I think this has been my favorite in the 'Scarpetta' series so far. I love how we learn more about Kay as the series progresses, and not all of it is positive. Same for some other regular characters. This book has everything I enjoy in these books: a strong mystery, Kay herself being targeted, lots of tension between the main characters, fast pace and an exciting climax. I was a little disappointed the title had only a small amount to do with the story but that was pretty much the only criticism.

The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell is book 5 in the Dr Kay Scarpetta series and it's definitely my favourite so far in the series.
It fast, pacy, dark, twisted and exciting, Its the book we need to actually see how strong the characters and their relationships are and to show no matter how much we trust friends and family there's cracks.
The the showdow storyline which weaves into the main storyline is a continuation of Temple Gault ( which hopefully comes to an end soon) but the main forefront story is about a murdered little girl and a horrific mother.
I definitely recommend this series so far

Een elfjarig meisje wordt vermoord. Pete Marino en Kay Scarpetta houden zich bezig met de zaak. Maar Kay heeft ook nog andere zorgen: haar nichtje Lucy, die voor de FBI werkt, wordt beschuldigd van spionage...
En het gaat van kwaad naar erger, en Kay Scarpetta voelt zich bedreigd, en met reden, want iemand probeerde haar te vermoorden in wat een auto-ongeluk moest lijken. Maar het was Lucy die met de wagen van Kay reed, en wonder boven wonder hield ze niets ernstigs over aan het ongeval.
Ondertussen is Marino een relatie begonnen met de moeder van het vermoorde meisje., en uiteindelijk wordt dit hem bijna fataal.
In dit boek geven Benton Wesley en Kay uiteindelijk toe aan hun gevoelens voor eikaar, maar een relatie tussen collega's is meestal geen goed idee...

Ik heb al verschillende boeken uit de reeks gelezen (niet in volgorde) en hoewel ik de latere boeken van de reeks steeds minder goed begon te vinden (2 ervan heb ik zelfs niet uitgelezen), was dit boek, dat het vijfde in de reeks is, heel goed. De moeite van het lezen waard.

Excellent Scarpetta addition. Now a consultant for the FBI Kay works to track down a serial killer slaying children. Her niece is an intern at the Bureau which a number of her own personal challenges and the web spun by the killer slowly envelopes her friends and loved ones. Great stuff, great pace, great series.

A gift from my father-in-law. Thank you!

Loved it. I love how the progress of these books are going.

One of the most fascinating mysteries I’ve ever read. The best part was the description of what goes on at the “body farm,” which is a (real) place where dead bodies are placed in different conditions to see what happens to them, in order to help solve homicides.

This is probably my favorite Patricia Cornwell Kay Scarpetta mystery book. It’s the fifth of the series though, and they should be read in order, as the characters grow & develop.

Patricia Cornwell books are not for the faint-hearted. They're not cozy mysteries!

Anyone who likes the body farm’s graphic descriptions would probably enjoy the non-fiction book Stiff by Mary Roach, not about homicide victims, but about what happens to dead human bodies.

REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK; NOVEMBER 17, 2018
Narrator: Kate Reading

3 1/2 stars

This dragged somewhat in the first half before finding its pace. The last quarter was good. A couple of things still bug me about the series, though:

Kay "sleeping with a married man", as Pete Marino throws out at her. I haven't much patience or sympathy for adulterers so this little fact about Kay and Denton made me stop following the series. But I came back because I peeked a few books down the line to see where it goes. Result: I decided to give Kay and the very married special agent a chance. Besides, I like Benton Wesley...but I'm dying of curiosity about his marriage and home life.

Pete Marino: I want to give him a kick in the ass so badly here. What's up with him and his jealousy over Kay's love life? It's not as if there was even a smidgen of anything but a professional one between him and Kay. At no time, from Book 1 till now, did Kay ever give him cause to think their relationship could become more. And this book doesn't explain Marino's infatuation and refusal to let go of it, but this, as well as Lucy's thread, develops over several books so I'm bracing myself for more Marino stupidity. Hopefully, he will come to his senses.

I was lost in several parts because of the overly technical details regarding autopsies and corpses. I'm not sure if they were necessary other than to show the author knows her stuff. It was all lost on me and could be entirely hogwash for all I know, and care.

I didn't care for Kate Reading's narration as there was no differentiation between the characters' voices and I couldn't tell, at times, whether it was Kay or Wesley speaking.

Overall though, I enjoyed this more than I expected to, given the slow beginning, and I'm glad I've decided to keep the series on my TBR list.

4.5 stars

Oh my gosh, when I started this book I was unsure of the direction it was going to go, especially because of how the last book ended. But holy moly, the way it all unfolded has me gobsmacked. I need to know if everyone is okay who was affected by what happened because that was so messed up. I was definitely happy with the outcome and I can not wait to see what it going to happen next with Kay Scarpetta and Lucy

Read this years ago and loved it. Dr. Kay Scarpetta is one of my favorite characters.

This book was fast paced and complicated with a twist. I really liked it! Scarpetta's relationship with Wesley changes from professional/friendship to an affair. This upsets me because he is married and Scarpetta has met his wife on a few occasions and likes her very much. What bothers me most is Scarpetta feels no remorse whatsoever. Nor does Wesley. Because of the change that goes on with Wesley and Scarpetta's relationship it makes Morino very upset and you start to realize that he has feelings for Scarpetta that are stronger than just friendship. I very much missed that relationship in this story. I enjoy the back and forth between Scarpetta and Morino and find it rather endearing the protectiveness he feels for her. I also find it endearing how he gets uncomfortable when any of his protectiveness shows. All this was missing in this book. I really missed it. I am concerned what is going to happen in the next book in regard to Scarpetta and Morino's relationship. In the first book, Morino saved Scarpetta's life, and now in this book she saved his life. I wonder how he is going to handle that one!!

In the 5th book of the Kay Scarpetta series, Kay is involved in the investigation of the death of a young girl.

I am continuing to really enjoy my reread of this series. I found myself flying through the pages of this book - hooked from the very beginning. The books almost have a soapy feel to them which contrasts nicely with the darkness that is also present. It's a combination that really seems to work for me and this book was no different. As it's also book five, it's getting harder to discuss specifics without sharing spoilers from previous books. I will say that I enjoyed the fact that a case from a previous book, played a slight role in this book which is something I had forgotten. Overall, this is a series that isn't perfect but one that I definitely recommend and really enjoy.

Readers who enjoy mysteries and authors like Lisa Gardner for instance should give this series a try. I do recommend starting at the beginning and reading these in order if possible.