Another one where the serial killer is after Scarpetta and her associates. I'm over these themes so losing interest in the series but will go on as I hope it'll just get better.
This time there are a whole bunch of fires set around and people die in them.
It takes a long time for the crew to figure out it's the accomplish of the first serial killer that was after Scarpetta in several books; Gault's side kick Carrie, who Lucy initially fell in love with without knowing she was insane in the membrane.
Now she's escaped her capture AND hooked up with the crook from Unnatural Exposure; The Irish serial killer who left torsos all over the place. They're cutting off the victim's faces and setting the fires to steer the heat off their tails.
Nice.
In the end I was really disappointed that this story would continue (again) on to several other books but thanks to the absurd ending - this was it!
Lucy's now flying helicopters - Yep, she really does it all but I still like her. So in the end she shoots down the two killers in their helicopter. Yeah, I know.
She also teaches Scarpetta some helicoptering so that's interesting.
Carrie manages to kill off Benton, so both Lucy and Kay are grieving in the end. I'm wondering why Cornwell had to kill off another one of Kay's beaus but what can ya do?
They weren't getting on anyway; Benton proposing and Kay not wanting to get married.

I suddenly notice there's nothing scary about these stories. There is no suspense and the intensity of the early books endings is long gone. But I keep going because it's like a TV series you keep watching.

For anyone who has started reading this series from the beginning as I have been doing; Scarpetta is constantly transforming herself as she investigates a deadly fire involving humans and animals. I felt this novel revealed a more human Scarpetta; she comes face-to-face with the loss of someone dear, a reference to O.J. Simpson, eats at Burger King with her niece and speaks openly about homosexuality which has been building over the last few books and unless I missed it before Lucy's last name is revealed. If we watched a television show over a time period we'd expect the same kind of progress as characters evolve. The writing seems tighter and more focused; it was one of my favorites so far. There is rather explicit details of doing forensics on a burn victims which requires a strong state of mind. The climax of the book comes quickly with an old nemesis who has been lurking in the background. The paperback comes in at around 400 hundred pages.

This book is what I consider the last good Scarpetta novel; all the books that follow it (The Last Precinct, Blowfly, Predator, et al) are hardly worth the paper they're printed on.

The plot centers on the suspected arson of a media magnate's home which resulted in the death of one female and several prize horses. A new villain enters the picture (Newton Joyce), and he's aided by serial killer Carrie Grethen, newly escaped from prison. There's a subplot involving Benton Wesley, Scarpetta's FBI paramour, which turns into the mother of all plot twists in her later novel 'Blowfly'. I felt that Cornwell didn't give her characters enough chance: she rapidly ditches both Joyce and Grethen in favor of Le Loup-Garou, her villain of 'Black Notice' and 'The Last Precinct', which in my opinion was a mistake.

The supporting characters are back: Lt. Pete Marino (I swear if she kills him off I will never touch one of her novels again), FBI agent Lucy Farinelli, Scarpetta's neice (although too much of a deal is made of her lesbianism), and one of the best villains in contemporary thrillers, Carrie Grethen. Carrie can be placed easily next to Hannibal Lecter in terms of fictional villains.

As you read, you'll learn about how arson fires are investigated and, incidentally, how fires work in terms of accelerants and point(s) of origin (where the fire initially begins); you'll also learn a little bit about how a scanning electron microscope (SEM) works. Cornwell's science is always dead-on, and this book is no exception.

Full of drama and intrigue

Another great story. You are kept wanting to hear more

I really really enjoyed this book, despite starting on it when i haven’t read the rest of the series. Even though i hadn’t read the earlier books, there was never a point i was unsure or lost & was still really really invested in the characters. great ending too, i loved the lead up to it and it made so much sense in the end.

another one bites the dust -queen
this sparks my curiousity -tesla trooper

OK, so this is as far as I got when I read this series as it was released. I quit reading because I was downright angry at Patricia Cornwell. She KILLED him! Yep, it was a good plot twist. Yep, it built tension, suspense, empathy. Yep, it proved that I care about the characters. But it really pissed me off. So, I am trying again, and even though it didn't shock and surprise me this time, it did still anger me.

Here's why: In my opinion Kay, Lucy, Benton and Marino are all too "hard." Their lives are all about work -- and their work is all about the evils in the world. Their relationships humanize them. They need the love, friendship, tenderness and empathy to soften them. So killing one of them affects all of them, and while I understand that might be a good thing for many readers, for me it isn't.

Having said all that, the story in this one is full of crazy action. The villains continue to take all of us on a roller coaster ride as Kay and friends try to catch them. This particular book is one of my favorites of the series, which may seem at odds with the fact that I quit reading after it came out. But I remembered the story all these years unlike the previous volumes.

If you like Cornwell's style you will like this book. But please -- read it. Do not listen. The narration is dull, breathy, boring and simpering. Ugh. I hated it.

I've read a few Scarpetta novels always out of order - but this one is definitely one of the better ones. Quite gripping and keeps you interested.

Chapter lengths were uncessarily long and there were areas where stopping would have been useful to stop and lock in events. Further, it was hard to tell who was speaking due to speach being broken up with 'Lucy said' only for 'Lucy' to continue speaking directly below - this was inconsistent especially when there was short fragments of speach where the person did not continue speaking below - it became irritating to read back to try and figure out who said what and when. The ending was a bit far fetched - a helicopter shoot out. Also, with this ending, can anyone be sure the fugitive was actually killed. Without knowing much about the Scarpetta book series or how Cornwell writes, it would not surprise me if there was a sequel with Carrie making a come back - a good example of this is Harry Potter.

However, the book gave a good insight into fire investigation and how difficult a job it is - to this end, I believe this was a secondary goal (the first being a best seller) in which the book has achieved its purpose.

This is #9 of Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series and if you have read the previous 8 this one should be very familiar. Now Temple Gault is dead (I think) but Cornwell once again brings back Gault's partner in crime Carrie who also once had thing with Kay's niece Lucy. Carrie it seems has escaped from the loony bin in New York and is determined to get even with Kay, Lucy, Weston and Marino. Add to this the arson/slash murders that have been taking place all involving pretty people and you have the background for this one.

It is tough to read a series that was written years ago and be fascinated with the twists that Cornwell has set out in this one. Let's just say there is a big twist but I took it with a grain of salt knowing that things will change in later books in the series. Kind of an unintentional spoiler for me after reading the backs of other Scarpetta books I have purchased already.

Things are still the same with the characters. Kay is a mean lady who is also getting creepy with her lustful looks at her lesbian niece Lucy. Kay just isn't a nice person. She is mean and rude to people. Lucy is still messed up and has switched jobs again to work with the ATF for Teun McGovern (who Kay is jealous of-creepy). Marino (who is really my favorite character is still overly protective of Kay and is needy for a relationship. Benton Wesley and Kay are still dating. Not much new in their relationship (or is there?).

#9 of the Kay Scarpetta Books