. Y quienes en apariencia están menos involucrados: Kay, Marino y Rose. En cuanto a sus profesiones todos hacen su parte y brillan por su singularidad, son inteligentes y efectivos en sus disciplinas. De hecho la parte en la que se ponen en práctica todos los procedimientos es emocionante. Se construye con inteligencia y astucia.

Si tuviera algo que decir, es más personal, porque aunque me gustaron los personajes en realidad los sentí muy distantes y no diría que alguno se volvió mi favorito.
Esto es algo que ya había experimentado en Inhumano, Kay me parece un personaje con el que no encajo, pero que sin embargo me parece increíble.

Ahora este libro en más del 60%, si no has leído los anteriores, te va a parecer todavía más confuso porque hay cosas que se dan por sentado que ya las sabías y en algunas otras pueden ser spoiler.

Mi gran problema fue el final. Todo había sido espectacular, pintaba para ser de mis mejores lecturas, y luego vienen esas últimas 40 páginas.
Se resuelve el caso, sí, pero todo fue demasiado apresurado y pareciera que hasta le cortaron partes, por un momento nada de lo que pasa tuvo sentido y uno de los grandes pilares jamás se resuelve. De hecho nada se resuelve o tiene un cierre.
Y por otro lado, la manera en la que tratan una situación bastante cuestionable, no es ni por asomo lo mejor, tratan de victimizar al perpetrador y disculpar muchas de sus conductas, que sí, habían otros aspectos a tomar en cuenta, pero que no son justificaciones.

Otra cosa que se puede notar confusa es la misma traducción, y que personalmente no me gustó, los diálogos en su idioma original deben de tener más sentido, porque aquí se nota demasiado como el hilo de las conversaciones se vuelve confusa, por la falta de continuidad o el sin sentido, o simplemente por el cambio repentino de tema. Al menos en español son muy extrañas las conversaciones. Así que si pueden leer en el idioma original, yo diría que es mucho mejor.

Dissapointed. PC had the perfect chance with this book, this storyline to bring the characters full circle. The team of Scarpetta, Marino, Lucy and Wesley is coming apart at the seams. Using Dr Self and the animous she has for Kay (kept waiting for that to blow...never happened), and manipulating Marino.....Rose being so prominent. What's with Scarpetta crying for the bird that flys into the window but lets her longtime friend and partner sink. Then he goes over the edge damn near to the point of rape??????? This was the time for BENTON WESLEY uber shrink to step up. He must have been on a different planet. Damn I sure wish she'd go back to the 1st person narrative and bring the characters back from the dark side.

This is the first book of the series I read, not knowing that it was part of a series. I typically like these kind of novels. Forensics is a very interesting field. I have to say, though, I didn't like this. I found Cornwell's writing to be so over-technical to point where it distracted me from the actual plot of the book. Plus, her political commentary was unnecessary to the story line. Additionally, the characters were bouncing all over the spectrum of emotions rapidly, more so than you would expect throughout the course of a single book. This was a very tough one to get through.

This is Cornwell's 15th Kay Scarpetta book. The series has devolved from being about the killer and catching him with the characters in the background to being mostly about the characters. In the latest episode of the soap opera that is the life of Kay and her posse, Kay is in Charleston, South Carolina now. She has moved from VA to FL and now to SC. Lucy has a brain tumor. Benton and Kay are engaged but he lives and works in Boston. Rose is dying. And finally Marino is dating a horny skank who is getting him to rub testosterone gel on his body so he can take care of her needs. Marino steps way over the line with Kay and then disappears.

Oh yeah, the murder....well, the Sandman has killed some women including a young tennis star Drew Martin in Rome. He has also been getting psychiatric help from media star Dr. Marilyn Self as was Drew Martin. Oh yeah...Marino was too. See, Dr. Self hates Dr. Scarpetta based on the book prior to this one.

Hopefully the murder will someday be the focus of Cornwell's books again.

