I actually enjoyed this piece of the series. It was a good story line, kind of a classic who-done-it, and so I found it slightly refreshing. However, I did have a couple question marks over my head about certain parts of the story, but I think that’s just because they kind of had a weak conclusion. And I hope Lucy figures her stuff out and can kind of get it together. I understand she has emotions, but she and Benton keeping things from Scarpetta just makes me mad. Anyway, ready to jump into the next one of this series!

This is the book, I would say, where the characters complete their transformation from interesting people with issues you can relate to, to characters who are doing things that are so screwed up you don't even want to watch anymore. And now I remember why I stopped reading this series.

A thriller that isn’t even close to thrilling. The ending is anti-climactic, the characters are unbelievable and stupid, and the plot is...I won’t even waste my time (at least, any more of my time than was already wasted on this stuff).

Trace is the 13th book in the Kay Scarpetta series. Kay has been asked to return to Richmond to assist with the unsolved death of 14 yr old Gilly Paulson, after being fired from her job as Chief Medical Examiner. Virginia’s newly appointed Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Joel Marcus, continually disrespects Kay and she is becoming "the fall guy". The news that the body of Theodore Whitby, a construction worker accidentally killed in the demolition of the old CME building, is marked by the same trace evidence as Gilly Paulson. This book also brings back Lucy, Kay's nIece, Pete Marino, and Benton who was found alive in prior book. There are plenty of subplots as Lucy is trying to sort out who attempted to kill her friend Henri (short for Henrietta), who's now under psychiatric treatment by, Benton Wesley. Lurking in the background is Edgar Allan Pogue, a nutcase who has a thing for dead bodies and a grudge against Scarpetta. This series needs to be read in order in order to understand the subplots.

I enjoyed this, although I'm not sure if it's me, or if it's Kay Scarpetta, but these books just don't seem to be as gripping as they used to be.



I think I liked Kay a lot better as the CME than as a freelance person. And I don't like Lucy any more either. Maybe all that money went to her head, or something. But she was a lot more interesting a person when she was younger.

A very unusual book. I didn’t much like any of the characters, but I was intrigued about the solution to the mystery. I can see that Kay Scarpetta has a professionalism and integrity that commands respect. But she doesn’t attract me as a character; also, she loves her niece, Lucy. The others—Marino, Benton, Eise, Rudy, the abominable Dr Marcus—are all hard to like. And Lucy: I must confess, I was more for than against the killer’s desire to have her removed from the world. Perhaps predictably, the resolution happened too fast for my liking. I may read another Scarpetta if I happen to find one in my father-in-law’s hand-me-down books. I won’t be buying any.

What?
Painful. This book is eye roll soup.

She actually said "and I'm also a lawyer!"
Lucy is a trainwreck. TWO of Scarpetta's coworkers (past and present) are out to get her. Hmm... maybe there's a pattern.

I took notes while I read but I'm not promising a review.

*****UPDATE******

Still not a review, but here's a list of things that were too stupid not to share:

* Scarpetta's cringe-fest inner monologue while touring the medical examiners office in Richmond. This book takes place about 5 years after Scarpetta gets fired. She wasn't asked to help in the search for her replacement and she didn't expect to ever be called back. She is living in Florida when she gets asked to go consult on a case in Richmond.

When she gets to Richmond, Scarpetta finds out that the old medical examiner's office building is being torn down. Her reaction to this (and basically everything else in the rest of the book) is "ME ME ME"... "Why wasn't I told?" "Why did no one call me?" "I spent so much time there." She's really upset, and it goes on for pages, but why? Gurl, you helped design the new building... you knew the old one was going to come down. Please.

It keeps going though. She goes and sees the new building and finds fault with everything. Scarpetta choose art prints, which she paid for out of her own money, but one of them is missing. No one appreciates anything. She designed the study/conference area, but it's a mess. No one has respect for anything. Do they not know that she, the MAGNIFICENT BENEVOLENT SCARPETTA donated priceless medical textbooks that they cannot bother to correctly put away?

*the way she talks to the current medical examiner over Pete Marino's presence is outrageous. Scarpetta goes on a power-trip when Marino is questioned because they didn't know she would be bringing anyone else... AND IT'S AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION AND THEY DON'T WANT UNNECESSARY PEOPLE. Scarpetta loses her mind because how dare anyone question her. She can do whatever she wants because she's awesome, and if Marino (who she still hates...) can't stay, she's leaving. She sounds petulant.

*Lucy, the girl who can't hold a job and self-medicates when she gets overwhelmed is now Ms. Megabucks. Ok, she's a computer whiz, so maybe she designed a program and sold it? WRONG! Lucy founded a private security company and she's training commandos. She's made enough money to buy 2 Ferraris and a mansion. She's also so great at security that Benton is in town helping her because either someone attacked her lover/employee in her house or the girl is lying to her.

*there's a scene that made me laugh out loud when Lucy is lying through her teeth while interviewing a nosy rich neighbor. Lucy makes the observation that Kate, the neighbor, "only thinks about herself." Really? Lucy and Scarpetta never think about anyone else.

