This book picks up immediately after Black Notice which is much better than some of the previous books. I have been disappointed by many of the events that took place off the page between volumes. Unfortunately though that means this book centers around Chandonne and Talley. I hated these villains in Black Notice and I still do. I do not find them compelling or intriguing. In fact I see Chandonne as pathetic and sad.

There are some big positives which warrant 3 stars versus the 1 I gave to Black Notice. In this book we get to examine some of Kay's vulnerabilities as she talks through her grief and anger with her friend, psychologist Anna. Kay is a character that I want to love, but often hate because she is too perfect and too egotistical. So these discussions with Anna allow Kay to be more relatable and real. I like her more after this volume than I did in the last. We also learn about Marino's son which is something I hope will be a part of his story in future volumes. I hope it gives us more knowledge about how Marino became Marino -- who is the most interesting character to me.

Kate Reading is definitely the best narrator I have encountered in this series. I especially like her voice for Marino.

Men kan er echt niet onderuit. Dit boek kan je niet begrijpen zonder de vorige in de Kay Scarpetta reeks gelezen te hebben. In feite is geen enkel boek van deze serie losstaand te lezen. Gelukkig ben ik braaf aan boek 1 begonnen om nu al tot hier te komen. Wat ik tof vind, is dat je op den duur een band krijgt met de personages. Je kan ze als het ware zo visualiseren. Wat me stoort, is de ietwat langdradige schrijfstijl. Toch blijft het spannend genoeg om verder te lezen dus op naar boek 12!

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4 out of 5 stars to The Last Precinct, the 11th book in the "Kay Scarpetta" mystery thriller series, written in 2000 by Patricia Cornwell. I really enjoyed this book as the complexity and the psychology of the killer was top-notch. Each chapter builds on the last, and in some ways, these books keep revisiting decisions and clues from previous book... so it gets quite explosive and intense. In this one, Scarpetta needs a break from the last case where she was batterd and bruised. But when she relies on a friend to help, she learns the friend is part of a trial against Scarpetta, forced into it due to circumstances pointing to Scarpetta possibly going rogue. Jamie Berger, the DA gets more involved, and we start this love/hate relationship with all the characters. This is definitely not a stand-alone book to read, you need to have read the rest of the series. It has a lot of great plot twists and characters, but it also takes a lot of energy out of you to pay attention and believe what's happening. I still liked it and was glad to see the growth in this one... tho it started to go down hill again afterwards in future books. If you enjoy the series, you will love this book. If not, don't pick it up here!

n  n    About Men  n
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.

This is the first Kay Scarpetta book I haven't really liked. She comes across as petty, self-centered and well, bitchy. I understand that the plot line has her out of her element, so those qualities that are not what's expected fit the circumstance, but by the end of the book I was kind of done with her, and wished she would get her comeuppance. Bit of a disappointment.

Another story in the continuing Kay Scarpetta series with a bit of a twist in the long-term events. I continue to enjoy the mystery as well as the science of Ms Cornwell's writing

“[Marino] is like the harsh lighting in dressing rooms. I was relatively comfortable with myself until I saw my reflection in him.”

3 1/2 stars. My 1st Patricia Cornwell novel and I’m an instant fan. When I picked it up I didn't realize it was #11 in a series; not a problem at all – I guess she writes each novel so they work as stand-alones. The main character in the series is Kay Scarpetta, a highly competent medical forensic specialist. The Last Precinct finds her hot on the trail of a truly dastardly villain by the name of ‘The French Werewolf’. It’s got a terrific supporting cast including her gay niece Julie, the slovenly detective Marino and an aging Nazi sympathizer.

Cornwell knows her stuff; this is a really decent crime-thriller.

Kay Scarpetta 11: The aftermath of the last book leaves Scarpetta battered and bruised on many levels, and the ensuing investigation means she has to leave her home. A well plotted and high impact read that relies on the reader having read the previous books in the series with significant changes happening to the main cast; Scarpetta on trail; some revelations about Benton's fate and more. The 'Loup Garouf' saga continues… and surprising for such a late book in the series, this book brings the series back to its best! 7 out of 12.

Overall, very enjoyable! I am finding more and more gripes as the series continues (but not enough to stop.... yet) but I am still actively engaged in the story and characters. Here is what I didn't like about this book:
1) This is basically a continuation of the last book. There was no new case. Someone who picked up this book without reading the last book wouldn't appreciate it as much
2) The ending was very abrupt (but satisfying). As I was getting to the end of the book, I kept looking at how much plot was left unresolved and thinking "How are they going to get themselves out of this with so little left?" Knowing this is a book series, I knew not every plotline would be completed but there was a lot.
3) Kay's age. I did the math and, due to info from this book, she would have been 28 in book 1. She went to college, medical school, law school and was somehow already well established as the chief medial examiner of Virginia by 28? When did she start college? 10 years old? It doesn't add up. I don't know. Stuff like that bugs me when a book is supposed to be realistic.
4) New audiobook narrator. Now this narrator was not bad by any means, she is actually quite good. It is hard to forget the characterizations the narrator of the first 10 books did with the characters. They are different now. I will get used to it (as I understand this narrator does the rest of the series). It is hard to let go of the original narrator, who was brilliant.
5) This book overstayed its welcome just a touch. A very long book without its own plot. There are some scenes that go on forever that don't seem to have anything to do with the story. It could have been tightened up a bit.

I still give it 4 stars because I had to know what was going to happen. That counts for a lot (and I can forgive the above imperfections if the books till keeps my interest - which it did). So I still give it a thumbs up!

Really tried to like this and it didn't work. I started skipping sentences, then paragraphs, then chapters, then donated it to a used book store because I'd have felt guilty throwing a book in the recycle bin. Hope your luck with it is better.

First read: February 2006
Original rating: 4/5 stars
Re-read: Dec 2016- Jan 2017
New Rating: 2/5 stars

The Plot: The Last Precinct directly follows on from the events in Black Notice, picking up merely twenty hours later. Scarpetta is still struggling to cope with the fallout of being attacked and injured in her own home, while still greiving for Benton, worrying about Lucy and trying to return to normality by going back to work. While all this is going on she also discovers a link between two seperate murder cases which may mean there is another serial killer on the loose.

I struggled with this book on my second read. I enjoyed certain aspects of it - in particular the follow-up investigation from the attack, and also Lucy's much darker character development - but at the same time, a lot of this book felt like filler material. Pages and pages of text were devoted to single conversations between two characters which slowed the pace of the story and felt frustrating. I also disliked the use of present tense here, which hadn't been used in any of the previous books. I was glad to finally reach the end of the book after almost giving up on it at about the halfway point.

However one of my favourite moments in The Last Precinct was Kay's verbal response to Marino after her attack:
"There is a difference between being victimized and being a victim. I'm not a sideshow for character disorders[...]I haven't become what he [the killer] wanted to turn me into[...]even if he'd had his way, I wouldn't be what he tried to project on me. I would just be dead. Not changed. Not something less than I am. Just dead." (pg 31)

Ooooohh, she had me all the way up to the end! This was a "to be continued" from the book before called "Black Notice" which was also crazy.

Kay Scarpetta's career is on the line in this one and her freedom. I have a feeling the next books will be moving away from Richmond, VA but I'm not totally sure. That detail is why I have always loved her books, because she talks about places and intersections and other things that I know about. It makes it more immersion and exciting.

I really enjoyed this storyline a lot with all the twists and turns that Cornwell is known for. This one does touch on some gruesome details though a bit more than usual so be aware if you are squeamish. I am excited to read the next in series which is "Blow Fly" and to know what adventure Kay will be on in this one.