Trying Cornwell again. I was reading all her books but these characters got too depressing for me. Nothing good ever happens to them, they are all screwed up and her murders are gory.

I love Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta Series. I'll share my thoughts when I'm done. Has anyone else read it yet? What did you think? Dish!

6/10
Way too many funny little connections that stretch even the boundaries of fiction that is supposed to be grounded in reality. Even with the factors that help explain some of his behavior, Marino (as a character) has moved beyond pity and scorn to positively disgusting and hateful.  While the “completist” in me wants to know his fate, part of me doesn’t care about the details and is just glad he’s gone.
It is somewhat bothersome to me, having read the Kay Scarpetta books from the first through this one, that Scarpetta and her medical examiner skills have become a more minor part of each book. I prefer to see the mysteries unraveled from the investigative and ME sides of things and don’t need to be “with” the killer and the victims during the murders.
While personal relationships and issues are important, I’m hoping for a return to more competence, more focus on how the crimes are solved, and maybe a little more happiness and personal satisfaction for the main characters.

Rose puts it all in perspective when she makes this comment to Kay.."You don't confront people about their feelings and all it does is make things..."

This was by far one of the worst books of the Scarpetta series ever. I was so disappointed in this. Scarpetta has a private practice in Charleston. Kay and Benton are in Italy at the beginning investigating a brutal murder of a famous tennis star. When Scarpetta goes back to Charleston, she receives the body of a young boy who has no identity. Everything is some how related but the way things are tied together is murky. The reader has no idea what the setting is at times and that left me very frustrated. One reviewer labled the mystery as convoluted and I agree. It seemed to be a hodge podge of information thrown on a wall and whatever stuck is what the author went with. I couldn’t wait to finish this because I grew tired of it. Another reviewer commented on the characters and asked “Why do the characters have to be angry all the time?” I second that. These characters are NEVER happy. Not one, not ever. Marino has turned into a sad, lonely, but violent version of himself in this one and I didn’t like this path of his character. Benton and Scarpetta are together but their relationship is distant, but that’s nothing new. And Lucy is still the smart, haunted and miserable girl she has always been. I appreciate the fact the author has changed this series to keep things interesting, but I honestly think she choose the wrong path.

Never have I been so furious and so disgusted by a book in my whole entire life. In fact, I am so upset that I couldn't even get through the second chapter. I am so angry, I decided not to continue reading -- and I very, very rarely fail to finish a book.
One thing I can't stand is when authors use characters to express and advance their own personal political viewpoints. I read fiction -- especially mysteries, thrillers, etc., to be entertained, not to have anyone's personal and political agenda crammed down my throat. As a rule, I do not read political thrillers for precisely the same reason.
The worst part is that Cornwell's political viewpoint as expressed in this book is so typical of people who are incapable of engaging in independent, critical thought.
If you are among the millions of sheep in the United States of America who are incapable of thinking for themselves; or the type who buys everything pop culture, the media and government puts forth as gospel, you might actually enjoy this. Personally I will never pick up another Cornwell book again.
*Because I did not finish this "book" I will not count it towards the 100 books I plan to read this year.

NYT #1 November 11, 2007 (hawes.com); but the plot is difficult to follow and book is difficult to finish !

I'm not a fan of Cornwell's writing style, but thought I'd give her one more shot. Her introductory sentences for chapters or sections are sometimes fragments and read like a screenplay, like, "At the airport, later that night. The fog is heavy..." Her explanations of scientific compounds or medical processes are frequently inelegant and clunky; many other authors writing in this same genre have a much smoother way of educating their readers without making them feel as though they just left the novel and stepped into a chemistry or biology course, while still imparting the same information.

What's happening in these books. A series main character sexually assaults another series main character & then everyone spends half the book debating whether to forgive him or not. I think the author is giving him a redemption arc but she way overshot the violence. Yikes. Sprinkle in some light child murder and you have yourself a ???