*Benton giving Lucy life advice made for a terrible scene, but compared to the rest of this book, it's almost normal.

*There are 2 bad guys. One is after Lucy, one is after Scarpetta. Both are tied to Scarpetta. One was a former co-worker who is delusional and was mediocre... Yet here he is outsmarting megabucks private security maven Lucy who is totally bringing in tons of top clients. Yep. Sure. The other bad guy never worked with Scarpetta, but he's always been jealous of her because she's achieved so much and she's perfect. He decides to never ever mention her name or say anything bad about her so that he stays above suspicion and can call her to consult on a case that turns out to be an elaborate set up.

*the "terrorism" ties in the case from Virginia. Oh, good grief where I do start. So supposedly the dead girl's dad is politically important because he's an informant for homeland security. What is doing for them? Well, apparently he's a doctor who does flight physicals for pilots, and he informs on the pilots to DHS because one of them might want to crash a plane into all the C-17s parked in the area. Ok. Oh, and he's also sexually assaulting female pilots during their physicals, which they show up for in flight suits.

*the victim's mom's behavior never makes any sense. She's just lost her daughter, and even though she thinks it was flu and not murder, a normal person would be grieving. The nasty battle over funeral plans with her ex is tragic, but okay, it makes sense. Where I get lost is the whole thing with her and Marino. She's trying to get leverage...for what? And Scarpetta swooping in a taking sheets and the awkward scene with her wanting to take pictures of Marino's junk.... uh, wait, what?

*Lucy goes undercover... in a real investigation on an actual case... after her antics have gotten her run out of every federal law enforcement job her aunt was able to get for her. But sure, bring in the unstable girl who got fired to go undercover because that is just what we need.

*Lucy's company is breaking laws. Privacy? Due process? Nah. Oh, and let's manipulate the local cops and laugh at them because we're so much smarter than they are. I'm sure no one will ever figure out about them hacking the police system and the fake CSI who doesn't exist.

In summary, this book was a train wreck, but it's so bad it's funny.

Good

A quick light read that follows a well established formula & continues with known characters. Not the best of the series, but fine for a holiday read.

Cornwell and Scarpetta should just gracefully retire !!

Patricia Cornwell is not on a good roll. Her atrocious non-Scarpetta "Isle of Dogs" was hardly redeemed by the weak return of Kay and Lucy in "Blowfly", wherein Scarpetta barely put in a cameo and Lucy took center stage (disguised as Wonder Woman), while poor Pete Marino was cast as little better than a bum and Benton Wesley was resurrected from the dead of all things.

At least in "Trace", half of the story is about Scarpetta, and though grouchy, she seems pretty much her normal self as she is brought back to her old building as a consultant to work a difficult case involving a young child's death. Meanwhile, Lucy's lover Henri (an actress turned cop), has been sent to Aspen, where Benton psychoanalyzes her to help determine whodunit, while Lucy and her aide Rudy work the case where it occurred in Florida. Confused yet? When all these plotlines test plausibility by converging into our suspect, ex-ME morgue geek Edgar Allen Pogue (what a clever name), we're tired already and just want it over. Revealing the murderer halfway through and then just putting on a weak hunt for the guy also ruined any pretense of suspense.

To us, introducing spotty relationships between Lucy and Henri, Henri and Benton, Lucy and Rudy, even Kay and Marino (his role never was clear) and Kay and new ME Marcus, just added terrible clutter without ever going anywhere. A couple of these scenarios might have made entertaining subplots had they resolved into something. Especially the shoddy work now happening under the new Virginia ME should have resulted in a firing or something, but the story just drifted to an end. Perhaps our reading of Ms. Cornwell, who seems unable to rekindle the fires of her earlier writing, deserves the same fate.

Dr. Scarpetta returns for her (lucky) 13th installment, with a case that has her return to Richmond to assist the Chief Medical Examiner. Newly liberated Marino accompanies her and they receive a less than warm welcome. A girl is deemed to have been murdered, but the circumstances surrounding it do not match up with what the mother is telling authorities and no one can determine what's been going on. While receiving the persona non grata treatment, both Scarpetta and Marino determine that something is very much off with the overly emotional mother, only to discover a secret that chills them to the bone. Meanwhile, Lucy is running The Last Precinct in Florida and is trying to protect a new recruit from a stalker whose invaded her life. How do the cases relate and who is this murderer/stalker that is causing so many issues? When everything comes together, Scarpetta cannot help but be flabbergasted.

Cornwell continues her third person narrative, which works as two stories flow simultaneously. It is interesting to see the more than Scarpetta view of the overall story and this narrative diversion has not cause me any concern. I am enjoying the ongoing character building and development, especially with all the changes Cornwell keeps introducing to the stories, yet longtime series regulars can still pine for their beloved foundational characters.

Kudos Madam Cornwell on another wonderful thriller. I am eager to keep pushing ahead!

Audio book--Ugh. Repetitive, plot full of holes. Motivation of characters not explained. Just bad. Ready to give up on this series.